WirelessPulse-Comsearch E-News - September 2002

Comsearch's bi-monthly e-newsletter for professionals in the wireless industry.

Our engineers use the latest technology in the dynamic wireless market and consistently publish up-to-date information through white papers, case studies and informative articles. With the publication of WirelessPulse, we are able to pass along this information to you, our valued clients and prospects.

WirelessPulse features three industry news sections entitled "Case Corner " - featuring relevant industry case studies, "Market Trends " - featuring in-depth analysis on industry trends and "Regulatory Rap " - featuring extensive microwave and satellite regulatory news. We have added "What's New at Comsearch! " so that we can keep you informed of what's going on at Comsearch.

In the September 2002 issue:

Case Corner: Finding Fallow Spectrum in Congested Areas by Greg Macey

Market Trends: Profitable Technical Management of Your Building’s Telecommunications Systems

Regulatory Rap: Microwave and Satellite Regulatory News

What's New at Comsearch

For more information go to www.comsearch.com.

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CASE CORNER :

Finding Fallow Spectrum in Congested Areas
by Greg Macey

Introduction
Multiple Address Systems - or MAS they are is more commonly known - are a low cost, low speed, narrow bandwidth communications solution.  It is used extensively in the utility and government sectors where small packets of data need to be transmitted.  A typical system utilizes a 12.5 KHz bandwidth slot where one Fixed Master Station communicates at 9.6 kbps with one or more Fixed Remote location(s).  MAS is most commonly used for SCADA networks that provide Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition.  For example, an MAS Master Station may be tasked to remotely poll the oil intake from several hundred wells back to a master office.  If a particular oil well is not producing, the master could send a communiqué to shut the well down.  MAS is also deployed in the collection of state lottery data from point of sale locations.

FCC Spectrum Eligibility and Allocation
MAS is restricted for private internal use and cannot be used by Common Carriers.  The Frequency Allocation table shown below shows the various band segments, the eligibility of the segments and the number of available assignments.

FCC Interference Criteria
The FCC set the ground rules for MAS Interference in CFR 47, 101.105(c)(3)(i) which states that the interfering criteria is based solely upon maintaining a minimum distance of 145 km between the Master stations.  The frequencies shown in Figure 1 are available on a first come, first served basis within any geographic area.  Once all the frequencies are used within a given area, there are limited options for securing a channel.  One option is to secure a legal agreement with one or more existing licensees to accept any harmful interference that may occur.  This is known as a “short spacing agreement.” Many licensees are not willing to agree to a short spacing option even if a technical analysis would show that interference is unlikely.  Another option is to select another Master location that would meet the FCC Interference criteria and still satisfy the system design.  Comsearch recently analyzed a system and found a clear frequency quickly and efficiently in the Chicago regional area - known for congested spectrum - using innovative tools now available to the industry.  

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A Case Study:

Scope of Work

A Chicago based manufacturing company needed an MAS frequency pair in the 928/952 MHz spectrum southwest of Chicago in Indiana.  The greater Chicago area is well known area for being congested in the MAS bands. 

The site of interest was located at 41-0-0 N, 87-30-0 W.

Procedure
After completing an initial search of the site using MAS ExpressSM, Comsearch's online frequency search tool, we determined there was no vacant spectrum available without exploring short spacing options.  After further examination, we determined that the site could be moved slightly to eliminate short spacing requirements.  

Determining the direction and distance to move a site normally involves trial and error by conventional search methods.  This can become quite tedious when the short spacing occurs with several other licensed sites. 

Rather than locating a site using trial and error, we used Comsearch's MAS GeoPlannerTM, a more efficient alternative that depicts the area as a graphical representation of the spectrum overlaid on a map.  Each coverage area for an MAS system is represented as a circle.  The union of all the intersections of unique frequencies is summed up and subtracted from the total amount of available frequencies.  A simplified example of how this works is shown in Figure 2 below. 

Example:

In this example there are two licensees and a total of two frequencies that can be used.  Both licensees have areas of overlapping coverage and each one chose a unique frequency so they would not have to “short space” with the other.  As shown in Figure 2, the union of the two circles (shown in red) is an exclusion zone where no frequencies would be available.  If a third licensee were to come in, they would have to situate their site such that the coverage does not intersect the exclusion zone. 

This same concept (on a much larger scale) was applied to the Chicago system where there are hundreds of licensees and 68 unique 928/952 MHz channels to choose from.

