Why licensed spectrum rather than unlicensed?
This question is better characterized as “why an allocated frequency band rather than existing unlicensed bands,” and that’s an easy answer. The 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz unlicensed frequency bands are home to a rapidly increasing number of devices and applications – consumer devices, utility meters, RFID tags, Zigbee devices, wireless ISPs and many others — with totals climbing into the billions. With no tracking of devices or real control over power levels, the unlicensed environment is completely unpredictable and changes every few yards, even minute to minute. Those using these bands have no protection against harmful interference that can interrupt vital functions, making this spectrum increasingly inadvisable for mission-critical functions (UTC does not include metering within this definition). UTC members already report interference to their operations on unlicensed bands. By contrast, the allocated spectrum UTC seeks could be used on either a licensed or unlicensed basis, or
