Automated Frequency Coordination: An Established Tool for Modern Spectrum Management

March 12, 2019

Agenda

• DSA Introduction by Michael Calabrese

• Opening Comments by Rep. Doris Matsui & Rep. Brett Guthrie

• Fireside Chat with FCC Commissioners O’Rielly & Rosenworcel

• Derek Khlopin, NTIA

• DSA Report Presentation by Michael Calabrese

• Q&A

2

Spectrum Sharing: Critical Fuel for the 5G Wireless Ecosystem

– 5G Ecosystem: A Diverse Buildout of Next Generation Networks➢Connectivity any time, any place: gigabit-fast speeds and low latency

➢Licensed/Unlicensed and all technologies must be part of the solution

– Mobile carriers cannot buildout a robust 5G ecosystem alone– Local investment by households, firms and institutions in next

generation Wi-Fi and private LTE networks for IoT, neutral host networks & other connectivity require vastly more spectrum access

– Dynamic Sharing Enabled by Databases Unlocks Spectrum Capacity➢ Yields a substantial increase in available spectrum to meet surging demand

➢ Starts with protection of incumbent services

➢ Enables licensed, unlicensed, and lightly licensed (licensed by rule) operations

➢ Automated databases, geolocation, sensing, are tools for compliance and enforcement3

Manual switchboard operators

(circa 1877)

SS7 call-related signaling networks relied on automated databases. (The ITU adopted SS7 as international standard in 1988)

Telecom Database Management is Nothing New . . . From SS7 Call Routing . . .

Automated phone number portability & forward routing – NPAC database introduced in US and UK in 1997

Internet routing relies on Domain Name Service (DNS) databases

To Automated Number Porting & Forwarding . . . to Internet DNS Routing

Credit Rus Shuler

• Use of databases to coordinate and automate spectrum sharing is likewise nothing new – the steps are the same as in a manual coordination process

• What is new . . .

– Surging demand and the need to intensively share underutilized bands

– The technical ability to automate the process, lower the costs, protect incumbents with greater certainty, and coordinate users and devices in near real-time

• Spectrum DB management has evolved from manual, to automated, to dynamic –adding automation & propagation modeling to static licensing data

• AFC databases enable a “third way” that transcends the traditional (static) choice between exclusively licensed and unlicensed

• This yields benefits for industry stakeholders, consumers & regulators

• Far greater efficiencies are possible as more granular real-world data (terrain, clutter, etc.) is incorporated

Dynamic Spectrum Access Databases –Getting Beyond the Myths

Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) Databases: Core Functions

7© 2016 Dynamic Spectrum Alliance

Core Functions of AFC databases:

• Protect incumbent licensees from interference from lower priority uses (and, in some cases, coordinate among users with the same priority)

• Provide authoritative and in some bands virtually real-time decisions on requests to transmit or assign usage rights

• Enforce the use of authorized devices

• Monitor spectrum assignments and, in some cases, actual usage

Some Benefits of Automated Frequency Coordination

Opportunistic coordination of access to unused spectrum capacity . . .

• Expands spectrum capacity and efficiency to meet surging demand– Promotes more intensive use of the public resource (spectrum is not scarce, access is)

– Promotes spectrum re-use by enabling lower-power, small cell access

• Promotes direct spectrum access for innovation and productivity– A robust 5G ecosystem needs to extend beyond what mobile carriers are in a position to deploy

– Enables direct spectrum access for localized uses (network densification, IoT, enterprise networks, campuses, etc) by an increasingly diverse range of users

• Lowers the cost of connectivity for users/consumers– Lower barriers to entry promote competition and consumer choice

– More bandwidth abundance lowers the cost of mobile and fixed wireless

connectivity – for consumers and as an input to production for other industries

– Value-added services by database operators can optimize QOS & facilitate secondary market transactions

Benefits to Industry Stakeholders, Consumers and the Economy

• Automated Enforcement Tool– Ensures consistent protection of incumbent licensees (including “kill switch” functionality)– Can monitor & enforce rules re equipment certifications, licensing, operational, and/or fee requirements– Can use to monitor spectrum use and collect data to inform future policymaking

• Band coordination can be delegated while NRA retains authority– Commercial DB operators authorized subject to specific obligations, reserving ultimate authority to NRA– Adapting model technical rules can speed time-to-market (e.g., DSA’s Model Rules for TV White Space)

• Gives regulators more control over band sharing, including:– Flexibility to change allocations or prioritizations without making equipment or infrastructure obsolete– Flexibility to initially set and later update sharing parameters (e.g., Ofcom’s TV White Space DB enables

more intensive sharing using small-area propagation modeling –“pixels”– that considers terrain & clutter)– Flexibility to decide if DB is agency run, contracted to single provider, or multiple to

promote competition/value-added innovation

• Cost recovery– DB administrators can collect ‘fee for service’ revenue and/or NRA regulatory fees (see ECC Report 236)

Benefits to Regulators

Evolution of Database Frequency Coordination:

Manual, to Automated, to Dynamic

Database-Assisted Coordination

• Spectrum database coordination has evolved from database-assisted, to automated, to dynamic – adding automation and propagation modeling to static licensing data.

