Will CBRS end "Beachfront Spectrum"?

I recently collaborated with Wade Sarver to help create this Blog post, and dive into CBRS, which is a fascinating new Spectrum management and allocation solution that will hit the market in the near future.

Here is a link to the original Blog Post on Wade4Wireless

https://wade4wireless.com/2017/04/17/cbrs-and-the-shift-in-spectrum-ownership

I had the pleasure to attend IWCE a few weeks ago and was blown away

by Dr. Preston Marshall’s {Alphabet/ Google} presentation on CBRS.

If I had to describe his presentation into 3 words it would be:

• Ecosystem
• Incentive
• Innovation

Is the Ecosystem of Spectrum Landscape changing? Will CBRS end the need for Beachfront Spectrum?

It is first important to look closely at the “Current reality” of Wireless Spectrum: - How does the current Spectrum landscape preclude innovation?

Licensed Spectrum is Expensive – Past Auctions cost the WSP’s Billions to own the right to this FCC Licensed Spectrum and only come available once every ~3-5 years. They also really limit the number of participant and winners. Do you have a Billion dollars to purchase spectrum for your “Garage idea of the Century?

Newly Licensed Spectrum roll outs are meticulously planned and take forever to plan/ execute. They often force the WSP’s to commit to the next technology type before knowing how successfully adopted it will be. Even after the Spectrum purchase, Look at how many Billions of Dollars were committed in development/ deployment in WiMAX for Intel, Google, & Sprint before changing to an LTE-based solution. Look at how difficult turning off old technology types {Analog, iDEN, GSM, UMTS, & CDMA} have become.

Spectrum is Slow to deploy and can take 6-8+ years to clear spectrum, raise funding, and establish a product roll-out. Look at failed Spectrum roll-outs like Lightsquared, Next-Wave, etc. Some companies like Dish have even had the forward though of saving spectrum, waiting for the next technology shift, or WSP Spectrum shortage to capitalize on their dormant Wireless portfolio.

In today’s unlicensed wireless ecosystem it encourages OEM’s to make cheap, lousy radios that do not perform very well with interference present. 802.11 Wireless AP’s are often a cheap commodity that needs to be upgraded or replaced every 3-5 years.  How much innovation can we drive with a $40 access point? This often drives the race to the bottom on who can create the least cost AP.

How does CBRS set-up to change the Spectrum Landscape and Drive Innovation?

Dr. Marshall stated, “CBRS will make spectrum buying an economic decision.” It incentivizes stakeholders to maximize their ability to deflect interference and operate with radios that can perform in a noisier shared spectrum environment.

Dr. Marshall detailed his 4 step plan to rolling out CBRS

1. Regulatory – Helped get FCC approval, help develop standards within the Wireless Innovation Forum, and CBRS Alliance. Established FCC Part 96.
2. Coexist – Creating an ecosystem environment for Multiple Technologies and Stakeholders
3. Recruit – Recruit top talent and buy-in from Wireless industry
4. Prove – Further innovate standards, product, Solutions, and Applications.

CBRS creates a Wireless Ecosystem that now will encourage innovation and allows for fast, less expensive roll-outs. Why not put a solution in the Marketplace and let the market decide how well it is adopted before committing to extensive field trials and Millions of dollars?

Dr. Marshall detailed that this Spectrum Landscape is sustainable to support additional shared spectrum bands, and may hold some of the keys on Business models, and landscape of 5G.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you would like for the slides and/or Audio from Dr. Marshall's presentation.