Spectrum Policy for Radio Technology Experiments

Spectrum policy has to deal with both operational use of spectrum-based systems as well as experiments to develop innovative technologies both to improve present uses or for entirely new uses. For example, two decades ago use of > 30 GHz millimeter-wave spectrum for mobile communications would have seemed ludicrous to most practitioners, but today it is a major component of the pending fifth generation (5G) wireless systems. Different countries have different ways of dealing with authorizing experimental use of spectrum to advance both wireless communications and other spectrum uses. This column reviews the approaches used in several countries. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issues about 2000 experimental licenses a year. In 2010–2016, the FCC reviewed and updated its provisions for experimental licensing in Docket 10-236.1