The Wireless Innovation Forum (WInnForum) announced Initial Commercial Deployment (ICD) of services in the 3.5 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band.
Amdocs, CommScope, Federated Wireless, Google, and Sony have received FCC Spectrum Access Systems (SAS) approval.
WInnForum’s Spectrum Sharing Committee (SSC) was specifically formed to develop the solutions and standards that will encourage rapid development of the CBRS ecosystem, protect incumbent operations, and benefit all potential stakeholders in the band. The SSC benefits from participation of a broad-based group that includes wireless carriers, network equipment manufacturers, potential SAS Administrators, federal government incumbents, satellite operators, existing 3650-3700 MHz band licensees, and other parties with an interest in the 3.5 GHz band.
On the heels of the group’s release of the complete baseline standards package in January 2018, the WInnForum delivered test code to the government’s test lab, the Institute for Telecommunications Sciences (ITS), in May of that year. ITS completed its laboratory testing of the SAS operational models provided by the above SAS administrators in May of the current year.
Dr. Eric Schmidt, ex-CEO and Chairman of Google and Alphabet, and Co-Chair of the PCAST study, stated: “The initiation of ICD validates the ability of Federal and civil users to work together to share spectrum, a feat that many had claimed could not be accomplished. When we proposed this joint cooperation in the PCAST report, it was unclear how it would occur. But, with the work of the FCC in establishing CBRS, and the WInnForum in creating this cooperation, we now see the PCAST vision happening. I look forward to seeing the innovation in wireless services, business models, and technologies that this will enable.”
