This summarizes a selection from 215 applications for the Experimental Radio Service received by the FCC during October, November, and December 2011. These are related to AM broadcasting, FM broadcasting, spread spectrum on HF and VHF, unmanned aerial vehicle control, electronic warfare support, small satellites, white space technology, video production, cellphones in prisons, TV interference, RFID, and radar.  The descriptions are listed in order of the lowest frequency found in the application.

• Amateur Radio operator Brian Justin filed an application withexhibit for special temporary authority to “be able to operate antique Heising modulation on 470.0 kHz on or about x-mas evening and several other days” to commemorate Reginald Fessenden’s ‘original claimed voice transmissions over 100 yrs ago.” The transmissions were to take place on 470-475 kHz from Forest, Virginia.
• Chesapeake Operating, Inc. filed an application with exhibit for special temporary authority to “provide music and announcements throughout Chesapeake’s corporate campus” and “determining propagation and coverage while simultaneously considering a waiver to operate permanently under 15.221(b)” of the FCC’s Rules. Operation is to be on 1300 kHz and 1610 kHz in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The applicant says it’s parent company, Chesapeake Energy, “is the Nation’s second-largest producer of natural gas, a top 15 producer of oil and natural gas liquids and the most active driller of new wells in the U.S.” “Chesapeake is considering the use of low power AM broadcasts at its corporate campus that could be used for a variety of purposes. For example, the system could be used for disseminating severe weather information (e.g., tornado watches, tornado warnings, ice storms, etc.,) street closings, traffic re-routes due to construction, as well as during outdoor events such as the farmers market that Chesapeake sponsors during the summer months and outdoor activities associated with United Way campaigns, concerts, and family events.”
• Phillip J. Williams filed an application with exhibits for special temporary authority to operate using spread spectrum on HF and VHF frequencies in the Amateur Radio Service. Current rules don’t permit spread spectrum operation below 220 MHz. In the tests, comparisons will be made with other digital modes such as JT65A, Olivia, MT63 and PSK31, including with regard to weak signal capabilities. Experiments will focus on minimum required transmitter power and developing operating procedures for the Amateur Radio community. Operation will take place in Euless, Texas in various Amateur bands between 1.8 and 148 MHz.
• The Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets at the University of Kansas filed an application with exhibits for experimental license to conduct testing of a 72 MHz link used to control the “Meridian Uninhabited Aircraft System,” an aircraft that carries a variety of scientific payloads, including ice-penetrating radar, for research on the flow ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. Operation will be at several locations in Kansas and Utah on 72.01-72.99 MHz.
• National Public Radio filed an application with exhibits for experimental license to evaluate the feasibility of using a Cognitive Modulator. This is envisioned as an alternative to consumer FM modulators long used to allow audio from a personal electronic device to be played through a vehicle’s FM radio. These modulators have their drawbacks: they can cause interference to other FM listeners, FCC rules limit their power such that it can be difficult for them to overcome interference, and they may need to be retuned as the vehicle travels into range of new, interfering FM stations. Preliminary testing led by NPR suggests a Cognitive Modulator operating at 87.7 MHz may present a solution to the above service problems. Such a device would sense the amount of interference and noise (I+N) at or around 87.7 MHz and adjust its transmitter carrier power to provide a desired C/(I+N) in a vehicle’s FM radio. Experimental operation will be in New Haven, Connecticut on 87.7 MHz
• Lockheed Martin filed an application with exhibits for experimental license to operate at Syracuse, New York on various frequencies in the bands 109.375-137.000, and 960-1400 MHz. This is to test electronic-support-measures receiver systems for the US Navy on vessels being deployed overseas.
• Cosmogia Inc. filed an application with exhibits for special temporary authority to operate communications inks in support of the Dove 1 satellite mission. This is a “technology demonstration to: a) test the basic capabilities of the low-cost bus built from non-space, Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) components; b) show that a bus constrained to the 3U cubesat form factor can host a small payload; and c) demonstrate the ability to design, produce and operate satellites on short schedules and low cost. Dove 1 will do this by transmitting health and payload data to the ground.” The satellite is due to be launched as a secondary payload on the maiden flight of the Taurus II from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. It will be placed in a nearly circular orbit of 280 km, which will decay with the satellite burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere approximately 2 weeks after launch. Amateur beacon transmissions on 145.825 MHz will commence upon deployment of the satellite and a half-duplex, spread spectrum radio on 2.4016-2.4776 GHz will be used for main payload downlink and telecommand uplink. The satellite has dimensions of 10 cm x 10 cm x 30 cm. Its mass is about 5 kg.
• The Wisconsin Wireless and NetworkinG Systems (WiNGS) Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, filed anapplication with exhibit for experimental license to test fixed point-to-point backhaul and vehicular networking on TV white spaces. Operation will be in the vicinity of Madison, Wisconsin on 174-216, 470-608, and 614-698 MHz. The platform to be used is called Wide Band Digital Radio. Its major function is to perform frequency translation from Wi-Fi frequencies in the 2.4 GHz range to UHF-TV frequencies.
• Lockheed Martin filed an application with exhibits for experimental license to conduct radiosonde factory acceptance testing as part of a government contract. During testing, the radiosondes are attached to a weather balloon and deployed from a Lockheed Martin facility in Marion, Massachusetts. The weather balloon can travel a ground distance of 250 km and reach a height of 30 km. The average duration of the deployment is 135 minutes. The expected number of deployments is about five per month. The radiosonde transmitter uses a monopole antenna that directs transmitted power towards the ground. Testing will take place on various frequencies between 400.25 and 405.5 MHz.
