ctia

Telecom operators urge FCC to change proposed AWS-3 auction rules

Lynnette Luna — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:25:26 -0500

A group of wireless and wireline carriers including T-Mobile, CTIA, U.S. Cellular and the Independent Telephone & Telecommunications Alliance filed a letter with the FCC asking the commission to consider changing its proposed rules pertaining to the AWS-3 auction the FCC plans to vote on Dec. 18.

The FCC wants to auction a nationwide license in the 2155-2180 MHz band that would require the winning bidder to open up 25 percent of its network for free broadband access. M2Z has been lobbying the FCC for these rules as the company said it was capable of capitalizing on such a business plan. The letter urges the FCC to adopt rules that allow multiple opportunities for companies to compete for licenses.

"Contrary to assertions by M2Z, we believe that this spectrum is very valuable," the group wrote. "Specifically, the commission should adopt rules that enable multiple opportunities for new wireless broadband deployments across the country and reject, once and for all, the M2Z-backed proposal that would mandate (as opposed to permit) a single company's business plan and technical requirements and threaten the prospects of mobile wireless broadband competitors utilizing the adjacent bands."

T-Mobile is concerned about AWS-3 band signals interfering with its AWS-1 spectrum operations. An FCC engineering report concluded interference wasn't a problem, but T-Mobile begs to differ.

President Bush's top telecom policy adviser, Meredith Attwell Baker, also disagrees with the stipulations FCC Chairman Kevin Martin wants to place on the licensee.

In particular, the group of operators want the FCC to take the following actions: License the spectrum within smaller geographic areas and change the band plan in a way the operators say would optimize broadband services. They want the AWS-3 band paired with the J block to create a single asymmetric license combining the 2020-2025 MHz block used for uplink with the 2155-2180 MHz block used for downlink. The also propose that the FCC license the AWS-3 spectrum in multiple spectrum blocks.

Related articles:
NTIA head opposes AWS-3 auction stipulations
FCC Chairman looking to vote on D-block, AWS-3 auctions next month
T-Mobile, others file opposition to FCC's AWS-3 test results

Companies step up push to license white-space spectrum

Lynnette Luna — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 19:17:04 -0400

As companies such as Motorola, Google and Intel lobby the FCC for access to the unlicensed white-space spectrum a number of companies and organizations are making the argument that the spectrum should be licensed. Along with the National Association of Broadcasters, which fears interference from unlicensed white-space devices, Aloha Partners, Qualcomm, CTIA and the Rural Cellular Association are making a last-minute push for licensing the spectrum. House Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.) has also called on the FCC to license the spectrum.

The Brattle Group also recently released a new study, which was underwritten by Qualcomm, estimating that the U.S. Treasury could make as much as $24 billion from an auction of white-space spectrum. That figure is some $5 billion more than what was made at the 700 MHz auction.

"There is no evidence for the claim the TV white space would spur innovation in unlicensed applications," stated the Brattle Group in an FCC filing. "Although unlicensed spectrum can provide a good home for low-power, short-range systems and thus facilitate innovation in such systems, the TV white space is ‘overqualified' for such applications. Devoting TV spectrum to low-power, short-range systems is like using land in downtown Tokyo to grow rice."

The FCC is wrapping up tests of prototype devices that access unused television airwaves, called "white spaces," to see if they will interfere with television broadcasts.

For more:
- check out RCR News

Related stories:
Pressure mounting in white space debate
Google steps up white-space lobbying efforts with new web site

CTIA opposes FCC's free wireless broadband plan

Lynnette Luna — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 22:56:53 -0400

The comment deadline for the FCC's controversial plan to auction nationwide spectrum in the AWS-3 band that would require the winner to offer free wireless broadband services was Friday, and not surprisingly, T-Mobile and CTIA are openly opposing the plan.

