Samsung executives, including Youngky Kim, president and head of Networks Business at Samsung Electronics, as well as vice presidents Woojune Kim and Wonil Roh, were among those who met with FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, Commissioner Mignon Clyburn and others this week to talk about spectrum bands above 24 GHz.
According to an ex parte filing, Samsung also provided technical demonstrations of millimeter wave band technology during the meetings. While some of the meetings took place on Tuesday, Roh also met with Commissioner Jessica Rocenworcel and her legal advisor Johanna Thomas on Monday.
Samsung isn't deviating from its previous comments that it filed with the commission, according to the filing. It supports the establishment of a regulatory framework for the provision of mobile services in the 28 GHz, 39 GHz and 37 GHz bands. It also urged the commission to make development of a regulatory framework for the millimeter wave spectrum bands a priority.
During a speech at Mobile World Congress 2016, Rocenworcel said the FCC will proceed this year with a framework for the 28 GHz band despite the fact the band was excluded from the list for 5G study at the World Radio Conference (WRC) in Geneva last fall. Earlier this month, she said she believes the U.S. will need to go it alone when it comes to the 28 GHz band. Tests in the 28 GHz band already are underway in South Korea and Japan, and the U.S. needs to move ahead, on its own, to have a framework in place for the 28 GHz band by the end of the year, she said during remarks at CTIA's leadership forum on 5G.
Samsung has applauded the FCC's leadership with regards to the 28 GHz band, adding that the band could be a bridge internationally to the other bands being studied for WRC-19, such as 25 GHz and 31 GHz. The company also previously has said the 28 GHz and 39 GHz bands are some of the most promising near-term homes for 5G and millimeter wave services. The 28 GHz and 39 GHz bands can support wide channel bandwidths, which will be needed to provide the kinds of performance gains that are expected, and both the 28 GHz and 39 GHz bands have co-primary allocations for fixed and mobile services.
The FCC extended the deadline for comments on its millimeter wave proceeding from Feb. 23 to Feb. 26, so interested parties still have time to get in their two cents. The extension came after the Satellite Industry Association, Global VSAT Forum, EMEA Satellite Operator's Association and TIA all filed a motion to extend the reply comment deadline so that they would have more time to respond to detailed licensing proposals and technical information addressing a number of different frequency bands raised by commenters in the record.
Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) also filed an ex parte this week saying that some of its executives met by phone with representatives in the FCC's Wireless Bureau, as well as the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. The call was held to discuss Ericsson's white paper, titled "5G Security: Scenarios and Solutions," in the context of the higher-band spectrum proceeding. Similar to other interested parties, Ericsson encouraged the FCC to use a light regulatory approach and to focus on ways of facilitating a collaborative, public-private partnership approach to engaging 5G security, rather than imposing mandates by regulation.
For more:
- see this Samsung filing
- see this Ericsson filing
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