What is SAS?
A Spectrum Access System (SAS) is a component of the CBRS ecosystem that manages interference for CBRS radios, both between each other and between CBRS radios and incumbent users e.g. the Department of Defense.
Why does the SAS have fees?
The FCC regulations for CBRS require that every radio is managed by a SAS provider and permits the SAS providers to charge fees for the service.
The SAS provider that Helium Mobile uses costs $5/month for indoor radios, and $15/month for outdoor radios.
Why do I have to pay SAS fees now even though I never have before?
Many CBRS radios on the Helium Network were bundled with one year of prepaid SAS fees, beginning when the radio initially went online (not at the time of CPI registration). Since SAS fees are not prorated, the first month of coverage from prepayment may be a partial month. For most radios, one year of prepaid SAS fees have expired.
Depending on the manufacturer, radios that were recently onboarded for the first time may continue to have SAS fees pre-paid until their one-year mark.
How can I pay for SAS fees?
You can set up monthly payments for SAS fees in the Helium Mobile Hotspot Dashboard. Billing cycles will renew on the 25th of the month, and radios with unpaid SAS fees will go offline on the first of the next month.
SAS fee payments cover your radio from the first day of the month till the last day of the month and are not prorated. If you want to begin paying SAS fees for a radio mid-month, you can make an instant payment when setting up an automatic monthly payment plan.
What happens if I choose not to pay SAS fees?
SAS fees are required for CBRS radios to be online. Starting August 1, 2024, radios will be decommissioned, with oldest radios being taken offline first. Decommissioned radios can go back online if SAS fee payments are made in the future.
If your radio goes offline because of of a lapse in SAS coverage, the CPI registration information will be maintained and you will not need to resubmit unless you have reinstalled elsewhere.