WCA Says New WCS Buildout Deadline Big Win for WiMAX
Operators still face heavy time pressures despite the FCC extending to 2010 from 2007 a buildout deadline for wireless communications service (WCS) operators, said Paul Sinderbrand, counsel to the Wireless Communications Assn. (WCA). Before buildout can begin, however, the FCC must release long-awaited rules for digital audio radio service (DARS) repeaters used by XM and Sirius to extend their reach, WCA said. Satellite radio operators and WCS licensees occupy adjoining frequencies.
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The buildout extension, granted late Fri., has been a WCA priority due to wide interest in 2.3 GHz spectrum, whose utility in offering WiMAX WCA members rank only behind that of 2.5 GHz. The 2.3 GHz band is used in Korea to offer WiBro, Korea’s version of WiMAX, so similar equipment could be used in both countries. “It has wide international scope,” WCA Pres. Andy Kreig said Mon. “We have a number of members who are looking to optimize this band around the world.”
“We think the 3-year extension is really holding our feet to the fire,” Sinderbrand told us: “Given what has to happen there isn’t a lot of leeway.” The 2010 date does allow breathing room for the Commission to adopt final rules to govern DARS terrestrial repeaters that XM and Sirius use to extend their range, he said. There also will be more time to develop a certification profile based on those rules and for standardized equipment to be designed, made and deployed, Sinderbrand said, adding that unavailability of WiMAX certified gear for the 2.3 GHz band is another problem.
The WCS outlook is bright, Sinderbrand said. Provided FCC final rules on DARS terrestrial repeaters accommodate 2- way broadband services in the WCS spectrum, “there’s no reason this band is not going to be a success story,” he said: “Until the Commission adopts final rules we're not likely to see ubiquitous deployment because until that time the WCS is not going to be able to know how to design their networks and their equipment.”
The 2.3 GHz is good spectrum, but its potential may be curbed by technical problems and risk it may interfere with the adjacent DARS band, said an attorney who has followed the proceeding. “This particular service has taken awhile to develop,” the source said: “I'm still not convinced it will be a major force.”
Auctioned by the FCC in 1997, the WCS band so far has seen little development, but has aroused controversy. When the WCS Coalition sought the buildout mandate extension, XM and Sirius opposed it. The satellite radio operators and WCS licensees continue to spar on service rules for 2.3 GHz and DARS frequencies.
The fire recently got more fuel when XM and Sirius revealed they built their ground networks differently than the FCC originally authorized. In recent weeks the satellite operators have made several appearances on the FCC 8th floor, seeking quick action on STAs that would let them run repeaters at higher powers and in locations other than those originally licensed.
The WCS Coalition last week attacked the satellite radio firms’ 30-day STA applications, demanding the International Bureau instead put the requests on public notice, a lengthier, more formal process. XM and Sirius crafted their STA filings “to obfuscate the full extent” of repeater violations, the WCS Coalition said. A round of public comments could serve to “elicit a full record before controversial facilities are permitted to operate,” the group said.
XM and Sirius need not turn off their terrestrial repeater systems, the WCS licensees said -- only run them at 2,000 watts EIRP or below. “The International Bureau should order XM to immediately reduce the power level of all of its unauthorized repeaters… and to utilize low-power repeaters as already authorized under its present STAs,” the WCS Coalition said. XM and Sirius could achieve the same coverage by reducing power to 2,000 watts peak EIRP and installing extra repeaters to fill coverage gaps, the wireless group said.
An XM spokesman said the satellite radio operators will continue to grapple over DARS and WCS issues at the Commission. “XM continues to work with the FCC to ensure that WCS rollout does not cause harmful interference and adversely impact the listening experiences of more than seven million XM subscribers,” XM said in a statement.