40 Miles on 6 GHz With an 8 Foot Dish - The Brothers WISP 196

About this episode

In episode 196, Greg Sowell is joined by Pete Young and Eric Nielsen from Comsearch for a deep dive into the rapidly evolving world of 6 GHz spectrum.


The FCC opened 6 GHz to unlicensed use in 2020, creating a huge opportunity for Wi-Fi and fixed wireless operators, but the band was far from empty. Licensed point-to-point microwave systems, satellite uplinks, radio astronomy, and other incumbent users were already there.


Pete and Eric explain how Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) makes spectrum sharing possible, what determines the channels and power levels available to a 6 GHz radio, and why things like GPS accuracy, antenna height, terrain, and licensed microwave data matter so much.


The conversation also explores the tradeoffs between licensed and unlicensed 6 GHz, why 11 GHz has become increasingly popular for licensed microwave, how WISPs continue to push fixed wireless hardware beyond expectations, and what regulatory changes could dramatically improve 6 GHz deployments in the future.


**Sponsors**
Preseem gives regional ISPs real-time visibility into every subscriber's experience across the entire network, helping operators identify problems before customers call, resolve tickets faster, and better understand whether churn is caused by network performance or competition. Learn more at preseem.com.
**/Sponsors**


Connect With the Guests:


Pete Young: Comsearch


Pete has spent decades working with microwave spectrum and frequency coordination and serves as a committee chair for 6 GHz work within the Wireless Innovation Forum. He joins the show to explain the engineering and regulatory mechanics behind AFC and spectrum sharing.


Connect with Pete on LinkedIn by searching for Pete S. Young.


Email: [email protected]


Eric Nielsen: Comsearch


Eric has been with Comsearch for more than a decade, beginning in customer service before moving deeper into the wireless and spectrum-management world. He brings the operator, vendor, and industry perspective to the discussion.


Email: [email protected]


You can also find Eric hanging around WISP Talk, if you're brave enough.


Connect With Greg
Greg's blog: gregsowell.com


Greg continues to publish content focused heavily on automation, Red Hat technologies, and infrastructure engineering.


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