Sharing the 4.4 GHz Band

Valo Analytica’s latest report, "Sharing the 4.4 GHz Band: Extending American Leadership in Spectrum Access," explores the immense potential of opening the 4.4 GHz band to commercial broadband through spectrum sharing rather than the traditional "clear and auction" approach.

• More Spectrum, Faster: Clearing federal incumbents requires relocating mission-critical systems, which can take a decade or more and cost billions of dollars. A shared approach allows commercial deployment to begin as soon as a coordination system is operational, bringing more usable bandwidth to the market faster.
• Protecting National Security: The 4.4 GHz band is currently heavily utilized by federal agencies for critical operations, including fixed point-to-point links, aeronautical telemetry, and Navy ship-to-shore communications. The report proposes a hybrid coordination framework—combining Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) and Dynamic Protection Areas (DPAs)—to securely manage commercial access while keeping federal systems fully operational and protected from interference.
• Fueling the AI Ecosystem: The propagation characteristics of the 4.4 GHz band make it uniquely suited for dense, small-cell, and indoor private networks. The report highlights that shared access puts dedicated spectrum within reach of industrial innovators, providing the resilient connectivity necessary to drive smart manufacturing, automated logistics, and AI-enabled robotics.

Ultimately, the study concludes that sharing the 4.4 GHz band is not just a pragmatic compromise; it is the optimal architecture to maximize spectral efficiency, supercharge America's private networking ecosystem, and preserve national security.

Download the full report here.