Austin, TX, April 17, 2015 - Wi-Fi Alliance applauds the FCC's efforts toward making additional spectrum available for unlicensed operations in the 3.5 GHz band. Unlicensed spectrum is one of the true backbones of the world economy, enabling hundreds of billions of dollars in global commerce annually. In the U.S. alone, Wi-Fi® drives an estimated $140 billion a year in commercial activity. More than 10 billion devices rely on Wi-Fi, and unlocking additional spectrum for these devices to operate will have untold benefits for the economy, users and businesses. We are pleased to see FCC allocate portions of 3.5 for unlicensed use and to facilitate shared use of licensed spectrum by unlicensed devices.
In today’s world, where there is an exploding demand for connectivity, it is essential that the FCC’s policy enable our society to make the best use of spectrum. Unlicensed spectrum is a venue for innovation and for general public use in a fair and equitable way. As we have seen over the last 15 years, those principles have driven tremendous economic and end user benefit in the United States. Wi-Fi has exemplified innovation in 2.4 and 5 GHz, increasing performance and reliability while remaining a polite “good citizen” in the band.
We look forward to expanding Wi-Fi’s successes into the 3.5 GHz band, and to collaborating with FCC and other stakeholders on this important initiative.
About Wi-Fi Alliance®
www.wi-fi.org
Wi-Fi Alliance® is a global non-profit industry association – our members are the worldwide network of companies that brings you Wi-Fi®. The members of our collaboration forum come from across the Wi-Fi ecosystem and share a common vision of connecting everyone and everything, everywhere. Since 2000, the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ seal of approval designates products with proven interoperability, industry-standard security protections, and the latest technology. Wi-Fi Alliance has certified more than 25,000 products, delivering the best user experience and encouraging the expanded use of Wi-Fi products and services in new and established markets. Today, billions of Wi-Fi products carry a significant portion of the world’s data traffic in an ever-expanding variety of applications.