The emphasis so far on C-band has been clearing and auctioning a portion of the 500 MHz of spectrum for flexible use.
However researchers with Virginia Tech, Microsoft, and Google believe they’ve discovered a way to use the remaining un-cleared portion of the 3.7-4.2 GHz band to provide multi-hundred megabit broadband service over fixed wireless access links to rural communities. The FCC is considering allowing sharing between satellite earth stations and point-to-multipoint (P2MP) systems in the uncleared portion of the band.
Wireless Internet Service Providers Association President/CEO Claude Aikin said during a presentation Tuesday, the study confirms P2MPs can co-exist using the same frequencies as repacked earth stations with no harmful interference to those earth stations. The group told Inside Towers, it plans to submit the results to the Commission soon.
Reed Engineering founder and Virginia Tech Professor Jeff Reed said: “Exclusion zones of about 10 km are sufficient to protect most fixed-satellite service (FSS) earth stations from harmful interference caused by properly-engineered co-channel point-to-multipoint (P2MP) broadband systems.” P2MP systems operating outside the exclusion zones could provide gigabit broadband access to more than 80 million Americans, particularly those in underserved communities, according to the study.
Repacking the C-band will have no effect on the study results, according to Google Spectrum Engineering Lead Dr. Andrew Clegg. The group says most earth stations are over-protected, with large exclusions zones across the entire 500 MHz of C-band. The group recommends the FCC ban full-arc registrations for most C-band earth stations, “because they have no legitimate ongoing need for it,” said Clegg. Comments? Email Us.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
July 3, 2019
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