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Aruba Applauds the FCC’s Unanimous Vote on the Unlicensed Use of the 6 GHz Band

By Chuck Lukaszewski, Vice President and Chief Wireless Technologist, Aruba

We commend the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for taking the first step in 14 years to allocate more spectrum for Wi-Fi. The Commission’s unanimous vote to move forward on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking allocating mid-band spectrum for unlicensed use is critical for meeting the demand on our networks today, as well as driving innovation that is to come.

The rollout of 5G, the proliferation of IoT devices and the support for other Wi-Fi dependent services will greatly benefit from this additional unlicensed spectrum.  According to a new study by the Wi-Fi Alliance, the economic value of Wi-Fi in the United States is $499 billion and rising to $993 billion by 2023. The FCC’s leadership will enable the U.S. to usher-in a new era of high-speed connectivity that will benefit education, telemedicine, manufacturers as well as consumers.

Thanks to FCC Chairman Pai and Commissioners O’Rielly, Rosenworcel and Carr, the stage is set for what will be the single most consequential regulatory action in the history of Wi-Fi connectivity. We are thankful for their commitment and leadership on this issue and look forward to working with them to finalize this rule.