CBRS

Questions remain whether the FCC will agree with NTIA that DOD should receive compensation under the Commercial Spectrum Enhancement Act (CSEA) for its costs to make changes needed for sharing in the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band. The FCC is part of a technical panel, with NTIA and OMB, that last year endorsed the costs. It hasn't issued a public notice required under the CSEA.

Verizon reported mixed Q4 results, like AT&T the previous day (see 2001290025). Verizon had 852,000 wireless retail postpaid additions, including 588,000 phones, the highest net adds in six years. Postpaid churn was 0.86 percent. Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg told analysts Thursday Verizon is interested in the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band. The carrier has done extensive tests, and it works, he said: “It’s going to be definitely something we’re using as it comes out.” On 5G more generally, Verizon committed to launch in 30 cities and is up to 31, Vestberg said. The company expects more than 20 5G devices to come to market in 2020, with a 5G Apple device driving uptake. “We're building a unique 5G experience with our millimeter wave that nobody else is building,” the chief said. Profit was $5.22 billion, up from $2.07 billion in the year-ago quarter and slightly some analyst estimates. Wireline revenue of $3.2 billion fell 1.7 percent. Verizon, unlike AT&T, is increasing capital expenditures, which means lower free cash flow, said MoffettNathanson's Craig Moffett. In other ways, the results are similar, he wrote investors. “The wireless business is getting more competitive,” said the analyst. “Churn is rising and margins are falling, and the highly anticipated (feared?) 5G upgrade cycle hasn’t even started yet. And everything other than wireless is even worse. AT&T’s non-Mobility segments were a disaster. Verizon’s non-wireless segment … was, well, a catastrophe.” Wireless phone adds “were strong, though this won’t be much of a surprise following comments from AT&T and T-Mobile about how aggressive Verizon was in the quarter,” said New Street’s Jonathan Chaplin. “Churn didn’t spike as much as others, though this isn’t surprising given that they were the ones promoting most aggressively (inflicting higher churn on others).”

NTIA released a report Monday calling for further study but saying federal agencies may be able to share the 3450-3550 MHz band, which is directly below the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service spectrum (see 2001270025). DOD assisted in preparing the report. Federal operations in the band “include shipborne, airborne, and land-based systems -- primarily radars,” blogged Charles Cooper, associate administrator of the NTIA Office of Spectrum Management: “Our report points to a clear possibility for real time spectrum sharing that would protect these critical missions, while providing attractive opportunities for commercial business.” The next step is studying how often each of the federal systems is used, and then developing “mechanisms for reliably informing commercial operations when federal systems are operating nearby,” Cooper said: "This 100 MHz of spectrum should be well suited for realizing 5G’s promise of higher throughput and lower latency operations." The report says the band gets significant federal use, with shipborne radars operating at more than 20 ports along the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts. Some airborne systems operate nationwide; other systems are limited, the report said: “The ground-based radars operate at over one hundred locations, including many near high-population areas. In addition, DOD continues to deploy systems at additional locations and to develop new systems for operation in the band.” Some aspects “of the systems are classified, which reduced the ability for the report to be as transparent regarding the analysis as otherwise possible,” the document says. Frequency- or geographic-based sharing approaches “would result in significant restrictions on commercial services, in terms of emitter power limits and exclusion zones, making sufficient access for viable commercial applications unlikely,” the report found: “A dynamic, time-based sharing mechanism could present a potentially attractive approach to both protecting federal systems and providing viable commercial operations. Commercial operations would be contingent on spectrum availability, which will depend on the frequency, time, and location of federal system operations.” It’s no surprise NTIA found “extensive” military use of the band requiring protection, said Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at New America. “The good news is that the report’s technical findings suggest the spectrum could be shared nationwide by low-power, indoor operations, as well as outdoors away from the coasts,” he told us: “It appears that shared use could be supported by expanding on the database coordination approach that manages sharing with the Navy in the adjacent band under the new CBRS framework that became fully open for effectively unlicensed use today. Adding this band to CBRS looks like it will be the fastest and most efficient way to put it to use for 5G-quality connectivity.”

