US Congress Ready to Vote on Allowing 5G Spectrum Auctions

Congress could open up millimeter wave spectrum for 5G tomorrow.

Dan Jones, Mobile Editor

March 5, 2018

1 Min Read
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Congress is set to vote Tuesday to potentially allow the first millimeter wave 5G auction to happen in the US in November this year.

Multiple reports say that Congress will vote Tuesday to approve -- or not -- planned Federal Communications Commission (FCC) auctions of millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum for 5G. The agency is reportedly planning a 28GHz spectrum auction in November 2018, with a 24GHz auction following that.

Millimeter wave spectrum is high-band spectrum that is supposed to be a building block for 5G in the US and beyond.

T-Mobile US Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) have both committed to using mmWave for 5G network deployments in 2018. Verizon is purely focused on 28GHz; T-Mobile is using 600MHz, 28GHz and 39GHz. AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) hasn't said what spectrum it will use yet, but Light Reading has heard from sources that it is expected to use 39GHz for its first markets in 2018. (See T-Mobile to Roll Out 5G in 30 US Cities in 2018.)

— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading

About the Author

Dan Jones

Mobile Editor

Dan is to hats what Will.I.Am is to ridiculous eyewear. Fedora, trilby, tam-o-shanter -- all have graced the Jones pate during his career as the go-to purveyor of mobile essentials.

But hey, Dan is so much more than 4G maps and state-of-the-art headgear. Before joining the Light Reading team in 2002 he was an award-winning cult hit on Broadway (with four 'Toni' awards, two 'Emma' gongs and a 'Brian' to his name) with his one-man show, "Dan Sings the Show Tunes."

His perfectly crafted blogs, falling under the "Jonestown" banner, have been compared to the works of Chekhov. But only by Dan.

He lives in Brooklyn with cats.

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