Dynamic Spectrum Alliance Q2 2019 Newsletter


Keeping you updated about our activities! Here we highlight our latest work and focus on areas where we are empowering the next wave of spectrum access.


Introduction from Martha Suárez


Welcome to the 2019 Q2 edition of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance newsletter, my first as the President of the DSA. Since my appointment at the beginning of May, we have been very busy with a wide range of exciting activities. Our main focus since the last newsletter has been the annual DSA Global Summit, and now that the event is successfully finished, I am happy to share with you more details of everything that happened at our key industry event in Washington D.C.


During the first day of the event, 25th June, we hosted a workshop that focused on Television White Space (TVWS). DSA members explained recent innovations and gave demonstrations of the technologies that are currently providing dynamic spectrum access to network providers worldwide. There were also some discussions among regulators about their experiences and expectations of TVWS for the future.


Nominet demonstrated its successful TVWS database that can be used for dynamic spectrum sharing and management. Existing base stations periodically connect to the Nominet database, that provides the base station with available channels and allow connections from client stations.


The second day of the Global Summit saw the regulators workshop expanded on our topics to cover more spectrum and additional subjects, including the 6GHz band, Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS), the future use of the C-Band, the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-19), and much more.


That night, during the Summit reception, the DSA was pleased to announce the winners of the Global Summit Awards. It is important to recognise the work that other people are doing within the industry and highlight those who are going above and beyond to advance existing technology. The full list of winners can be found below, and I would like to congratulate each individual on the important work that they are all doing.


We were glad to welcome over 150 participants to this year’s Summit, along with government delegates, industry representatives and non-profit organisations. I would like to thank our sponsors and specially Microsoft and Facebook for hosting the TVWS and regulators workshops. I am looking forward to building on the success of this year and will be happy to see you at our 2020 event!


Alongside the Global Summit, the DSA have been very active in other areas!


The FCC is a very relevant entity for the DSA to work with alongside their ongoing work to close the digital divide and promote innovation. I have been meeting with some delegates of the FCC team in recent weeks and the DSA was glad to welcome them to the Summit in June. Our Regulatory affairs working group (RAWG) has been very working hard and we have recently submitted comments to the FCC on Partitioning, Disaggregation and Leasing of Spectrum, as well as comments on the new rules for TVWS and the C-Band. I would like to thank Google for their leadership on this group and all the members of the RAWG for their contributions.


The DSA is constantly working to engage with regulators and government officials to promote the adoption of legal and regulatory frameworks that support dynamic access to radio spectrum. We regularly generate responses to government and regulator consultations, and we are open to participate in any new ones that our members recommend. All of these can be found here on our website.


In recent months the DSA has received coverage in key industry publications, which is essential for communicating the importance of dynamic spectrum access and all of the work that the DSA is doing. I invite you to follow the DSA through our social media to spread our message: Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.


Land Mobile published an in-depth feature I wrote on using dynamic spectrum to close the digital divide. The article goes into detail about current approaches and projects around the world, and how the DSA is contributing to this. Additionally, Mark Rotter, Treasurer of the DSA, was interviewed for the 2019 African Wireless Communications Yearbook. His interview explored the regulatory opportunities to advance broadband with dynamic spectrum sharing, and can be found here on pages 88-89. Our blog has been constantly updated, so I invite you to take a look at it.


We had a great media coverage of the Summit, so if you want to read some of the publications, the list can be found below.


The DSA has attended several events in the last few months, including Wi-Fi NOW USA and the FCBA Annual Seminar where I participated in panels to discuss and debate dynamic spectrum management. Read more about these events in my blog post here!


In June I was invited to join the panel ‘Should MVNOs have access to 5G?’ at MVNOs Latin America. With the recent developments of the 5G networks, it was interesting to discuss the positive and negative effects these changes could have on MVNOs and give them the message that Spectrum sharing could be an opportunity for new business models.


