Released:  11/22/2006.  PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY BUREAU ACTION. (DA No.  06-2365). (Dkt No 02-378)  Approval of Region 41 (Utah) 700 MHz Regional Plan.  PSHSB

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 Released:  11/22/2006.  PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY BUREAU ACTION. (DA No.  06-2364). (Dkt No 02-378)  Approval of Region 3

(Arizona) 700 MHz Regional Plan.  PSHSB

<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-2364A1.doc>

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 Released:  11/22/2006.  PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY BUREAU ACTION. (DA No.  06-2362). (Dkt No 92-268)  COMMENTS INVITED ON REGION 27 (NEVADA) 800 MHz REGIONAL PLANNING COMMITTEE PUBLIC SAFETY PLAN AMENDMENT. Comments Due:  12/22/2006. Reply Comments Due:  01/08/2007.

PSHSB

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 Released:  11/22/2006.  PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY BUREAU

ACTION:  COMMENTS INVITED ON REGION 40 (NORTHERN TEXAS) 700 MHZ REGIONAL PLANNING COMMITTEE PROPOSED PUBLIC SAFETY PLAN. (DA No.  06-2361). (Dkt No 02-378). Comments Due:  12/22/2006. Reply Comments Due:  01/08/2007.

PSHSB. Contact:  Jeannie Benfaida (202) 418-7233

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Wireless Communications Association International

1333 H St. NW, Suite 700-W, Washington, DC  20005

Ph. 202-452-7823          fx. 202-452-0041

Sept. 28, 2006

TO:                  WCA Members                                                                                         PAGES:  6

FROM:             Andrew Kreig

WCA WEEKLY BULLETIN

Sections Below:

            General News

                North American Regulatory News

            Standards & Certification

            International Focus

            Lower Frequency Licensed

            Millimeter Wave, FSO & Gigabit

            Public Safety, Homeland Security, Municipal Wireless & Enterprise

            White Papers, Analyst Reports & Press Clips

            Deals, Deployments & Marketing Strategies

            Rural Broadband

            Upcoming Events

Member News

Study Urges Major Reforms In International Bodies To Promote Security

Major revisions in U.S. strategic thinking involving multinational organizations such as the United Nations are necessary to improve security, according to an ambitious new study unveiled Wednesday in Washington, DC.  The Princeton Project on National Security released its recommendations entitled “Forging A World Of Liberty Under Law” drawing on two years of study with input from 400 experts in such relevant fields as diplomacy, finance and academia.  Suggestions included new ways of fostering democratic practices and “rethinking the role of force” to emphasize strategies for deterrence.  The bipartisan recommendations for institutional reform included expanding the UN Security council to include India, Japan, Brazil, Germany and two African states.  Another was to create a new “Concert of Democracies” as a new institution to strengthen security cooperation among the world’s liberal democracies.  Endorsing the need for such changes were two U.S. Senators prominent in international affairs, Democrat from Delaware Joseph Biden and Nebraska Republican Charles Hagel.  I attended the 200-person conference on behalf of WCA, accompanied by CINTECH-US President/CEO Arno J. Kosko, who chairs WCA’s committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security.  The conference was opened by Anne-Marie Slaughter, co-director of the Princeton Project and dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.  Co-sponsor of the conference program was the New America Foundation, whose American Strategy Program Director Steven Clemons helped lead a thought-provoking discussion.  The two dozen speakers included top executives from such diverse institutions as the Carlyle Group and RAND Crop., and the legal advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State who helped provide that office’s input on national security legislation pending before Congress this week.  See also Quotation of the Week below.

WCA Briefing Line-up Confirmed For Oct. 4

Ali Tabassi, the vice president for technology development for Sprint Nextel, will be the opening keynote speaker for WCA’s Carrier & Enterprise Leadership Briefing at 10 a.m. next Wednesday in Reston, Virginia.  His address is entitled, “Sprint’s Next Generation Network: Realizing the Internet Everywhere Vision.”  A leading provider of mobility services, Sprint Nextel is forging new ground with a wireless broadband strategy destined to make Digital Life simple, instant and enriching.  The company plans to enable visually-rich content and bandwidth-intensive applications on a diverse array of portable and consumer electronic devices.  Business, governments and consumers will be able to access multi-media content on innovative devices using Sprint's forthcoming mobile WiMAX network.  Invitations to the Briefing are being extended to leaders on WCA’s committees, Briefing sponsors, and significant prospective purchasers of Next Generation equipment who are active within WCA, plus key members of the media and financial community.  Major sponsors are Sprint Nextel, Clearwire, Motorola, Nextlink Communications and Wilkinson Barker Knauer.  Further information about the event, including sponsorships, is available on WCA’s website: Agenda, etc.

