FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has announced two spectrum auctions, planned to begin in November, that will contribute to the development of 5G. According to Pai’s blog, the FCC will vote in its August 2 meeting to conduct a November 2018 auction of spectrum in the 28 GHz band, to be followed soon after by an auction for the 24 GHz bands. These high frequency bands are critical for 5G, thanks to their capacity to deliver data and traffic more quickly and efficiently than lower frequencies.
“5G has the potential to have an enormously positive impact on American consumers,” Pai said in a statement to USA TODAY. “High-speed, high-capacity wireless connectivity will unleash new innovations to improve our quality of life. It’s the building block to a world where everything that can be connected will be connected – where driverless cars talk to smart transportation networks and where wireless sensors can monitor your health and transmit data to your doctor. That’s a snapshot of what the 5G world will look like.”