The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued a Report and Order, a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM), and a Memorandum Opinion and Order (MO&O) that expands the unlicensed use of the 6 GHz band.
The Report and Order permit very low power (VLP) unlicensed devices to operate in the U-NII-5 (5.925-6.425 GHz) and U-NII-7 (6.525-6.875 GHz) portions of the 6 GHz band. The VLP devices will be permitted to operate anywhere, indoors and outdoors, without being under the control of a frequency coordination system.
The FNPRM proposes to expand VLP device operations to the remainder of the 6 GHz band and to permit VLP devices to operate at increased power with the use of a geofencing system.
The MO&O addresses a concern of interference in the 2.4 GHz band from unlicensed devices but concludes that broadcasters’ unsubstantiated claims of interference in the 2.4 GHz band do not warrant any modification of the 6 GHz rules.
- Very low power unlicensed devices can now operate in the U-NII-5 and U-NII-7 portions of the 6 GHz band.
- These devices can operate anywhere, indoors and outdoors, without frequency coordination.
- They will operate at power levels that coexist with incumbent operations in the band. (14 dBm EIRP and PSD -5 dBm/MHz EIRP)
- These devices must employ transmit power control and prioritize operations above 6105 MHz.
From FCC’s Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, it’s possible to expect that:
- Very low-power devices will be able to operate in the entire 6 GHz band.
- Very low-power devices will be able to operate at higher power levels while under the control of a geofencing system.
- The FCC may allow clients to 6 GHz unlicensed low-power indoor access points to directly communicate with each other.
Type Approval Impacted? No
Spectrum Impacted? Yes, 5.925-6.425 GHz and 6.525-6.875 GHz sub-bands
Imports Impacted? No
Standards: N/A
Product Impacted? VLP, Access Points, Client Devices