• Carlson Wireless filed an application with exhibit for special temporary authority to test white space radio technology in rural locations of Hawaii prior to database and device certification. This is to compare performance of white space radio propagation to that of WiMAX and 900 MHz radios in very dense tropical cover and in heavy rain conditions. Operation will be in Pahoa, Hawaii and in Keaau, Hawaii on 470-608 and 614-698 MHz.
• America’s Cup Event Authority, LLC filed an application withexhibit for special temporary authority to permit video production, and to coordinate operations and security for the Americas Cup World Series Sailboat Race in the vicinity of San Diego. Several frequency bands are requested including 470-476, 476-482, 482-488, and 506-512 MHz (i.e., television broadcast channels 14, 15, 16 and 20), television broadcast auxiliary frequencies for video production at 2025-2110 MHz, and amateur allocations at 2390-2400 MHz and 3300-3500 MHz.
• Robert Miller Consulting filed an application with exhibits for special temporary authority to operate on TV channel 44, 650-656 MHz, near Green Bay, Wisconsin to conduct research on the effects of wind turbines on over-the-air TV reception. In the view of the applicant, the “proliferation of wind turbine deployment and the associated history of television interference problems have prompted an urgent need for development of tools to assist in the placement of the turbines so as to minimize interference.” This exercise is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and there is the prospect of more funding for more exhaustive tests depending on initial test results.
• ShawnTech Communications filed an application with exhibits for special temporary authority to operate in Ridgeville, South Carolina on 851-869, 869.2-893.8, 869.70-893.31, 1930.2-1989.8, and 1931.25-1988.75 MHz. Details are not available due to a request for confidentiality. This appears to be a test of a managed-access cellular system for intercepting unauthorized phone calls from a prison. It further appears that a cellular operator gave its consent for the test.
• Boeing filed an application with exhibits for special temporary authority to test RFID tags that Boeing and commercial airlines use on various items aboard commercial aircraft. The device being used is certified for unlicensed use in Europe but not in the US. Goodyear, Arizona on 865-867 MHz.
• The South Coast Air Quality Management District filed andapplication with exhibits for experimental license to operate a wind-profiling radar, which depends on the scattering of transmitted signals by irregularities in the index of refraction of the atmosphere. The irregularities are caused by turbulence in the wind. By determining the Doppler frequency shift, the speed of the wind can be determined. Temperature data can be obtained by measuring the propagation velocity of an acoustic signal. The hardware involved will be a receiver/modulator, a final amplifier/preamplifier, a digital control and data processor, and an antenna system. These items were developed by NOAA and are fabricated by Vaisala, and will be owned and operated by the applicant, a government agency that manages air pollution control in the southern California counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino. The data collected will include hourly profiles of low-level winds between 100 and 5000 meters above ground level (m AGL) and “virtual temperatures” between 100 and 2500 m AGL. This data will be collected to improve meteorological analyses, as well as air quality forecasting and modeling in the South Coast Air Basin. Operation will be on 915 MHz at Irvine, California.
• Harris filed an application with exhibits for experimental license to test transmission and reception of voice and data from 1.35 GHz to 1.39 GHz at various distances and locations at its facility in Rochester, New York. Stationary and mobile tests will be performed to transmit voice and data in both urban and rural settings. Tests will replicate in-theater tactical communications. This testing is partly in support of U.S. government contracts. The tests will use the Harris AN/PRC 117G wideband tactical radio.
• BAE Systems filed an application with exhibit for special temporary authority to test next-generation “communication intelligence” for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Operation will be in Hudson, New Hampshire on 1626-1660 MHz.
• Orbital Sciences filed an application with exhibits for experimental license to operate from Persimmon Point, Virginia on 2222-2228, 2239-2243, 2258-2260, 2267-2271, 2286-2290, and 5764-5772 MHz. Orbital is under contract to NASA/Johnson Space Center to develop a commercial cargo transportation system for delivery of cargo to the International Space Station. The contract includes two demonstration flights of this system, and eight operational flights to the Station. The experimental operation is in support of various communications needs for these flights from NASA’s Wallop’s Flight Facility, including flight termination system uplink, multiple S-band telemetry data downlinks, a C-band radar system with transmit and receive, and a GPS uplink. 
• RF Film, Inc. filed an application for special temporary authority to provide wireless video transmission from film cameras during the production of “Spiderman 4” in Los Angeles. Operation will be on 2363-2371 and 2380-2388 MHz. Those frequencies are in a band normally used for aeronautical telemetry, but the applicant has consulted with the frequency coordinator for that band (AFTRCC), which approved their use on a non-interfering and temporary basis. (If then, why not other times for other purposes?)
• Google filed an application for special temporary authority to test a next-generation personal communications device it’s developing. It will test the functionality of “of all subsystems, including WiFi and Bluetooth radio. Users will connect their device to home WiFi networks. This line of testing will reveal real world engineering issues and reliability of networks. The device utilizes a standard WiFi module, and the planned testing is not directed at evaluating the radio frequency characteristics of the module (which are known), but rather at the throughput and stability of the home WiFi networks that will support the device, as well as the basic functionality of the device. From this testing we hope to modify the design in order to maximize product robustness and user experience. Utilizing the requested number of units will allow testing of real world network performance and its impact on applications running on the device, so that any problems can be discovered and addressed promptly. All devices will be used by and registered to specific individuals (all Google employees), and Google will maintain a record of each device, so that they can be easily recalled at any time during testing and when testing is complete. The devices will be tested at Google facilities and in and around the employees residences.” There will be 252 devices in the test, which will take place in Mountain View and Los Angeles, California; Cambridge, Massachusetts, and New York, New York on 2400-2483 MHz.
