Spectrum allocation housecleaning below 1.7 GHz offer new opportunities

Industry Canada plans to implement some spectrum allocation changes that should offer up new opportunities for users. Introduced in DGTP 004-05, some of the bands below 1.7 GHz will be realigned to match US allocations, while other under used bands will be opened up for additional uses. The changes as proposed in the Gazette Notice, while not considered significant spectrum allocation modifications, will create greater opportunities for existing users and create new ones for future users. The spectrum reallocations also alleviate some of the congestion in the bands below 1 GHz. A change to the 1670-1675 MHz range is particularly interesting in that this is the spectrum where Qualcomm Inc.’s MediaFlo mobile TV service will operate in the United States. The Federal Communications Commission has already designated and licensed this band for flexible use by fixed and mobile services. MediaFlo is an entirely new wireless network on which TV channels will be made available to wireless carriers that want to offer a mobile TV service to their subscribers. Trials for Qualcomm’s service are ongoing and the company expects to launch commercially by October this year. Verizon Wireless has already signed on as a customer. But there is competition emerging from Crown Castle International Corp., which says its service will also be introduced this year and then expanded to 30 US markets representing half of the American population in 2007. Both companies are using technology based on the digital video broadcast for handhelds (DVB-H) standard. This is the same technology that Look Communications Inc. will use for its mobile TV service (RoW, Dec. 15/04). Industry Canada notes in the Gazette Notice that a number of entities in Canada have expressed an interest in using this band for similar applications, and as such is proposing to open the band for such flexible use. The department anticipates demand for this spectrum in urban areas will outstrip supply, therefore triggering a competitive licensing process. Whether or not the spectrum will be auctioned will be determined by a future consultation. Another key spectrum allocation proposal centres on the department’s decision to finally license on a first-come first-serve basis (FCFS) unused 944-952 MHz bandwidth for fixed and mobile services in rural and remote regions of the country. This spectrum was previously allocated to digital cordless telephones, but the service never really took off and the department removed the allocation in 2002. "To facilitate the advancement of communications in rural areas in the band 944-952 MHz, the department will authorize this additional spectrum using a streamlined FCFS licensing process," reads the Gazette Notice. Use of this spectrum in urban areas will require further consideration by Industry Canada because demand will be greater than supply thus requiring a competitive licensing process. While some of the modifications take spectrum away from incumbent users (see radio amateurs article in RoW, Dec. 14/05), changes to some of the bands below 1.7 GHz should also provide other users with greater certainty in the future. Spectrum for medical telemetry applications and devices has been moved to the 1400 MHz band (1395-1400 MHz and 1427-1429.5 MHz) so as to minimize interference from HDTV. Utility telemetry and automatic meter reading (AMR) spectrum is also being harmonized with the FCC allocation in the 1429.5-1432.5 MHz range. Spectrum for a wide range of telemetry applications in Canada is being allocated at 1429.5-1432 MHz. AMR will be situated in the first 1 MHz portion with the rest being open for other telemetry applications.

Spectrum allocation housecleaning below 1.7 GHz offer new opportunities

News | January 10, 2006

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