The commission is proposing to combine the 2155 to 2175 MHz band with the 2175 MHz to 2180 MHz band to create a 25-megahertz swath of spectrum that would support a nationwide license. The spectrum is referred to as advanced wireless services-3 and would require the licensee to dedicate 25 percent of its network capacity to free broadband service, install a network-based Internet filtering system to block pornography and allow open access to third-party devices and applications.

T-Mobile has already been vocal about its concerns over potential interference in the band since it is the largest licensee of AWS-1 spectrum. CTIA claims the FCC is not dealing in good faith with T-Mobile.

"How can the FCC expect investors and the carriers they fund to show up at future auctions and fully utilize their spectrum if they have no confidence that the FCC is an honest broker?" the CTIA said in a June 25 letter to the FCC. "Now the FCC is planning to pull the rug out from under those same licensees by developing new rules that will cause harmful interference to their customers."

Reply comments to the FCC are due Aug. 11.

For more:
-read eWeek

Related stories:
T-Mobile calls for delay of FCC's free wireless broadband initiative. T-Mobile story
Anxiety rises over FCC's AWS-3 auction plans. Auction story
Report: AWS-3 license would fetch $2.8B without FCC's condition. AWS-3 story

FCC to commence field testing of white-space devices

Lynnette Luna — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:22:00 -0400

The FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology announced it will begin field testing of prototype white-white space devices on Monday. The testing is part of its rule making process to determine whether these devices are capable of co-existing on an unlicensed basis with television broadcasts. Up until now, the FCC has conducted laboratory tests using prototypes.

The issue of using unlicensed white-space spectrum has been a significant area of contention, as the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) staunchly oppose the use based on interference concerns. Heavy wireless microphone users such as the NFL and entertainers are also concerned over the idea.

"NAB has no quarrel with field tests, but based upon multiple failures of unlicensed devices in laboratory testing thus far, we remain highly skeptical that this technology will ever work as advertised," NAB Executive Vice President Dennis Wharton said in a statement regarding the FCC's next moves to field test the devices.

NAB continues to point out that the devices failed to work properly during lab testing, while white-space advocates--including Google and Microsoft--claim the malfunctions were power malfunctions and had nothing to do with whether they interfered with television signals. In fact, they say, the devices showed no interference problems, they say.

NAB and CTIA are aligned on the notion that white-space spectrum should be licensed to prevent interference.

For more:
- read the FCC's public notice

Related stories:
The drama continues over white-space spectrum. White space story
Professional sports leagues concerned about white space spectrum. White space interference story

Google's Page dismisses white space concerns

Tue, 27 May 2008 06:59:54 -0400

Speaking at a New America Foundation event last week in Washington, D.C., Google co-founder Larry Page tried to bolster his firm's case for the FCC to make white spaces--vacant channels of spectrum next to the television broadcaster bands--available for unlicensed wireless broadband access. Page is hoping to sway the FCC, which is expected to issue a report on its white-space device testing some time this summer. The FCC has been testing several white-space device prototypes and is expected to continue to trial devices.

White spaces are slivers of spectrum in the 700 MHz that were originally designed to prevent interference between TV broadcasts. However as broadcasters transition to digital broadcasting, some industry players (such as Google) believe there is an opportunity to use these white spaces to deliver unlicensed wireless broadband services. The broadcast industry opposes the move, saying it will threaten the transition to digital TV and cause interference. The CTIA meanwhile recommends auctioning off the unused broadcast spectrum, and a host of other industries are concerned about interference, including hospitals, entertainers and professional sports organizers. They fear interference with wireless microphones. During his speech, Page discounted the broadcasters' view that using white space spectrum would cause interference, saying that there isn't any technical validity to that claim.

For more:
- see this BusinessWeek article

Related stories:
- Sprint, T-Mobile advocate white space for backhaul. See this white space story
- CTIA, carriers join NAB against white space devices. Read this white space story
- FCC begins second round of white-space testing. See this white space story

CTIA weighs in on white-space spectrum debate

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:59:57 -0400

CTIA has now weighed in on the fight over the use of unlicensed white space spectrum, that spectrum that sits between airwaves currently licensed to TV broadcasters. CTIA joins Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile against the notion that the spectrum should be unlicensed. The two operators made a filing with the FCC in January urging the commission to open up the spectrum on a licensed basis, saying white spaces could be used for much-needed backhaul services.

