800 MHz Rebanding Continues to March Forward

 

By Lindsay A. Gross

           

The 800 MHz band reconfiguration program continued to move forward in 2009 with nearly half of Stage 2 retunes complete, said David Buchanan with the 800 MHz Transition Administrator (TA) during a March 30 webinar on the 800 MHz transition. According to the TA’s quarterly progress report released March 25 for the fourth quarter ending Dec. 31, 2009, a total of 218 frequency reconfiguration agreements (FRAs) were negotiated and submitted to the TA in 2009 for nonborder and Canadian border licensees in Stages 1 and 2. Nonborder and Canadian border licensees in Stages 1 and 2 completed 183 FRAs for their physical retunes in 2009.

 

During the past year, nonborder Stage 2 licensees and Sprint Nextel completed negotiations on and submitted to the TA 89 FRAs. This raised the percentage of FRAs submitted to the TA from 83 percent as of Dec. 31, 2008, to 93 percent as of Dec. 31, 2009. The main activities for nonborder Stage 2 licensees are occurring in the implementation phase. Nonborder Stage 2 licensees retuned, reflashed or replaced about 435,000 radios (first touches) in 2009, with the total number at 790,000 radios with first touches) by the end of the fourth quarter. Nonborder Stage 2 licensees completed 127 FRAs for their physical retunes, increasing the percentage of FRAs with physical retune complete from 34 percent to 49 percent during the past year. In addition, licensees are proceeding with closing activities, and there were 99 FRA completion certifications for nonborder Stage 2 FRAs submitted to the TA in 2009, increasing the total of certifications submitted to 24 percent.

 

The reconfiguration of nonborder Stage 2 licensees continued to proceed at a steady pace during the fourth quarter of 2009, TA officials said. Licensees and Sprint Nextel completed negotiations on and submitted to the TA 11 FRAs during the fourth quarter. Many of the remaining licensees without FRAs have large and complex systems and extensive interoperability requirements, Buchanan said. The majority have submitted cost estimates and are in the FRA negotiation process.

 

In the implementation phase, nonborder Stage 2 licensees retuned, reflashed or replaced about 90,000 radios with first touches in the fourth quarter. Thirty-two licensees completed FRAs for their physical retunes. Half of the nonborder Stage 2 licensees had completed implementation as of Dec. 31, 2009. Prompt completion of implementation activities and release of old National Public Safety Planning Advisory Committee (NPSPAC) frequencies by licensees will speed the release of additional interleaved band spectrum to public-safety entities, because Sprint Nextel’s staged clearing the interleaved band is tied to clearing of the old NPSPAC band, Buchanan said.

 

Reconfiguration of Canadian border Stage 1 licensees is almost half complete. Licensees and Sprint Nextel completed negotiations on and submitted to the TA 67 FRAs in 2009, raising the total submitted to 79 percent. Licensees have moved forward with implementation activities, and licensees completed 36 FRAs for their physical retunes in 2009. Certain Stage 1 licensees must relocate from their old frequencies in the lower portion of the 800 MHz band before NPSPAC licensees can move to their new frequencies, Buchanan said.

 

Canadian border Stage 2 licensees and Sprint Nextel completed negotiations on and submitted to the TA 31 planning funding agreements (PFAs), raising the total to 60. Stage 2 licensees and Sprint Nextel completed negotiations on and submitted to the TA 60 FRAs in 2009, increasing the total FRAs submitted to 47 percent. In the implementation phase, licensees completed eight FRAs (6 percent) for their physical retunes.

 

Canadian border licensees are required to complete reconfiguration by April 14, 2011.

 

The band plan for the U.S.-Mexican border region is still under development. At the International Wireless Communication Expo (IWCE) in Las Vegas in March, FCC representatives said it would take two months after the United States and Mexico approve a band plan for the FCC to produce an order. TA representatives said it would take an additional six months after that to make frequency assignments. Accordingly, last month the FCC extended the negotiation period until July 1 for Stage 1 and Stage 2 licensees in the U.S.-Mexican border region. The FCC encouraged licensees affected by the Mexican border region to engage in planning and negotiation activities that aren’t frequency dependent and wouldn’t result in unnecessary duplication of costs, Buchanan said.

 

On Nov. 2, 2009, the TA filed with the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) a report recommending that the 800 MHz reconfiguration financial reconciliation true-up deadline be extended from Dec. 31, 2009, until June 30.

 

The TA proposed to file a report with the PSHSB by May 31 with its recommendation on whether the true-up should be conducted as of June 30 or be further postponed. On Dec. 23, 2009, the PSHSB released an order postponing the true-up date from Dec. 31, 2009, to June 30 and requiring the TA to file a report by May 31 with its recommendation regarding the true-up. 

 

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