FCC Launches Public Safety And Homeland Security Bureau

The FCC this week announced the launch of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau responsible for the combined public safety-related functions that were previously dispersed among the other bureaus and offices.  With FCC’s Ken Moran as acting chief, the bureau has a staff of 90 reassigned from elsewhere at the FCC.  It is organized into three divisions: Policy, Public Communications Outreach & Operations, and Communications Systems Analysis.  Details.  “One of the bureau’s primary functions is develop and implement communications policies that enhance public safety, including addressing the spectrum needs of the public safety community,” said FCC Chairman Kevin Martin in a statement.  “To that end, the bureau will assume responsibility for completing the 800 MHz re-banding process and resolving any related interference issues. The bureau will also serve as an informational clearinghouse for public safety and emergency response issues,” he said.  “It will work to ensure robust and reliable communications services by reaching out to stakeholders in order to encourage best practices, develop preparedness plans, and promote network reliability. And in times of emergency the bureau will lead the Commission’s efforts to expedite relief and ensure that communications in effected areas are quickly restored.”  Also this week, the FCC released the order adopted in March that formed the Bureau.

North American Regulatory News

WCA Live! To Examine Wireless Public Safety On Sept. 29

Cutting-edge wireless innovations for first responders providing public safety services will be discussed in the Sept. 29 edition of WCA Live! – the weekly webcast radio series produced by WCA. This week’s guests for the show being broadcast at 2 p.m. (ET) Friday will be: Rick Rotundo, Director of Marketing, Mesh Networks, Motorola; John T. Von Harz, Vice President, Fixed Wireless, MobilePro/NeoReach & Chairman, WCA Municipal Wireless Subcommittee.  I co-host the show with My Technology Lawyer Radio Producer Scott Draughon.  Listeners can call-in with questions at 866-685-7469, or send emails to radio@....  The radio show will be available at http://easylink.playstream.com/winlive/mtlradio.asx, and archived versions will be posted at the following link:  Click here for Past Shows.

FCC Chairman Renomination On Hold

            The renomination of FCC Chairman Kevin Martin for another term has been delayed after an anonymous hold was placed on it in the Senate, according to trade press reports.  “We hope to get it cleared here in these next few days,” Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) told reporters Wednesday.  He said the objection came from a Republican but didn’t provide details.

FCC Chairman Recommends Approval Of AT&T-BellSouth Merger

            FCC Chairman Kevin Martin last week began circulating a proposed order recommending approval of a merger between WCA members BellSouth and AT&T without conditions, according to Communications Daily.  The final vote on the deal could be scheduled at the Commission’s Oct. 12 meeting, the publication said….Meanwhile, Stifel Nicolaus said in report it believed the merger was likely to be approved by both the Department of Justice and the FCC this fall “with conditions that are similar to the ones adopted last year in the SBC-AT&T and Verizon-MCI deals.”

U.S. Court of Appeals Issues Decision On Historic Review And Wireless Towers

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit this week denied CTIA’s petition for review of the FCC’s order adopting the Nationwide Programmatic Agreement (NPA) governing historic review for new wireless towers (the “NPA Order”).  CTIA had argued that wireless towers constructed pursuant to the FCC’s permissive construction rules were exempt from historic review under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.  The Court’s denial of CTIA’s appeal means that wireless towers constructed under the FCC’s permissive construction rules will remain subject to historic review.  WCA Counsel Paul Sinderbrand circulated an analysis of the decision and its implications among appropriate WCA committees.

Standards & Certification

IEEE To Close Nominations Sept. 29 For 802.20 Leadership Positions As Qualcomm Comments

The joint search committee for the IEEE-SA Standards Board and the 802 Executive Committee is accepting nominations for the four top leadership positions of the 802.20 Mobile Broadband Wireless Access Working Group following suspension of the group’s activities last spring after allegations of voting irregularities.  The deadline is close of business Sept. 29 for nominations for chair, vice-chair, liaison vice-chair and recording secretary.  The new elections follow complaints by some members of the group (including employees of Intel and Motorola) that former chairman Jerry Upton’s work as a consultant to Qualcomm was creating bias in voting procedures.  Meanwhile, Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs criticized the IEEE standards process in an interview this week with Communications Daily that the newsletter featured as its lead article today.  He was quoted as saying that the IEEE process is unduly affected by advocacy by major companies.  “It’s not just 802.20, but 802.11n isn’t work….UWB [Ultra-Wideband] didn’t work,” he said, saying that other standards bodies would gain ascendancy if IEEE does not improve its processes.  Defenders of IEEE have maintained that its voting system focuses on individual voters and not companies in order to reduce self-interest as a factor in the process.