Figure 3 depicts the Chicago area that was prepared using Comsearch’s MAS GeoPlannerTM.  Note that it resembles a signal level plot.  There are areas of high concentration where no spectrum is available surrounded by other areas where one or more frequencies are available.  Also of note, is that our site (shown in yellow) falls within the Exclusion Zone where no frequencies would be available.  A quick survey of the graph shows that spectrum is available south of the proposed site. 

Conclusion
By working with the customer and using Comsearch's MAS Express and MAS GeoPlanner tools, we were able to quickly identify alternate sites and find a suitable location less than 2 miles away (depicted as the blue circle) that would meet both their coverage needs as well as the FCC requirements.

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MARKET TRENDS:

Telecom Management for Building Owners

Understanding and managing the maze of telecommunication issues facing today’s building owners and managers is becoming more and more challenging. How can a building owner or manager feel confident that they’re providing their tenants with the right telecommunication services? Effective management of current and future telecommunications systems deployed at a property is essential to guarantee the highest possible return on investment (ROI). To attract and keep tenants in their properties, owners must provide broadband access and telephony service to meet the voice, data, and Internet demands of their tenants.

Asset Inventory

The first step in doing this is to understand what telecom infrastructure is already present. As many new carriers and service providers have come and gone in recent years, often the building owner or management company is unaware of the telecom systems that are in place and their operational status. A telecom asset inventory will provide a detailed record of the existing telecom systems, update the services provided by each, and identify available space for new or updated technologies. The property owner or manager can then plan for the future with a clear understanding of the existing assets.

The inventory can also provide a telecom asset database that can be tracked and updated as services change with newer technologies. This allows the property owner/manager to maintain control of their telecom equipment and riser space. Compliance with building code and regulatory requirements is also more easily managed.

Facility Management of Telecom

A qualified telecommunications firm can complement your existing facilities management team by helping to manage existing infrastructure, and by evaluating new systems and their overall impact to the facility. They can oversee installation of new tenant systems and help to manage the existing riser and telecom equipment space. Maintaining high quality access and offering options to tenants that meet their needs and budget requirements, can truly set your facility above the rest.

As tenants come and go, and newer systems are implemented or changed, your telecom management firm will accurately track these changes and update your asset database. This allows you to communicate telecom access options effectively and accurately with new and existing tenants.

Whether it’s leasing rooftop space, deploying an in-building wireless system, or just getting connectivity from the telecom carriers access point in the building to your tenant, proper planning and attention to the business, technical, and safety issues can minimize your telecom headaches and maximize your facility’s revenue.

In-Building Wireless Systems

A major growth area for telecom in commercial properties is in the deployment of Inbuilding wireless systems such as wireless LANs (WLANs) for high-speed data and Internet applications, and in-building cellular enhancement systems for voice and lower-speed data applications (often referred to as distributed antenna systems (DAS)). These systems can offer significant advantages to the tenants by providing high-speed access, greater mobility, ease of installation, and adaptability to newer handheld devices (PDAs, 3G phones, etc). It is good for business if the tenant and its customers can use their cell phone and even their laptop or PDA for wireless e-mail and Internet access throughout the facility.

The many types of wireless in-building systems available have increased dramatically, making it difficult to understand which system may be beneficial to the property owner. Implementation of a multiple-carrier system may make sense for a facility with many different tenants, while a single-carrier system may be more viable for a single-tenant facility. Many of the newer systems can integrate multiple cellular voice and low-speed data systems with high-speed WLAN systems, sharing valuable infrastructure space and reducing overall implementation costs.

Interference Resolution

The more telecom systems implemented the better, right? Well, not always. The addition of new transmitters in close proximity to existing systems can sometimes cause interference problems or degradation to the performance of existing systems. Having the ability to analyze these issues up front, and the expertise to troubleshoot and correct problems when they occur allows you to meet your tenants needs and respond quickly should issues arise.

The proliferation of multiple WLAN systems into tenant buildings is also an area of concern. As more and more of these unlicensed systems are deployed, the level of system interference increases, which could degrade performance or render some of the systems ineffective. Proper RF signal level measurements and knowing which systems are in place can help overcome these obstacles for your tenants.

Other interference issues that may need to be considered and analyzed are harmonic emissions, intermodulation, and spurious emissions as well as non-standard sources of interference such as microwave ovens, intrusion alarms, computers, and ignition systems. With proper planning and analysis, these potential detriments to normal telecommunication system operations can be successfully managed and mitigated to allow for compatible system operation and performance.

