dailywireless.org » McCain Wants Commercial 700 MHz for Police

McCain Wants Commercial 700 MHz for Police

Can’t we all just get along? — Mars Attacks

U.S Senator and presidential candidate John McCain is proposing broadband legislation that would create a nationwide wireless data network for use by public-safety agencies across the country, reports Telephony Magazine.

The proposal calls for using 30 MHz of radio spectrum in upper 700 MHz bands that previously has been reserved for commercial users. It drew a quick reaction from the cellular telephone industry (CTIA):

“Right now, the public service community utilizes 47 MHz of spectrum to serve its public safety users. At the same time, there are wireless carriers that use roughly the same amount of spectrum to deliver voice, data and advanced information services to many times that number of subscribers. More spectrum is clearly not the answer.
“We believe first responders need and can build a 21st century network with the existing allocation of spectrum and we intend to continue to work with all members of Congress to help make that a reality.”

McCain’s proposed bill is based on a Cyren Call plan rejected by the Federal Communications Commission last November, says RCR Wireless. It would set aside 30 megahertz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band for a public-safety broadband trust to oversee. The nationwide wireless network would be built by the private sector and shared on a priority basis with first responders. The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) said it supports McCain’s proposed bill.

McCain said he was following the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations for allocating new spectrum for public safety and standardizing communications between the disparate first responder agencies.

According to McCain’s statement:

“It is now time to think big and bold and solve the interoperability crisis once and for all. We are at a watershed moment where we can provide more of the 700 MHz spectrum to solve our national public-safety communications crisis and greatly enhance our emergency preparedness,” McCain said in statement. “If we do not act now, this valuable spectrum will be auctioned off and this opportunity will be lost forever.”

As Aloha Partners CEO Charles Townsend told the Senate Subcommittee:

Police can compare on-line finger prints and watch videos real time to monitor emergency situations. Fire Departments can view schematics of buildings and hazardous material locations while at the scene of a fire. And EMTs can transmit EKGs and send videos of injuries from the location of the emergency.

“Public service” 700 MHz radios won’t do any of that. Project 25 radios are limited to 9Kbps data channels. Commercial 700 MHz providers — with Mobile WiMAX — can put out the fire.

Wireless carriers are hoping to buy up the 700 MHz spectrum that’s currently used by some TV broadcasters. They want to provide broadband wireless and other services. Already Qualcomm’s MediaFLO (Ch 55) and Townsend’s HiWire (Ch 54/59), have reserved frequencies for Mobile TV.

Other operators have proposed using the spectrum for broadband wireless. Rural operators like the spectrum because it travels some three to four times further than cellular or 2.5 GHz WiMAX. That enables broad coverage at low cost.

Congress was planning on a mult-billion dollar nest egg derived from the 700 MHz auction next year. Giving it away to public service users wouldn’t generate many points.

Cyren Call wants to share the upper 700 MHz spectrum between commercial and public service users.

A “trustee” would manage the upper 700 MHz spectrum. Revenue for buying Project 25 radios, which are expensive and slow, might be enabled through commercial lease-backs of the combined (30 MHZ + 24MHz) spectrum in the Upper 700 MHz band.

The FCC is now proposing a similar concept. The FCC’s Ninth Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (pdf), in December 2006, proposed a centralized and national approach to the 700 MHz public safety band. It’s similar to Cyren Call’s proposal but uses only the assigned 24 MHz PS spectrum.

The New American Foundation overviews some of the approaches by the FCC, Verizon, and Cyren Call (PDF):

Cyren Call has requested a no-bid grant of 30 MHz in the 700 MHz band to establish a shared public service/commercial network in the U.S. This 30 MHz would come from spectrum that Congress currently expects to be auctioned, probably for around $5 to $10 billion. In a sense, this reallocation of spectrum represents an upfront investment by the federal government. Public safety would still get its dedicated 24 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band. The network itself would be built and operated by a number of commercial carriers operating in different regions, while Cyren Call plays the role of network manager by setting service requirements, negotiating deals with equipment and service providers, overseeing compliance with requirements, and managing the flow of payments.
Public safety agencies would pay for services on this network much as consumers pay for cellular services today. Dual-use infrastructure can work well if meeting public safety’s stricter requirements for coverage, dependability, and security does not make the system too costly for commercial users. For example, a system serving only public safety would naturally be designed to maximize coverage, but a company deriving much of its revenues from commercial users will focus on population centers.
Cyren Call proposes to bring terrestrial wireless coverage to 99.3 percent of the U.S. population, but only 63.5 percent of the nation’s area (75 percent of the area within the contiguous U.S.). This may have value for urban areas, but clearly other solutions must be found for rural areas. Cyren Call proposes satellite communications for these areas.