Unlicensed white space spectrum represents a threat to operators that are developing expensive licensed networks to attack the broadband market, for example, the 700 MHz spectrum.

"The way we look at it is there is a model that works, and continues to work," said Paul Garnett, CTIA's assistant vice president for regulatory affairs. "There is some potential there to use [white spaces] in a licensed way to allow incumbents or new entrants to provide new broadband access."

Google, Microsoft, Dell, Philips and others, which are part of the White Space Coalition, have been pushing the notion that the spectrum should be released on an unlicensed basis for broadband services. The FCC, which has outwardly supported the idea of releasing the spectrum on an unlicensed basis, is currently testing devices to make sure they don't interfere with TV signals. If the FCC approves the devices this year, commercial white spaces wireless devices could be available as soon as late 2009.

Meanwhile, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), is fiercely opposed to any signals in the white space spectrum, saying the spectrum should lay fallow to avoid interference with television signals.

To read more about the white space debate:
- take a look at this white space report from The Hill

Related articles:
The drama continues over white-space spectrum Report on white spectrum
Sprint, T-Mobile advocate white space for backhaul Sprint, T-Mobile report
Google asks FCC to ignore Sprint, T-Mobile Google white space report
FCC begins second round of white-space testing FCC white space report

Is 3 UK moving toward a bit-pipe model?

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:59:58 -0400

Kevin Russel, CEO of 3 UK, which has taken the open access model to heart by opening up its network to any application, has reset the company's business objectives by stating there will be less emphasis on developing mobile content and a greater focus on promoting mobile email, VoIP and IM services.

The Hutchison Whampoa-owned carrier made the headlines in 2006 when it announced the X-Series offering, a service that, among other things, included an 'all you can eat' data plan and came with Skype pre-installed on the subscribers' terminals. In October, 3 introduced the Skypephone that features a dedicated Skype button.

Since introducing a USB dongle, 3 says that data throughput on its HSDPA network increased sevenfold from October '07 to February '08, and mobile broadband would be a focus area. "But there are some bandwagons 3 is not big enough to jump on", Russell added. "We need to be a more focused company and not get distracted by services such as mobile TV." He also noted the company would continue to follow an own-brand handsets strategy, as this enabled it to offer more disruptive services such as Skype.

3's strategy should be watched carefully as many operators will embark on an open access model as they move into the 4G world. Is this the bit-pipe warning that Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin mentioned during his keynote at CTIA earlier this month? 3 isn't offering its own email, VoIP and IM services. It's allowing partners like Skype, Yahoo!, Microsoft and Google offer these services, possibly pushing 3 toward that bit-pipe model (for some reason the industry likes to use the phrase bit pipe instead of dumb pipe). 3's business model could ultimately turn into one where it is subsidizing devices, carrying data traffic and dealing with customer service.

3, however, says it would rather get a head start over larger competitors with email, VoIP and IM services than get distracted with developing content services. Meanwhile, many operators are talking about becoming "smart" pipes, a term I heard at FierceMarkets' 4G conference during the CTIA show. Sprint is embarking on such a strategy with its WiMAX network. It means operators leverage their assets, acting as both a content and access provider by controlling the customer experience. Third parties may be able to develop applications for the network, but the operator also partners with content providers to create optimized services. It also means the operator can charge based on function, not bits, and prioritize traffic on their networks.

It will be interesting to see how operators approach this open access world. We could very well see a no one-size fits all answer to this and everyone still making money.--Lynnette

Operators reveal 700 MHz plans: LTE the big winner

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 06:59:58 -0400

The CTIA trade show would have been much more livelier had the winners of the 700 MHz auction been allowed to detail their plans for the spectrum. But the FCC anti-collusion restrictions were lifted April 3 in the afternoon, when the show floor had closed for the year.

