Spectrum sharing in mmWave bands

Despite a lack of clarity surrounding mmWave use cases and unproven business models, regulators and industry are examining a range of new approaches to mmWave spectrum sharing.

UK regulator Ofcom, for example, has introduced a shared access licensing regime across a range of mid- and high-band spectrum ranges. In May 2022, it launched a consultation on using that regime in the 26 GHz band. This generated a wide variety of responses, not all of them supportive.

In Canada, ISED (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada) is proposing to reserve spectrum in the 26, 28 and 38 GHz bands for a future non-competitive licensing process. And in the US, Qualcomm has proposed a spectrum sharing model in the lower 37 GHz range.

It seems there are steps, albeit cautious ones, to implement more innovative forms of mmWave sharing to maximise the use of shared spectrum resources, with a longer-term view of implementing more dynamic sharing techniques.

Subscribers to the PolicyTracker Research Service can explore these developments in detail by accessing our new research note on spectrum sharing in the mmWave band. This has just been added to the spectrum sharing dossier.