Russia Reserves 3.5GHz Band for the Military, Not 5G

Russia has pulled away from using 3.5 GHz as a 5G spectrum band, instead reserving it for military use, just as initial millimeter-wave 5G deployments start in Moscow.

President Putin has reportedly reserved the 3.4-3.8 GHz band for military and intelligence uses, rather than 5G, The Moscow Times reports. Russia’s Communications Ministry has proposed using the 4.4GHz-4.99GHz for mid-band 5G instead.

The 3.5GHz band is expected to be widely used for 5G as it is deployed in 2020. South Korea has already rolled nationwide 5G on 3.5GHz.

Like initial 5G deployments in the US from AT&T and Verizon, however, Russian carriers will use millimeter wave for 5G service in Moscow. Initially, it will use the technology to cover high-trafficked areas like Red Square. Read more here: https://www.lightreading.com/mobile/5g/russia-reserves-35ghz-band-for-the-military-not-5g/d/d-id/753562