5G Spectrum - What is owned and what belongs to the FCC February 29, 2016 08:30

There has been a lot of focus recently in the 24, 28, 31, and 39 GHz spectrum as the wireless industry turns its attention toward 5G.  The FCC is also looking at the following bands through in their Use of Spectrum Bands Above 24 GHz For Mobile Radio Services proceeding. 

  • 24 GHz Bands (24.25-24.45 GHz and 25.05-25.25 GHz)
  • LMDS Band (27.5-28.35 GHz, 29.1-29.25 GHz, and 31-31.3 GHz)
  • 39 GHz Band (38.6-40 GHz)
  • 37/42 GHz Bands (37.0-38.6 GHz and 42.0-42.5 GHz)
  • 60 GHz Bands (57-64 GHz and 64-71 GHz)
  • 70/80 GHz Bands (71-76 GHz, 81-86 GHz)

The 24, 28, 31, and 39 GHz bands are the only bands that have already been licensed to carriers, although many of those licenses have lapsed.  Allnet’s Small Cell Backhaul – Spectrum Ownership Analysis Tool details the ownership in these bands down to the county-level for the entire US. We detail the callsign, lessee, and the future operator of the spectrum if spectrum has a pending transfer or pending lease.

 Fierce Wireless recently published our maps indicating the markets where XO has LMDS spectrum (28 and 31 GHz) or 39 GHz spectrum.  In addition to providing outputs that can be geographically mapped, our Small Cell Backhaul – Spectrum Ownership Analysis Tool has 4 analysis modules which provide key insights into the ownership of these “new” spectrum blocks.

Spectrum Grid:

The Spectrum Grid is a visual chart where you can see the owner of each block of spectrum.  For this chart the following carriers are notable:

  • NLW = Nextlink Wireless (XO)
  • FCC = FCC
  • STR = Straightpath
  • TMO = T-Mobile

24G and LMDS A:

LMDS B and 39 GHz:

 

County Analysis:

The County Analysis Module provides a summary of the spectrum owned for eight user selected carriers.  The spectrum holdings for these eight carriers are presented slide by slide for each spectrum band.

                                           

Company Profile:

The Company Profile Module provides a complete profile of each selected carriers spectrum profile, by spectrum band.

CMA Market Analysis:

The CMA Market Analysis Module rolls our county-level spectrum ownership data up to a market level so spectrum holdings can be evaluated for an entire cellular market area (CMA).  This module also highlights markets where spectrum positions may be strong or weak for a specific carrier.