Fight to open up 12 GHz band heats up

The push to allow the 12 GHz band of spectrum to be used for 5G is taking on new significance, as broader infrastructure spending talks continue and SpaceX’s Starlink satellite broadband service prepares for a nationwide rollout. The 5G for 12 GHz Coalition, which represents more than 30 telecom companies, trade groups and public interest groups that want to open up the 12 GHz satellite airwaves for two-way 5G connections, told the FCC that it should move forward with a rulemaking to expand access to the band. It says this would “match that commitment to next-generation broadband infrastructure” in Congress, as lawmakers weigh devoting $65 billion for broadband initiatives to boost connectivity nationwide. “The FCC can take action now — without waiting on the legislative process — to open up 500 megahertz of contiguous spectrum ideal for accelerating the 5G mobile and wireless networks, improving opportunistic access to spectrum, and strengthening the capacity of Wi-Fi and other unlicensed services,” the coalition wrote in its filing. One of the main opponents of the push is SpaceX, which already uses this band of spectrum for Starlink. CEO Elon Musk dropped some news about Starlink the same day, tweeting that there should be a “nationwide rollout" by the end of October.