• AirScan filed an application with exhibits for experimental license to test “state‐of‐the‐art airborne surveillance and security operations for government and private service customers.” Transmissions will be from aircraft in the Titusville, Florida area on 2475.5 and 2458.5 MHz.
• Panoscan filed an application with exhibits for experimental license to test video transmission from a robot it’s developing for law enforcement inspection purposes. Operation is to be in Sylmar, California on 5725-5858 MHz. The transmitter is an Iftron Mondo Stinger 5.8 video transmitter. Apparently, prior work in development of the radio portion of the robot fell under Part 15 of the FCC’s Rules, and now it does not, necessitating the experimental license. Panoscan says it has a request pending before the Commission for waiver of Section 15.247 of its Rules to allow the use of digital modulation.
• GE Aviation filed an application and exhibits for special temporary authority to conduct outdoor testing of its HEET radar system, a “proprietary three-dimensional radar scanner for radar cross section measurements. This one of a kind scanner is currently in checkout phase. Eventually the system will be used on military bases.” Operation will be in Evendale, Ohio and in Peebles, Ohio on 6.5-18 GHz.
• Telephonics Corporation filed an application with exhibits for experimental license to operate in Huntington, New York on 8850 MHz. This to support testing of the ARSS-1 portable radar system. The radar operates on a single channel at a pulse repetition frequency of 5 kpps. The pulse width is 17.0 μS and the receive interval is 183 μS for a total repetition interval of 200 μS.
• Telephonics Corporation filed an application with exhibit for experimental license to conduct tests of its model RDR-1700Bmaritime surveillance and imaging radar, which the company describes as a multimode airborne search radar that uses pulse compression techniques to provide various search and imaging capabilities, using a programmable waveform generator that can generate different pulse widths, pulse repetitions, and modulation. The radar operates over the frequency band of 9.2 to 9.5 GHz. Using frequency agility the radar is continuously changing frequency thereby minimizing the number of undesired pulses being received by fixed-frequency marine and aviation weather radars. This testing is to improve the radar’s signal processing techniques for the purposes of improving the radars ability to search, detect and track multiple targets during over water surveillance as well as search and rescue and weather detection/avoidance capabilities. In addition, development of imaging techniques that provide the ability to identify the size and shape details of objects detected beyond visual ranges or bad weather conditions will also be part of the testing. Operation will be in the vicinity of Farmingdale, New York.
• The University of Nebraska – Omaha, filed an application andexhibits for special temporary authority to test repurposing ofFuruno marine radar to count aircraft at a non-controlled airport. Operation will be at the Council Bluffs, Iowa airport on 9410 MHz. The applicant says it wants to investigate marine radar in this application as a step toward creating a system to prevent aircraft collisions. The radar system in this experiment will include a stationary radar antenna linked to a 10 inch radar display that will transmit data to a computer, which will be programmed to count aircraft. The data being transmitted includes, among other things, the distance from the radar, the heading from the radar, and the heading of the aircraft.
• Tachyon Networks filed an application with exhibits for special temporary authority to test an 18” terminal mounted to a C-12 military aircraft. Communications will be with one of three Intelsat-owned, U.S. licensed satellite hubs. This is in support of a U.S. Army contract for communications in Afghanistan related to airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Operation will be centered on Middletown, Delaware on 14.0-14.5 GHz.
• Mokulele Research Corp. filed an application with exhibits for special temporary authority to test airborne mechanical tracking antenna performance. Mokulele will use millimeter-wave spectrum from a directional antenna on the ground pointed straight up. The airborne receiver antenna, installed inside the cabin of a small aircraft, will intercept the narrow beam, and immediately activate its reflector to the optimum angle in order to sustain strongest signal level, while the aircraft’s pitch and bank angles change. The aircraft will fly over the ground station between 8,000 and 18,000 feet AGL in tight circles of approximately 0.5 nautical mile diameter. The signal strength, optimized by the tracking antenna, will be recorded for later analysis. An airborne-antenna signal re-acquisition algorithm will also be evaluated. Operation will be on 46.75-46.95 GHz at Haleiwa, Hawaii.
• Honeywell filed an application with exhibits for special temporary authority to conduct flight testing using a developmental sensor to collect data on potential helicopter obstacles such as power lines and towers. The data collected will be used to learn about the detection criteria of such targets. Operation will be in Torrance, California; Phoenix, Arizona; and Everett, Washington on 92-94 GHz. The sensor antenna connects to a PC‐based data processing system used to operate the antenna, display, and capture results. The antenna radiates a 0.7 degree horizontal by 4.0 degree vertical beam. The modulation is a linear frequency modulation that utilizes up to a total of 1.0 GHz about a center frequency of 93.0 GHz (i.e., 92.5 GHz – 93.5 GHz). The bandwidth is swept repeatedly at a rate of 500 us per sweep.
• Raytheon Missile Systems filed an application with exhibit for special temporary authority to conduct tests on 94-96 GHz at Tucson, Arizona. “The current system under development is a directed energy device that uses directed radio signals. This application is being filed for the experimental development of a directed energy device to be exported that will use radio waves to achieve the mission.” (“Directed energy device” appears to be a euphemism for directed energy weapon.) “Because this technology is very new, there is a great deal to be learned still about how to effectively direct the radio energy while ensuring that there is no lasting harm.” Furthermore, “any personnel present will have volunteered to work on this technology.” The device to be tested will have an input power of 800 watts and an effective radiated power of 50 megawatts.

