The FCC has adopted a Report and Order modifying the rules governing the operation of Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) devices operating in the 5 GHz band. U-NII devices support a variety of applications including Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless home local area networks to connect smart phones, tablets and laptops to the Internet. They also support broadband service to rural areas offered by Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) and offload traffic from commercial cellular wireless networks. The new rules remove the restriction on indoor-only use and increase the permissible power, which will provide more robust access in the 5.150-5.250 GHz band. This will allow U-NII devices to better integrate with other unlicensed portions of the 5 GHz band to offer faster speeds and reduce congestion at crowded Wi-Fi hot spots.
