FCC moves to expand L-band to 5G after GPS interference controversy

Following roughly a decade of battling between private companies and U.S. government agencies, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai today issued a draft order to allow Ligado Networks to use a controversial slice of “L-band” wireless spectrum for 5G, a move that could hasten 5G’s national deployment over the next 18 months. The FCC’s decision comes despite objections from the Department of Defense (DoD) and other agencies, which have warned of potential consequences for certain GPS navigation devices. In a nutshell, the FCC is attempting to optimize use of a limited quantity of radio frequencies by letting companies fill unused or underused channels with 5G data. The L-band includes all frequencies from 1.0GHz to 2.0GHz, the upper (1.7GHz+) portion of which has been used for cellular phone service for years, while the middle (1.5GHz to 1.7GHz) has been reserved largely for GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo location satellite transmissions.