FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. Photo: Flickr/USDA.

As part of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) latest efforts to bring 5G services to the United States, the agency made a number of major announcements yesterday that establish application and bidding procedures for upper microwave, flexible-use service license auctions covering 24- and 28-GHz bandwidths. The FCC said the auction procedures are meant to speed the deployment of upper microwave 5G services.

The Commission will offer the 24- and 28-GHz band licenses through two auctions with separate application and bidding processes for each auction. The application windows will run concurrently. The bidding for the 28 GHz UMFUS licenses (Auction 101) will commence on November 14, 2018, and the bidding for the 24 GHz licenses (Auction 102) will commence after the bidding concludes in Auction 101.

“Today, we take another crucial step toward satisfying the ever-increasing demand for more spectrum and solidifying American leadership in 5G, the next generation of wireless connectivity.  Specifically, we finalize the procedures for two spectrum auctions. The 1.55 gigahertz of spectrum in these two high bands will be critical in deploying 5G wireless, Internet-of-Things, and other advanced spectrum-based services,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement.