Mobile moves into fixed wireless space

To free up more airwaves for wireless communications, the Federal Communications Commission has announced it will let license holders of the 2500-MHz to 2690-MHz spectrum frequencies offer mobile services in that band.

Currently, those frequencies are used by instructional television fixed services (ITFS) and multichannel multipoint distribution services (MMDS), also known as fixed broadband or fixed wireless.

The FCC considered ITFS and MMDS potential targets for reallocation. But the agency said last week that it will not move those services from that band; it will let mobile communications, including 3G wireless services, traverse those airwaves.

But sources say neither ITFS nor MMDS traffic can co-exist with mobile communications traffic for technological reasons, making the expanded use provision in truth an evolutionary option for license holders. The FCC decided against officially moving the incumbents from this band because "they came back to us with a flurry of comments, saying they are using the band for broadband services that were just as valuable, if not more valuable, than mobile services," an FCC official says.

Fixed broadband services are popular in rural areas, where other high-speed options such as DSL or cable modems aren't available. The technology transmits data via antennas on top of buildings within a short distance of each other.

According to an FCC statement, the agency decided to expand the options for the band's use because it wants to get away from specifying what technology should be used in which spectrum, preferring to let market forces dictate which services are offered. But for two of the largest MMDS providers, WorldCom and Sprint, launching mobile services in that space would mean terminating existing services. "Sprint agrees with the FCC's decision to protect incumbents from interference while allowing market forces to determine the feasibility of using this spectrum for additional services," Sprint said in a statement. WorldCom officials declined to comment.

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