Verizon Wireless executives on Friday morning assured investors the company's $9.36 billion investment in 700MHz spectrum will provide a long-term foundation for Verizon's business. Specifically, the company said that this year it will be conducting field trials of LTE. In 2009 it will select vendors, conduct some advanced device trials with a deployment planned for the second half of that year. By 2010 the operator plans to launch commercially and have rapid acceleration of its footprint.

Meanwhile AT&T, which spent $6.6 billion in the 700 MHz auction for B-block licenses, will also deploy LTE. The new B-block spectrum will be combined with AT&T's spectrum it acquired from Aloha Partners last year. Kris Rinne, senior vice president, architecture and planning at AT&T told the audience at last week's FierceMarkets Path to 4G conference, which was co-located with the CTIA show, that the company will likely deploy LTE in the 2010 time frame.

Interestingly, it doesn't appear AT&T has any open access plans for its spectrum and and in fact said the open-access stipulations placed on Verizon's C-block spectrum will give it an advantage in the market.

"With fewer costly and complex regulations, we have the certainty and flexibility needed to move faster in rolling out new mobile technology and more customer choices in devices and applications," said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO of AT&T's wireless business in a press release. "We will put our spectrum to work so that customers can do more with their wireless devices, the user experience is superb, and wireless connectivity can be embedded in more devices."

And we were under the impression that open access fosters customer choice in devices and applications.

With the two largest mobile operators now deploying the same 4G technology it should be interesting to see how each positions themselves in the market. For one, open access is a cumbersome thing. For the other, open access will make it the preferred partners for developers.

I also want to share with you some of the tidbits I learned at CTIA last week:

One CDMA vendor I talked to believes UMB, the 4G path for CDMA, is nearly dead. KDDI is reportedly the only operator interested in deploying it but only if some other operators commit as well--slim chance.
NextWave Chairman and CEO Allen Salmasi said the phone has been ringing off the hook at the company's headquarters now that the 700 MHz auction is over. Part of NextWave's strategy is to offer spectrum it owns to companies that want to enter the mobile broadband space using NextWave's end-to-end solution of products and services, which are numerous. Moreover, Salmasi said to expect to see NextWave involved in a major LTE trial later this year.
HSPA technology is reportedly facing capacity problems in Korea as the popularity of video services is hurting voice quality.--Lynnette

P.S. Group Editor-in-Chief Sue Marek will be talking about all the highs and lows from CTIA with Andy Seybold and Linda Barrabee of the Yankee Group on Thursday, April 10 at 2 p.m. EST. Be sure to tune into the lively discussion. Register here.

Verizon plans femtocell rollout this year

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 06:59:57 -0400

Verizon Wireless CTO Tony Melone said at the CTIA Wireless 2008 trade show last week that the carrier would begin offering femtocell products and service plans sometime this year. The announcement follows a move by Sprint into the femtocell arena. AT&T also is said to be evaluating a femtocell offering.

What remains to be seen is what Verizon will charge for the femtocell device and the service plan. Sprint charges around $50 for the product and $15 per month for service. Verizon's commitment, broader than Sprint's thus far and the only one by a U.S. telco that has both local wireline and wireless networks, may well bring femtocell deployment to its tipping point in the U.S. market.

To read more about Verizon's femtocell plans:
- take a look at this article from AP

Also, check out our recent webinar: Fixed Mobile Convergence:
Are femtocells and UMA/WiFi solutions competitive or complementary?

Related articles:
Sprint formally launches femtocell, Airave Report
Nokia Siemens and Ubiquisys jointly push femtocells Report
Cisco pours cash into U.K. femtocell developer Report
Operators want femtocells Report

The CTIA news that didn't happen

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:59:58 -0400

The big buzz at the CTIA 2008 trade show here in Las Vegas was the hope that Sprint Nextel would make its big announcement around its WiMAX Xohm business. Word was that Sprint wanted to make an announcement concerning a WiMAX joint venture that would include a number of players: Comcast, Time Warner, Best Buy, Intel, Google and of course Sprint and Clearwire. Sources close to the operator say the deal was pulled back at the final hour due to concerns over joint venture control.