Elite Electronic Engineering filed an application for special temporary authority to conduct radiated radio-frequency susceptibility testing on a cotton harvesting machine. The testing is intended to determine the ability of the vehicle to operate safely in its electromagnetic environment without any change in state, function, or performance. Testing is to take place near Kimballton, Iowa on various frequencies in the 20 MHz – 2.5 GHz range. The tests are to be done outdoors because a sufficiently-large indoor shielded test chamber could not be found. Sirius XM Radio objects to the proposed tests out of concern for potential harmful interference to its operations.

Alcatel-Lucent filed an application and exhibits for experimental license to study white-space communications implemented using existing air interfaces such as LTE along with cognitive radio sensing and dynamic spectrum management overlays. The fixed and mobile equipment will utilize a software-defined wideband digital radio (WDR) from Rutgers WINLAB. Operation will be on various TV channels in the 174-698 MHz band around Murray Hill, New Jersey.

Carlson Wireless filed several applications for temporary TV white space operation, including in Cordova, Alaska to test the use of TV white space in supporting remote telephony connections. Operation will be in TV bands 174-216 MHz and 470-680 MHz.

Niitek, Inc. filed an application and exhibits for special temporary authority to test ground penetrating radar (GPR) in Dulles and Charlottesville, Virginia on 200-7,000 MHz. The radar uses ultra-wideband (UWB) technology. The GPR is for use in a landmine detection system that has been procured by the U.S. Army for use in the Middle East. A variety of shielding and power control measures will be used to reduce the potential for interference to other radio services.

