The $50 Billion 5G Battle: The Wireless Industry Needs More Airwaves, But It’s Going to Be Costly

As the big wireless companies roll out super-fast 5G technology, they're facing a significant crunch in airwave spectrum to cover the whole country. There's a possible swath of airwaves that they're eying to solve the problem, but other communications industry players don't want to surrender the space easily. The years-long battle, which is now playing out at the Federal Communications Commission, pits some of the most powerful players in Washington, D.C. on opposite sides. And it's coming to a head with a final decision due in the next few months. The fight is over a segment of airwaves from 3.7 GHz to 4.2 GHz known as the C-band, which seems perfect for 5G usage. The frequency is low enough to travel long distances and penetrate buildings but also offers enough bandwidth for super-speedy downloads. Analysts say the major wireless companies would pay $30 billion to $50 billion for the rights to use a significant part of the C-band for 5G.