The next few months look to be very exciting as we focus on our activities after the summer. We have several key events on the horizon and will continue to attend these industry events to spread awareness of the Alliance and improve the understanding and capabilities of dynamic sharing technologies.


I am also happy to announce that as DSA President I have been invited to be a judge for the 2019 World Communication Awards, organised by Total Telecom. This is a great opportunity to collaborate with the other judges, all who are notable industry figures, and recognise the work that is being done by companies and individuals. The awards ceremony will take place on 30 October 2019 – I hope to see you there!


Continuing the collaborative work of the DSA, I will maintain work with the World Economic Forum for the new network technologies council. What’s more, the DSA board has recently approved for the DSA to join the Inter-American Telecommunications Commission (CITEL), which aims to facilitate and promote the integral and sustainable development of interoperable, innovative, and reliable telecommunications in the Americas, under the principles of universality, equity, and affordability. I will join the Americas’ regulator at the next Permanent Consultative Committee II (PCCII) meeting in Ottawa, Canada, in August.


I feel warmly welcomed into the DSA and I would like to thank everyone who has supported me in the first few months of my new role. I am looking forward to working with all of the members and working with you to continue the Alliance’s key aims and objectives.




President of the DSA

Martha Suarez

Upcoming events

West Africa Com
10-11 July 2019
Dakar, Senegal
West Africa Com unites the West African Francophone and Anglophone Technology, Media and Telecoms Markets. The event explores how the telco value chain can leverage its assets to deliver low cost broadband connectivity and digital services to West Africa.

Nigeria Com
11-12 September 2019
Ladoc, Nigeria
The most influential place for TMT leaders who want to bring low cost broadband connectivity and new digital services to Nigeria. The conference gets to the heart of how infrastructure and software developments will lead to economic development and social empowerment in Nigeria.

IBC
12-17 September 2019
Amsterdam, Netherlands
IBC is the world's most influential media, entertainment and technology show. Six leading international bodies are the partners behind IBC, representing both exhibitors and visitors.
In 2018 IBC attracted more than 55,000 attendees from 150 countries around the world, exhibiting more than 1,700 of the world's key technology suppliers and showcasing a debate-leading conference.

Africa Com
12-14 November 2019
Cape Town, South Africa
The place to meet everybody who’s anybody in African telecoms and technology. AfricaCom brings together 14,000 attendees, 450 speakers and 400 exhibitors.
Whether your focus is connectivity infrastructure, disruptive technologies, digital services or ICT strategy, this is the place to network, learn and get deals done.

Africa Tech
12-14 November 2019
Cape Town, South Africa
Accelerating enterprise digital transformation to elevate African economies. A zoned exhibition dedicated to AI, IoT, blockchain, fintech, cloud, data centres and security with cutting-edge content and a host of networking opportunities.


DSA Global Summit Awards Winners


Federal Communication Commission
Award for Innovation in Dynamic Spectrum Access Policies


Scot Gardner, Cisco UK & Ireland
Award for Increasing Digital Inclusion


Carlos Bran, Instituto de investigación e Innovación en Electrónica,
Universidad Don Bosco

Award for Internet of Things Innovation


Mariya Zheleva, University at Albany, Department of Computer Science
Award for University Research on New Opportunities for Dynamic Spectrum Access


Dr. Gonzalo Olmedo, Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE, Ecuador
and
Ing. Ramiro Valencia, Ministerio de Telecomunicaciones y de la Sociedad de la
Información, Ecuador

Award for University Initiative on New Opportunities for Dynamic Spectrum Access


DSA in the News


Don’t be scared of database lookup schemes for 6 GHz Wi-Fi, says new report
Wi-Fi Now Media, 19 March 2019


Reflecting on regulatory opportunities to advance broadband with dynamic spectrum sharing
African Wireless Communications Yearbook 2019, June 2019


