Unlicensed Spectrum and the U.S. Economy: Quantifying the Market Size and Diversity of Unlicensed Devices

Unlicensed spectrum — more broadly, “permissionless” spectrum — has become a critical element of infrastructure in the United States. As a natural consequence of this importance, products using this spectrum also contribute significantly to the U.S. economy’s bottom line. In this report, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)® estimates the incremental sales value that permissionless spectrum generates based on a comprehensive review of available device sales data, conducted over 75+ product categories and dozens of spectrum bands.

Published: January 2022