Report Finds C-Band Spectrum is Speeding Up 5G Services

OpenSignal released a report on October 12 titled "How C-Band is jump-starting AT&T and Verizon's 5G experience." According to the report, AT&T users' average 5G download speeds increased by 34.6% between March and September, going from 50 Mbps up to 67.3 Mbps. And during that same time span, Verizon users' 5G download speeds increased 15.8%, going from 70.3 Mbps up to 81.4 Mbps. As the OpenSignal report observes, during that seven-month timeframe, both mobile broadband providers boosted their use of licensed C-band spectrum in providing 5G services, with AT&T's use of C-band rising to more than 30% of user 5G readings while Verizon's use of C-band grew to almost 50% of user 5G readings.

The OpenSignal report findings reflect the importance of C-band spectrum for realizing the full potential of 5G wireless networks to enhance broadband market competition and offer value to consumers. As C-band increasingly is put into use, one can expect the performance metrics to show further significant improvements in speeds as well as capacity. 

The report also ought to serve as a reminder of the necessity of making more mid-band spectrum available for commercial use. There are presently three mid-band spectrum candidates for repurposing: the 3.1-3.45 GHz band, the 4.4-4.49 GHz band, and the 7.125-8.46 GHz band. Together, these three swaths comprise over 1,400 MHz of spectrum that potentially could be licensed for commercial wireless use, to the benefit of consumers, industry, and the American economy. Congress should pursue legislation to authorize the FCC to repurpose those bands for competitive bidding spectrum license auctions, and require NTIA and other executive branch agencies to coordinate efforts to address incumbent user needs and technical complexities that will need to be addressed in order to bring those auctions to fruition.