FCC Opens More Spectrum for WISPs 98
flirzan writes "Today the FCC announced that they will be opening up new spectrum for use in wireless broadband applications. The new spectrum will run from 3650-3700 Mhz, and requires that licensees register all system base stations. This is great news for wireless ISPs everywhere, as it will make interference avoidance/mitigation much easier. Licenses will run 10 years, and are renewable and transferable. No word yet on how much the licenses are expected to cost or when they'll be available."
Another Opportunity.... (Score:2)
Re:Another Opportunity.... (Score:1)
FCC (Score:1)
The FCC has granted us more WISPs, but still persists in less BOOBs.
And no micropower or pirate radio.
Falconwhat effect will that have (Score:5, Funny)
or their lumber collecting abilities?
For those that don't get the joke: (Score:3, Informative)
Re:what effect will that have (Score:1)
does this mean... (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:does this mean... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:does this mean... (Score:2)
Unfortunately this is nonlicensed spectrum, and cordless devices like phones often become a problem, it does however go through trees relatively well.
We currently use waverider's 900mhz equipment, its around 4000-5000$ for a basestation and 300-400 for the client units.
Re:does this mean... (Score:1)
Trees are very bad for wireless connections (short of mountains and the like), and distance does become an issue over 80km due to the curvature of the earth. Of course, companies such as Orthogon [orthogonsystems.com] are doing some pretty damn good stuff with non-line of sight at present.
If this is real world you are talking, perhaps you should have mentioned the distance
Re:does this mean... (Score:2)
Nice to see someone else familiar with these devices.
wireless modems? (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:wireless modems? (Score:2)
Re:wireless modems? (Score:1)
Do I have to? (Score:2, Funny)
They open the spectrum up for WASPs? (Score:2, Funny)
good news (Score:4, Interesting)
This might also help out community wireless attempts, since at least one part of the technology is being standardized, and the licenses are rather long (10 years).
Re:A whole 50MHz chunk of bandwidth? (Score:4, Interesting)
What would -you- do with all of it?
Three 14-MHz (70ish Mbps to nearby sites under good conditions) and one 7-MHz (35ish Mbps ditto) WiMAX base stations - times several antenna sectors, times several base stations in an array like cellphone sites.
Or maybe split it differently (like 3 or 5 7MHz channels for cells and 2 or 1 14s for networking the cells) to allow better signal quality in the cells by preventing channel reuse for some distance behind the cell.
You could (un)wire a whole city that way.
Re:A whole 50MHz chunk of bandwidth? (Score:1)
Two questions (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Two questions (Score:5, Informative)
FCC OPENS ACCESS TO NEW SPECTRUM FOR
WIRELESS BROADBAND IN THE 3650 MHZ BAND
WASHINGTON, D.C. - 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.
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
Re:Two questions (Score:3, Informative)
There is not a limit on the number of licenses. This is a break in the usual FCC trend of limiting the nubmer of licenses given based on the number of "channels" that can be defined. They are doing this because of the requirement that users of this new band utilize technologies that would allow automatic interference remediation and channel-sharing techniques
Re:Two questions (Score:1)
Re:Two questions (Score:2, Informative)
If a licensee doesn't use the frequency or hasn't constructed, the license effectively comes up for grabs on a first come-first served basis. This is called a "finder's preference," where whoever rats out the non-performing licensee to the FCC gets f
Re:Two questions (Score:2)
Good Thing (Score:3, Informative)
The new rules are as follows:
"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."
How much of the spectrum is left (Score:3, Funny)
Wait, are they?
Re:How much of the spectrum is left (Score:5, Informative)
The HF bands (which readily propagate around the world), VHF and lower UHF (which can propagate distances significantly beyond those you would expect) have some ITU regulations attached to them. The FCC does pay attention to these international regulations of the RF spectrum.
The US also has agreements regarding allocations up in the microwave ranges along its borders with other nations to avoid interference.
Re:How much of the spectrum is left (Score:1)
Re:How much of the spectrum is left (Score:1)
Re:How much of the spectrum is left (Score:1)
Wireless infrastructure spectrum (Score:4, Informative)
one spectrum range would be for station-to-station communications
one spectrum can be for user-to-station communications
one spectrum can be for user-to-user communications.