That joint venture, of course, would represent the resurrection of a previous Sprint-Clearwire joint venture that went south. Meanwhile, the nationwide launch of Xohm has been delayed. During FierceWireless' co-located conference today, The Path to 4G, Xohm President and CTO Barry West indicated the company wasn't ready to roll out the technology this month as planned and declined to indicate when a launch would happen. WiMAX is currently up and running in Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Chicago on a soft-launch basis. It's clear from the conference, however, that Sprint is running full steam ahead with its vision for WiMAX. It just needs the cash infusion to do it.

Meanwhile, Arun Sarin, chief executive of Vodafone Group, reiterated his call for the wireless industry to adopt LTE as the 4G standard and give WiMAX a home within that standard. Sarin made similar comments at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February. Of course, those are fighting words for a company like Sprint. During a keynote on Tuesday, Sprint President and CEO Dan Hesse said that unlike 4G alternatives like LTE, WiMAX works now.

Finally, according to NextWave President and CEO Allen Salmasi, the company is planning a rather large LTE trial later this year with an unnamed operator. -Lynnette

FCC denies Skype's Carterphone petition

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:59:57 -0400

During Tuesday's keynote address at the CTIA show, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin drew applause from the audience when he announced that the commission was going to deny Skype's petition to apply the "Carterphone" rules to the mobile phone industry. The Carterphone rules were enacted in the 1960s to force the POTS industry to allow devices other than those provided by the old AT&T to connect to the network.

Martin said that it would be premature for the commission to add more requirements to wireless carriers now that so many operators have started embracing a more open environment. Specifically he said that the 700 MHz spectrum requirements for open access had caused many operators to recognize the benefits of open platforms for networks. Verizon Wireless, of course, has said it will open its entire network to devices and applications. In addition, he said that operators like T-Mobile USA, Sprint and AT&T will embrace openness with applications.

Skype later issued a response to the chairman's remarks expressing disappointment with the chairman's comments and that the petition was consistent with the recent 700 MHz auction.

"Without Commission oversight in the area, the FCC will have taken a step backward away from openness, and toward a policy of 'trust the carriers.' While we are cautiously optimistic that the carriers will deliver greater openness, unfortunately, if the FCC acts on the Chairman's recommendation, it will have given up any tools to protect consumers if they do not," said Christopher Libertelli, Skype's Senior Director of Government & Regulatory Affairs in a release.- Sue Marek

- See all our photos of the keynotes in our slideshow

Related stories:
On the Hot Seat with Skype's Chris Libertelli. Interview
Skype petitions to FCC for open cellular access. Story

ICO to deliver DVB-SH services soon via satellite

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:59:53 -0400

Satellite company ICO Global Communications announced plans to deploy a GEO satellite on April 14 that will deliver a satellite-hybrid terrestrial network using mobile TV technology DVB-SH.

After the satellite is launched, the company plans to begin market trials in Las Vegas and Raleigh-Durham in mid-2008 of what it calls ICO MIM, Mobile Interactive Media. The trials will focus on three areas: entertainment using DVB-SH for mobile TV services, guidance services that will include real-time traffic data and social networking applications and assistance services, which will offer OnStar-like roadside services.

Initially, the service will consist of a "set-top box in the trunk" to deliver these services, said Tim Bryan, CEO of ICO during an Alcatel-Lucent press briefing here at CTIA. Later, the company plans to offer dockable portable mobile and OEM-installed devices. Direct delivery to handhelds is possible in the future.

Partners in the trial include Alcatel-Lucent, which is providing the DVB-SH technology, Hughes and WiMAX operator Clearwire, which adds a wireless broadband offering to the mix. Last fall, Clearwire announced a joint agreement with ICO. Craig McCaw, who founded Clearwire, owns a 75-percent voting interest in ICO.

