Jane Edwards
The White House and the Department of Defense on Monday announced a move to make an additional 100 megahertz of the mid-band spectrum available for commercial 5G by the end of the summer.
DoD said Monday it used the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s technical work and collaborated with services as part of the America’s Mid-Band Initiative Team to come up with a framework for spectrum sharing to help meet the industry’s need for more mid-band spectrum and safeguard national security.
“With this additional 100 MHz, the U.S. now has a contiguous 530 megahertz of mid-band spectrum from 3450-3980 MHz to enable higher capacity 5G networks,†Dana Deasy, chief information officer at DoD and a 2020 Wash100 Award winner, said in a statement published Monday.
The 3450-3550 MHz band supports the Pentagon’s radar systems that provide air defense, air traffic control, range safety and missile and gunfire control capabilities.
Deasy said the Federal Communications Commission will conduct an auction of the spectrum and that DoD is working on a Spectrum Relocation Fund Transition Plan to facilitate the sharing plan’s implementation.
“DoD is proud of the success of the AMBIT and is committed to working closely with industry after the FCC auction to ensure timely access to the band while protecting national security,†Deasy added.
