Chris Pearson, president of 5G Americas, cautioned mid-band spectrum allocation in the US was approaching a critical tipping point due to a lack of a long-term national plan, which could impact the development of services and applications.

The industry trade organisation released a whitepaper outlining the use of several potential mid-band frequencies for 5G. It noted there are currently no suitable allocation plans in the works.

5G Americas argued this is a concern because it takes several years to identify, allocate and repurpose spectrum.

In a blog, Peterson noted mid-band offers a “sweet spot” between coverage and capacity and a long-term national spectrum plan is “paramount for economic and technology leadership”.

The organisation highlighted a need for greater spectrum efficiency and flexibility to meet soaring demand for mobile data.

It cited Ericsson Mobility Report data showing global demand at 90 exabytes per month at end-2022 and estimating the figure to be growing 40 per cent each year.

Pearson wrote there are specific challenges for each of the current and planned US mid-band deployments for commercial uses spanning 2.5GHz, CBRS, 3.7GHz to 3.98GHz C-band, and 3.45GHz to 3.55GHz.

The trade organisation argued spectrum plans should prioritise availability of lower frequencies in the mid-band range.

It also stated the US Federal Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration should work with the industry to oversee spectrum allocations.