The OnGo Alliance has provided an update on recent steps that it says have increased the reliability of 3.5 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) procedures and the technology’s viability for LTE and 5G deployments.

The OnGo Alliance is an industry consortium that promotes, develops, and commercializes LTE and 5G technology for use in the 3.5 GHz CBRS band.

OnGo says that when operating outside of areas or frequencies of Department of Defense (DOD) activity, Citizens Broadband Radio Service Devices (CBSDs) now can continue transmissions on approved grants for up to 24 hours without requiring renewed authorization from a Spectrum Access System (SAS).

An SAS is a system that automatically prevents lower-priority users from using frequencies within the CBRS band that are in use by priority users such as the DOD. Instead, the lower-priority users are assigned to other frequencies within the band.

OnGo also said that the approval of CBRS propagation models will “substantially reduce the neighborhoods associated with Dynamic Protection Areas.” The organization says this will significantly increase the amount of available spectrum to more users and ensure their uninterrupted operation in the band.

Finally, OnGo reported the completion of a Collaborative General Authorized Access (GAA) coexistence framework. GAA spectrum is a portion of the CBRS band for use by lower-priority users, including some commercial mobile service subscribers and some fixed wireless subscribers.

The goal is to reduce interference among GAA networks by “implementing a GAA frequency plan within an area agreed upon by users and associated SAS administrators.”

In a prepared statement, OnGo Alliance Chairman Preston Marshall said, “These advancements stem from the collaborative efforts of the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration), DoD (Department of Defense) and OnGo Alliance. We are pleased with the broad recognition of the importance of optimizing shared spectrum to drive innovation and efficiency. Improving services for end users will not only drive greater adoption but also pave the way for spectrum sharing across more bands.”

OnGo says there are more than 362,000 CBSDs in operation, more than 720 FCC-authorized end-user devices. More than 1,000 operators use CBRS spectrum, according to OnGo.

The updates were discussed at the OnGo Alliance biannual meeting in October in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.