• Examples:

➢ 70/80/90 GHz: database-assisted coordination of point-to-point links by certified, competing providers (at right)

➢ Wireless Medical Telemetry Service: Database coordination delegated to industry (AHA)

12© 2016 Dynamic Spectrum Alliance

Automated Coordination: TV White Space Database

Simplified admission control system architecture

for Television White Space Database (TVDB).

South Korea (operational) South Africa (rules adopted)

TV White Space Databases … U.S., UK and Around the World

Dynamic, Three-Tier Coordination:Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS)

CBRS Spectrum Access System (SAS): Dynamic Database, Incorporates Sensing

16© 2016 Dynamic Spectrum Alliance

Additional Bands Under Consideration for Dynamic

Database Sharing (U.S.)

6 GHz: Expanding Unlicensed and Gigabit Wi-Fi

• A pending FCC rulemaking proposes to rely on AFC systems to open 1,200 MHz for Unlicensed Sharing (5925 – 7125 MHz)

• European Union is similarly considering unlicensed sharing on 5925 –6425 MHz. Wide channels enable next generation, gigabit-fast Wi-Fi:

18© 2016 Dynamic Spectrum Alliance

6 GHz: In U.S., AFC Coordination Allows Wi-Fi Outdoors and at Higher Power

• U-NII-5/7 sub-bands: outdoor and indoor, controlled by Automated Frequency Coordination (sharing with PtP links and FSS uplink)

• U-NII-6/8 sub-bands: lower-power, indoor-only but no database coordination required (sharing with non-fixed broadcast auxiliary, etc.

19© 2016 Dynamic Spectrum Alliance

Band (MHz)

Primary Allocations

Reference in NPRM

Devices

5925-6425

Fixed Service FSS U-NII-5 Standard-Power Access Point (subject to AFC)

6425-6525

Mobile Service FSS U-NII-6 Low-Power Access Point (indoor only)

6525-6875

Fixed Service FSS U-NII-7 Standard-Power Access Point (subject to AFC)

6875- 7125

Fixed Service Mobile Service FSS

U-NII-8

Low-Power Access Point (indoor only)

AFC System Architecture for 6 GHz

20© 2016 Dynamic Spectrum Alliance

Simplified architecture for Automated Frequency Coordination in 6 GHz band.

C-Band (3700-4200 MHz): Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) & Fixed Wireless (PtMP)

C-Band (3700-4200 MHz): AFCs can Coordinate PtMP ISPs and Earth Stations

22© 2016 Dynamic Spectrum Alliance

A simplified AFC system can automate local coordination of PtMP with earth stations. Unlike mobile use, fixed PtMP is inherently directional and can be sectorized to coexist with FSS.

Shared Access Licenses (SALs): 37–37.6 GHz mmW Band Sharing (US)

Challenge: Accommodating Future Expansion of Federal Agency Use

• NASA & DoD only current users – but want flexibility to expand operations in future

• FCC in 2016 authorized shared commercial access, based on “Shared Access Licenses” (SALs)

• Operability requirement across 37-39 GHz band

• SAL rules and database TBD.

(source: Starry, Inc.)

The Innovative Future of Dynamic Spectrum Database Management

• The spectrum efficiency, interference protection, and diverse localized access enabled by dynamic database coordination will be greatly enhanced in future as . . .

– Incorporating real-world propagation modeling/data into geolocation databases• Terrain, clutter (trees, buildings – including heights and materials)• Antennas (e.g. polarization, radiation pattern, directivity)• Use of probabilistic and variable propagation models – rather than worst case and static

– Real-time spectrum sensing data can be taken into account• Fixed sensing networks (CBRS) or crowd-sourced (reporting back by devices, base stations)

– Database Operators innovate more value-added services• Example: Optimize available bandwidth and QOS by incorporating more detailed GIS data

– The potential to combine blockchain technology with dynamic database coordination• Example: Facilitate and streamline private secondary-market agreements

24© 2016 Dynamic Spectrum Alliance

DSA Policy Recommendations

• NRAs should adopt an AFC approach in any underutilized band (e.g., 6 GHz) where coordinated sharing is appropriate and practical to implement.

• NRAs should authorize the simplest possible AFC/database solution that will achieve the regulatory goal

• NRAs should adopt clear rules, but not prescribe particular technologies or standards for AFCs

• Convene an industry multi-stakeholder process to develop and assist AFC implementation

• Require – or at least allow – AFC system operators to use the most granular and real-world GIS data available for interference modeling.

• When feasible, it is cost-effective to leverage AFC systems and operators for multiple bands, rather than require a series of separate systems.

25© 2016 Dynamic Spectrum Alliance

• Use of databases to coordinate spectrum assignments is nothing new – the steps are the same as in a manual coordination process

• What is new . . .

– Surging demand and the need to intensively share underutilized bands – The technical ability to automate the process, lower the costs, use spectrum

more efficiently, protect incumbents with greater certainty • Spectrum DB management has evolved from manual, to automated, to dynamic –

adding automation & real-world propagation modeling to static licensing data

• AFC databases enable a “third way” that transcends the traditional (static) choice between exclusively licensed and unlicensed

• This yields benefits for regulators, industry stakeholders & users• Far greater efficiencies are possible as more granular, real-world data (terrain,

clutter, building height/materials, etc.) is incorporated

Key Takeaways

27© 2018 Dynamic Spectrum Alliance

Thank You!