AT&T asks FCC for more time to deploy smart grid services with Nokia in WCS C, D Block spectrum

AT&T plans to offer smart grid services in the unpaired WCS C and D Blocks it once hoped to use for in-flight Wi-Fi services, but it's asking the Federal Communications Commission for more time to do so.

The operator has long struggled to find ways to leverage its WCS C and D Blocks, which can interfere with adjacent airwaves used for Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service (SDARS) and Aeronautical Mobile Telemetry (AMT). AT&T said in Feb in an FCC filing that while the "long history of disputes in the band have largely been resolved," the C and D Blocks "remain encumbered by strict limitations" designed to protect SDARS and AMT. But AT&T has been working with Nokia to develop what it called "a private, highly secure, high-capacity LTE network solution" for smart grids and related smart cities applications using the C and D Block airwaves. The carrier said it won't be able to deploy its offering broadly enough to meet the FCC's build-out deadlines for using the spectrum, however. So it filed a petition seeking a waiver or modification of the deadline "to afford utilities across the country sufficient time to take advantage" of its offering.