Lilee Systems filed an application and exhibits for experimental license to test a positive train control system consisting of three components: locomotive radio, wayside radio, and base-station radio. The company is developing a product family supporting the positive train control effort mandated by the Federal Railroad Administration. Operation will be in New York, New York on 217-222 MHz.

Chevron USA filed an application and exhibit for special temporary authority to test an experimental fixed-link communications system connecting offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. In 2008, Chevron participated in FCC Auction No. 73 and was the high bidder for the 700 MHz band A (698-704/728-734MHz), B (704-710/734-740MHz), and E (722-728MHz) blocks covering the Gulf of Mexico.  The tests will be on 703.55-704.45 MHz and 733.55-734.45 MHz. The equipment that Chevron proposes to test has been certified internationally, but not for the lower 700 MHz band in the United States. If the tests are successful, the equipment manufacturer will seek certification from the FCC.  Chevron plans to use this equipment to enhance the capabilities of its point-to-multipoint WiMAX network and provide high-speed network connections to existing and future production platforms.

The Aerospace Corporation filed an application and exhibits for special temporary authority to operate a satellite link in support of research into the space application of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) components and related microelectronics technologies. The test includes a demonstration of principles of the physics of the low-earth-orbit space environment and its effects on MEMS microelectronics. The satellite weighs 11 pounds and its dimensions are 5x5x10 inches. It’s to be deployed during the last space shuttle mission, STS-135, which is now scheduled to launch July 12. The satellite has two radios for redundancy, both operating on 914.7 MHz, and both using an omni-directional patch antenna.

The Maryland Department of the Environment filed an application and exhibits for experimental license to use wind-profiling radar to study the transport of air pollutants such as ground-level ozone. The radar is a boundary-layer profiler, and depends on the scattering of a transmitted signal by irregularities in the index of refraction of the air caused by turbulent eddies in the wind. By receiving the scattered signal and determining the Doppler frequency, the speed of the wind can be determined. The radar consists of a vertically-looking antenna subsystem, a transmitter subsystem capable of unmodulated and phase-modulated pulses, a receiver subsystem, a signal processing subsystem performing target parameter extraction and identification, and a data processing/communication subsystem for charting, recording, and transmitting results.  Operation will be on 915 MHz at Cambridge, Maryland.

BAE Systems filed an application with exhibit for experimental license to operate on 1370-1390 MHz in Tucson, Arizona to test a new radio modem, transmitter, and receiver on the Silver Fox unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as part of a U.S. military project.

LightSquared filed an application and exhibits for special temporary authority to conduct testing to determine the effects of L-band LTE signals on GPS devices in a live field-test environment. The testing is an outgrowth of the requirements established in FCC Order DA 11-133 granting LightSquared, a Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) licensee in the L-Band, a conditional waiver of the Ancillary Terrestrial Component (ATC) “integrated service” rule. The requested frequency bands include 1526-1536 MHz and 1545.2-1555.2 MHz.

Qualcomm filed an application and exhibits for experimental license to test time-division duplex (TDD) technology in San Diego, California and Bridgewater, New Jersey. Operation will be on 1,915-1,920 MHz. A single fixed transmitter will be installed and operated at each location. Mobile units will operate within a 5 mile radius of the fixed sites.

Western DataCom filed an application and exhibit for special temporary authority to test the range and throughput of a UMTS cellular-based system mounted to an aerostat. Operation will be at South Boston, Virginia on 1972.5 MHz and 2162.5 MHz, with the antenna about 800 meters above ground.

Powerwave Technologies filed an application and exhibits for experimental license to operate a small network to test LTE picocell technology, including aspects related to handover, QoS, power control, and resource scheduling. The test will take place in Santa Ana, California on 1,710-1,755 MHz and 2,110-2,155 MHz.

ETS Technologies filed an application and exhibits for experimental license to test non-line-of-sight wireless backhaul technology for 4G systems. Operation will be in San Jose, California on 3,700-4,200 MHz.

Qualcomm filed an application and exhibit for experimental license to test IEEE 802.11p Dedicated Short Range Communications (DRSC) mobile devices in Bridgewater, New Jersey and New York, New York. Operation will be on 5,850-5,925 MHz. DRSC is a short-range communications service for roadside-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-vehicle links that are part of the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS).  Compared to 3G or 4G mobile broadband, DSRC acts as a complement with higher data rates and lower latency over a small area. In addition to the DRSC tests, Qualcomm will evaluate new proprietary OFDM technology operating within the same DRSC channel bandwidths.

