Federated Wireless Applauds FCC Advancement Toward AFC Certification

Federated Wireless, an enabler in shared spectrum and private wireless solutions, has applauded the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) public notice initiating the certification process for Automatic Frequency Coordination (AFC) systems in the 6 GHz band, including Federated Wireless’ existing commercial-grade solution.

The milestone represents the culmination of an extensive five-year technical process led by Federated Wireless and its industry partners, together with the FCC, to enable shared use of the 6 GHz band.

“Federated Wireless has been on this journey with the FCC and our partners from day one. Today’s announcement represents the end of a long journey to build and commercialize our shared spectrum product and open the 6 GHz band to the latest generation of unlicensed devices that are vital for both enterprise and consumer broadband connectivity,” said Federated Wireless CEO Iyad Tarazi.

To date, Federated Wireless has signed commercial agreements with the leading enterprise WLAN access point manufacturers collectively responsible for 50% of the worldwide enterprise outdoor access point market, establishing Federated Wireless as the market leader for AFC.

These commercial agreements will accelerate standard power and outdoor access point operations in the 6 GHz band.

Leveraging its expertise in spectrum sharing in the CBRS band, Federated Wireless began working in 2018 closely with partners and the unlicensed wireless ecosystem to develop an AFC system to enable Wi-Fi 6 and 5G NR-U deployments in the 6 GHz band.

In 2019, Federated Wireless publicly demonstrated the world’s first AFC prototype, proving the feasibility of adapting its cloud-based spectrum sharing technology and platform to meet the FCC’s (then proposed) requirements for the 6 GHz band.

Federated Wireless continued to refine its AFC system with input from the unlicensed equipment vendor and operator community, incumbent licensees, and relevant standards organizations.

In August 2022, together with partners CITC and HPE Aruba, Federated Wireless first demonstrated live AFC system management of 6 GHz spectrum and standard power Wi-Fi devices.

In November 2022, the FCC conditionally approved Federated Wireless to be an authorized AFC system operator for the United States.

Federated Wireless Vice President of Technology Development Masoud Olfat led the AFC test and certification planning efforts conducted by the Wireless Innovation Forum (WInnForum) in conjunction with the Wi-Fi Alliance.

“The 6 GHz band is a major opportunity for enhanced Wi-Fi performance across America and ultimately around the world,” said Federated Wireless CTO Kurt Schaubach. “Federated Wireless has long led the creation of technologies and alliances to enable more efficient use of spectrum on a shared basis. The FCC’s public notice is a critical step towards realization of the benefits of Wi-Fi 6E in 6 GHz.”

“With commercial AFC services on the horizon, Federated Wireless is ready to deliver the full benefits of the 6 GHz band,” said Jennifer McCarthy, VP of Legal Advocacy, added. “We look forward to leveraging this key spectrum for the next generations of Wi-Fi technology.”