Dynamic Spectrum Alliance Q1 2023 Newsletter

There is no doubt that 2023 is going to be a vitally important year as we all prepare for WRC-23 in November/December, and this has been evidenced by just how fast the first quarter went by for so many of us! With more and more countries and organizations recognising the important role of Dynamic Spectrum Management Systems and affordable technologies such as Wi-Fi for affordable broadband connectivity and innovation the momentum seen in the last quarter shows no signs of slowing down.
 
Since the last fall, there has been great progress made in advancing Standard Power operations in the 6 GHz band under the management of Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) systems. The United States Federal Communication Commission (FCC) announced conditional approval for 6 GHz band AFC Systems. In December 2022, the Innovation, Science, and Economic Development (ISED) in Canada also released DBS-06 — Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) System Specifications for the 6 GHz (5925-6875 MHz) Frequency Band, which was amazing to see.
 
Additionally, in February 2023, ANATEL in Brazil closed a subsidy survey (one type of public consultation) to receive contributions on which should be the technical and operational parameters of the Automated Frequency Coordination systems and standard power equipment operating in the 6 GHz band. This will allow the use of Wi-Fi 6E outside the limits of buildings and coexisting with incumbent services. ANATEL highlighted that this type of operation of Wi-Fi 6E networks is an option for the more than 19000 small broadband Wireless Internet Service Providers that couldn't access 5G frequencies in the last spectrum auction.
 
Besides, at MWC 2023, the President of ANATEL - Carlos Baigorri - confirmed that the 6 GHz band in Brazil will maintain 1,200 MHz of capacity for unlicensed access benefiting non-traditional operators. Furthermore, our recent collaboration with Brazilian ISP association ABRINT, alongside members companies CISCO and Broadcom, to give 6 GHz Wi-Fi a new platform. With ABRINT becoming an official AFC operator, this can only be seen as a fantastic advancement.
 
We also hosted our first events of 2023, starting with “Wi-Fi Matters: Delivering an inclusive, connected, life for Europeans”. We gathered in Brussels at the Microsoft Centre to discuss the social and economic value of Wi-Fi with experts, policymakers, and members of civil society from across Europe. It was great to present a clear message that Wi-Fi does in fact matter and should be recognised in the overall European strategy towards connectivity. One key takeaway from the event was that in order to achieve a digitally connected Gigabit Europe a functional Wi-Fi ecosystem is required, alongside the adoption of fibre, satellite, 5G and other telecommunication infrastructure components. If you’d like to review the highlights of this event, we have made this available to view on our dedicated YouTube channel.

I was invited to speak at the CTO Digital Week in London (please share the video of my presentation, it is already on the DSA Website homepage), and also spoke at the 5G European Spectrum Conference. The final video from Global Forum included me, so you can include that link too. I shared it in my LinkedIn and Twitter accounts.
 
As part of our advocacy activities, we have been actively participating in different public consultations. It is amazing to see the increasing interest on these subjects. There has been so many I could showcase in my notes today, but I’d specifically like to draw your attention to the NTIA, UK and South Africa consultations about spectrum sharing. We are continuing our efforts to participating in more of these throughout the rest of this year.
 
I would finally like to thank everyone who attended our 2023 Global Summit in Rio de Janeiro, whether this was in-person or virtually. With over 120 registered attendees, 40 speakers from over 11 countries and delegates from 13 different countries, the event was a huge success. If you were unable to attend, don’t worry: the slides and videos from the event are available on the DSA website. I’d like to take the time to highlight the great partnership established between the DSA and Wi-Fi Now, with whom our event was graciously co-located with. I would also like to thank all the sponsors of the Global Summit, including Amazon, Aruba, Meta, Broadcom, Federated Wireless, Internet Society and RCR Wireless News. All companies mentioned all played a crucial part in making the event so triumphant!
 
We hope a clearer path has been paved towards providing the most advanced and reliable broadband connectivity for all and we look forward to welcoming everyone back to the 2024 Summit. In the meantime, I am looking forward to seeing the future spectrum sharing successes this year will bring.
 

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