Nick Laneman, professor of electrical engineering at the University of Notre Dame and an expert in wireless systems, radio spectrum access and associated technology standards, is director of SpectrumX, the first NSF Spectrum Innovation Center.

“From all perspectives — safety, technology innovation, economic development and government coordination — these circumstances are unfortunate for the U.S.,” Laneman said. “The FCC initiated proceedings on the C-band (3.7-4.2 GHz) in August 2017, and the cellular industry committed $81 billion in gross auction bids about a year ago to deploy more 5G network capacity. The cellular industry has already agreed to delays, and to limitations on their rollout around airports, and will likely have to continue monitoring and adjusting their network operations for some time. Older radar altimeters will have to be replaced or retrofitted to better attenuate the 5G signals in the C-band, requiring oversight by the FAA and cost to the airline industry. These ongoing challenges around the radio spectrum are one reason the National Science Foundation has invested in a Spectrum Innovation Center — so we can identify these problems early on and collaborate across industry, government and academia to develop new technology and policy solutions.”