FCC Workshop on the Interoperability of Customer Mobile Equipment across commercial spectrum blocks in the 700 MHz Band

Workshop on the Interoperability of Customer Mobile Equipment across commercial spectrum blocks in the 700 MHz Band

Federal Communications Commission
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

AGENDA

Interoperability of Customer Mobile Equipment
Across Paired Commercial Spectrum Blocks in the 700 MHz Band

9:00 a.m. Welcoming Remarks

9:10 a.m. Panel 1: Technical Issues Related to 700 MHz Interoperability and the Development of Standards for the 700 MHz Band

In this panel, industry experts will discuss the interoperability issues associated with the 700 MHz bands, as well as the technical issues related to the current and developing standards for 700 MHz equipment. For example, while LTE technology enjoys a rapidly growing number of commercial commitments and deployments, worldwide 3GPP standards, and a wide ecosystem of devices and network equipment, it still faces interoperability and interference challenges in the 700 MHz bands. Topics will include:

• Status of Band 12 (Lower 700 MHz A, B, and C blocks) technical standards
• Status of development of 3GPP technical standards for the aggregation of 700 MHz with other spectrum bands, in both symmetrical and asymmetrical configurations
• Interference issues related to the broadcast use of Channel 51 and Lower 700 MHz Blocks D & E, and the impact of these interference issues on the use of Band 12 versus Band 17 equipment
• Possible implications for interference issues in the event that the Lower D and E blocks are used for supplemental downlink
• Implications of the trend toward inter-band carrier aggregation and the multi-radio devices needed to support this feature, such as how these multiple radios may affect the number of bands that can be supported in a single device
• Capabilities of future RF chipsets and devices, including development of technologies that may facilitate multi-band support
• Technical challenges in developing a single upper band that covers Band 13 and Band 14 (i.e., public safety broadband)

Moderator: Tom Peters, Chief Engineer, WTB
Co-Moderator: Julius Knapp, Chief, Office of Engineering and Technology

Panelists:
• Edgar Fernandes – Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff, Motorola Solutions
• Gene Fong – Senior Staff Engineer, Qualcomm CDMA Technologies
• Doug Hyslop – Partner, Wireless Strategy
• Paul Kolodzy – Wireless Consultant to Vulcan Wireless
• William (Bill) H. Stone – Executive Director of Network Strategy, Verizon Wireless

10:30 a.m. Break

10:40 a.m. Panel 2: Market Issues Related to 700 MHz Equipment

Industry representatives and consumer groups will address market issues related to 700 MHz equipment currently being offered or developed for consumers in general. Topics will include:

• Status of the current and near-term market for 700 MHz devices, including projected growth for devices/handsets based on current and future uses
• Availability of Band 12 devices, and of the critical components for their manufacture, including the development of cost-effective chipsets that will support providers’ choice of technology for the Lower 700 MHz band, as well as fallback technologies such as EV-DO/1xRTT or UMTS in other relevant bands
• Ability of small/regional providers to obtain Band 12 devices at competitive cost, impact of economies-of-scale, and potential to improve device economies-of-scale through aggregation of provider demand
• Status of devices capable of operating in multiple parts of the 700 MHz band (including Lower 700 MHz and Upper 700 MHz bands), as well as in other bands, such as the cellular bands and bands above 1 GHz
• Effect of interoperability on promoting the public interest, including promoting competition, access to broadband, public safety and the widespread availability of service in rural areas

Moderator: James D. Schlichting, Senior Deputy Chief, WTB
Co-Moderator: Tom Peters, Chief Engineer, WTB

Panelists:
• Stacey Black – Assistant Vice President for Market Development, AT&T
• Michael Chard – Senior Director, Business Development, Qualcomm CDMA Technologies
• Eric B. Graham – Vice President, Strategic and Government Relations, Cellular South, Inc.
• Dennis Martinez – Chief Technology Officer, Harris RF Communications Division, Harris Corporation
• Matt Wood – Associate Director, Media Access Project

12:00 p.m. Adjourn