Using Dynamic Spectrum to Close the Digital Divide
Land Mobile, 19 June 2019


What’s left before CBRS can launch?
Kelly Hill - RCR Wireless, 28 June 2019


O’Rielly Encourages Examining 4.9 GHz Spectrum
CableFax, 28 June 2019


Excitement Rising Over 6 GHz as Next Big Wi-Fi Band, DSA Summit Told
Howard Buskirk - Communications Daily, 28 June 2019 (Subscription required)


Consensus Developing on C Band, With Most Favoring Transparent Auction, O'Rielly Says
Howard Buskirk - Communications Daily, 28 June 2019 (Subscription required)


Dynamic Spectrum Alliance une a líderes de la industria para explorar tecnologías de intercambio de espectro
Erica Flores – TecNoticias, 28 June 2019


Advocates of Dynamic Spectrum Sharing Tout its Role in Helping Close the Digital Divide
Emily McPhie - Broadband Breakfast, 2 July 2019


Spectrum sharing gains momentum
Kelly Hill - RCR Wireless, 9 July 2019

Regulatory Affairs Work Group (RAWG) Update


As a cross-industry organization, the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance works to engage with regulators and government officials to promote the adoption of legal and regulatory frameworks that facilitate dynamic access to radio spectrum.

The Regulatory Affairs Work Group continues to develop policy positions for ratification by the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance, draft documents for submission to regulatory agencies and develop high-level positions on critical issues related to dynamic spectrum sharing.

Recent updates include:

Any Dynamic Spectrum Alliance member can participate in the Regulatory Affairs Work Group, so if you are interested in this area, then please contact admin@dynamicspectrumalliance.org.

Member/Partner Updates

In this section, we share updates and news from DSA members around the world, if you have an update that you’d like to be included in the next newsletter, please email dsa@proactive-pr.com.

The Microsoft Airband Initiative has finalized a partnership with Anditel S.A.S., a Colombia-based telecommunications company with over 30 years’ experience. The partnership will expand broadband access to unserved areas across rural Colombia, covering over 600,000 people. Using affordable last mile technologies like TVWS, Anditel plans to deliver internet access and IoT applications to local universities, schools, businesses, farms and public sector customers.

Microsoft Gold Partner based in Ridgeland, MS, providing a wide range of wireless, broadband, and business communication solutions to consumer and commercial channels in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. Microsoft joins C Spire, in coordination with Airspan Networks, Nokia and Siklu, in an initiative that will test and deploy a variety of broadband technologies in combination with new service and construction models to advance broadband connectivity in rural communities. Microsoft will support TV White Space pilots and deliver digital skills training to drive broadband adoption in these markets. The consortium’s goal is to produce a new blueprint on a shared way forward to close the broadband adoption and affordability gap in rural communities across America. Read more about this partnership here.

To expand the value of its Airband Commercial Partnerships, Microsoft recently signed an agreement with American Tower Corporation to give Airband Partners exclusive pricing for tower leases. American Tower Corporation owns and leases thousands of tower and rooftop locations across the country and this agreement will allow Airband Partners to access these towers more easily and bring broadband access to rural areas faster.

Beyond ISP and ecosystem partnerships, Microsoft continues to work closely with regulators around the globe. This quarter the Airband team and Microsoft Regulatory Affairs team met with regulators and other government officials from the United States, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Mozambique, Colombia, Paraguay, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Mexico, France, Ireland and India.

This spring, Microsoft returned to Ghana and Nigeria to further the regulatory progress made in 2018. Ghana and Mozambique have now approved TVWS regulations and are publishing guidelines. In Latin America, momentum around TVWS regulation remains high. Chile has issued experimental licenses, and the Dominican Republic is expected to follow in the coming months. Peru has included TVWS as an agenda item on their regulatory schedule for this quarter, and Argentina has begun testing TVWS equipment.

In May, RADWIN, the global wireless broadband provider, announced that Ciello - a subsidiary of the San Luis Valley (SLV) Rural Electric Cooperative in Colorado, U.S. - is driving high-speed broadband to hundreds of homes and businesses in 7 counties with RADWIN’s JET Point-to-Multipoint Beam-forming solutions. The win underscored RADWIN’s position as the foremost provider of Fixed Wireless Access solutions to rural America, with deployments by multiple leading U.S. Rural Electric Cooperatives and CAF operators.