Rooftop Management

Proper management of your facility’s rooftop is a matter of optimizing space and lease revenue potential, while minimizing conflicts due to zoning/aesthetics, installation/constructablility, interference and radiation hazards. Your telecom management firm can review your new telecom tenant’s plans for suitability and viability, and even negotiate, on your behalf, an agreement that is beneficial to you and safeguards your existing telecom tenants.

Space efficiency is a primary objective in the design and installation of telecommunication equipment on a rooftop. To optimize rooftop space, proper attention must be paid to the many technical issues that confront a telecommunication site. Because the placement of antennas plays an integral part in successful optimization of rooftop space, antenna placement should be done in a manner that will both optimize growth potential and minimize any possible physical and electromagnetic interference. Effective technical analysis and planning of antenna installations are necessary to successfully reap the greatest return from your rooftop site.

In addition, strict adherence to the rules and regulations set forth by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), minimize safety and liability concerns due to radiation hazards. To ensure compliance under the OSHA and FCC regulations, property owners and managers should be very cognizant of their responsibilities to maintain an environment that ensures the safety of workers, tenants, and the general public. Your telecom management firm can perform the technical studies required to stay in compliance with these rules and regulations as new systems are implemented, and the proposed new tenant typically covers these costs.

A competent telecom management firm will also monitor the new rooftop activity providing reports to the property owner and keeping the asset database current with the latest changes. The firm can even help to market this space to other suitable telecom operators since it has a technically sound and up-to-date assessment of remaining space available.

Tenant Assistance

Property owners and managers are often overwhelmed with tenant questions on what systems they can install and where, and how to get connected to either rooftop access points or demarcation points from the local telephone provider. Your telecom management firm can more readily field these questions and concerns and identify solutions to your tenants, on your behalf, that satisfy their needs and do not compromise the telecom system already in place.

Providing turnkey circuit provisioning, system installation, test and commissioning may be a valuable service to a tenant that does not have much expertise in “back end” office systems. Having a system in place that works with a new tenant’s existing cell phone, wireless laptop or PDA, and still provides their wired telephone system needs, would be almost unheard of for the prospective business looking for office space. Most companies presently budget much of this cost into their moving expenses.

Summary

The successful use of building tenant space for telecommunication purposes can be a practical method of increasing the revenue stream of a property. Providing tenants with the most modern telecommunication services is another way of enhancing property values. The delivery of effective communication, entertainment and business services positively distinguishes one property from another. It is critical, however, to fully understand and design new systems based upon the environment that already exists in the building. Awareness of today’s growing telecommunication technologies, issues, and practices empowers property owners and managers to take complete advantage of the opportunities that exist between the telecommunications and real estate industries.

REGULATORY RAP:

MICROWAVE

It Only Took Four Years, But Who’s Counting?
On July 31, 2002, the Commission released an R&O in WT Docket No. 00 – 19 amending Part 101 of the Rules.  Many of the rule changes included in the R&O were the result of a TIA petition for Rulemaking filed back in 1998, in response to the FCC’s creation of Part 101 in 1996.  Some of the more significant changes are as follows: FCC-02-218A1.pdf

• Private Microwave licensees are now allowed to lease excess capacity to Common Carriers.
  

• Conditional license authorization is now available to Common Carriers in the 23 GHz band on the four low power channels.  Licenses for the remaining channels must still go through NTIA approval. 
  

• A new channel plan has been adopted for the 23 GHz band.
  

• The use of smaller antennas is now allowed in the 10 and 23 GHz bands.

The new rules go into effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, which had not occurred at the time of this publication.

12 and 13 GHz “CARS” Band No Longer Just for Franchised Cable Systems
Just like "it’s not your father’s Oldsmobile any more", the Cable Television Relay Service (CARS) band has been remade to attract a new breed of user.  Once the playground of franchise cable operators, the FCC has amended Part 78 to include all multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs).  

