A National Spectrum
Strategy to Lead in 5G
The growth in the availability of mobile
wireless broadband connectivity over
the past decade has reshaped the
American experience—the way
Americans work, learn, shop, run
businesses, transport their families and
goods across the Nation, farm, conduct
financial transactions...and interact
with one another.”
– President Trump
“
Introduction
5G wireless promises to transform the way we live and work.
From new smartphone uses, automated vehicles, and the Internet
of Things to remote healthcare, augmented and virtual reality,
industrial automation and more, the innovations of the future
will be built on 5G. And 5G requires an inux of more spectrum
to support Americans’ mobile needs and our global wireless
leadership.
With smart government policies focused on free market spectrum
auctions, the U.S. won the race to 4G, growing our economy and
spurring American innovation and leadership of the technologies
that dened the decade, such as smartphones, apps, and mobile
services.
Recognizing 5G’s potential, and that “the real advances will be
made by innovators across America using spectrum in unforeseen
ways,” the Trump Administration is engaged in an ambitious
project to develop a National Spectrum Strategy that gives
“industry more freedom to innovate” and “reach the full potential
that 5G oers.”
1
This document lays out a strategy to help fulll the
Administration’s bold vision with a three-point plan of action:
Creating a five-year schedule of auctions that puts more
high-, mid- and low-band spectrum in the hands of
America’s wireless industry.
Recommitting federal spectrum policy to proven free
market approaches that harness the power of
competition to enhance our nation’s economic and
national security.
Modernizing government policies and procedures to
ensure optimal use of spectrum.
This plan will unleash a signicant spectrum stimulus that will
create jobs, grow our economy, and help America lead the
industries of the future.
1.
2.
3.
China U.S.
5G Deployments
(by the end of 2019)
UNITED STATES | 92
UNITED KINGDOM | 16
SOUTH KOREA | 48
The 5G Challenge
01.
A year ago, China and South Korea were leading the 5G race, with the
U.S. close behind.
2
This year, America is now tied for rst with China in
5G readiness.
3
This improvement is thanks to signicant investment by America’s
wireless industry and to policymakers’ quick action and visionary
leadership, which is empowering America’s commercial wireless industry
to challenge each other to build the world’s biggest, most robust, and
most secure 5G networks.
By the end of 2019, America will have almost double the number of
5G deployments compared to its next highest rival, with 5G networks
launching from Harrison County, Mississippi and Indianapolis, Indiana to
Phoenix, Arizona and Nashville, Tennessee.
5
Global 5G Readiness—2019
1
st
3
rd
4
th
5
th
South
Korea
Japan U.K. Italy
But the work is far from done. While America ranks strongly in the
majority of 5G-readiness metrics, China and many other countries
are ahead in making critical mid-band spectrum available for 5G and
Chinese wireless operators are conducting hundreds of large-scale 5G
trials across the country, thanks to a signicant wireless infrastructure
advantage. Rectifying the mid-band spectrum decit should be central
to the Administration’s eorts, and a renewed commitment to free
market solutions will help secure our long-term 5G leadership.
Key Policymaker Actions
During this Administration, policymakers have taken key steps to jump start
our 5G eorts. Under FCC Chairman Pai’s 5G FAST plan, the agency took key
actions to make spectrum available for 5G. When 2018 began, no spectrum
auctions were scheduled. Today, the FCC has auctioned the 28 GHz band; is
currently conducting the 24 GHz auction; and will auction additional bands
later this year.
Congress also enacted the Spectrum Pipeline Act—requiring NTIA to identify
spectrum for reallocation—and the MOBILE NOW Act, which requires the
auctioning of 100 megahertz of spectrum below 6 GHz for licensed use. The
Administration also took an important step forward in directing the
Commerce Department to review the 3.45-3.55 GHz band with an eye toward
reallocating that spectrum for wireless.
3
Other countries are making
4X
more mid-band spectrum
available than the U.S. by
the end of 2020.