WiMAX Forum PlugFest Showcases Interoperability Among Mobile WiMAX Products

The WiMAX Forum has brought 21 members of the equipment development and operator communities together for the first public mobile WiMAX Forum PlugFest, an interoperability showcase hosted by Bechtel Telecommunications at its Training, Demonstration, and Research (TDR) Laboratory in Frederick, Maryland. The PlugFest kicked off Sept. 24, 2006 and will conclude Oct. 1.  Bechtel CTO and Principal Vice President J.S. “Jake” MacLeod will discuss the interoperability testing results at the WCA Carrier & Enterprise Leadership Briefing next week.   

International Focus

India Decides On Auction Process For 3G Spectrum

India’s Regulatory Authority announced its recommendation that 3G spectrum be auctioned, with preferences for the five major mobile operators already in the market: Bharti, Hutch, Reliance, Tatas and government-controlled BSNL.  The licenses are for bands at 450 MHz, 800 MHz and 2.1 GHz.  India’s Department of Telecommunications will review the recommendations.  Dayanidhi Maran, India’s minister of communications, has predicted that 3G services will launch in India by the end of next year.  India awarded spectrum in the 2 GHz band to BSNL, Bharti Airtel and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam in early September to conduct 3G tests.  Most mobile operators besides Reliance and Tata use GSM technology, which was government-mandated before telecom regulations were revised in 1999.

WCA Holds Meeting To Foster Market Opportunities In Brazil

This week I met with a Brazil-based senior U.S. Department of Commerce executive to discuss additional ways whereby the association and the department could work cooperatively to expand market opportunities in Brazil for WCA member companies.  My meeting was with Minister Counsel for Commercial Affairs John A. Harris, who was enthusiastic about WCA’s role in expanding the capabilities of broadband wireless to meet market demand in Brazil.  WCA continues to make significant upgrades to the new WCA Brazil Website as an authoritative portal for Brazil’s broadband wireless market.  Similar sites are under development for additional hot markets around the world.  Those WCA member companies with relevant materials about Korea and the Russian Federation should submit them shortly to Communications Director Susan Polyakova. 

Lower Frequency Licensed

WCA 2.5 GHz Global Development Committee Schedules Next Conference Call For Tuesday

The WCA’s 2.5 GHz Global Development Committee (GDC) launched at WCA 2006 in June will hold its next conference call at 2 p.m. (EDT) on Tuesday, Oct. 3 to address key issues affecting the 2.5 GHz band worldwide.  GDC is a unique new body within WCA that will promote global interoperability and spectrum harmonization in the 2.5-2.6 GHz band.  The committee is comprised of the major licensees and service providers for advanced broadband services worldwide in the 2.5 and 2.6 GHz bands that are variously known as MMDS, MCS, EBS or BRS.  The committee is open to WCA member companies with licensees in the relevant band, but will later be working also with suppliers on a task-focused targeted basis.  For more information, contact WCA liaison Susan Polyakova (susan@...).

Millimeter Wave, FSO & Gigabit

10 GHz Providers Face Potential Threat From NTIA Letter To FCC To Boost Satellite Service

Proponents of the Earth Exploration Satellite Service (EESS) are seeking to expand their rights at next year’s World Radio Conference 2007 (WRC 07) to the potential detriment of terrestrial wireless providers in the 10.6 GHz band that is used increasingly for short-haul applications, including cellular backhaul in urban areas.  The NTIA within the U.S. Department of Commerce suggested (the proceeding is RM-11341) that the maximum power into the antenna be reduced from -3 dBW to -10 dBW in the 10.6 GHz band.  This would improve the position of the EESS, which shares the band on a co-primary basis with land-based providers.  This matter is being tracked by WCA in cooperation with the Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition (FWCC), which I co-chair with Mitchell Lazarus of Fletcher Heald & Hildreth, who brought this matter to the FWCC’s attention.  One expert in terrestrial wireless uses has provided a preliminary opinion that the proposed rules gravely threaten terrestrial providers and their customers.  Another suggests that the proposal would make it more difficult to use smaller, two-foot antennas recently introduced by land-based providers in a proceeding initiated by WCA member FiberTower.  WCA is tracking this primarily through the FWCC, which welcomes new members either via its website FWCC Website.  The FWCC plans a reply by Oct. 3.  Interested members may also volunteer input via WCA’s Engineering Committee. 

GigaBeam Receives Order For Department Of Defense

            GigaBeam said it received a purchase order for three wireless fiber links from WirelessGuys, Inc., a system integration partner, to support a program they are working on with the Department of Defense (DoD).  Details.

