How Can You Make Money from Shared

Spectrum?

Wireless @ Virginia Tech Wireless Symposium

May 28, 2015Dr. Preston Marshall

Principal Wireless ArchitectGoogle Access

pres@google.com

What Makes Shared Spectrum Different

(from $$ Perspective)

• Sharable Spectrum is generally not Auctioned for Perpetually Renewable Licenses– Outlay is much lower; Expense, not investment– Spectrum becomes Available over time, rather

than one “big Band” auction

• 3 Tier spectrum can entered without any investment; invest only if needed due to success

• Impact: Shared Spectrum Supports Scalable Entry, Deployment, Investment, Coverage, Capitalization

Implications of Scalability

• Can pilot only one location, and then expand as markets and success dictate

• Only need “Angel Round +” funding to be viable in a small space

• Rapid entry of technology, immediate access to spectrum, short product/experiment cycles

• Non-exclusive nature of spectrum increases supply chain availability and diversity

• Compare to exclusively auctioned spectrum:– 5 years between auctions, with no predictable

availability– 8 years from start of process to “move in”– Billions of capital

What Opportunities Emerge from Spectrum Sharing #1

(Influenced by 3.5 GHz)

• Intellectual Property– This morning talk; coexistence is not

addressed by current non-exclusive spectrum technology

• Equipment– Consumer driven by low cost; implies high

volume CMOS– Integration/repurposing of existing CMOS to

meet new needs opportunity• 3.5 GHZ deployable access points that leverage existing

Band 42/43 as example

What Opportunities Emerge from Spectrum Sharing #2

(Influenced by 3.5 GHz)• Services

– Opens up new opportunities between the extreme carrier and typically free Wi-Fi offerings

– Need to investigate if market exists and is unique from existing ones

• Integration of Premises Access Deployment– Almost untapped market, only a few Wi-Fi and DAS

based players– High cost, labor-intensive, low scalability – Differenced between engineered non-engineered WiFi

demonstrate need for this!– Possible Future: Cloud-based, highly scalable remote

management of premises networks, using wide range of exposed “dials and knobs”

Caveats

• We know that the “killer app” is not yet apparent; it never is at the start

• Flexibility and technology neutrality in regulation is key to this emergence– US approach to spectrum management

more flexible that most other nations

• The world is stuck in two models (free Wi-Fi and rationed/scarce carrier services – Issue is creating new models between these extreme