Page 86 - SAMENA Trends - August 2020

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

FCC Sets December Auction for C-Band Spectrum

C-Band spectrum will go up for auction the “accelerated relocation payments to minimum opening bid amounts as well
on Dec. 8, under a plan that the Federal incumbent satellite operators that will as bidding credit caps for rural service
Communications Commission adopted make spectrum available for 5G two to four providers and small businesses. “Mid-band
Thursday (August 6) in its controversial years earlier than otherwise would have already is providing hundreds of megabits
decision to sell 280 megahertz in the been the case.” Bidding in Auction 107 of 5G mobile performance in markets
3.7–3.98 GHz mid-band frequencies (as the C-Band auction is designated) will across the country,” Commissioner
for 5G “and other advanced wireless begin on Dec. 8, 2020. There will be two Brendan Carr said, citing the spectrum’s
services.” The FCC expects the auction clock-phase categories of certain parts of value in new telehealth, remote learning
will offer 5,684 new flexible-use overlay PEAs that are scheduled for the first early and work-from-home activities. “We can
licenses based on Partial Economic Areas clearing deadline in December 2021. The be sure that this mid-band capacity will
(PEAs) for spectrum. The plan envisions rules also specify upfront payment and help us meet” further demands.
procedures that will ensure that auction
winners receive contiguous spectrum
blocks that will enable wide channel
bandwidths to support 5G deployment.
The FCC adopted the plan on a partisan 3-2
vote, with Democrats Jessica Rosenworcel
and Geoffrey Sparks approving in part
and dissenting in part from the auction
plan. Chairman Ajit Pai acknowledged the
dissent, saying, “That’s why we rejected
politically motivated calls to do literally
nothing until Congress passed a law on
the subject,” Pai said, noting that Congress
has not addressed the issue in the six
months since the FCC made plans for the
mid-band auction. He also emphasized

FCC Generates USD4.6Bn from 3.5GHz Auction; 91.1% of Licenses Sold

The Federal Communications Commission ‘greatest number of spectrum licenses CommsUpdate, the auction offered seven
(FCC) has announced that Auction 105 – its ever in a single FCC auction’. Going Priority Access Licenses (PALs) in each
sale of 5G-suitable (3550MHz-3650MHz) forward, the regulator intends to release a county-based license area. Each PAL is
3.5GHz spectrum – has concluded after public notice in the coming days, providing a ten-year renewable license, consisting
76 rounds of bidding. Gross proceeds the names of the winning bidders and of an unpaired 10MHz channel. The 271
reached USD4.586 billion, with the announcing deadlines for payments and registered bidders included mobile giants
winning bidders securing 20,625 (91.1%) other post-auction procedures needed AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile US, alongside a
of the 22,631 available concessions. for the prompt issuance of licenses. As mixture of fixed line operators, cablecos,
The spectrum on offer represented the previously reported by TeleGeography’s regional telcos and utility firms.

Spectrum Cap Confirmed for Australia’s Planned 26GHz Auction

Allocation limits have now been set for of 1GHz on the amount of spectrum advice and analysis from the Australian
Australia’s planned auction of 5G-suitable any one entity can obtain in the sale Competition and Consumer Commission
spectrum in the 26GHz band, which process. This direction was made via the (ACCC) and aligns with the government’s
is scheduled to take place in March ‘Radiocommunications (Spectrum License communications policy objectives …
2021. Announcing the development, Limits–26GHz Band) Direction 2020’, Success in the mobile market ultimately
communications minister Paul Fletcher dated 9 August 2020, and commenting depends on access to spectrum. Applying
confirmed that he had directed the on the matter, Mr. Fletcher said: ‘I have allocation limits means that the 26GHz
Australian Communications and Media directed the [ACMA] to set allocation limits spectrum cannot be monopolized by any
Authority (ACMA) to implement a cap of 1GHz. This decision was informed by one operator.’
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