In addition to opening up the spectrum and to mitigating potential interference caused from an influx of these new systems, the Commission now requires that all applicants in the “new” CARS band use the same frequency coordination procedures as applicants in the Fixed Microwave Services—Section 101.103(d) of the FCC Rules. The new rules went into effect July 29, 2002. DOC-225492A1.pdf 

My House Must Be the Only One in the Country Not Connected
At least that’s what my teenage children keep saying…According to the FCC, high-speed interconnections to the Internet increased a whopping 33% during the 2^nd half of 2001, for a total of 12.8 million lines in service. The FCC Report includes summary statistics of the latest data on the deployment of high-speed connections to the Internet in the United States and can be downloaded from the FCC-State Link Internet site. DOC-224580A1.pdf 

Are you REALLY in regulatory compliance?
If you are operating a wireless transmitter that requires an individual site license and it is not correctly reflected in the FCC's Universal Licensing System (ULS), you may be operating illegally. Even if you have been operating for years and previously received a license grant and call sign, if your records are not included in the ULS database, you might have a problem. We have seen many instances where ULS data records are either incorrect or missing from the database entirely due to errors introduced during the license application and renewal process, licenses expiring and not being renewed, and data errors introduced by the FCC. Typical FCC enforcement fines can run up to as much as $10,000 per day per infraction and possible loss of license. Take the time to make sure your system is compliant now and avoid problems later.

Audit?
We have been hearing some rumblings that the Commission may be getting ready to initiate an audit of all satellite earth station and terrestrial microwave systems.  Assuming that the audit will be similar to the one recently conducted in the Private Land Mobile bands, the Commission will most likely mail letters to each licensee and request that they respond by indicating whether or not their stations are constructed and operational in accordance with parameters of their most recent FCC authorization.  As we hear more, we will let you know. 

Six Critical Steps For Telecom Industry Recovery
Chairman Powell’s six steps – including service continuity, rooting out corporate fraud, and restoring financial health – will help the telecommunications industry manage the current turmoil and stabilize the industry over time.DOC-224788A1.pdf   DOC-224797A2.pdf 

Amendment of Section 2.106 o f the Commission's Rules to Allocate Spectrum At 2 Ghz For Use by the Mobile Satellite Service
FCC suspends the expiration date for the initial two-year mandatory negotiation period for Phase 1 of the 2GHz band relocation plan between MSS and BAS for one year - until September 6, 2003. (Dkt No. 95-18; R&O FCC No. 02-221)  FCC-02-221A1.pdf 

FCC’s Gettysburg Office Off-Site Mailroom Relocated
Effective August 19, 2002, the required “ship to” address for all overnight mail couriers, i.e., FED EX, UPS, and Airborne must use the new address.  Items with the incorrect address will be re-routed by the courier, resulting in a probable delay of several days. (DA No. 02-1962)  DA-02-1962A1.pdf 

FCC Explores Digital Broadcast Copy Protection
According to the FCC, the current lack of digital broadcast copy protection may be a key impediment to the DTV transition’s progress.  (Dkt No 02-230)  DOC-225218A1.pdf  DOC-225218A2.pdf 

FCC Works to Stimulate TV Transition to Digital
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a plan that will give consumers access to digital programming over television by requiring off-air digital TV (DTV) tuners on nearly all new TV sets by 2007.(Dkt No 00-39) DOC-225221A1.pdf  DOC-225221A2.pdf  DOC-225221A3.pdf  DOC-225221A4.pdf  DOC-225221A5.pdf

FCC Streamlines Part 22 of Its Rules
Changes eliminate the analog service requirement after five-year transition period. As part of its Biennial Review of regulations, the Commission made significant modifications to Part 22 of its rules that cover the Cellular Radiotelephone and other services. (Dkt No 01-108; FCC No. 02-229) DOC-225216A1.pdf  DOC-225216A2.pdf  DOC-225216A3.pdf 

FCC Auctions
Auction 46: The 1670-1675 MHz Band Auction is scheduled to begin on October 30, 2002. One Nationwide, 5 MHz license is offered. The spectrum winner will be authorized to provide a variety or combination of fixed, mobile (except aeronautical mobile), common carrier, and non-common carrier services. The band is shared on a co-primary basis with the Federal Government and may be limited by geographic area, time, or other means. (See DA 02-1871)

SATELLITE

Radar Detectors Found to Cause Interference
During the past several years, Comsearch has received an increasing number of calls regarding interference into VSAT earth stations operating in the 11.7 – 12.2 GHz band. The interference source was determined to be the local oscillator built into many common radar detectors.  In response to repeated requests by the Satellite Industry to resolve the problem of an unlicensed device interfering into a licensed system, the Commission issued a ruling to prevent interference to VSAT terminals from radar detectors. Dkt No 01-278,  DOC-224518A1.pdf   FCC-02-211A1.pdf

Loral to Combine Its CyberStar and Skynet Units
On September 5, 2002, Loral Space & Communications announced, effective immediately, it was merging two of its subsidiaries, Loral CyberStar and Loral Skynet. The combined units will report to Loral Skynet president, Terry Hart.  Cyberstar, based in Bethesda, MD, provides private voice and data networks and Skynet, based in Bedminster, NJ, has a fleet of seven satellites providing data, voice, video, and Internet services. Annual revenues for both companies combined are close to $500 million.