Related articles:
Can WiMAX be a boon to the MSS industry? Editorial
Clearwire, ICO collaborate on mobile video Report

ALSO NOTED: Fitch Ratings says 700 MHz auction will have modest credit impact on winners; Alcatel-Lucent announces first North

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:59:51 -0400

> Towerstream announced today that it launched fixed WiMAX service for businesses in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, area. Article

> Fitch Ratings says that it expects the recent 700 MHz auction will have only modest credit implications for wireless operators. Article

> Alcatel-Lucent announced that its first North American WiMAX network will be deployed in Palm Springs, Calif. Article

And Finally... A U.S. industry survey released Tuesday by CTIA at the conference found that data service revenue in 2007 rose to more than $23 billion from $15.2 billion in 2006. Article

iPass moves into consumer market

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:59:53 -0400

iPass announced today that it is moving into the consumer market. The company, whose core business is providing wireless connectivity services to the enterprise market, announced the availability of iPassConnect mobility service for individuals. The service enables business people and consumers to buy a subscription-based service, which was previously reserved for enterprises, directly from iPass.

"We had consumers ask how they could get our service," said Piero DePaoli, director of global product marketing. "Looking through our statistics, WiFi hotspots are great but very destination oriented. 3G services are up and coming and work well in big cities, but once you leave the big city, you get downgraded to slower speeds. And if you travel internationally, the moment you leave the country you're paying big fees."

The iPassConnect mobility service offers subscribers unlimited access to more than 95,000 WiFi hotspots as well as 3G service across the U.S. for a fixed monthly fee.

iPass is taking a conservative approach to the consumer market, viewing it as a niche part of its business, but as DePaoli said: "Consumerization is a huge trend and could become very powerful for us."

For more about iPass' consumer offering:
- check out this release

Related articles:
- iPass breaks 40,000 WiFi hotspot barrier in Europe Report
- 3G usage offers a business case for 4G Editorial

FEATURE: On the Hot Seat with the WiMAX Forum's Ron Resnick

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 07:59:58 -0400

Ron Resnick, president and chairman of the WiMAX Forum, has a lot to be happy about as mobile WiMAX enters 2008 poised for some massive rollouts. I recently spoke with Mr. Resnick about what's in store for the technology, including the debate between WiMAX and LTE, how operators can make money and work being done on global roaming. -Lynnette

FierceBroadbandWireless: What are you expecting at the CTIA show this year in terms of the apparent debate between WiMAX and LTE?

Resnick: Let's take a step back and look at last year when Vodafone challenged the [GSM ] membership to be prepared for WiMAX. This year in Barcelona, CEO Arun Sarin proposed some sort of convergence between the two, and he's giving a keynote at CTIA. Bottom line is that in one year, WiMAX has become a formidable player in the ecosystem and is now recognized by world's largest operators. It's not just a technology. There is a presence now. We are seeing at least 260 deployments in 110 countries. The view I'd say that I have is that WiMAX has happened and LTE is still two to three years out. It's so difficult to create metrics when one is just launching and the other is in the future.

Click here to read the rest of the interview...

On the Hot Seat with Ron Resnick

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:18:12 -0400

FierceBroadbandWireless: What are you expecting at the CTIA show this year in terms of the apparent debate between WiMAX and LTE?

The performance of WiMAX and LTE are very similar. So to me it's not about technology. It's about the fact is there is one technology available that operators can get a leg up on while the other technology is not coming out for two to three years. It's a very interesting situation operators are put in because they have to decide whether to wait or deploy now.

FierceBroadbandWireless: What are your views on the convergence between WiMAX and LTE in terms of one 4G standard?

Resnick: WiMAX now has its place. It's an IMT-2000 technology. It's global. Should there be one technology in the future? Would everyone agree that should happen? If so, how does it happen and what is the execution plan? Whatever gets decided on for 4G-and we think a great choice is 802.16m-it needs to be backward compatible to 802.16e … I think it's wonderful if we can make that happen whereby we figure out how to take the two and make it work so that no one loses. That is basically is what my view of the world is.