Lockheed Martin filed an application and exhibits for special temporary authority to test enhancements to an existing AN/APY-12 modular Ground Moving Target Indication (GMTI)/Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). The enhancements are brought about by changes in operational requirements by the U.S. Army in Korea. This testing is required prior to integration and deployment of the radar system in an Airborne Reconnaissance Low (ARL) aircraft. The testing will involve detection and analysis of moving and fixed targets in open and urban settings. Testing will be on 9.297-9.903 GHz in Goodyear, Arizona and Hagerstown, Maryland.

Raytheon filed an application and exhibit for special temporary authority to conduct ground and airborne test and evaluation of design modifications and mode implementations to the APY-10 Radar. This product is for a direct commercial sale between Raytheon and Boeing, for a user in India. The modifications, required in part due to export restructions, reduce the accuracy of the radar by removing accumulated carrier phase measurement, removing 1 and 3 foot-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) capability, and limiting performance to meet 30 meter SAR geo-location accuracy. Operation will be within 200 miles of Sherman, Texas on 9.350-10.150 GHz.

Niitek, Inc. filed an application and exhibits for special temporary authority to test a ground radio link intended to enhance the capability of the company’s landmine detection system. The system has been procured by the U.S. Army for use in Afghanistan. The enhancements provide data communication between a primary landmine detection vehicle and a second route-clearance vehicle. Operation will be on 14.7145-15.1365 MHz and on 15.1900 MHz.

NAB – Shortages of Capacity, Not Spectrum

The NAB report is prepared by Uzoma Onyeije, a consultant who was once Broadband Legal Advisor to the Chief of the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. The main claims are that there is no need for an urgent and massive reallocation of spectrum, that there are numerous alternatives to spectrum that can boost network capacity, and that sources of spectrum other than TV are more readily available.

It starts by noting there wasn’t a “spectrum crisis” until the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which required the FCC to promote broadband access. The National Broadband Plan followed calling for 500 MHz of spectrum to be made available for broadband within 10 years, with 300 MHz of that for mobile within five years, and 120 MHz of that to come from television broadcasting. Seven months after concluding that 300 MHz was needed in the short term, the FCC released a Technical Paper intended to support the 300 MHz figure. In November I wrote on that Paper, pointing out several factors not considered that, had they been, would have acted to reduce the estimate of short-term spectrum requirements. Later, I questioned the appropriateness of the FCC relying on a forecast prepared by the marketing department of an equipment vendor, without critically and openly examining the assumptions that went into the forecast. Onyeije shares some of the concerns I had, and still do, with that Paper.

I expect the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act turned some spectrum wants into needs, but by all accounts mobile network data volumes are increasing significantly, fed by a volatile mixture of old flat-rate plans and new bandwidth-hungry devices, though the growth rate of those data volumes is decreasing. Getting additional spectrum is a natural option to consider for more capacity. Onyeije provides a list of non-spectrum options. Some have been mentioned here before – offloading to Wi-Fi and other technologies, adjusting rate plans so largest data users pay more, tighter software coding of applications and operating systems. I don’t think I’ve discussed channel bonding, which is a technique that uses non-contiguous spectrum – combining a sliver here and a sliver there. Support for this will be appearing in LTE-Advanced, going on the air in a few years. Backhaul is also something I haven’t focused on; how much of the current spectrum crunch is really due to backhaul bottlenecks?

Another capacity-increasing technique mentioned is sectorization – changing a non-directional transmission system to a directional one using two or more sectors at the same cell site. In the most congested urban areas in the US, antenna systems are generally configured with three sectors, with each sector 120 degrees wide. You don’t see many six-sector configurations, in which each sector is 60 degrees wide. Theoretically, that doubles capacity from the same tower. A long time ago there was more activity in six-sector antenna systems, but the sense then was it wasn’t too practical; you might end up with just a 70% capacity increase because of real-world issues such as imperfect antenna patterns. It was hard to justify the expense. These days, however, with better transmission technology, it should be looked at again. I note SK Telecom in Korea is deploying 500 six-sector sites, after good results with 20 test sites.

Onyeije looks at the spectrum warehousing issue. If an operator has spectrum that isn’t being used, but is on track to build it out, I’m fine if it is fallow for a year or so. Maybe longer if the delay is to wait for much more efficient transmission technology that is on track in the standards process. If it is just sitting there with no build-out requirement and no prospect for utilization, I’d think the operator’s investors would create pressure to sell it. If a spectrum holder has “no plans to sell, lease or use” its spectrum, to quote one in Onyeije’s report, I’m more concerned.