Intelsat and PanAmSat Launch Bids to Acquire Eutelsat
On September 12, 2002 Intelsat Ltd and PanAmSat Corp announced that both are making moves to acquire Eutelsat SA, Europe’s largest satellite service company. Both companies are US based and are two of the world’s largest satellite service providers.  The Wall Street Journal reported that Intelsat has submitted a formal offer around $4 billion.  Currently, Intelsat operates 24 FSS satellites and PanAmSat also has a fleet of 24 FSS satellites.  Eutelsat has capacity on 23 satellites, including 12 owned spacecraft.  The consummation of the deal, with either Intelsat or PanAmSat, would created a giant satellite operator and service provider with over 38 satellites and revenues over $1.5 billion.

Increase in Application Fees for Satellite Earth Stations
On July 15, 2002, the FCC released an amendment to the application processing fees.  The amendment included increases for most services including satellite earth station filings.  The increases for the most used services include:

Transmit-receive earth station is now $2,150, receive-only applications $325, T/R modifications $150, Ku-band VSAT networks $7,935. The Ku-band VSAT fee had the largest increase at $425 above last year's. These fees went into effect on September 10, 2002.

Recent Satellite Launches
On August 28, 2002, Ariane 5 launched Atlantic Bird 1 for operator Eutelsat.  Atlantic Bird 1 will operate at 12.5 degrees WL and is a Ku-band FSS satellite.

On August 22, 2002, on an Atlas 5 rocket provided by International Launch Services, HotBird 6 was launched.  HotBird 6 is a direct to home broadcast satellite, to be operated by Eutelsat, providing television and radio services, it includes transponders in both the Ku and Ka bands.  It will be positioned at 12.5 degrees east longitude. 

Also, on August 22, 2002 Echostar VIII owned by EchoStar Communications Corporation was launched by a Proton rocket out of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.  The DBS satellite will operate at 110 WL and will increase the DISH Network’s ability to provide local-to-local programming as well as backup services.  This launch increases Echostar’s DBS satellite fleet to eight.

FCC Completes Second Round Assignments of Ka-band Satellite Orbital Slots
On July 29, 2002, the FCC completed its order on the assignment of Ka-band FSS orbital slots to second round applicants.  A total of 19 companies were assigned 34 orbital slots.  Recent cancellation announcements and consolidations will likely change the number of actual operators. The FSS Ka-band consists of the spectrum between 18.3-18.8 GHz and 19.7-20.2, although not all applicants requested the entire band.  A listing of the companies and their slot locations is shown below:

WHAT'S NEW AT COMSEARCH:

Comsearch’s Vendor Competitive Intelligence Report (VCIR) helps you focus your marketing and sales efforts by providing a complete snapshot of current activity in your market. The electronic report of equipment and/or antenna manufacturers identifies volume, model and distribution statistics of specific radios and antennas in all licensed microwave bands from 900 MHz to 23 GHz.

Comsearch Awarded Subcontract from MITRE Corporation for Low Power FM Radio Station Interference Study. The experimental program will examine the effects of Low Power FM (LPFM) stations on existing FM radio stations within the Third-Adjacent channel area.

Comsearch Selected as Official Frequency Coordinator by CTIA. Engineering firm chosen to provide frequency engineering services for Wireless Internet and Mobile Data Show. 

Have You Considered 39 GHz Lately?
The 39 GHz band was in high gear just a couple years ago with carriers providing broadband access and bundled telecom services to small and medium-sized businesses.  Multiple vendors were making solid radio products with some very innovative options. 

The problem was that this vast amount of spectrum was only in the hands of a few select companies and not available to the rest of the industry.

Why consider 39 GHz now? 
Comsearch, through an agreement with a 39GHz spectrum holder, can now bring you 39 GHz transmission capacity throughout the country.  If you are interested in saving money on leased lines, providing better reliability for your interconnections, or enjoying the security and interference protection of a licensed system without the FCC licensing delays and costs, then 39 GHz may be an option for you.

Comsearch can streamline the process by providing all of the services from initial frequency availability and selection to complete link design, installation, and project management.  For more information please contact: