The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday approved rules to spur the long-stalled development of the 2.3 GHz Wireless Communications Service band by resolving interference issues between WCS and satellite radio services. The FCC noted that “most of the WCS licenses have gone unused for approximately 15 years,” since the licenses first were auctioned in 1997. 

The new rules largely ratify an agreement announced in June between AT&T and Sirius XM. Among other things, the rules bar mobile and portable transmitters from operating in the 5-megahertz WCS blocks surrounding the satellite radio spectrum, thus “provid[ing] added interference protection to [satellite radio] operations while advancing the Commission’s goal of making mobile broadband services over the WCS spectrum widely available.”  WCS operators also will be required to coordinate with satellite-radio operators to resolve interference issues that arise when WCS signals exceed specified thresholds on roadways.
Continue Reading SpectrumWatch: FCC Approves Deal to Spur 4G LTE Deployment in “Long-Troubled” WCS Band