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To: Eric L who wrote (1570)	10/18/2001 5:30:56 PM
From: Eric L	Respond to of 9255

re: E911 phase II in US FCC Reluctantly Grants E911 Waivers in the U.S Mike Woolfrey EMC Cellular October 18, 2001 After receiving over 70 waiver requests, the FCC has relaxed its E911 phase II requirements. All six of the national carriers have now been granted an extension to the 1 October 2001 deadline. It has long been known that the operators were unlikely to meet the requirements, with filings and appeals () being placed throughout 2001. What was unknown was how the FCC was going to react to these requests, a number of which were past the required date. The FCC's chosen approach has mostly been to grant extensions of time, based on each individual case. With all the operators failing to meet the deadline, it was extremely unlikely that the FCC would take punitive measures or issue fines. The FCC was split, with a three to one ruling for extensions, however all were agreed that the requirement that 95% of all devices in use by year end 2005 being E911 compliant would still be applicable. The FCC also ruled that the case of the TDMA carriers, Cingular and AT&T, would be referred to its enforcement bureau, which, rather than fine the operators, will further negotiate the waiver requests (filed too late for consideration). < snip chart > Verizon Wireless - Assisted GPS solution (AGPS) Handsets Dec 2001 - Begin selling AGPS handsets, including one entry level model Jul 2002 - 25% of new handsets activated must be AGPS Mar 2003 - 50% new handsets sold must be AGPS Dec 2003 - 100% of new handsets sold must be AGPS Dec 2005 - 95% of handsets in operation must be AGPS-capable. Network Apr 2002 - Lucent BTS and MSC upgraded Aug 2002 - Nortel BTS and MSC upgraded Mar 2003 - Motorola BTS and MSC upgraded. In areas where Verizon has AMPS coverage it must take affirmative steps to comply with the FCC's phase II rules. Nextel - AGPS Handsets Oct 2002 - Begin selling AGPS handsets, including one entry level model Dec 2002 - 10% of new handsets activated must be AGPS Dec 2003 - 50% of new handsets sold must be AGPS Dec 2004 - 100% of new handsets must be AGPS Dec 2005 - 95% of handsets in operation must be AGPS capable. Sprint PCS - AGPS Handsets - Oct 2001 - Begin selling AGPS handsets, including one entry level model - Jul 2002 - 25% of new handsets activated must be AGPS - Dec 2002 - 100% of new handsets sold must be AGPS - Dec 2005 - 95% of handsets in operation must be AGPS capable. Network - May 2002 - Lucent BTS and MSC upgraded - Aug 2002 - Nortel BTS and MSC upgraded. Cingular Wireless and AT&T Wireless - E-OTD The FCC has granted a waiver for the GSM element of both operators networks. This was expected, as VoiceStream (the other GSM operator) had previously been granted a waiver. The waiver applications for the TDMA elements were filed too late, and will be considered at a later date. As well as meeting handset availability levels, both must also meet accuracy requirements for their E-OTD systems. * Oct 2001 - Accurate to 100 metres 67% of calls, accurate to 300 metres for 95% of calls * Oct 2003 - Accurate to 50 metres 67% of calls, accurate to 150 metres for 95% of calls. Handsets (Cingular Wireless only) - Dec 2001 - 25% of new handsets activated must be E-OTD capable - Mar 2001 - 40% of new handsets activated must be E-OTD capable - Jun 2002 - 65% of new handsets activated must be E-OTD capable - Sep 2002 - 100% of new handsets activated must be E-OTD capable - Dec 2005 - 95% of subscriber handsets in service must be E-OTD capable. Cingular Wireless must also upgrade all Ericsson and Nortel MSC by December 2002. The FCC did not lay down any specific guidelines for AT&T Wireless' GSM network, but bearing in mind that it is deploying a brand new network, it can be assumed that both the radio and core network will be E-OTD ready, and the E911 service will be dependent on handsets. Therefore it can be assumed that AT&T Wireless' timescale is likely to follow that of Cingular Wireless. VoiceStream - hybrid system/E-OTD VoiceStream was granted a waiver in September 2000, this was based on its network technology (GSM-1900) being a non-mature system in the USA. Its requirements are to meet the following deadlines, like AT&T and Cingular, VoiceStream is subject to both accuracy and deployment targets. * Oct 2001 - 50% of new handsets must be location capable. 67% of calls must be accurate to 100 metres and 95% to 300 metres * Mar 2002 - 100% of all new handsets must be location capable * Oct 2003 - 67% of calls must be accurate to 50 metres, and 95% to 150 metres. VoiceStream must also deploy a Network Safety System (NSS) to be accurate to 1,000 metres for 67% of calls by year end 2001. Monitoring In light of the mass failing to meet the original October 2001 deadlines, and the late filings by a number of operators, the FCC is to monitor E911 progress on a more methodical basis. Beginning February 2002 through February 2006, each operator will file quarterly reports with the Chief of the Wireless Bureau, within these will be specific and verifiable information. << - Eric -