Supercharging America’s Ports

America’s ports have long served as a lifeblood of industry and transportation across the United States, but the expectations and demands placed on our ports have changed significantly over the past several decades. 5G and the emergence of smart infrastructure have revolutionized the way that shipping and ports are thought of, but we need to ensure that 5G infrastructure is prioritized to ensure that revolutionary new technologies can continue to be leveraged.

5G has already enabled many amazing technologies in our nation’s ports, and promises to continue making our infrastructure safer, easier, and more efficient. One example is IoT-connected sensors, which “generate vast amounts of data that shipping companies can collect, analyze, and turn into insights that improve operations.” IoT-connected sensors also could enable “greater remote operation and control for the faster integration of autonomous ships”.

In order to enable the network-intensive uses that modern ports require, like connecting a web of IoT sensors or piloting automated ships, we need to enable a strong efficient spectrum infrastructure for our networks to run on. The upper and lower 12 GHz bands provide the perfect opportunity for American policy makers and legislators to identify and unleash mid-band spectrum which would help our networks support uses such as IoT sensors and autonomous shipping.

A network that utilizes 12 GHz would allow for more competition, greater speeds, and would require fewer base stations than MMWave powered networks. Beyond its great propagation characteristics, the 12 GHz bands already have a significant technical record, demonstrating that incumbents would not be impacted by increased usage of the band. The 12 GHz bands offer a win-win for consumers and providers, creating faster, cheaper, and more efficient service in areas where we need it the most.

-Chip Pickering, Co-Chair of the 5Gfor12GHz Coalition