Administration Confident US Will Win on 5G, Must Dominate Standards-Setting
That the US is losing on 5G “just is not true,” said Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, at a CTIA 5G summit Thursday. “Basically, we’re winning." Kudlow said he met with President Donald Trump about 5G Wednesday. CTIA President Meredith Baker said the C band (see 1904040076) offers the best opportunity for making more mid-band spectrum available.
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Earlier this week, CTIA said the U.S. is catching up with China on 5G (see 1904020004). The challenge from China was a recurring theme at the conference, held at the still-to-opened Spy Museum. The U.S, has had 92 5G deployments, versus none in China, Kudlow said.
“We are doing very well” based on numbers from CTIA, Kudlow said. “If you’re wrong, fess up real fast,” Kudlow joked. The U.S. won on 4G and should use the same principles for 5G, he said. Kudlow said the administration expects carriers, not the government, to build 5G networks. “The private sector will figure things out far better than the government sector will,” he said.
The U.S. needs to lead on 5G standard setting, Kudlow said. “I don’t want certain countries to run away with a lot of standard setting,” he said. “I’m told that has not happened yet. I’m told it’s a threat.”
“The investment possibilities are terrific and the job creating possibilities are terrific,” Kudlow said. “We’re going to try to help on the permitting side.” Trump wants to get 5G into rural areas, he said. “We want as much entrepreneurship as possible,” he said. Trump is intent on “ending the war on business,” he said. He slammed the media for pushing a negative view of U.S. success on 5G.
CTIA had a similar event a year ago, Baker noted. “There were no U.S. deployments, there were no spectrum auctions planned and the national siting rules were for 200-foot towers, not 5G,” she said. “What a difference a year makes.”
The U.S. needs a lot of good years, Baker said. “Our global rivals are committed to 5G,” she said. “China’s ambitions grow day by day.” U.S. wireless carriers will invest the billions of dollars needed for 5G, she said. Baker said the FCC should release a schedule of future spectrum auctions. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel seeks similar.
“Supply of spectrum is not going to be a problem when it comes to the 5G future,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said at the end of the summit. “We’re confident.” The FCC is working on the 2.5 and 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service bands and the C band, he said. Pai didn’t offer new details on the bands the FCC is reviewing. “We do have some work to do but that work is being done,” he said. The C band is “one of the more complex bands” being examined, he said.
“The race is far from over,” Baker told Pai. “We really have to be ready for a counterpunch from our global rivals.”
The 5G race is just getting started and the U.S. and other countries are still in the starting blocks, said Neville Ray, T-Mobile chief technology officer. “There’s going to be an intense phase of running this race and investing in these networks,” Ray said. “We are up against formidable competition.” China is slow getting started, “but they are going to run a very, very fast race,” he said. If the U.S gets overconfident, it could still lose, he said.
“There’s little doubt that the race is absolutely on,” said Mike Murphy, CTO of Nokia North America. Everyone needs more mid-band spectrum, he said: “We’ve heard it 10 times today.”
The summit offered a deep dive on some of the use cases for 5G, such as remote health care.
At the Mobile World Congress, attendees saw remote surgery, said Ken Meyers, U.S. Cellular CEO. When the nearest hospital is five hours away, “it’s a matter of life and death,” Meyers said.
Meyers said in rural areas, mid-band spectrum is especially critical. A small cell using high-band spectrum could probably cover 10,000 people in a place like Washington, D.C., with a dense population. In a remote area, it would cover closer to 50, he said.
Commissioner Mike O’Rielly, speaking at the Wireless Connect conference at the University of Maryland, stressed the importance of mid-band spectrum Thursday. O’Rielly warned that a 3.5 GHz auction won’t happen before 2020. The FCC must “move with all due haste” to wrap up the C band proceeding, he said. The band “provides the best mid-band spectrum play for 5G wireless services,” he said: “Not only is it the largest swath of mid-band spectrum available, but it is adjacent to the 3.5 GHz band and the current satellite licensees are willing to part with some of it.”