The FCC Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology let Google operate as American Samoa spectrum access system administrator in the citizens broadband radio service band, in a public notice Friday.
CBRS
The Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) is designated unlicensed spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band created by the FCC as part of an effort to allow for shared federal and non-federal use of the band.
Spectrum acquirer RS Access (RSA) cited an engineering study indicating 5G and non-geostationary fixed satellite service (NGSO FSS) deployments in 12 GHz are doable, urging it be made "the next 5G band." Satellite though is steadfast that sharing with mobile terrestrial will play havoc with satellite-delivered broadband. And the wireless industry hasn't come to consensus. That's per docket 20-433 comments posted through Monday. Replies are due June 7.
The FCC conditionally approved Fairspectrum, Nokia and Red Technologies as spectrum access system administrators for the citizens broadband radio service band, said a Friday release. The three passed the first phase of a two-phase approval process. The FCC also cleared CommScope, Google, Federated Wireless and Key Bridge to be environmental sensing capability operators in the 3550-3650 MHz part of the band in Puerto Rico and Guam. Federated was approved as an SAS in American Samoa. “No matter who you are or where you live, you need access to modern communications,” said acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel: “This is true, of course, for those living in Puerto Rico, Guam, and American Samoa too.”
Google sought FCC certification as a spectrum access system administrator in the citizens broadband radio service band in American Samoa. The company also reported recent growth in the CBRS market. Base stations being served by Google’s SAS continue "to rapidly increase, especially as relaxation of pandemic restrictions begins to allow significant growth in enterprise CBRS deployments,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 15-319.
The FCC granted 125 priority access licenses won in the citizens broadband radio service auction and approved 13 long-form applications. Among the licenses approved Friday were those won by AtLink Services, Cherokee Telephone, Nemont Communications and SkyPacket Networks. The auction ended in August.
FreedomFi and IoT network Helium announced an agreement Tuesday to use citizens broadband radio service spectrum. With Helium, users mount a radio device on their roof, connect it to the network using an app and help create a wireless network. Under the agreement, Helium will use FreedomFi gateways, which "augment the existing capacity of macro-cell tower operators,” said CEO Boris Renski: “We’re able to use CBRS small cells in urban areas to rapidly add density to the network at no expense to the operators.”
Competitive Carriers Association representatives urged the FCC to create a new category of citizens broadband radio service devices allowed to operate at higher power levels than under current rules. “CCA’s initial analysis indicates that higher-power operations would increase the utility of the band … without increasing the risk of interference to other services,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 19-348: Higher power levels would “increase the array of use cases supported by CBRS spectrum, provide more technical and operational flexibility for users of the band, and improve wireless coverage in rural America.” CCA proposed allowing devices to operate at a maximum equivalent, isotropically radiated power of 62 dBm/10 MHz and allow user equipment to operate at 26 dBm. CCA spoke with aides to the four commissioners.
Dish Network slammed T-Mobile Thursday, telling the FCC the carrier’s opposition to higher power levels in the citizens broadband radio service band shows that after buying Sprint, the “Un-Carrier” became anti-consumer. “It is ironic that T-Mobile, with the largest spectrum trove in the United States, is against increasing the utility of CBRS licenses held by other competitors,” Dish said in docket 19-348. “No doubt they would take a different approach if they had real ownership of CBRS spectrum.” Dish slammed T-Mobile for its plans to shutter its legacy CDMA network from Sprint at year-end. “Unfortunately, a majority of our 9 million Boost subscribers (many of whom face economic challenges) have devices that rely on Sprint’s CDMA network and will be harmed if T-Mobile prematurely shuts down that network,” Dish said. T-Mobile didn’t comment.
The upcoming 3.45 GHz auction and yet-to-be-scheduled 2.5 GHz sale are likely to get broad interest from smaller carriers, industry officials said during a Competitive Carriers Association virtual conference Wednesday. They warned that holding three midband auctions in a short time poses financial issues.
Comments are due April 8, replies April 15 on the NFL’s request for waiver of citizens broadband radio service rules to use its “coach-to-coach communications systems” during an internet outage, said a public notice in Tuesday's Daily Digest on docket 21-111. The organization needs the waiver for situations when internet service goes down just before a scheduled game but after a spectrum access system administrator has granted authority to operate the NFL’s CBRS system for that game, the PN said.