Wireless heavyweights argue AWS-3 will cause interference

Industry engineers have attacked government testing underlying Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin’s auction plan for free wireless broadband service throughout the country, warning that going forward risks interference to mobile-phone services provided by companies that paid billions of dollars for licenses two years.
“Our preliminary review reveals that the OET [Office of Engineering and Technology] analysis is flawed in a number of critical aspects and therefore should be reconsidered,” stated engineers from leading wireless carriers and manufacturers in an FCC filing. “When generally accepted engineering practices are utilized, it is clear that AWS-3 operations under the commission’s proposed technical limits will cause significant and frequent harmful interference to millions of American consumers.”
Martin is anxious to approve final rules for the advanced wireless services-3 band – 2155-2180 MHz -before the end of the year. OET recently said its testing concluded Martin’s AWS-3 proposal would not cause disruptions to cellphone service provide by T-Mobile USA Inc. and others that bought nearly 1,100 licenses at the AWS-1 (2110-2155 MHz) auction in 2006.
“With quality of mobile wireless service to so many consumers at risk, the commission should not move forward with the proposed rules and instead should develop technical rules for the AWS-3 band that protect AWS-1 and MSS [mobile satellite service] licensees from interference while maximizing the utility of AWS-3 spectrum for next generation mobile wireless services,” industry engineers told the FCC’s Martin.
Among the engineers who signed the letter are from AT&T Inc., Comcast Corp., association CTIA, Ericsson Inc., Motorola Inc., Nokia Inc., Nortel Networks, Qualcomm Inc., T-Mobile USA Inc. and U.S. Cellular.
Silicon Valley-funded startup, M2Z Networks Inc., is the leading proponent of Martin’s free wireless broadband initiative.