WASHINGTON-Prospects for the widespread development of ultra-wideband technologies were dealt a blow last week when the aviation community-associations representing both airlines and air travelers-expressed concern that UWB technologies will interfere with the global positioning system.
“We are extremely concerned about ultra-wideband as a potential safety problem: interference with GPS,” said Bill Sears, program manager, Air Traffic Technology and Applications, for the Air Transport Association of America. “We are highly suspect of a rule making or changes in that area until testing is very complete.
“All international long-range airplanes today are basically being equipped with GPS,” continued Sears. “Every new airliner in the world is being delivered with GPS … Interference with GPS is an extreme problem with us.”
UWB radio frequency technologies have long been recognized as the technology of choice for ground-penetrating radars, but it is being recognized the technology also has the potential to address a far wider range of radar, communications and positioning applications, according to the Ultra Wideband Working Group.
The aviation community expressed its concerns at a forum held by the Federal Communications Commission that discussed opportunities for new unlicensed wireless technologies.
How to deal with the UWB/GPS interference problem seems to have created a split in the UWB community.
Following Sears’ comments, Ralph Petroff, president and chief executive officer of Time Domain Inc., said the UWB community was working to ensure there is no interference.
On the other hand, Jim Lovette, director of critical strategies for Fantasma Networks Inc., said his company-created on Feb. 1-will not use GPS spectrum. “Fantasma is totally committed to not using the GPS frequencies,” Lovette said.
The concerns expressed by the aviation community were not new to the FCC, which is currently drafting proposed rules for the use of UWB technologies, said Rod Conway, an electronics engineer in the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology.
The FCC envisions releasing this notice of proposed rule making while testing for potential interference between UWB and GPS goes forward. Final rules allowing for the use of UWB would not be released until testing is complete, Conway later told RCR.
Conway does not know whether additional waivers would be necessary for this testing to go forward. Last year the FCC granted three waivers for UWB technologies.
FCC Commissioner Susan Ness told a UWB forum last September that the FCC should commence the NPRM and complete rules for using ultra-wideband wireless technologies before the end of this year.
The NPRM would be a continuation of work started by the FCC in 1998 when it initiated a notice of inquiry.