FierceBroadbandWireless: How do you see WiMAX players making money in this new mobile broadband world?

Resnick: To me, Sprint is a poster child that the world should be focused on to see how they are making money through an open Internet model. What I look at is all the goodness that Sprint is doing and for understanding an open internet model-about how to place different devices under one billing cycle and how to push WiMAX in consumer electronics products. This is an exciting time to see what happens. WiMAX is the proponent of an open Internet as opposed to what seeing in the past with a more of a walled garden approach. A number of operators say they are looking at an open model. The fact that operators made that claim is a testament to WiMAX.

Like I said, there are 260 networks but what makes Sprint highly visible is that they've been very creative. But there are other locales where WiMAX is flourishing. Korea Telecom, with its WiBro service, expects to have 400,000 subscribers by the end of this year. Their performance is now excellent. KT has some very good models and one is definitely cost-effective access. You have to take a look at what the cost is. In Europe, you're paying about $35 to use HSPA and receive about 2 gigabytes. WiMAX allows for much more capacity and an open Internet and unlimited data access model. That doesn't mean operators won't sell additional services. Google is doing this with Sprint. Microsoft and others will offer some very innovative services and interesting revenue-sharing plans. The operator has knowledge the content provider would like to have and allows for more of an opportunistic and win-win model for open Internet that needs to be developed. Everyone should be voting for Sprint's success because it's more than Xhom. It's the open Internet model and how consumers win.

FierceBroadbandWireless: The WiMAX Forum recently announced an FDD profile for the 700 MHz band. Is the forum looking at other FDD bands?

Resnick: If operators and vendors say there is now a requirement for FDD or TDD in a certain band and there is a market for it, the WiMAX Forum will approve it. There's no random decision to create profiles. It's based on a market survey and needs. As long as demand is there we can expect to see more FDD profiles coming out.

FierceBroadbandWireless: Can you give us a bit of education about 802.16m-its capabilities, standardization schedule?

Resnick: We're targeting the closure of 802.16m as a standard by the end of 2009. Our goal is to have 802.16m as part of the IMT Advanced standard. Then you'll see mobile WiMAX system profiles, called 2.0, in the 2010/2011 timeframe, It's going to be TDD and FDD and handle channel bandwidth 5, 10 and 20. Peak data rates per sector are expected to be 130 Mb/s s for the uplink and 56 Mb/s on the downlink based on a 20-megahertz channel. Mobility will be supported at 350 kilometers per hour. It will have high spectral efficiency using 4 by 4 MIMO. It's going to be a major upgrade in allowing broadcast video, peer to peer video communications, smoother handoffs and location-based services built in. It will have excellent capabilities for VoIP.

FierceBroadbandWireless: Where is the forum in terms of working on roaming?

Resnick: We have plans to announce roaming availability soon. Operators can launch in the second half of this year. We're enabling roaming by providing the right tools so operators can do it from the get go as opposed to what we're seeing other markets where roaming came after the fact. We've been working on this for two year. We have spent a lot of money on developing roaming agreements, available at no cost to the operator. We built in roaming specifications. It's critically important for the WiMAX Forum to make sure it works.

ALSO NOTED: Telmex launches mobile WiMAX in Chile; Vendors lukewarm about FMC in the enterprise; and much more...

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 07:59:51 -0400

> Telmex launched mobile WiMAX in Chile. Article

> China plans to use TD-SCDMA technology during the 2008 Olympic Games. Article

> Canadian operator Rogers Rogers has begun field trials of its 7.2 Mbps wireless HSPA service. Article

> Vendors lukewarm about FMC in the enterprise. Article

> HSPDA will overtake WiMAX as the preferred technology within Taiwan over the next two to three years, according to Taiwan Mobile's chief business officer Cliff Lai. Article

And Finally... Check out our photos from the CTIA I.T. show last week.

