6 GHz Testing Said Likely to Be Completed Early Next Year
Companies provisionally approved as automated frequency coordination providers in the 6 GHz band could complete tests by early next year, industry experts told us. The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology conditionally authorized all 13 applicants still before the commission to begin the testing process (see 2211030066). Experts note the use of AFC is particularly important because it could have implications for sharing in other bands.
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“I see no reason why the testing and trials couldn’t be accomplished early next year,” said Christopher Szymanski, Broadcom director-product marketing. “The market is hungry for standard power 6 GHz Wi-Fi,” he said: “I am hopeful that we could have commercial operations in place in Q2 2023.”
Tom Hollingsworth, networking engineer and tech blogger, said he recently spoke with HPE Aruba, which has already run a successful test of AFC coordination in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “I’m assuming they and others will be adapting these previously successful tests here in the U.S. to accelerate AFC testing and adopting,” he emailed: “By the end of Q1 2023 we should see enough data to be confident in rolling out AFC more widely.”
AFC deployments could start “reasonably soon, most likely by the end of the year,” said Harold Feld, Public Knowledge senior vice president. “There has been a lot of enthusiasm for this in the industry and the technology is a fairly straightforward evolution of existing database-managed access systems,” he said.
Other Wi-Fi supporters predicted some companies will complete tests early next year. The FCC public notice doesn’t lay out the timeline and says more information will be forthcoming in another notice.
“The recent conditional approval of some AFC systems is a good sign that the process is continuing to move along,” said Joe Kane, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation director-broadband and spectrum policy. “AFCs are the next big thing in spectrum sharing, so all eyes are on how they will work in 6 GHz to see if similar systems could work in other bands,” he said: “That's a reason to take the time to conduct rigorous testing and make sure the technical details are in order. Now that we have candidate systems in existence, hopefully it won't be long before final approval.”
Kane said based on past spectrum field-testing, tests should be completed in a matter of months, if not weeks. “Q1 2023 is probably realistic,” he said.
OET is requiring that AFC systems “undergo rigorous testing, both in a controlled environment and through demonstration projects, before we approve them for commercial operations,” the PN said: “The controlled environment testing shall consist of testing conducted by a third-party test lab. In addition to this lab testing, we shall also require the AFC systems to undergo one or more demonstration projects. While we will provide details on this testing in a forthcoming public notice, we are providing preliminary information on the required testing to enable the AFC system applicants to begin preparing for the testing process.”
As a model for lab tests, OET cited the citizens broadband radio service, another shared band. Tests of spectrum access system administrators were done by NTIA’s Institute for Telecommunication Sciences, and device tests by FCC-accredited labs, the notice said: “Many FCC-recognized accredited labs already possess expertise for similar testing as is required for AFC systems.”
Demonstration projects will start after lab tests, with applicants “required to make a website available for a specified period of time (e.g. 30 days) that provides an opportunity for members of the public to test the functionality of their AFC system,” OET said. “We will permit the AFC system applicants to either work together to jointly operate a public trial website as a single point of entry for testing multiple AFC systems or to operate individual websites,” the notice said.
“This is a significant milestone on the path to 6 GHz Standard Power operation and reflects years of work that industry has done to operationalize the AFC systems and Standard Power devices,” emailed David Wright, HPE Aruba head-global wireless policy. “HPE Aruba and Federated Wireless conducted the world's first end-to-end demonstration of AFC-coordinated 6 GHz Wi-Fi on Aug. 3 in Riyadh … and we are eager to bring our Standard Power products to market,” he said.