I am not a wireless engineer, so i dont know what frequencies are suitable for for what distances etc, but you should have one range for high-bandwidth medium-long range. (such as the spectrums mentioned here)
So multiple channels in a particular cell, in such a number of channels where you dont overlap channels in adjacent cells. (802.11[n])
Next you would have less bandwidth, more available channels and medium range. Finally you would have short range, medium badnwidth limited channels.... (bluetooth etc)
Re:Wireless infrastructure spectrum (Score:2)
one spectrum range would be for station-to-station communications
one spectrum can be for user-to-station communications
one spectrum can be for user-to-user communications.
Great, so if all your traffic falls into one of those classes, you only get 1/3 throughput. Next idea, please.
The U-NII band is already divided into low-power, medium-power, and high-power subbands. It's not clear whether people are benefiting from this arrangement o
Re:Wireless infrastructure spectrum (Score:2)
Re:Wireless infrastructure spectrum (Score:2)
Re:Wireless infrastructure spectrum (Score:1, Informative)
separating the frequency range for different applications is not necessarily a good idea - having the devices intelligently use the spectrum they see is a key issue. Also, the mod
Re:Wireless infrastructure spectrum (Score:3, Informative)
To answer your question, the higher you go on the mhz chart, the more data you can push over the spectrum. Conversely, the lower you go on the mhz chart, the better you go through objects.
Of the widely used channels:
900 mhz -- low data, best for non-line of sight
2.4 ghz -- high data, sensitive to
Prices (Score:2)
Re:Prices (Score:5, Insightful)
Nobody is going to pay millions of dollars to have to cooperate and share... millions are only payed when a monopoly is guaranteed.
--Mike--
Base stations performing local mastering functions (Score:3, Informative)
Nobody is going to pay millions of dollars to have to cooperate and share... millions are only payed when a monopoly is guaranteed.
Unfortunately, some of the protocols (like WiMAX) assign timeslots. That means somebody arbitrates the timeslots. That someb
Re:Prices (Score:2)
that all the telcos are already spending all their
money buying states' legislators for their endrun
around public access WiFi.
Don't suppose that the FCC might lend NASA some
of the cash raised by the sale of radio spectrum
to keep the Voyager team together for a few more
years.
Oops! Dubya needs that money to fund his latest
propaganda campaign for Social Security reform.
wisps (Score:1)
How will 802.11s come in to play here?
It would be damn nice if I could go to a coffee shop other than starbucks to get wireless internet with my morning drink.
Re:wisps (Score:1)
Re:wisps (Score:2)
Re:wisps (Score:2)
No, because 802.11 does not operate in this band.
How will 802.11s come in to play here?
It won't; see above.
It would be damn nice if I could go to a coffee shop other than starbucks to get wireless internet with my morning drink.
Have you tried EDGE or EV-DO?
Re:wisps (Score:2)
Re:wisps (Score:1)
Re:wisps (Score:2)
Currently we operate in the nonlicensed 900mhz range and the interference is often horrible
What bandwidth (Score:1)
Inquiring minds need to know.
Thanks.
Re:What bandwidth (Score:1)
This all depends on the hardware in use, and how the network has been designed, built, and implemented. We have 3GHz in use here (licensed frequency), and end users from companies such as Wired Country [wiredcountry.co.nz] are easily able to draw down 2Mbit/s and more.
Whilst by no means hug
Re:What bandwidth (Score:1)
Good. (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Good. (Score:1)
Commons means ISPs, too. We aren't all AOLs or Earthlinks, thank you.
Only 50 MHz of radio real estate (Score:5, Informative)
I can only hope that the higher emitted power will let service providers boost SNR (rather than space-out the antennas further) to provide more digital bandwidth within their limited radio bandwidth allotment.
Re:Only 50 MHz of radio real estate (Score:2)
This isn't ground breaking, but it is one more tool in the aresenal potentially.
Re:Only 50 MHz of radio real estate (Score:3, Interesting)
Lease vs. Sell (Score:5, Insightful)
ALL spectrum should be licensed like this new band is supposed to be. Viacom can afford it, believe me.
