Department considering rule changes for air-to-ground spectrum

Industry Canada has issued DGTP-11-06 requesting comments on proposed changes to spectrum used to transmit information between aircraft and ground stations. The bandwidth is currently used to support air-to-ground public telephone services. Below is an edited excerpt of the Gazette Notice. The bands 849-851 MHz and 894-896 MHz are allocated to the aeronautical mobile service on a primary basis. This is the only spectrum used for the provision of commercial telephony services to aircraft in Canada. The current designation focuses on the provision of telephony services through interconnection to the terrestrial public switched telephone network. While the specific designation may be restrictive in today’s technological environment, the regional allocation to Canada, the US and Mexico has historically proven to be advantageous for airline travelers, permitting aircraft telephone calls to take place over the entire North American continent. The current band plan was designed to support analog modulation and the transfer of data using modems operating at low speeds, which was the technology available in the late 1980s. The band plan design included a precise channeling plan with communication and control channels, as well as guard bands. While the total amount of spectrum available in the bands 849-851 MHz and 894-896 MHz can support new digital technologies to provide broadband services, the current band plan is too restrictive for these applications. The department therefore recognizes that the existing band plan may need to be modified to support advanced services. In general, more recent band planning has typically moved away from a technically prescriptive approach, only prescribing instead the minimum technical requirements necessary for the adequate management of interference between allocated bands. This has provided the flexibility needed by service providers when choosing equipment and planning their networks. In considering the future of this spectrum, the department is of the view that there is a need to accommodate the introduction of new technology for applications requiring high data rates such as Internet access. The department notes that the US has modified its band plan to enable the provision of broadband services. This plan includes a wider 1.5 + 1.5 MHz block pair and a narrower 0.5 + 0.5 MHz block pair. Both block pairs are expected to accommodate an array of spectrally-efficient digital technologies. The adoption of such a band plan in Canada would support the provision of enhanced services and meet the expectations of Canadian travelers to have access to the latest technologies. It would also foster interoperability and continue to yield the benefits of regional harmonization. The department will therefore retain the current allocation of the band pair 849-851 MHz and 894-896 MHz to the aeronautical mobile service for public correspondence with aircraft. However, the department proposes to modify the air-to-ground designation to remove technology specific limitations while still expecting the use of spectrally-efficient technologies. The current designation is for an air-to-ground public telephone service whereby passengers who are on board aircraft can place telephone calls using an air-to-ground radio network interconnected to the terrestrial public switched telephone network. The department proposes to instead designate the bands for air-to-ground radiocommunication applications. Furthermore, the department proposes to adopt a new band plan based on the allocation of two block pairs that are harmonized with the US band plan configuration.

Department considering rule changes for air-to-ground spectrum

News | November 17, 2006

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