Andrea Oaks-Jaramillo, Economic Development Coordinator at SLV Electric COOP: “We formed Ciello to drive fast, affordable broadband to farming and agriculture companies, schools and homes in the area. We sought a solution to complement our fiber network buildout. We assessed fixed wireless access providers and found that RADWIN far outweighed the competition and that JET was our best choice, overcoming the toughest conditions including interference and non-line-of-sight.”

Loren Howard, CEO at SLV Electric COOP and Ciello: “We had already run fiber to many substations on the valley floor and had 90 poles deployed so we were able to put RADWIN’s JETs on these poles. Now we can offer 25, 50 and 100 Mbps packages including high-quality phone voice service to companies and residents who were previously unconnected or received just a few Mbps service.”

Concluded Howard: “We recently bought another wireless provider in the Valley and are now moving all of their customers to the RADWIN network. Thanks to JET, subscribers are getting faster speeds without caps on their bandwidth and the customer experience is phenomenal!”

Zeev Farkash, RADWIN Global VP Sales: “Access to high-speed internet is vital to improving the economy of rural communities, and electric cooperatives are uniquely positioned to bridge the digital divide in their communities by leveraging upon their existing infrastructure and technical expertise. With JET PtMP, Electric COOPs can drive fast, reliable broadband connectivity rapidly and cost-effectively.”

Federated Wireless Turns Up Industry’s First Shared Spectrum Network to Bring New Wireless Bandwidth Options to Service Providers and Enterprises

Working to meet the growing demand for wireless access to mobile data, CBRS pioneer Federated Wireless announced that it has completed the roll-out of the world’s first in-production environmental sensing capability (ESC) network – a system of redundant, secure, hardened sensors along the entire coastline that form the foundation of CBRS shared spectrum. This will enable initial commercial deployment (ICD) of CBRS services across the US and follows closely on the heels of FCC certification of the Federated Wireless ESC received on April 29, 2019.

Shared spectrum is a disruptive technology that delivers the best attributes of traditional wireless and Wi-Fi, with lower fixed cost, higher quality and greater efficiency and scale. The 150Mhz available in the 3.5Ghz CBRS band is approximately equivalent to that owned by the largest national wireless carriers and is divided into three tiers of service dedicated to:

  1. Incumbents (including the US Navy)

  2. Priority Access Licenses (PALs)

  3. General Authorized Access

The newly-completed Federated Wireless ESC network helps ensure that incumbent transmissions are interference-free, while the Federated Wireless Spectrum Controller dynamically allocates spectrum to users in all three tiers. The ESC network is made up of dedicated, purpose-built sensors placed along US coastlines and designed to accurately and rapidly detect federal incumbent transmissions in the 3.5 GHz band. The Federated Wireless network is deployed with full redundancy, making it highly reliable and available.

Starry — a wireless technology company pioneering the deployment of next generation, high-capacity, fixed wireless broadband — officially launched its service in Denver, expanding its footprint to five U.S. cities. In addition to Denver, Starry’s network is also actively serving subscribers in Boston, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and New York City. Starry offers consumers high-speed internet access with no expensive TV bundles, no long-term contracts, no-data caps, and no-hidden fees for $50/month for 200 mbps plan speeds, inclusive of installation, 24/7 customer care and all equipment.

Starry also announced that it has brought Gregg Bien on as Chief Financial Officer. Bien will lead financial operations and play a role in strategic corporate development for the company. Prior to joining Starry, Bien served as the Chief Financial Officer for the mobile division of Assurant, Inc., a Fortune 500 specialty insurance company.

To learn more about Starry, visit: https://starry.com/.


Get in touch

If you would like more information, or if your company or organization is interested in joining the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance, then please email admin@dynamicspectrumalliance.org.

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