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Comment by ackbar03 | Hacker News Reader

What are the rules for broadcasting though? I thought you get hit with a fine without a lisence if you transmit any sort of radio-frequency

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Doesn't 5G share some of the frequencies used by normal wifi? IIRC devices implementing one standard even cooperate with devices implementing the other to coordinate frequency use.

short answer is no, but the frequencies aren't far off

wifi operates at 2.4Ghz most typically and also at 5Ghz (shorter range but faster)

5G will be ranges of frequencies, depending on jurisdictions, but typically between these two frequencies which are the sweet spot for domestic usage

in the US, 5G carries AFAIK have ranges between 2.5Ghz and just under 4Ghz

in the UK we have EE, O2 and Three operating ranges around 700Mhz besides also having ranges around 3.4Ghz and 3.6Ghz were Vodafone operates too, and those work a lot like US 5G

4G in the UK operates under 2.6Ghz, which is pretty close to wifi also, and LTE is just over 850Mhz or so

basically wifi, 4G and 5G are not strictly higher or lower frequency to each other, it depends on local operators

It always amazes me how pulsing some electricity into a wire at a specific frequency can get you arrested lmao. I really don't understand why there's any legislation at all covering anything above 1GHz where there's enough bandwidth for literally everyone to do whatever they damn well want and not enough range to do any damage at all.

There are satellite comm frequencies above 1ghz that you could easily jam from a more powerful terrestrial transmitter, like gps.

Literally my wifi goes down when my microwave turns on... there are reasons regulations are put in place

There is CBRS, which some phones are equipped to use. However, I believe it’s used only in conjunction with licensed bands rather than independently. It’s more of a capacity thing rather than a way to have a carrier using unlicensed spectrum (carriers are quite happy with the license barrier to entry).

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