The Seattle PI reports on a Microsoft prototype capable of using 700 MHz “white spaces” (for unlicensed 700 MHz use), in a recent FCC filing. Microsoft, Google and other DTV coalition members want the FCC to make the vacated airwaves available for unlicensed uses. Other member companies include Dell H-P, Intel and Philips.

Sprint says Mobile WiMAX (at 2.5GHz) delivers 4x the performance at 1/10th the cost of cellular. Even better; only 1/10th the number of towers might be needed at 700MHz compared to cellular’s HSDPA. Industry observers say that results in cost/effective broadband — and a good solution for rural users.

Sparsely populated areas are unlikely to overwhelm the capacity of a tower 15 miles away.

A carrier like Verizon, in one scenario, could outbid everyone on the commercial 700 MHz band, then market a proprietary Qualcomm Flarion solution. The commercial service might bundle MediaFLO.

The real prize could be the $10B Integrated Wireless Network (IWN).

Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics were awarded federal IWN contracts last year to provide secure voice, data and multimedia communications to some 80,000 federal law enforcement users.

IWN follows the Project SafeCom initiative led by FEMA which calls for enhanced interoperability and includes a narrowband mandate, reducing the 25 kHz talk channels to 12.5 kHz. Not exactly broadband — cellular uses 1.25 MHz and 5 MHz channels.

In contrast, New York City’s Department of Information Technology awarded a $500 million contract to Northrop Grumman to deliver a broadband public-safety wireless network.

But New York City’s broadband network is not a 700Mhz solution, it uses IP Wireless technology (above) on licensed 2.5 GHz frequencies.

Interoperability between the $10 Billion 700MHz federal IWN network that serves federal agents, New York’s Statewide $1B Wireless Net and the $500 Million New York City broadband wireless network that serves city cops and firefighters could be problematic.

Why not provide standardized IEEE 802.16e (Mobile WiMAX) for New York City’s finest?

IP Wireless claims a WiMAX system needs 30 MHz to operate, because neighboring sectors have to be on different frequencies or they will cause interference with each other. Their system uses an interference-cancellation technology known as advanced multi-user detection. IPWireless says their TD-CDMA and MIMO system will deliver data rates of 8-10 MB/s download and 1-2 MB/s upload on 10 MHz of licensed spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band.

The WiMAX Forum says Scalable OFDMA (SOFDMA) supports scalable channels from 1.25 to 20 MHz widths and all cells and sectors can operate on the same frequency channel (pdf), without the need for frequency planning, by using sub-channels. WiMAX uses COFDMA rather than CDMA on the 2.5 GHz band, which can deliver faster speeds with half the number of basestations compared to HSDPA/EVDO cellular (pdf).

If Verizon/Flarion can be integrated into IWN (at 700MHz), they might use that leverage for commercial 700Mhz service, nationwide. It can fit into the 24 MHz of spectrum available for public service users because Flarion’s proprietary system can use duplex 1.25 MHz channels.

But duplex is inefficient compared to single frequency COFDMA utilized by Mobile WiMAX for voice & data. Duplex means one side of the conversation is often “dead air”. Mobile WiMAX enables simultaneous 2-way conversations on a single channel. It’s more efficient. The FCC’s approach to spectrum favors cellular providers because most frequencies are duplex pairs.

Good 700MHz auction strategy may involve keeping your options open and your mouth shut.

One possible strategy — cut deals with state or federal authorities for a combined commercial/public service wireless broadband service. But proprietary broadband solutions (from Verizon or anyone else) could limit free market competition (and raise costs).

McCain’s “trustee” approach would remove the upper 700 MHz band from the auction. Public service users would then get 30 MHz of additional spectrum which they could lease back to commercial providers. That revenue would finance the public service network. A “trustee” approach might create a more open and efficient solution for everyone. Or it might not.

The Universal Service Fund (Fund Facts), which subsidizes rural telephone service, is part of this mix. USF is broadly viewed as broken because it funds twisted pair incumbants which can’t deliver broadband much beyond 3-5 miles. Cellular voice and data is more expensive with limited capacity and range.

New USF legislation would cover broadband as well as voice — and 700 MHz may deliver the lowest-cost rural broadband solution. Currently the FCC is looking into “reverse auctions” that would provide each community with a fixed (landline) solution and a broadband wireless solution.

A practical strategy for utilizing the 700MHz band has to happen soon. The 700MHz auction is tentatively scheduled for late summer or early fall.

The DOJ, Treasury and FEMA may hope this whole 700 MHz thing blows over. That it’s too obscure for the general pubic. That nobody will notice the tens of billions spent on P-25 contracts. That rural broadband at 700MHz isn’t important.

They’re mistaken. Consumers deserve (and will demand) a solution. Now.