Vubiq Networks announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a Report and Order on July 14, 2016, officially adopting new rules for wireless broadband operations at frequencies above 24 GHz. Of particular interest for the millimeter wave backhaul market are the new rules affecting the 60 GHz spectrum, also known as V-Band. Previously, the 60 GHz band in the U.S. was allocated for unlicensed operation. It consisted of the band from 57 to 64 GHz, a total of 7 GHz. With the adoption of these new rules, this band has been expanded to cover 57 to 71 GHz, a total of 14 GHz of contiguous unlicensed spectrum.
The FCC has shown overwhelming support for unlicensed millimeter wave operation. This new portion of the band that has been added, from 64 to 71 GHz, has another bonus feature: no more oxygen absorption. This means that the distance that can be achieved by a link operating in the upper portion of the new band will be on par with links using the licensed E-Band spectrum in the 70/80 GHz range, but with less rain fade due to the lower operating frequencies.
The history of making 60 GHz a reality started in early 1996 when Mike Pettus, Founder and CTO of Vubiq Networks, joined the newly formed industry advisory committee to the FCC called the Millimeter Wave Communications Working Group, the result of which finally became the 60 GHz unlicensed rules under Part 15 in 1998. It has been this consistent drive and focus in understanding the innovative value of unlicensed operation, combined with the natural high capacity of millimeter wave spectrum that has shaped Vubiq Networks’ strategy.
Companies will now be able to build millimeter wave systems performing with the range of E-Band but with the operational ease of unlicensed V-Band. The FCC has clearly shown the vision that unlicensed millimeter wave has a big future for wireless broadband.
In an accompanying statement to the Report and Order from FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, he states that, “On my first day as Chairman, I described the FCC as the nation’s ‘Optimism Agency.’ Today’s Spectrum Frontiers Order is exactly what I had in mind when I made that statement.”
As Vubiq Networks moves forward on multi-gigabit link designs, having the new rules allowing operation in an unprecedented 14 GHz of unlicensed spectrum will allow technical innovation that has not been seen before. Transitioning from Software-Defined Radios to a new era of Software-Defined Spectrum will provide unparalleled performance and features that have simply not been possible in the past.