Public Safety, Homeland Security, Municipal Wireless & Enterprise

FCC To Seek Comment On Cyren Call’s Public Safety Spectrum Plan Proposal

            The FCC will seek comment on the Cyren Call proposal to license 30 MHz of contiguous spectrum in the 700 MHz band for public safety use and for the creation and use of a national broadband network, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said.  But he noted, “Congress has directed the Commission to auction some of the spectrum at issue in the proposal.  So – absent further Congressional action – the Commission may be unable to take any further action on the petition.”  The proposal submitted by Cyren Call Chairman Morgan O’Brien to the FCC this spring already has support of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International (APCO) and other public safety groups.  

White Papers, Analyst Reports & Press Clips

FCC Concludes There Is Effective Competition In CMRS Marketplace

The FCC concluded in its annual report to Congress adopted this week that there is effective competition in the mobile telephone industry despite the sector’s consolidation.  During 2005, the report said, the number of mobile telephone subscribers in the U.S. rose from 184.7 million to 213 million, increasing the nationwide penetration rate to about 71%.  The amount of time mobile subscribers spend talking and texting on their mobile phones has also increased  and the volume of text message traffic grew to 48.7 billion messages in the second half of 2005, nearly double the 24.7 billion messages in the same period of 2004.  Revenue per minute fell 22% during 2005 from $0.09 in 2004 to $0.07.  The quality of mobile telephone service improved in the past year.  Details.

Consumer Electronics To Become The New Growth Market For Wi-Fi

The total number of Wi-Fi-enabled consumer electronics devices will grow from just 40 million shipped in 2006 to nearly 249 million in 2011, according to ABI Research.  The development of a market for Wi-Fi-enabled consumer electronics has been hampered by technology limitations such as power consumption, but it has also been delayed by consumer electronics vendors’ hesitation as they waited to see what would happen with 802.11n, the report said.  With the 802.11n standard set to be ratified in a little over a year, the Wi-Fi Alliance’s decision to certify solutions based on a draft 2.0 for 802.11n, and vendors’ intentions to release products based on the current Wi-Fi protocols, this market is set for growth, it said….In other news, reporter Bob Brewin published an article in Federal Computer Week describing use of spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band being used by Northrop Grumman as moves to next stages in implementing a $500 million contract to build a public safety communications system serving New York City.

Deals, Deployments & Marketing Strategies

Round Up

Proxim Wireless said its broadband wireless access products and point-to-point wireless Ethernet bridges have been deployed in 12 New Mexico cities as part of the State’s wireless initiative….VCom received conditional approval for its edge decoder from another major multiple service operator (MSO) in the U.S….Alvarion said its WiMAX system streams multimedia content to multiple WiMAX devices using 802.16e technology….GigaBeam sold 11 wireless fiber links to a WiLEC (Wireless Local Exchange Carrier) company in the western U.S….New Zealand’s CallPlus selected Alvarion/Siemens for a WiMAX network launch….More recent announcements can be found in WCA Member Press Releases. 

Rural Broadband

FCC’s Pilot Program To Help Bring Broadband Health Care Services To Rural Areas

The FCC established a pilot program to help health care providers build state and region-wide broadband networks dedicated to the provision of health care services, and connect those networks to Internet2, a dedicated nationwide backbone.  The construction of such networks will bring the benefits of telemedicine services to underserved parts of the country, especially rural areas.  The pilot program will fund up to 85% of the expenses.  Details.

Upcoming Events & Conference Calls

Below is an update on upcoming events endorsed by WCA:

-- WCA Carrier & Enterprise Leadership Briefing, Oct. 4, 2006, Reston, VA

-- WCA Global Expo & Business Symposium, Jan. 16-19, 2007, Fairmont Hotel, San Jose, CA

-- WCA 2007, June 11-14, 2007, Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC

WCA Committee Conference Call Calendar (All Times Eastern, U.S.)

• 2.5-2.6 GHz Global Development Committee, Oct. 3.  Co-Chairmen: Tajit Mehta, Sprint Nextel and José Luiz N. Frauendorf, NEOTEC/TVA

WCA Member News

WCA received the following membership applications:

-- NERA ASA headquartered in Bergen, Norway is one of the world's leading companies in the field of wireless telecommunications using microwave and satellite technology.  The company has offices in 26 countries and more than 1,500 employees around the world.  WCA Contact: Senior Director, Business Development Thomas E. Kilgo, who plans to attend WCA’s Oct. 4 Briefing in Reston.  Email: tkilgo@....  Website: www.neraworld.com.

WCA Quotation of the Week:

“The system of international institutions that the United States and its allies built after World War II and steadily expanded over the course of the Cold War is broken.  Every major institution – the United Nations (U.N.) the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) – and countless small ones face calls for major reform.”

-- Final Report, “Forging A World of Liberty Under Law,” The Princeton Project