CBRS Spectrum
While 5G services will use wireless
frequencies leased to cellular
operators, new CBRS spectrum
coming to market could enable
private enterprises to have their own
communications networks that do
not need to use licensed wireless
spectrum from cellular carriers. This
CBRS technology uses the cellular
LTE protocol, but it is similar to
Wi-Fi in that it is shared spectrum.
In 2015, the FCC established a new
CBRS band for shared wireless
broadband use by authorizing the
3.5 GHz spectrum band (3550 MHz
to 3700 MHz), which had previously
been allocated exclusively for the
U.S. Navy and other Department
of Defense (DoD) entities. CBRS uses
TD-LTE and supports voice, text
and high-speed data technologies
much like LTE does on other cellular
frequency bands. However, the FCC
decided to allocate CBRS spectrum
to owners and users in a slightly
different method than traditional
cellular—where operators lease large
holdings covering miles of various
geography—and Wi-Fi, which is
completely unlicensed. Instead, the
spectrum will be assigned and used
individually by various users. When
the spectrum is not being used,
it may be “recycled” and assigned
to different users.
CBRS offers a variety of potential
advantages to stakeholders:
• It can allow nontraditional
carriers to enter the wireless
market.
• The propagation characteristics
of the 3.5 GHz spectrum allow
52 I ICT TODAY
CBRS BASICS
The 150 megahertz of CBRS
shared spectrum falls into three
user categories: incumbents
(DoD); priority access licenses
(PALs); and general access
licenses (GALs). There are
several services that assist
in coordinating access to this
spectrum. Spectrum Access
System (SAS) is a cloud-based
service that coordinates access
to the shared spectrum, enforcing
priorities and modeling the
RF environment. Environmental
sensing capability (ESC) incorporates
environmental sensors
deployed in strategic locations
near naval stations, mostly along
coastal regions, to detect
incumbent activities.
Incumbents, including U.S.
Naval Radar and DoD personnel,
get permanent priority as well
as site-specific protection for
registered sites. PAL holders can
pay a fee to request 10-megahertz
licenses on a county-by-
county basis for 10 years. Up
to seven 10-megahertz licenses
can be awarded in one county.
PAL licensees can partition
or disaggregate their licenses in
order to sell them on the secondary
market. General authorized
access (GAA) encompasses the
rest of the spectrum, which will
be open to GAA use, and coexistence
issues will be determined
by SAS providers for spectrum
allocation. GAA users will have
access to 80 megahertz of
spectrum in every market as
well as the 70 megahertz
of PAL spectrum when it
is not being used.
it to be deployed similarly to
Wi-Fi networks and installed
in a floor-by-floor fashion
inside of buildings.
• LTE’s superior quality, performance
and security bodes well
to transition Wi-Fi routers into
CBRS-compatible gateways.
• CBRS is supported by a variety
of stakeholders, including radio
and handset OEMs, wireless
carriers and cable operators,
mobile virtual network
operators and neutral-
host providers.
There is potential for tremendous
benefit for enterprises to use CBRS
to help support their communication
requirements. IoT applications
and devices can automate, track
and sense elements in all areas of
operations to help drive efficiencies
in corporate operations. Traditional
IoT applications that were supported
by wide area networks or
Wi-Fi can be phased into a CBRS
network if an enterprise or thirdparty
provider obtains the licenses
for development and use.
“The planned enhancements
in wireless networks, specifically
the upcoming 5G network service
and CBRS spectrum availability,
have created opportunities for
commercial real estate owners
to capitalize on this groundbreaking
technological shift in the 2020s
and beyond,” says Horinko. “From
a safety and security perspective,
5G will transmit higher-definition
video surveillance and provide a link
to outdoor networks for seamless
autonomous vehicle traffic in