The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is seeking comment on the potential use of frequency bands above 24 GHz for authorized operation of mobile radio services.
According to a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued in October 2015, the Commission has proposed authorizing mobile operations in the 28 and 39 GHz bands with county-sized geographic licenses. The Commission says that such access could be suitable for deployment of high-capacity, high-throughput small cells as part of mobile broadband deployments. The Commission is also proposing to authorization of operations in the 64-71 GHz band to provide more spectrum for unlicensed uses, such as Wi-Fi-like “WiGig” operations.
In the same Notice, the Commission has also proposed a hybrid licensing scheme that would grant to property owners operating rights by rule. The Commission says that this licensing mechanism would facilitate the deployment of advanced commercial and industrial applications that are not otherwise suitable for unlicensed spectrum or public network services.
The public comment period on the Commission’s proposed actions closes in late January 2016.
Read the complete text of the Commission’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for mobile radio services.
