3450-3550 MHz
Last updated December 12, 2022
Effective November 22, 2022, within the Cooperative Planning Area of Little Rock, Arkansas, the Department of Defense (DoD) requires coordination only in the lower 40 megahertz of the band (i.e., 3450-3490 MHz); coordination in the upper 60 megahertz (i.e., 3490-3550 MHz) in the Little Rock CPA is no longer required.
- The Department of Defense email address "osd.pentagon.dod-cio.mbx.emsepp---3450-3550-mhz@mail.mil" is the official entry point for general enquiries related to this band, and to request informal non-binding discussion.
- Before engaging in discussions and coordination with the DoD, licensees and the DoD must enter into a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) to protect proprietary, confidential, and/or controlled unclassified information (CUI) exchanged therein.
- DoD's portal, https://www.345ipic.com, is the primary conduit for licensees to successfully coordinate with DoD prior to operating in Cooperative Planning Areas (CPA). The portal also facilitates development of Operator-to-Operator Agreements, which may be used to codify the processes and procedures for successful coordination in Periodic Use Areas (PUA). To request a portal account, send an email to osd.pentagon.dod-cio.mbx.emsepp---3450-3550-mhz@mail.mil.
The Beat CHINA for 5G Act of 2020 requires that the non-federal allocation for 3450-3550 MHz be revised to permit flexible-use services. The Act also requires that an auction of 3450-3550 MHz band begin no later December 31, 2021.
On July 12, 2021, DoD held a workshop to provide potential bidders in the upcoming FCC auction with information about ongoing DoD operations in the 3.45-3.55 GHz band that will require coordination. In addition, DoD has distributed controlled unclassified information (CUI) via the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) National Coordinating Center for Communications (NCC). Entities that are not NCC members can access DoD’s CUI by signing the FCC’s Protective Order in accordance with instructions in the Protective Order accompanying Public Notice.
- DoD Workshop Information
- FCC’s Public Notice of Protective Order to Provide Auction 110 Applicants Access to Controlled Unclassified Information on Department of Defense Systems in the 3.45-3.55 GHz Band
- FCC’s Auction 110 Protective Order for Access to Controlled Unclassified Information on Department of Defense Systems in the 3.45-3.55 GHz Band
On June 3, 2021, as required by 47 U.S.C. § 923(h)(5), NTIA posted the publicly releasable approved transition plans along with additional transition information provided by DOD. On July 23, NTIA posted updates to the DOD Workbook and Workbook Explanation, and archived the prior versions.
Transition Plans and Transition Data for the 3450-3550 MHz Band
On June 2, 2021, NTIA and FCC, through its Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, jointly issued a Public Notice that provides (i) information for potential bidders in the upcoming 3.45 GHz Service auction and (ii) guidance to the ultimate 3.45 GHz Service licensees and the affected federal incumbents regarding coordination procedures for shared use of the 3.45 GHz band.
On February 19, 2021, as a result of the further collaborative efforts between NTIA, the Department of Defense (“DoD”), and the FCC, NTIA submitted a letter into the FCC Docket “Amendment of the Commission’s Rules with Regard to Facilitating Shared Use in the 3100-3550 MHz Band” providing spectrum management details of DoD’s Cooperative Planning Area and Periodic Use Area set forth in the Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. In addition, specific requirements for two of the Cooperative Planning Areas, more details on federal/non-federal coordination procedures, and other information and views for the record is provided.
On January 14, 2021, NTIA provided initial estimated relocation or sharing costs and timelines for the 3450-3550 MHz spectrum band to the Committees on Appropriations and Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives, and to the Committees on Appropriations and Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate for approval, and notified the Federal Communications Commission and Comptroller General.
Related content
NTIA and FCC Joint Public Notice on Coordination Procedures in the 3.45-3.55 GHz Band
June 02, 2021
On June 2, NTIA and the FCC, through its Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, jointly issued a Public Notice that provides information for potential bidders in the upcoming 3.45 GHz Service auction and guidance to the ultimate 3.45 GHz Service licensees and the affected federal incumbents regarding coordination procedures for shared use of the 3.45 GHz band.
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ITS, Air Force Conduct Flight Tests as Part of Mid-Band Sharing Experiment
May 10, 2021
As consumer, industry, and government demand for 5G services and applications heats up, NTIA’s Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) is focused on finding ways to make the most efficient use of scarce spectrum resources. Many commercial providers have their eyes on so-called mid-band spectrum because it offers them the best combination of coverage, speed, and latency. However, many U.S. government departments and agencies, including the Department of Defense (DoD), operate radar and communications platforms important to the nation’s national security and defense in those bands. A few week ago, the skies over Colorado played host to ITS experiments that will contribute to developing solutions to enable dynamic spectrum sharing between commercial and government users.
Over the course of two hours, a U.S. Air Force high-power radar plane, operating in the 3 GHz spectrum band, repeatedly flew past the Table Mountain Radio Quiet Zone Advanced Communications Test site near Boulder. On the ground, ITS researchers collected data that will begin to shed light on how 5G cellular services might dynamically share spectrum with DoD radar systems. The high-power radar platform provides long range air surveillance; understanding how these system might interact with thousands of terrestrial 5G receivers and transmitters on the ground is essential to the long term viability of 5G networks. While the flight crew operated the radar system in a variety of modes, ITS engineers measured the radar signals reaching the ground.