Archive for the ‘Experimental’ Category

Straight Path files experimental application to support 39 GHz radio development

Friday, January 27th, 2017

Straight Path Ventures today filed an application and supporting exhibits for an experimental license to support the development of “radios that can support 5G fixed and mobile services in the 39 GHz band (38.4 – 40.0 GHz).” Straight Path Ventures is affiliated with Straight Path Spectrum, which recently agreed to pay a $100 million civil penalty in a consent decree with the FCC. Straight Path announced a demo of 39 GHz technology last October.

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Experimental authorizations mined

Friday, January 27th, 2017

As part of his master’s thesis, a student has scraped experimental license information from the FCC’s website, constructed a database, and mined it for the years 2007 to 2016. Pedro J. Bustamante, provide a summary of experimental activity focussing on the years 2007-2016.

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Google files with FCC for nationwide airborne millimeter-wave testing

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2015

On November 24 Google filed an application with the FCC for a two-year experimental license to conduct nationwide testing in the 71-76 and 81-86 GHz millimeter-wave bands. The application consists of a form and supporting exhibit. As is usual with Google, the version of the exhibit made available to the public is redacted, but there’s enough there to infer that that this involves high-altitude airborne testing – perhaps connected to Project Loon or to solar-powered drones emerging from Google’s Titan Aerospace acquisition.

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Google files to test millimeter-wave data with airborne terminals

Thursday, September 25th, 2014

Google has applied to the FCC to conduct “airborne” testing of data over millimeter-wave frequencies in Northern Nevada. I saw the frequencies and thought this was another test of millimeter-wave radar for automatic cruise control; Google has applied to test that several times since 2011. The emission designators for the current transmissions, however, contain the symbols D1D; that’s data, not radar. An application to the FCC to test millimeter-wave data is a first for Google.

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Google files “confidential” application with FCC for drone tests in New Mexico

Monday, September 15th, 2014

Google has filed an application with the FCC to conduct drone tests in New Mexico. The company has sought confidential treatment of its application form and exhibits. All we have to go by now is one exhibit that’s been redacted for public consumption. Google provides some detail, and we can try to infer some more.

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Google files with FCC for what might be connected-car experiment

Friday, March 14th, 2014

Update March 27, 2014: A few days after this application was filed, it was apparently withdrawn. The links below to the application form and exhibits no longer work, and I see no trace of the application. The essential application information is still in my original post below. I don’t know why the application was withdrawn. The application was apparently prepared by an engineer based at a Google office in Seattle. To me, it seemed incomplete in some aspects. Usually, such applications are prepared by Google’s attorneys; I speculate this caught the attorneys unaware, they didn’t like it, and they pulled the application for their review. Look for it to be recast and filed again. 

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Google yesterday filed an application with the FCC for an experimental radio license that apparently involves connected-car technology. No specific location for the experiment is indicated; it’s to take place in the “Seattle and San Francisco areas.” A total of 10,000 transmitting units are involved, with 5,000 being custom experimental devices manufactured by Google, and 5,000 consisting of off-the-shelf CSR CSR8311 Bluetooth ICs, which the manufacturer describes as the “first Wideband Speech IC qualified for the automotive market” and “the first Bluetooth low energy IC ready for automotive use.” I speculate the IC will be used in combination with the Google device, for a total of 5,000 experimental radio systems. There’s only one frequency band (2402-2480 MHz) and one emission designator (1M00F1D) specified in the application; these parameters are consistent with Bluetooth, so the custom Google transmitter would seem to have Bluetooth-like emissions.

Supporting exhibits are usually filed with experimental applications. Google has done so, but designated them “not available,” presumably invoking confidentiality provisions of the FCC’s Rules. It’s standard FCC practice to have the applicant make the confidentiality request visible to the public. Google has not. Furthermore, from the exhibit descriptions, it appears Google has not even filed a confidentiality request. I expect the FCC to ask Google to do so and to make it public. If there are updates to this application, I’ll update this post.

 

Google files confidential experimental radio application at the FCC (updated)

Thursday, January 23rd, 2014

On January 22 Google filed an experimental radio application at the FCC. The company has requested confidential treatment of the application, so significant portions aren’t publicly available.

As part of the filing, Google filed a request for confidentiality, which is public. It contains a few technical details. Two separate transmitter types are identified, both operating at low power in the range 76-77 GHz, and using FM and BPSK modulation. The 76-77 GHz band is used for short-range vehicular radar and, knowing Google’s interest in vehicles, it’s reasonable to assume that is what the experiment involves.

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LightSquared requests extension of experimental authority

Friday, July 12th, 2013

LightSquared has asked the FCC for extension of experimental authority to conducts tests in support of a proposed frequency swap, saying it needs more time.

In March, I wrote about the original request for this experiment. That authority expires July 20. On the new application form, LightSquared says it expects experimental operation to be completed by September 30, 2013.

The form is accompanied by a supporting exhibit, similar to the first, but with LightSquared taking the opportunity to “clarify” a few points:

  • When LightSquared says “continental United States,” it includes Alaska
  • LightSquared emphasizes that its cooperation with federal agencies extends to NOAA
  • Having had some coordination discussions with federal agencies,  LightSquared says it won’t conduct experimental operation at certain specified locations, but will at others if they are acceptable to the FCC, NTIA, and NOAA.