Verizon ends 700 MHz lawsuit, CTIA fills the gap

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 06:59:56 -0400

Verizon Wireless has withdrawn its appeal of the FCC's 700 MHz spectrum auction's open-access rule, but CTIA quickly took up the reins and filed a similar complaint in the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Verizon Wireless withdrew its suit because the court denied its motion for expedited treatment.

"In challenging the 700 MHz order, petitioner does not seek to delay or overturn the results of any auction," CTIA told the court. "Petitioner does, however, seek to overturn certain aspects of the order that are at odds with prior commission rulings and with the realities of the competitive marketplace for wireless services."

In particular, CTIA is looking to overturn the open access restrictions on 22 megahertz of the spectrum. It argues the rules for use of those blocks go against previous FCC rulings and are not realistic in the US wireless market.

For more on the lawsuit:
- read this article from RCR News
- take a look at this post from Phonescoop

ITC to study InterDigital's complaint against Nokia

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 06:59:55 -0400

The patent wars that usually headline Qualcomm, Nokia and Broadcom took a different turn last week as InterDigital successfully urged the U.S. International Trade Commission to investigate its antitrust complaint against Nokia. InterDigital maintains that Nokia's N75 WCDMA handset infringes on two of its patents. InterDigital wants a ban on the import of N75 and a cease and desist order to bar more sales of models that have already been imported in the U.S. It appears we'll be seeing the number of complaints with the ITC increase now that Broadcom has successfully gotten the ITC to ban certain phones with Qualcomm chips from being sold in the U.S.

To read more about the ITC's move to investigate InterDigital's complaint:
- take a look at this article from eWeek

CTIA: Open access will hurt small operators

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 06:59:58 -0400

A Note from the Editor-in-Chief:

I am thrilled to report some exciting changes at FierceMarkets. We are strengthening our editorial team with the addition of former Telephony Editor-in-Chief Dan O'Shea. Dan is a veteran telecom journalist with more than 15 years of experience covering the industry. I'm sure many of you may know him already. Dan will be working with us on a new publication, which we will launch next month. Our publisher, Jeff Giesea, will announce the details next week. Stay tuned. -Sue

CTIA: Open access will hurt small operators
CTIA is pulling out all of the stops to argue against the FCC's probable decision to attach open-access conditions to 22 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz upper band. This time, it is arguing that this open-access requirement will hurt small and regional wireless carriers.

"The proposed open-access requirements trade the benefits of rural deployment by small and regional licensees, and their proven track record of providing service to their customers, for-at best-speculative gains of an open-access network," stated CTIA on behalf of 139 small and regional carriers and organizations.

CTIA argued that an open-access plan will force large and small bidders to seek licenses in the lower 700 MHz band, where the license areas are smaller to benefit small and regional operators. Although many smaller licenses may initially cost more, large carriers will likely choose to bid on the many smaller licenses rather than accept larger, encumbered licenses. The end result would be fewer small and regional license winners in the 700 MHz auction.

Metro PCS, which has said it plans to use some of the $1.3 billion in notes it recently offered via an IPO for bidding on 700 MHz licenses, said in a separate FCC filing that "MetroPCS--and other small and mid-tier carriers who are attempting to provide substantial competition in the wireless industry--would be the main losers of any open-access requirement."

This is yet another factor that complicates the FCC's grand goal of creating a third broadband pipe in the U.S. The FCC must balance its interest in providing open-access while enabling small and regional operators to compete. And there are a lot of scenarios to run. In the end, it all depends on whether non-traditional operators such as Google actually move away from their saber rattling and decide to jump in the game as operators. Remember the AWS auction last year was supposed to attract a plethora of non-traditional operators, but it turned out that the usual players bought up the licenses. Being an operator is an expensive proposition for these companies whose core businesses aren't operating wireless networks. News Corp. has already cited the difficulty and expense of building out a wireless broadband network.

Meanwhile, the clock is ticking for the FCC to make some definite decisions. --Lynnette