A report by the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) on a sharing plan for the Citizens Broadband Radio Service shows that it works, according to National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
Radio spectrum airwaves "play an invisible but central role" in technologies from texting to car navigation, the NTIA states in a May 2 news release.
"Much like other important resources, spectrum access is finite," NTIA reports. "Demand continues to grow. Federal spectrum policy experts recognize this – and have come up with creative new ways to allow greater spectrum access by sharing this vital resource.
"One innovative approach is the Citizens Broadband Radio Service, which allows for dynamic spectrum sharing between the Department of Defense and commercial spectrum users."
In this dynamic-spectrum sharing arrangement, the Defense Department has protected priority use for its critical missions; when the DOD isn't using the airwaves, companies and the public can access the spectrum through a tiered licensing arrangement, according to the news release.
Automated sense-and-avoid dynamic access makes this possible.
“Innovative spectrum sharing frameworks are key to unlocking additional bandwidth for wireless connectivity across the country. The success and growth of the CBRS band show the promise of dynamic spectrum sharing to make more efficient use of this finite resource,” April McClain-Delaney, deputy assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, said in the news release.
ITS research and engineering lab performed an independent analysis of CBRS device deployment and found that the number of devices nationwide grew by 121 percent over a 21-month period, indicating an increase in access to the spectrum, according to the release.
The CBRS allows for the DOD’s prioritized use of the spectrum and provides companies and the public with access through a tiered licensing arrangement, according to the release. Automated sense-and-avoid dynamic access enables the same spectrum to be used by DOD for critical missions while companies use it for 5G and high-speed internet deployment. The Federal Communications Commission established the rules, while the industry standardized and developed the technologies and ITS executed certification tests.
ITS worked with the industry to access proprietary data and reviewed aggregated data on CBRS devices, such as cell towers, between April 1, 2021, and Jan. 1, 2023, the release reports. The 121% increase in devices indicates that access to the spectrum is growing, and the CBRS is working effectively.