Rearden discloses more experimental details at FCC’s request, plans to use Clearwire spectrum

Friday, June 21st, 2013

Rearden LLC filed an application for experimental license with the FCC on May 24. That caught my eye as as it’s the same company that created a splash in 2011 with its announcement of Distributed-Input-Distributed-Output (DIDO) wireless technology, said to achieve capacity 1000-times the Shannon Limit with sub-millisecond latency. The company issued a white paper authored by company president Steve Perlman and the company’s principal scientist Antonio Forenza, but it didn’t have a lot of details for an engineer. DIDO seemed to be a form of network MIMO, whereby each user is served by all base stations in its vicinity through a complex coordination process. (Various forms of network MIMO will be appearing in successive releases of 3GPP’s LTE Advanced specifications.) Aside from the white paper, there are patents that supported the notion of DIDO as network MIMO.

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FCC conditionally approves Google’s ‘confidential’ Mountain View radio experiment

Thursday, March 28th, 2013

Today the FCC granted Google’s application to conduct a radio experiment in Mountain View, California. When I looked at the application in January, I noted Google withheld some information it felt was confidential, and I took a crack at trying to figure out what was going on based on available information. A couple of days later, the FCC asked Google to provide additional information, and Google responded. Then things sat with no apparent activity for a couple of months.

The experimental license issued today gives Google the authority it sought: use of the 2524-2546 MHz and 2567-2625 MHz bands. In January I noted those bands might be used by Clearwire. In January the FCC asked Google if it had consent from the license holder. Google responded that it “understands that a grant will be conditioned on coordination with affected licensees, and is engaged in discussions to satisfy that obligation.”

Apparently Google hasn’t furnished such consent to the FCC, as the experimental license contains the following “special condition:”

Prior to operation, licensee must successfully coordinate with existing and future Broadband Radio Service/Educational Broadband Service (BRS/EBS) licensees or lessees (as applicable).

So, the FCC is relying on the honor system, which isn’t unusual for experimental authorizations.

Jarvinian files second experimental application for Globalstar/Wi-Fi tests

Sunday, March 10th, 2013

Last month I wrote about the Jarvinian Wireless Investment Fund and its application to the FCC to test its proposed terrestrial low-power service (TLPS). TLPS would use both the upper 2.4 GHz unlicensed band and Globalstar’s terrestrial-use spectrum (2473-2495 MHz all in all). That test would take place in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Jarvinian is back with a second application, similar to the first, but with testing taking place at three locations in Silicon Valley (Sunnyvale and Cupertino, California). The supporting technical exhibit appears essentially the same. Different is the equipment to be used. The Cambridge application specified 50 Linksys WRT54GL access points, 10 Ubiquity UniFi access points, 10 Ubiquity XR2 client cards, and 10 Ubiquity SR-71-12 client cards. The Silicon Valley application specifies 10 TP-LINK TL-WA5110G access points,  20 TP-LINK TL-WR1043ND access points, and 20 Ubiquity SR-71-12 client cards.

This application was received by the FCC on March 6. The Cambridge application was received February 13 and is still pending.

LightSquared requests FCC permission to conduct tests in support of a frequency swap

Friday, March 8th, 2013

LightSquared has asked the FCC for special temporary authority to conduct four months of tests in support of a potential frequency move. The application, and accompanying exhibit, were received by the FCC on March 5.

As background, to help resolve GPS interference concerns, LightSquared has proposed to conduct a portion of its terrestrial operations in 1670-1680 MHz instead of 1545-1555 MHz. It currently has authority to use half that, 1670-1675 MHz. The 1675-1680 MHz portion, however, is currently allocated for use by meteorological aids such as radiosondes and satellites. The company wants to conduct tests to see if its base stations would be compatible with other services in the 1675-1680 MHz band. A big concern is the radiosondes. Another part of the testing is determining if the radiosondes would be compatible with other services in the 400.15-406 MHz band, if they need to move there to accommodate LightSquared’s needs in 1675-1680 MHz. If a move is needed, the tests would help determine the costs of such a move, and “inform an eventual determination of an appropriate vehicle for meeting these costs” (i.e., who pays).

LightSquared asks to conduct tests across the continental United States. All transmitters would be coordinated with the FCC and NTIA, as needed.

 

Group files at FCC to send messages toward planets outside the solar system

Friday, March 1st, 2013

A group launching a search for extraterrestrial intelligence awaits approval of an application it’s filed at the FCC for an experimental radio license. Such searches generally focus on seeking evidence of other life based on what’s received. This one is sending messages. More specifically, “project objectives include the establishment of a communications link capable of being received” at planet outside the solar system.

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Wireless investment fund seeks FCC authority to test Globalstar’s proposed terrestrial low-power service

Thursday, February 14th, 2013

Yesterday the FCC received an application for experimental radio license from the Jarvinian Wireless Innovation Fund. Among other activities, the fund is working with Globalstar in its effort to establish a so-called terrestrial low-power service (TLPS).  Globalstar petitioned the FCC to create such a service last November. The idea is to take the upper 2.4 GHz unlicensed band that isn’t now available for Wi-Fi, combine it Globalstar’s terrestrial-use spectrum, and create a new service operating on 2473-2495 MHz. This corresponds to IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) channel 14, which can’t be used in the U.S. as it overlaps with Globalstar’s spectrum. Unlike Wi-Fi, TLPS would be managed to control interference.

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Google responds to FCC request for more info about experimental radio project

Saturday, January 26th, 2013

In my post about Google’s latest experimental radio application, I observed it seemed incomplete. Yesterday, the FCC sent Google, through its attorney, an email asking for the missing information:

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