The Federal Communications Commission plans a formal vote on July 22 to approve an order that would set in motion a 2027 auction of mid-band wireless spectrum, the agency said in a statement. The auction would offer 160 megahertz in the Upper C-Band, a part of the spectrum carriers favor for 5G because of its balance of range and capacity.
Auction scope and legal baseline
Legislation enacted last year required the auctioning of at least 100 megahertz of spectrum. The FCC said it is aiming to clear "significantly more spectrum than the minimum required under law," and indicated that it expects the sale to raise billions of dollars. The agency described the action as a step toward increasing the spectrum available for data-hungry phones, connected devices, and other services that rely on 5G networks.
Incumbent users and coexistence challenges
The Upper C-Band is currently used by satellite transmissions and by aircraft radio altimeters. Because those services already occupy portions of the band, any auction and subsequent use by new wireless entrants will require measures to ensure either safe coexistence in the same frequencies or the migration of existing users to different spectrum bands.
In its proposed rules, the FCC said it envisions creating "retrofit rebates" to assist the domestic aviation sector in upgrading altimeters so they are protected from potential interference arising from 5G operations in the reconfigured band. The statement also said satellite operators would be moved out of the reconfigured portion of the Upper C-Band "fairly and expeditiously," and that financial compensation would be paid to clear the spectrum.
Next steps and context
The immediate procedural step is the July 22 vote on the order that would authorize the auction process and the proposed rules for dealing with incumbent users. If the vote proceeds as described, the FCC would move toward the 2027 auction while working through the implementation details for altimeter retrofits and satellite relocation and compensation.
Note: The FCC statement set out the auction plan, the proposed mechanisms to protect aviation safety equipment, and the commitment to compensate satellite operators for relocation; the agency also expressed an expectation that the sale will generate billions of dollars.