Re:Lease vs. Sell (Score:1)
So are you objecting to making the richest corporations pay the most money for licenses, or the fact that anybody pays anything for licenses?
Private Band (Score:1)
This could have been a boon to P2P mesh networks communities, which depend on unlicensed spectrum to exist. Instead, it's another carve-out of
Re:Private Band (Score:3, Interesting)
Non-exlcusive usage means the prices for the licenses should be low -- mostly "maintenance" fees. (Supply isn't really limited.)
And at 25 Watts of power for fixed stations, it makes sense so they can build a database where people can look up fixed locations for coverage, etc.
So lighten up.
-Charles
Re:Private Band (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Private Band (Score:1)
I knew! (Score:2)
more tinfoil (Score:4, Funny)
Guess I'll need to add another layer to my tinfoil hat.
Any news on UHF Spectrum? (Score:4, Interesting)
Most rural areas have next to no UHF TV channels and very poor broadband availability. It was hoped this would take advantage of that reality by allowing good hill-following spectrum to be available for rural Internet users, on a renewable basis that would give preference to new UHF TV stations (as if).
No jokes about pig porn, please.
IEEE 802.22 (Score:2)
Ever hear of BRS (Broadband Radio Services)? (Score:3, Interesting)
There is another band, 3.400 GHz to 3.600 GHz that's also currently set up for licensed wireless data, a la wi-fi. I don't have a link to this service unfortunately.
What the new announcement from the FCC adds to the party is something similar to GMRS or business band radios-- shared spectrum open only to licensed users. TFA mentions Part 90 as the section of rules that will cover this new spectrum. That's the same section of rules that covers business band radios (and whose licenses cost $100-ish). I would also expect frequency coordination to come into play at some point with this new service, just like you have with other Part 90 services. (Coordination tries to prevent harmful interference and squabbling.)
Re:Ever hear of BRS (Broadband Radio Services)? (Score:2)
The rules were changed last year; the names "MDS" and "MMDS" were merged into "BRS". The adjacent "ITFS" channels, used
Re:Ever hear of BRS (Broadband Radio Services)? (Score:1)
The realignment of the band is un [fcc.gov]
Nobody has mentioned... (Score:3, Insightful)
What exactly is the expected propogation with 25watts at 3.xx Ghz? How far will it transmit information?
How fast is any proposed standard for using this spectrum? Surely somebody had a plan, and submitted it with their request for spectrum. What is the standard and how fast is it?
What are the channel allocations within that same proposed standard? While 50Mhz doesn't seem like a big spread, it is not difficult to actually engineer something that is selective enough to work on the half Mhz. That would allow 50 one way, and 50 another way.
Overall I find this story leaves more questions asked than answered. When this is actually implemented in 4-7 years, will it revolutionize wireless, or simply be a bottleneck loosener?
Re:Nobody has mentioned... (Score:3, Interesting)
It's gotta be better than 1W at 5.8GHz that people are using now.
How fast is any proposed standard for using this spectrum?
WISPs will probably use 802.16, which can theoretically provide over 100Mbps in 50MHz.
What are the channel allocations within that same proposed standard?
It looks like there are none, so licensees can do whatever they want.
Big Deal (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Big Deal (Score:2)
Re:Big Deal (Score:1)
And just for fun... (Score:2, Funny)
TFA? What FA? (Score:1, Funny)
If there really was a new Spectrum coming, and especially if it was going to run from 3650-3700 Mhz, these guys [sinclair-research.co.uk] would be the first to tell us.
Does higher frequency relate to bandwidth? (Score:2)
Is there a reason that all of the new techology runs on higher 2.4Ghz spectrum and not lower frequencies? Is there a correlation or is it just how things have worked out?
If there's a correlation, it could be the FCC pre-empting wi-fi regulation by laying down the rules before future technology is adopted.
It's the government afterall, so the FCC would likely know about new technology long before we consumers would.
What if the next-gen WiFi devices
Re:Does higher frequency relate to bandwidth? (Score:2)
It's a clever scheme. By controlling the locations of fixed APs, they can prevent interference from mobile users.
Mass Wireless? Riiiiiight... (Score:1)
Cities need to re-evaluate their expenditures before jumping on the broadbandwagon (to coin a word). Raising taxes (b