Fact of the Week: US Ranks 12th Among Leading Markets in Share of Mid-Band Spectrum Allocated to Exclusive Licenses
Source: Janette Stewart, Chris Nickerson, and Juliette Welham, “Comparison of total mobile spectrum in different markets,” (Analysys Mason, September 2022).
Commentary: The Federal Communications Commission has auctioned off 270 MHz of mid-band radio spectrum (between 3 GHz and 7 GHz) to exclusive licensed use. This ranks the United States 12th out of the 15 benchmark countries included in a study recent study by Analysys Mason when considering China and Hong Kong as a single entity, and the United States lags the leading three countries by an average of 530 MHz. In contrast, the United States ranks first with respect to the share of the mid-band spectrum that is unlicensed—that is, open for use without a license (e.g., Wi-Fi and Bluetooth). Altogether, the United States has assigned 1905 MHz of unlicensed mid-band spectrum to mobile use.
The U.S. is expected to expand the total mid-band spectrum licensed for commercial use to 450 MHz by 2025. However, given expected expansions in other countries, this would still leave the United States ranked 10th. China, in contrast, is expected to rank first and may expand the size of the spectrum it licenses off to as much as 2,120 MHz.
Mid-band spectrum is ideal for many wireless applications, including the rollout of 5G, the newest generation of wireless technology. It represents a sort of “Goldilocks zone” that optimizes the balance between capacity and coverage distance. Private licensees have a greater incentive to use their spectrum rights efficiently than do the government and unlicensed users, and the social and economic importance wireless services is such that everybody in the United States should have an interest in maximizing the productivity of the relevant bands. The fact that other countries like China, Japan, and the United Kingdom have licensed a much larger range of mid-band frequencies should serve as impetus for the United States to catch up, or it risks sacrificing its leadership in international markets and standard setting.