The FCC certified the first four spectrum access system administrators for full-scale commercial launch of unlicensed use of the citizens broadband radio service band. The four are CommScope, Federated Wireless, Google and Sony. The development was expected as a critical next step for the band (see 1912260040). The four, plus Amdocs, were cleared last year to start initial commercial deployment in the 3.5 GHz spectrum. “The FCC has made it a priority to free up mid-band spectrum for advanced wireless services like 5G” and this is “the latest step to achieve that priority,” said Chairman Ajit Pai. Priority access licensees and general authorized access (GAA) users will share the band, with the administrators managing use of the band. Its first commercial use is in the GAA tier, with the FCC auction of PALs to start June 25. The Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology issued the approvals Monday. “With more than 25 customers offering commercial services and another 50 in development, Federated Wireless is extremely pleased with the momentum the market has achieved since[initial launch] in September, and we are eager to continue driving the next wave of services including private 5G,” said Federated Wireless CEO Iyad Tarazi: “2020 will be an extremely active year for all of us who have worked so hard to bring the promise of CBRS to reality, and we are fully committed to working closely with all of the customer segments that stand to benefit from the new business and service models being developed and deployed today.” After years of work, "full commercial deployment of CBRS shared spectrum is a real thing, not a dream,” emailed Louis Peraertz, Wireless ISP Association vice president-policy: “If it works in this complex band, other forms of sharing -- such as in the C-Band, 5.9 GHz and 6 GHz bands -- can and should go forward. We cannot wait to see what it will do for the band and for other spectrum.” Full commercial deployment “is the final stage in the commercialization process that started in 2013 when the FCC began pursuing an innovative shared spectrum model in the 3.5 GHz band,” the CBRS Alliance said: “The success of this initiative is the result of unprecedented public-private partnerships between industry and government organizations.”

NTIA recommended protections for DOD mobile ground-based radar systems operating below 3.5 GHz that need safeguarding from citizens broadband radio service interference. In a letter to FCC Wireless Bureau Chief Don Stockdale and Office of Engineering and Technology acting Chief Ronald Repasi posted Thursday in docket 17-258, NTIA said there are 40 of those mobile radar system locations. It said for some, NTIA will maintain a list of locations for CBRS spectrum access system operators to use. It said for others, dynamic protection areas that are always activated would be a way of protecting them, as it would limit maximum aggregate received power from CBRS devices at the radar antenna aperture. It asked the FCC offices to act to effectuate that protection.

Google filed to expand where it acts as spectrum access system operator in the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band as part of its initial commercial deployment (ICD). Google filed to add Brooklyn, New York; Nashville; Spokane County, Washington; and Harris County, Texas, among other areas, in FCC docket 15-319, posted Wednesday. CommScope wants to expand its ICD as a SAS to also cover Wake County, North Carolina. CommScope will operate there “consistent with our original ICD Proposal submission,” the company said, noting it’s awaiting approval for full commercial deployment.

The FCC Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology OK'd updated CommScope and Google deployment and coverage plans for environmental sensing capability in the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band. The companies jointly provide ESC services, said Monday's public notice. Approval follows consultation with DOD and NTIA. Dynamic protection areas covered are East DPAs 2, 3 and 12-26, East Mayport and East Pascagoula Port in Florida and West Alameda, California.

LAS VEGAS -- This year will be one of “execution” on making more spectrum available for 5G and Wi-Fi, FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said in an interview at CES. O’Rielly and Commissioners Geoffrey Starks and Brendan Carr spoke on a panel, after remarks by Chairman Ajit Pai. Pai wasn’t asked about and didn’t provide any additional details on the 6 GHz band or C band (see 2001070054).

Drones can safely use the 960-1164 MHz and 5030-5091 MHz bands if they use spectrum access system (SAS) technology like that employed in the citizens broadband radio service band (see 1912270039), Federated told the FCC. Federated is an approved SAS administrator for CBRS. “SAS technology … readily adapts to other frequency bands and can be leveraged to maximize spectrum utilization while implementing incumbent protections and priority access regimes that address the unique characteristics of each band,” Federated said in docket 19-356, posted Friday. This sharing regime is made possible because “SAS technology is built upon a dynamic cloud-based database that ... provides real-time coordination and manages access on a protected basis for priority users while simultaneously supporting coexistence among secondary users.”

It's difficult to gauge how the citizens broadband radio service launch has gone so far. In September, the FCC, in docket 15-319 cleared Amdocs, CommScope, Federated Wireless, Google and Sony to start initial commercial deployment (ICD) in the 3.5 GHz band, but the companies aren’t required to publicly report numbers. CBRS Alliance President Dave Wright of CommScope told us initial numbers are proprietary, but CBRS is moving forward as expected with full-scale launch imminent. “I continue to be extremely excited,” Wright said.