Swarun Kumar | Source | Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon ...

“The push towards millimeter wave for 5G has not panned out as planned, with the physics of mmWave (poor range/resilience to mobility as a trade-off for high speeds) being the biggest impediment. This has led to a recalibration of the industry to go after the lower frequency bands, which has, in turn, led to many sharing issues with Wi-Fi and aircraft radar bands being recent examples. In the long run, an effective sharing mechanism between next-generation wireless and the various other wireless stakeholders is a dire need for the future of the industry and especially for 5G in the U.S. to meet global standards. There is enough spectrum out there -- we just need to sort out the politics to get sharing done right, instead of fighting with physics!”

Ossia has received Federal Communications Commission approval to use the 2.4 GHz frequency. The downside of that approach is that it lacks the range and directionality of higher frequencies. On the other hand, the lower frequencies don’t need the clear line of sight that infrared frequencies do and they’re not stopped by the obstructions that hamper millimeter waves. It’s all a trade-off. It really depends on what you’re trying to accomplish.