Spectrum Frontier

As wireless data traffic continues to surge, wireless providers and users are seeking large quantities of new spectrum in high-frequency bands that attracted little interest just years ago. This Spectrum Frontier has the potential to fuel the emerging Internet of Things, virtual and augmented reality scenarios, and multi-gigabit capacity to both unlicensed Wi-Fi connectivity and cellular LTE.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has promised an Order this summer – but that means choosing among divergent ideas about what spectrum access model best fits America’s wireless future. There is sharp disagreement among consumer groups, mobile carriers, satellite and Internet companies about how the millimeter wave bands above 28 GHz should be allocated. 

For example, consumer groups and some tech companies propose allocating bands for unlicensed Wi-Gig technologies as well as hybrid approaches that include band sharing. In contrast, mobile carriers are pushing for auctions of traditional wide-area and exclusive licenses. And satellite companies, meanwhile, fear they will be squeezed out of bands they are already using. 

What new technologies and services do high-frequency spectrum make possible? Will they enable virtual/augmented reality and the Internet of things, provide a home for 5G, or facilitate new satellite services? When is dynamic spectrum sharing most conducive to innovation and competition – and when is exclusive spectrum licensing necessary? 

Join Microsoft and New America’s Open Technology Institute for an @Microsoft panel discussion among diverse stakeholders to explore this new spectrum frontier and what it means for consumers, emerging technologies, and service providers. 

Lunch will be served. 

Watch the live stream HERE.

Follow the conversation online using #FutureOfConnectivity and by following @MicrosoftIPC and @OTI.

Participants: 

Paula Boyd 
Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs, Microsoft 

Scott Bergmann 
Vice President Regulatory Affairs, CTIA – The Wireless Association 

Harold Feld 
Senior Vice President, Public Knowledge 

Jennifer Manner 
Senior Vice President Regulatory Affairs, Echostar Corp. 

Kurt Schaubach 
Chief Technology Officer, Federated Wireless 

Moderator: 

Michael Calabrese 
Director, Wireless Future Project, New America’s Open Technology Institute