The FCC sees 6 GHz as critical to the future of Wi-Fi and unlicensed, said Chairman Ajit Pai at the Mobile World Congress in Los Angeles Tuesday. The band will provide “huge 160 MHz channels that could be used for unlicensed innovation, the likes of which we only conceive now,” said Pai, interviewed by CTIA President Meredith Baker. The FCC is looking for “an accommodation” for public safety, business and other users of the band, he said.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is expected to propose a private auction of the C band, along the lines of what was proposed by the C-Band Alliance, for a vote at the Dec. 12 commissioners’ meeting, said industry officials. The order would provide some 300 MHz for 5G through private auction in 2020's first half. The FCC would likely allow no combinatorial bidding and sell all the spectrum in one auction, or possibly two, as long as there's certainty on timing of the second, the officials said. The proposal also calls for partial economic area licenses, as sought by CBA.

Wilson Electronics urged FCC Wireless Bureau staff to adopt criteria that would allow use of consumer signal boosters (CSBs) in spectrum being opened for 5G. “CSBs can play a significant role in the rollout of new 5G networks” and should be permitted in the 600 MHz and 2.5 GHz bands “which will assist carriers in densifying their early 5G networks,” Wilson said, posted Tuesday in docket 10-4. Wilson said high-frequency bands “present propagation challenges that can be overcome with the use of CSBs.” It said the FCC should act to eliminate the personal-use exemption for small businesses, as it has for residences (see 1806190052). “Affordable CSBs provide the best solution for improved in-building cellular connectivity for most small businesses" in the U.S., the booster maker said.

What 5G will mean for smaller, rural carriers remains unclear. At the Competitive Carriers Association conference last week in Providence, Rhode Island, attendees told us there are more questions than answers. A recurring theme was members will concentrate for now on 4G LTE, which has a long runway ahead.

With rival estimates of cost and feasibility of fiber distribution to replace satellite C-band use before the FCC, experts told us there are issues about how fast such fiber could go up and about ongoing expenses. Being switched to fiber could force many small cable operators out of business, some fear.

After years of work, the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band appears ready to open for business, as early as next month, FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly told us. O’Rielly predicted an FCC decision soon on the C band, and said the agency may not need to review CBS' buy of Viacom. O’Rielly insisted relations have improved among commissioners.

While an FCC proposal is still taking shape, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is telling industry officials he wants at least 300 MHz of C-band spectrum allocated for 5G. Pai also appears to be leaning toward an FCC auction rather than a private sale to allocate the licenses, industry officials said. The C-Band Alliance plan for clearing the band has dominated discussions. Last week, the FCC took reply comments on alternate proposals (see 1908150042). Again, comments were sharply divided. Pai said last month the FCC should have “results to show” on the C band in the fall (see 1907050024). The FCC and CBA didn't comment.

AT&T hasn’t stated a position on T-Mobile’s buy of Sprint, but the company is pushing forward on 5G and ready to pick up customers who will inevitably leave the combined company, said Chief Financial Officer John Stephens at an Oppenheimer conference Tuesday. Stephens said there are many unknowns, including whether the states will prevail in their lawsuit to block the deal (see 1907260071). In 2011, AT&T tried but dropped plans to buy T-Mobile.

With DOJ's justification for approving T-Mobile/Sprint largely hinging on Dish Network's ability to become a national wireless player (see 1907260071), wireless industry watchers tell us that whether Dish can pull that off is a big question mark. "Wireless is a very tough business to get right -- many companies have tried and failed," said wireless analyst Jeff Kagan.

Chief Technology Officer Neville Ray dove deep on T-Mobile’s 5G spectrum strategy, during a call with analysts Friday as it got the federal antitrust nod to buy Sprint (see 1907260071). The goal is combining low-, mid- and high-band spectrum, he said: “That’s absolutely critical for the type of 5G service that customers can use on a ubiquitous basis. … You need all of those elements.” T-Mobile is mostly invested in the 24 GHz band but has built out 28 GHz licenses and is the first U.S. carrier with millimeter-wave coverage maps, he said. “You can absolutely use millimeter-wave where there are large concentrations of people, where the population exists,” but not to serve the whole country, Ray said. T-Mobile covers 150 million POPs with 600 MHz spectrum, up 50 percent in one quarter, he said. “We are going to bring large, very large-scale coverage on 5G to the U.S. this year, and nationwide as we move into 2020.” The company doesn’t “trash” viability of high-band spectrum, said CEO John Legere. “We have made fun of a millimeter-wave only strategy -- it won’t work.” High-band across the U.S. would cost $1.5 trillion to build, he said.