U.S. will reallocate military 3.5GHz spectrum for consumer 5G in 2021

Over the past three years, engineers and carriers across the world have largely agreed that 3.5GHz-adjacent radio spectrum is ideal for 5G deployments — a “mid band” compromise between the lower frequencies used by older cellular standards and the higher, shorter-distance millimeter wave frequencies. But in the United States, the Department of Defense (DoD) has controlled much of the mid band spectrum, creating a tension between military and potential consumer applications. Today, the White House announced that the DoD has agreed to relinquish 100MHz of 3.5GHz spectrum for commercial use, a process that will augment U.S. 5G networks over the next two years.

The newly available DoD-reserved frequencies range from 3.45GHz to 3.55GHz, a sizable spectrum block that alone would let 5G users enjoy fast speeds without connecting to millimeter wave small cells. According to United States CTO Michael Kratsios, this 100MHz block was chosen because it can be “made available without sacrificing our nation’s great military and national security capabilities,” and will support towers and devices operating at “full commercial power levels” from coast to coast. Some mid band frequencies have been subject to regional power and priority restrictions based on existing military applications.