re: new US Spectrum
* 45 megahertz of spectrum will be pulled from the 1710-1755 MHz band now used by federal government agencies, including the Defense Department.Commerce officials said the 1755-1770 MHz band is not viable for 3G services because of difficulties in sharing or relocating incumbent defense systems.
* Another 45 megahertz will come from the 2110-2170 MHz band currently occupied by non-government users.
- Note -
IMT-2000 Original (1992) 3G terrestrial spectrum:
* 1885-2025 MHz and 2110-2200 MHz
New IMT-2000 spectrum:
* 806-960 MHz, 1710-1885 MHz and 2500-2690 MHz
>> Commerce Department Picks 3G Frequencies
Allyson Vaughan
Wireless Week
Washington
news@2 direct
July 23, 2002
The Commerce Department has identified 90 megahertz of spectrum for third-generation wireless services and sent draft legislation today to Capitol Hill that would establish a relocation trust fund to pay costs for moving the entities.
The plan is meant to eliminate the growing industry uncertainty about when spectrum will be available for advanced wireless services.
''This plan promotes our country’s economic growth while protecting national security and public safety,'' said Don Evans, Secretary of Commerce, during a press conference in here today.
The plan is good for competition, innovation and consumers because advanced wireless services will be introduced, added FCC Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy.
Under the scheme, 45 megahertz of spectrum will be pulled from the 1710-1755 MHz band now used by federal government agencies, including the Defense Department. Another 45 megahertz will come from the 2110-2170 MHz band currently occupied by non-government users. Commerce officials said the 1755-1770 MHz band is not viable for 3G services because of difficulties in sharing or relocating incumbent defense systems.
The bands will be available after they are cleared of existing users. The Defense Department has until 2008 to relocate certain parts of its systems under the plan.
Tom Wheeler, CTIA president, said that the plan should put an end to ''spectrum fire drills'' and a rush to get frequencies through auctions with no long-range vision: ''Today’s announcement is a very important step forward,'' he said. ''The real winners in today’s announcement are wireless consumers.''
Denny Strigl, CEO of Verizon Wireless, called the plan ''a welcome step in the long-term goal of making additional spectrum available for wireless consumers.''
FCC Chairman Michael Powell said the commission will consider making additional spectrum available for wireless services as needed.
However, the plan raises questions about how soon spectrum actually will be available. Senior Defense Department officials and the FCC said today that the government will not allocate spectrum for 3G until 2004 or 2005. Advanced services likely won’t be available until a couple of years after that.
Nancy Victory, administrator at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the Commerce Department branch that deals with telecom issues, says she is hopeful that legislation will pass this year to establish the trust fund for relocation efforts. As soon as those funds are available, DOD systems can move, says Steven Price, deputy assistant secretary of defense for spectrum policy. The cost of relocating Defense Department users to other spectrum is unknown but the DOD will get reimbursed for moving, he says. Under the plan, military operations are not jeopardized, Price adds.
Sen. Fritz Hollings, D-S.C., chairman of the Senate commerce committee, and Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, chairman of the communications subcommittee, said they plan to introduce bipartisan legislation soon to address a number of spectrum management issues, including the reimbursement of government users when they relocate to other frequencies. <<
- Eric - |
