Qualcomm Wants Hometown 3.5GHz Tests

Despite questions over the future use of the 3.5GHz CBRS band, Qualcomm is currently asking the FCC for permission to run tests on the frequency in its hometown of San Diego, Calif.

Qualcomm Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOM) asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) this week for an experimental radio license to test 3.5GHz radios at fixed sites in San Diego at distances of up to 8km (4.9 miles).

Qualcomm has previously said that it expects phones supporting the shared-spectrum CBRS band to appear in the US next year. Some Qualcomm-equipped phones in Japan already support licensed 3.5GHz spectrum, but devices will require some tweaks to be compliant with the CBRS band in the US. (See Qualcomm: First 5G Smartphones Coming Mid-2019.)

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There are, however, currently some questions about whether the FCC will take a fresh look at the current CBRS rules. The large mobile operators are said to be asking the agency to offer more traditional licenses than the shared and short-term options that are on the table now.

Notably, T-Mobile US Inc. recently asked the FCC to make 3.5GHz part of a larger 5G mid-band.

No date has yet been set for a 3.5GHz CBRS auction.

— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading