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800 MHz Rebanding: An Overview David Furth Associate Bureau Chief Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Federal Com

800 MHz Rebanding: An Overview David Furth Associate Bureau Chief Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Federal Communications Commission. COPS 2007 Technology Program Advanced Training Workshops. Outline. Background The Interference Problem The Rulemaking The Transition

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800 MHz Rebanding: An Overview David Furth Associate Bureau Chief Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Federal Com

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  1. 800 MHz Rebanding:An OverviewDavid FurthAssociate Bureau ChiefPublic Safety and Homeland Security BureauFederal Communications Commission COPS 2007 Technology ProgramAdvanced Training Workshops

  2. Outline • Background • The Interference Problem • The Rulemaking • The Transition • Current Status and Pending Issues

  3. History of the 800 MHz Band • Established in the 1970s for land mobile use (reallocated from UHF-TV) • Intended to relieve crowding of lower band land mobile frequencies • Channels allocated for mixture of services • Public Safety • Business Radio • Industrial/Land Transportation (e.g., utilities) • Specialized Mobile Radio (commercial service)

  4. 800 MHz: Old Band Plan 806 824 849 851 762 764 747 746 B A D A C B A B 700 MHz Public Safety (24 MHz) 800 MHz Band Upper 700 MHz Commercial (30 MHz) Cellular (50 MHz) ATG 776 777 894 896 792 794 = 700 MHz Guard Band 806 809.75 816 821 824 NPSPAC (Public Safety) Channels 1-120 General Category Interleaved -- ESMR, Non-Cellular SMR, B/ILT, Public Safety ESMR (Upper 200) 869 854.75 861 866 851 Interleaved Spectrum -12.5 MHz 250 Channels 80 SMR Channels (Licensed by EA, Some Incumbent Operators Remain) 70 Public Safety Channels 50 Business Channels 50 Industrial/Land Transportation Channels SMR/General Category -7.5 MHz 150 Channels Licensed by EA Blocks of 25 channels (SMR) Some Incumbent Operators Remain (includes Business, I/LT, and Public Safety) ESMR/Upper 200 – 10 MHz 200 Channels Licensed by EA A few non-EA incumbents remain; most were relocated or acquired in late 1990s. NPSPAC - 6 MHz 225 Channels @ 12.5 kHz spacing 5 Channels @ 25 kHz spacing 5 Mutual Aid Channels

  5. Outline • Background • The Interference Problem • The Rulemaking • The Transition • Current Status and Pending Issues

  6. Interference Problem • Mid-1990s: Nextel starts to deploy cellular-architecture “ESMR” in the 800 MHz band • Public safety also expands into 800 MHz as lower bands grow congested • Late 1990s: 800 MHz public safety systems encounter increasing interference and “dead zones” • Problem traced mostly to Nextel, also to cellular carriers operating in adjacent spectrum

  7. Interference Problem • Interference caused by incompatible system architecture on adjacent channels • Public safety systems use “high-site” architecture – small number of base stations with high antennas to maximize signal propagation • Commercial systems use “low-site” cellular architecture – numerous cells with low antennas to allow frequency reuse • Interference occurs when a mobile user on a high-site system moves far from its own base station but near a low-site commercial base station • Interleaved band plan exacerbates problem

  8. Near/Far Problem “Near/far” problem – First responder is near the ESMR cell site and far from its own base station Public Safety Base Station ESMRCellSite Strong signal from cell site 10 MILES Weak signal from public safety base station 2500 FEET Result: Signal from cell site overloads public safety handset

  9. Public Safety Dead Spots + PUBLICSAFETYSTATION + Dead spots near ESMR cell sites – first responders cannot hear public safety communications + +

  10. Outline • Background • The Interference Problem • The Rulemaking • The Transition • Pending Issues

  11. Early Proposals • Best Practices Guide (2000): Voluntary measures to reduce interference • Nextel White Paper (2001): Proposes rebanding as a solution • 800 MHz NPRM (2002): Seeks comment on rebanding and non-rebanding alternatives • “Consensus Proposal” (2002): Revised rebanding plan proposed by coalition of 800 MHz stakeholders, including Nextel and several public safety organizations

  12. 800 MHz Report and Order (2004) • New band plan adopted to separate public safety from cellular systems • Nextel (now Sprint) must pay all rebanding costs incurred by public safety and other 800 MHz incumbents for “comparable facilities” • 36-month transition period • Sprint receives 10 MHz of spectrum in the 1.9 GHz band – is responsible for BAS clearing • Sprint must make a “windfall” payment to the U.S. Treasury if value of the 1.9 GHz spectrum is greater than cumulative rebanding costs

  13. 800 MHz: Old Band Plan 806 824 849 851 762 764 747 746 B A D A C B A B 700 MHz Public Safety (24 MHz) 800 MHz Band Upper 700 MHz Commercial (30 MHz) Cellular (50 MHz) ATG 776 777 894 896 792 794 = 700 MHz Guard Band 806 809.75 816 821 824 NPSPAC (Public Safety) Channels 1-120 General Category Interleaved -- ESMR, Non-Cellular SMR, B/ILT, Public Safety ESMR (Upper 200) 869 854.75 861 866 851 Interleaved Spectrum -12.5 MHz 250 Channels 80 SMR Channels (Licensed by EA, Some Incumbent Operators Remain) 70 Public Safety Channels 50 Business Channels 50 Industrial/Land Transportation Channels SMR/General Category -7.5 MHz 150 Channels Licensed by EA Blocks of 25 channels (SMR) Some Incumbent Operators Remain (includes Business, I/LT, and Public Safety) ESMR/Upper 200 – 10 MHz 200 Channels Licensed by EA A few non-EA incumbents remain; most were relocated or acquired in late 1990s. NPSPAC - 6 MHz 225 Channels @ 12.5 kHz spacing 5 Channels @ 25 kHz spacing 5 Mutual Aid Channels

  14. 800 MHz: New Band Plan 806 824 849 851 762 764 747 746 B A B A C D B A 700 MHz Public Safety (24 MHz) 800 MHz Band Upper 700 MHz Commercial (30 MHz) Cellular (50 MHz) ATG 776 777 894 896 792 794 = 700 MHz Guard Band 824 806 817 809 815 816 NPSPAC (Public Safety) Public Safety B/ILT Non-Cellular SMR 854 Expansion Band ESMR Guard Band 851 854 861 862 860 869 Sprint and other ESMRs occupy upper band segment, adjacent to Cellular band Public safety and other high-site systems occupy lower band segment, adjacent to 700 MHz public safety Guard Band and Expansion Band serve as buffers

  15. Outline • Background • The Interference Problem • The Rulemaking • The Transition • Current Status and Pending Issues

  16. 800 MHz Transition Process • 36-month clock started on June 27, 2005 (except for border areas) • Planned June 26, 2008, end date now past • Transition is divided into four geographic waves • Each wave divided into two stages • Stage 1: Relocation of Channels 1-120 • Stage 2: Relocation of NPSPAC, Expansion Band • 800 MHz Transition Administrator (TA) administers the transition

  17. Transition Waves 1-4

  18. Rebanding: Stage 1 Start Channels 1-120 SMR/General Category NPSPAC (Public Safety) Interleaved SMR, B/ILT, Public Safety ESMR 1 2 (1) Channel 1-120 Non-ESMR licensees move to the Interleaved Band (Sprint vacates interleaved channels as needed to make room) (2) A few non-Nextel ESMR Systems move to the ESMR Band (Sprint vacates ESMR channels as needed to make room)

  19. Rebanding: Stage 1 Finish Channels 1-120 (All Non-Sprint licensees vacated) NPSPAC (Public Safety) Interleaved SMR, B/ILT, Public Safety ESMR 1 3 2 3 • (1) Channel 1-120 cleared of all licensees except Sprint • 97% of non-border Channel 1-120 licensees have been cleared • (2) Channel 1-120 licensees relocated in Interleaved Band • (3) Sprint continues to operate on portions of Channel 1-120 block and on some interleaved channels

  20. Rebanding: Stage 2 Start Channels 1-120 (All Non-Sprint licensees vacated) NPSPAC (Public Safety) Interleaved SMR, B/ILT, Public Safety ESMR Sprint vacates its channels in Channel 1-120 to clear space for NPSPAC relocation Sprint must vacate any Channel 1-120 channel on 60 days’ notice that a NPSPAC licensee is ready to use it

  21. Rebanding: Stage 2 Interim NPSPAC (Public Safety) Interleaved SMR, B/ILT, Public Safety ESMR Expansion Band Guard Band 2 1 3 (1) NPSPAC licensees move down 15 megahertz to new NPSPAC Band (2) Clearing of Expansion Band and Guard Band (3) Sprint vacates remaining channels in Interleaved Band

  22. Rebanding: Stage 2 Finish NPSPAC (Public Safety) SMR, B/ILT, Public Safety Interleaved ESMR Expansion Band 1 Guard Band 2 3 (1) Sprint moves into new ESMR (old NPSPAC) band (2) Interleaved spectrum vacated by Sprint is available exclusively to public safety for 3 years (3) After 3 years, vacated spectrum is also opened to both public safety and critical infrastructure for an additional 2 years

  23. Transition Steps: Negotiation/Mediation • Sprint and each licensee negotiate Planning Funding Agreement (PFA) • Licensee and vendor inventory equipment, develop rebanding plan and cost estimate for submission to Sprint • Sprint and each licensee negotiate Frequency Relocation Agreement (FRA) • Most negotiations mediated by a TA-designated mediator • If the parties cannot reach a mediated agreement, the TA refers the case to PSHSB, which has delegated authority under the 800 MHz R&O to rule on disputed issues de novo

  24. Transition Steps: Implementation • First step: Retuning/replacement of licensee’s mobile/portable radios (“first touch”) • Retuning – new channels can be programmed into existing radio without removing old channels • Replacement – occurs when existing radio model can’t hold old and new channels simultaneously • System continues to operate on old channels until cutover • Second step: System “cutover” to new channels • Base station infrastructure retuning • System operates on new channels after cutover • Third step (not all systems): Removal of old channels from mobile/portable radios (“second touch”)

  25. Outline • Background • The Interference Problem • The Rulemaking • The Transition • Current Status andPending Issues

  26. Transition Progress (Non-Border Regions)As of October 2008 • Stage 1: 97% of Channel 1-120 incumbents have relocated • Some licensees with both Channel 1-120 and NPSPAC systems will relocate in Stage 2 • Stage 2: 32% of NPSPAC and Expansion Band incumbents have relocated • Stage 2 timeline longer due to number of large, complex public safety systems and more interoperability relationships among licensees • Many Stage 2 licensees received waivers of the June 26, 2008, deadline

  27. Canada and Mexico Border Issues • Border regions are not subject to the 36-month timetable because of need to resolve cross-border spectrum allocation issues • Existing bilateral agreements with Canada and Mexico limit U.S. access to the 800 MHz band in border areas • Modifications are needed for border-area rebanding to be consistent with rest of U.S. • FCC working in coordination with State Department

  28. Canada and Mexico Border Status • Canada Border: FCC has adopted new U.S.-Canada border rebanding plan • 30-month transition clock started October 14, 2008 • Ongoing coordination with Canada re impact of rebanding on Canada incumbents and 2010 Winter Olympics • Mexico Border: U.S.-Mexico negotiations continuing to develop border rebanding plan

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