The report highlighted the fact that the U.S. has less spectrum than its international peers, including China
Allocating harmonized mid-band spectrum for 5G technologuy can unlock approximately $200 billion for the U.S economy over the next 10 years, according to a new study by Accenture, which was commissioned by wireless industry association CTIA.
The report noted that there is a risk of America’s wireless industry limiting its “future leadership of the global wireless ecosystem” if embracing 5G spectrum allocation is not fully supported. This could also impact adjacent industries that leverage wireless technology such as manufacturing, utilities, and others in the U.S., the study finds.
The report, dubbed “Advancing U.S. Wireless Excellence: The Case for Global Spectrum Harmonization”, finds that spectrum harmonization is key to achieving “economies of scale across the wireless value chain as well as fueling new sources of growth and innovation.”
The report also highlighted the fact that the U.S. has less midband 5G spectrum available than its international peers, including China, adding that there are no plans to free up additional 5G spectrum in the near term.
“As we saw at the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC), the rest of the world is moving quickly to allocate significant amounts of internationally harmonized mid-band spectrum for 5G to meet exploding demand and build a foundation for future innovation and economic growth,” said Meredith Attwell Baker, president and CEO at CTIA. “To avoid becoming a wireless technology island and secure our economic competitiveness, it is critical that we move quickly to allocate more full power, licensed spectrum for 5G with global bands,” the executive said.
“Remediating its mid-band spectrum deficit will be imperative for the U.S. to fuel new sources of growth and innovation. Ignoring this opportunity now can jeopardize the wireless leadership it achieved in 4G, and in the early phase of 5G’s rollout,” said Tejas Rao, managing director of Accenture Cloud First Networks. “Taking calculated and swift action is necessary to position the U.S. at the forefront of wireless innovation and lay the foundation for future growth.”
The report also urged U.S. regulators to focus their efforts on freeing up mid-band spectrum for licensed 5G use that will fuel use cases ranging from 5G home broadband, smart manufacturing and precision agriculture, among others. CTIA has been strongly advocating for the use of full-power, licensed spectrum access for the wireless industry, while government representatives have emphasized sharing-based strategies to enable more commercial spectrum access while maintaining federal operations.
The Accenture report also highlighted that the two bands that stand out, given recent developments at the WRC globally and their inclusion in the National Spectrum Strategy domestically, are:
-The lower 3 GHz band, which is already harmonized and widely used around the world, and
-The 7/8 GHz band, which is slated for future mobile use internationally, which gives the U.S. a clear opportunity to lead in developing the wireless ecosystem using this next key spectrum band.
You can get access to the full report by clicking here.