Aside from the warehousing issue, Onyeije identifies a few bands that have been languishing at the FCC for years and makes the point that, since they have been idle for so long, the spectrum crisis must not be so great. These are the AWS-3 spectrum at 2155-2175 MHz, H block spectrum at 1915-1920 MHz and 1995-2000 MHz and J block spectrum at 2020-2025 MHz and 2175-2180 MHz, 700 MHz D block at 758-763 MHz and 788-793 MHz. What’s the story there?

Onyeije suggests mandatory receiver standards. Receivers are already very good in mobile broadband because of vendor competition and the need to operate in a congested environment. Receiver design is proprietary and an important source of differentiation among vendors. I’d think continued improvement of receiver performance in the marketplace, in the long run, would achieve greater capacity benefit than imposed government standards.

The report calls on the FCC to complete and publicly release a comprehensive spectrum inventory, along the lines of the Snowe-Kerry RADIOS Act, which includes measurements. The FCC has made available several spectrum tools online, including LicenseView and the Spectrum Dashboard, which it says is its inventory. According to their disclaimers however, LicenseView “is not intended for analysis of spectrum utilization or spectrum holdings of licensees” and “the FCC makes no representations regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information maintained in the Spectrum Dashboard.” Regarding federal spectrum, I’d add that an inventory becomes more important in light of GAO’s report on NTIA processes that said “NTIA cannot ensure that spectrum is being used efficiently by federal agencies” in part because “NTIA’s data collection processes lack accuracy controls and do not provide assurance that data are being accurately reported by agencies.” Thus, “it is unclear whether important decisions regarding current and future spectrum needs are based on reliable data.”

CTIA , CEA, and WCAI dismiss the NAB report, saying it’s a stalling tactic and they know these things already. One of Onyeije’s points, however, is that it’s the Commission that needs to know these things, and fully investigate and quantify the impact of all capacity-generating alternatives. It has not. It tried with the Technical Report, but inadequately.

CTIA Establishes the Efficient Properties of Cellularization

The CTIA report is intended to demonstrate that US mobile wireless providers are “extremely efficient” in their use of spectrum. The report was prepared by Peter Rysavy, a consultant known in wireless circles for his series of technical reports, with many pertaining to spectrum, air-interface, and mobile device issues.

This report seems to be a response to an NAB claim, some time back, that broadcasting is a more efficient user of spectrum than wireless. I presume NAB’s claim is based on broadcasters’ DTV system transmitting about 19 Mbps in a 6 MHz bandwidth, while the wireless operators are sending about 10 Mbps in 10 MHz bandwidth. (So, TV has more bits per Hertz.) This is kind of an apples and oranges comparison, but the comparison has been made and we have this report in response. Having spent a lot of time in 3G and 4G standards battles, I have no doubt that those participating are trying wring out all the efficiency that is both possible and practical. Wireless standards groups sweat to get another tenth of a dB improvement. Of course, part of efficiency is an implementation issue and not covered by standards. I agree cellular services are more efficient at delivering unicast traffic. Broadcasters, however, can be more efficient in another way. The efficiency debate occurs in part because we have not agreed on a definition of efficiency. More on this below.

The CTIA paper starts with a section on spectral efficiency. It discusses its fundamental measures and technologies that have been used to continually improve it, including adaptive modulation and coding. (Rysavy says his list of technologies is not exhaustive, but to his list I’d add Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request as a key enabler.)

Rysavy observes that the industry’s technologies are operating close to the Shannon Bound, the theoretical limit on the spectrum efficiency that can be had for a given signal-to-noise ratio. Capacity improvements thus must come from advanced antenna techniques (such as MIMO) and topology evolution (e.g., adding picocells to a macrocell).

The report is hopeful on the prospects for Wi-Fi and femtocells to relieve traffic on the macro-cellular network. I’m somewhat more cautious on the potential of femtocells to relieve the capacity crunch.  For various reasons, including interference management, what I think may happen with femtocells is that they get pulled out of the home and put up in neighborhoods using existing structures for support. (The more-favorable pole-attachment rules recently adopted by the FCC are timely.) There are many small-cell trials underway but I haven’t seen much in the way of results.

Network evolution is discussed in a larger sense, focusing on developments in heterogeneous networks, but Rysavy says that’s not enough and that more spectrum is needed, too.

