US Proposes Designating Portion of Radio Spectrum for 5G in the Americas
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If approved, the proposal could enable countries in the Americas to use the band to deploy 5G mobile services.
The federal government is pushing to make more spectrum available for mobile usage on an international level with its latest proposal to open the 3300-3400 MHz band for 5G mobile services in the Americas Region, according to an announcement on Monday.
If the initial proposal—sent to the May 2023 Inter-American Telecommunications Commission—is accepted as a regional proposal, it will be submitted to the International Telecommunication Union’s November 2023 World Radiocommunications Conference. ITU is responsible for allocating global radio spectrum. If adopted, the proposal would update international Radio Regulations so that countries in the Americas could use this midband range for 5G in the region.
According to the announcement, the proposal also defines protections for incumbent services in the band. The government is looking to safeguard critical operations and capabilities, while still allowing use of that band.
According to the Federal Communications Commission, “the United States uses the band 3300-3500 MHz for operating various types of government high-resolution/powered shipborne, land-based and aeronautical mobile radar systems.”