Little LEOs Advocating More Global Spectrum
From the April 19, 1999 issue of Wireless Week
By Caron Carlson
WASHINGTON--Satellite data service providers, known as "little LEOs," will meet this week in Geneva and discuss ongoing
efforts to share land mobile radio frequencies. But prospects for an additional allocation in the near term are dim.
The little low-Earth orbit satellite operators long have eyed the 450 MHz band for expansion, which is heavily used by private
wireless and other land mobile operators. Having received an international allocation in 1997 to share 2 megahertz of the
band--455-456 MHz and 459-460 MHz--in North and South America, they hope to extend the allocation globally.
This week the International Telecommunication Union's working party on mobile satellite services will make further
preparations for the ITU's World Radiocommunications Conference in 2000. Global use of the 1997 allocation would require
authorization to use it in Europe and Asia, where there has been less enthusiasm for it.
The 455-456 MHz and 459-460 MHz bands are currently used by TV broadcasters for remote newsgathering. Broadcasters
are fighting the FCC's implementation of the ITU allocation, but land mobile radio operators in the United States have not
objected to it. However, land mobile users are concerned that the satellite operators have gained a foothold in the 450 MHz
band, and they oppose any little LEO efforts to share other parts of the band.
"The land mobile community remains concerned about interference potential from the little LEOs," said Mike Lewis, engineering
consultant with the law firm of Wiley, Rein & Fielding. "The little LEOs have long sought spectrum through the international
process, and mostly land mobile spectrum."
While sharing may be feasible in the frequencies used by broadcasters, it is not palatable to the land mobile community because
of the different way the frequencies will be used, licensing processes and loading situations in their spectrum, said Thomas
Keller, attorney for the Association of American Railroads. Although the little LEOs have presented extensive sharing studies to
support their efforts, the studies do not satisfy land mobile operators.
"All of the spectrum sharing studies end up with the admission that [little LEOs] will cause interference," he said. "They say it
will be minimal, but any interference can be detrimental."
Many sensitive communications in the land mobile bands require real-time dispatch and absolute control, Keller added.
Although he sees no imminent threat to these communications from satellite operators, Keller said it is important to monitor the
international discussions closely.
The little LEOs themselves are less than hopeful that the ITU will authorize more shared spectrum before the systems already
licensed use it to capacity. "We advocate additional spectrum, but we are not optimistic it will come in 2000," said Teresa Jay,
director of business development for LEO One USA. "We certainly have enough spectrum to deliver the services we've
promised."
| Home Page | Site Map | Search Archive | PowerSearch |
| International | Wireless Web Sites | Hot Stories |
Please send comments and suggestions on this Web site to jcollins@chilton.net
Wireless Week, 600 S. Cherry St., #400, Denver, CO 80246
Voice: 303-393-7449, Fax: 303-399-2034
Published by Cahners Business Information
© Copyright 1999. All rights reserved.
|
