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3650MHz Band on WiMAX
Industry |
FCC Opens Access to
New Spectrum for Wireless Broadband in The 3650 MHz Band
Other Topics: Cellular Carriers and
WiMAX, WiMAX VoIP Acquisitions
FCC
March 10, 2005
Washington, DC – Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or
Commission) adopted rules to open access to new spectrum for wireless
broadband in the 3650-3700 MHz band (3650 MHz). The Commission adopted a
hybrid approach that draws from both the Commission’s unlicensed and
licensed regulatory models and provides for nationwide, non-exclusive
licensing of terrestrial operations in the band utilizing technologies
employing contention-based protocols. This streamlined licensing
mechanism with minimal regulatory entry requirements will encourage
multiple new entrants and stimulate the rapid expansion of wireless
broadband services -- especially in rural America -- by Wireless
Internet Service Providers (WISPs) and other entities with limited
resources. The Commission also provided an opportunity for the
introduction at 3650 MHz of a variety of new wireless broadband
technologies, such as Wi-Max, into the band. |
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Under the Commission’s approach, there is no limit on the number of
licenses that can be granted, and each licensee will be authorized to
operate on a shared basis with other licensees on all 50 megahertz of
the band, subject to restrictions in geographic areas occupied by
grandfathered Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) and Federal Government
stations. Licensees will also be required to register all system base
stations electronically with the Commission. Base station registration
will enable licensees to locate each other’s operations and will
facilitate protection of grandfathered stations from interference. This
type of licensing and registration will enable the Commission to monitor
the use of this spectrum as new technologies and services develop.
The Commission found that the public record developed in this proceeding
supports multiple users sharing this spectrum through the use of
“contention-based” protocols to minimize interference among fixed and
mobile operations. New fixed and mobile stations will therefore be
required to use contention-based protocols, which will reduce the
possibility of interference from co-frequency operation by managing each
station’s access to spectrum. The Commission concluded that this
approach is a reasonable, cost-effective method for ensuring that
multiple users can access the spectrum. The Commission gave all
licensees the mutual obligation to cooperate and avoid harmful
interference to one another. Mobile stations also will be required to
positively receive and decode an enabling signal transmitted by a base
station. The Commission determined that this approach will ensure that
mobile stations operate within range of registered base stations,
thereby avoiding interference to grandfathered FSS and Federal
Government stations. Fixed stations will be allowed to operate with a
peak power limit of 25 Watts per 25 megahertz bandwidth, and mobile
stations with a peak power limit of 1 Watt per 25 megahertz bandwidth.
The Commission kept the existing allocations for the band,
grandfathering previously licensed primary incumbent FSS earth station
operations and three Federal Government radiolocation stations,
entitling them to interference protection from new wireless licensees.
To protect these incumbent operations, the Commission established
circular protection zones around them – 150 km for FSS earth stations
and 80 km for Federal Government stations - and prohibited new
terrestrial licensees from operating within these zones unless they
negotiate agreements with the incumbents. The Commission determined that
new FSS stations should be allowed on a secondary basis and denied
several petitions for reconsideration of an earlier decision in this
proceeding that established the existing FSS, FS and MS allocations.
The Commission also concluded that there should be no eligibility
restrictions (other than the statutory foreign ownership restrictions)
and no in-band or out-of-band spectrum aggregation limits. Licensees
will receive a 10-year license with the right to renew and will be free
to assign and transfer their non-exclusive nationwide licenses and to
assign, transfer, or share base stations. The initial filing date for
the 3650 MHz band licenses will be announced in a future Public Notice.
The licensing and operating provisions for the 3650 MHz band will be
located in Part 90 of the Commission’s rules. Action by the Commission,
March 10, 2005, by Report and Order and Memorandum Opinion and Order
(FCC 05-56). Chairman Powell, Commissioners Abernathy, Copps, Martin,
and Adelstein. Separate statements issued by Chairman Powell,
Commissioners Copps and Adelstein. |
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