The FCC's experimental licensing system is out of action for the duration of the US government shutdown.

Dan Jones, Mobile Editor

January 16, 2019

1 Min Read
FCC 28GHz 5G Auction Is at $697.4M, but 5G Trial Problems Emerge

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) 's 28GHz 5G auction has reached $697,315,420 in provisionally winning bids for the millimeter wave spectrum licenses. The government shutdown, however, has now closed the FCC's experimental radio license system, which has been used to test out new 5G equipment and radio frequencies in 2017 and 2018.

The 28GHz band millimeter band is the first high-band auction by the FCC, which will be followed directly by a 24GHz auction. Millimeter waves, 28GHz or 39GHz, can deliver multi-megabit or gigabit per second speeds but only over 1,000 to 2,000 feet. The FCC now has 109 open 28GHz licenses left to auction, out of 3,072 total licenses.

The agency has previously said that it would continue with auctioning spectrum licenses and clearing bandwidth for mobile operators to use, despite the shutdown. (See 5G Auction Carries On Despite US Government Shutdown.)

Still, some parts of the FCC are now closed. The experimental OET licensing site, for instance, now sends you to a page on the potential effects of funding lapses.

It's not clear what the lack of a test/trial licensing will mean for 5G in the US (for the time being).

— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading

About the Author(s)

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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