Back to the efficiency issue, the efficiency of cellular systems is compared to that of broadcast television. The point made is that if you take many small cells and place them within a larger area  covered by one transmitter (e.g., one for TV), the cellular system can deliver many times the unique bits in that area. This is true, if that is the definition of efficiency. Let’s look at it another way and compare the maximum number of users served by each scheme. As a best-case scenario, assume the cellular users are using a low-bit-rate application such as LTE VoIP. In 10 MHz we can support about 400 users. That times 3 sectors is 1,200 users per cell. That times 30 cells (as per the example in the paper) is 36,000 users that can be supported at once. In contrast, a TV  station covering the same area can support an unlimited number of users, albeit one-way, since it isn’t limited by uplink capacity nor MAC addresses. Is it a fair comparison? No. One is broadcasting and the other is cellular. Can’t cellular broadcast also? Yes, but to the extent it does the unique-bits argument becomes weaker. We can go around and around. The television example is used, along with other analysis in that section, in an attempt to persuade the reader that “cellular architectures represent a configuration that is capable of providing tremendous service capacity to its users.” I’m convinced, but I was before reading the report.

Rysavy depicts how voice minutes, message volume, and data volume have increased on cellular networks over the years. Yesm growth has been dramatic, but the growth rate is slowing.

Epilogue

Concurrent with this debate, ATSC is in the early stages of planning and developing the second DTV standard to replace the current one that’s been around for about 15 years. LTE specifications support broadcasting, which can be done in a cellular manner on the same frequency. Transmissions are synchronized so the terminal can combine energy from multiple sites. The broadcasters looked at cellularization a year ago assuming use of the current ATSC DTV standard, and rightly found it was not practical. It just wasn’t designed for that purpose. With the new LTE standards, it’s time to look at TV cellularization again but with LTE as a core technology. There could be a return path, inexpensive chips for receivers, and it might  be able to be done in less than 100 MHz, making over 200 MHz available for auction. With DTV, the broadcasters found significant deployment and operating costs with cellularization, but with LTE infrastructure would be shared; it remains to be determined if it’s a business. The technology is there; it just has to be architected by broadcasters and infrastructure vendors into suitable form.

UPDATE 5/20/2011

The FCC issued a Public Notice today seeking comment on using the 2 GHz bands identified as “languishing” by NAB. Some are listed above. 75 MHz total.

“AT&T is now burning through 10 MHz of spectrum every 10 months”,  “AT&T and TMobile [sic] are both facing impending spectrum exhaust challenges” Translation: Among all the many options for addressing increasing demand, including increased offloading, improved network technology, and raising rates, this acquisition has the highest value.

“Critical time — at the beginning of transition to LTE” A noteworthy time, anyway. Evolved 3G networks such as HSPA+ can exceed the performance of 4G LTE, depending on how both are deployed. HSPA+ actually has a pretty good evolution path. It’s nice to converge on one, and it will probably be LTE instead of HSPA+, but I’m not feeling any particular time pressure.

“AT&T Mobile Data Volumes Up 8,000% Over Four Years” You see figures like this from time to time, not often from engineers. I’d like to know more details behind it such as what exactly is meant by “data volumes” and where in the network the measurement comes from. When the marginal cost to the consumer of an additional bit of data is zero, I’m not surprised by big increases in utilization.

“8x–10x Volume Growth Over Next Five Years” At what point in the network? Is the capacity present to handle this once the deal is done? If not, how will this expected increase be handled? How much of this 8x-10x is offloaded to Wi-Fi or other technologies? How will capacity be constrained by backhaul, if at all?

“Results in an American company investing in America. LTE infrastructure enables U.S. high-tech industry, U.S. economy. Enables the next era of American innovation.” When I first read this quickly, I thought they were making a commitment to buy infrastructure equipment from US vendors. Reading it more carefully I see they’re not. Elsewhere  they note that “German-owned T-Mobile” is “the only major foreign-controlled U.S. telecom network” and it “becomes part of a U.S.-based company” after the deal goes through. Does “investing in America” include buying equipment from US-based companies only? If not, why bring up the Germans?

One slide, below, is intended to demonstrate that wireless prices declined 50% from 1999 to 2009, a period when carriers combined to achieve efficiencies. I wonder what the graph would have looked liked had these companies not combined.

Today most backhaul links are wireline; through 2015, the percentage of wireless versus wireline backhaul links is predicted to increase, with percentages about even by 2016. The number of backhaul links in wireless networks is predicted to increase from 300,000 in 2008 to 500,000 in 2015.

]]> http://stevencrowley.com/2010/02/17/backhaul-trends-higher-rates-more-wireless/feed/ 0