AT&T, Cellular South debate 700 MHz interoperability at FCC

Representatives from Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility and other large companies argued that mandating interoperability across different band classes of the 700 MHz band will be costly and difficult to achieve. On the other side, smaller carriers and consumer advocates argued that, without interoperability, subscribers of smaller carriers will suffer from more expensive devices and a lack of roaming.

The Federal Communications Commission convened a workshop to explore both the commercial and technical issues related to 700 MHz interoperability. The issues are incredibly complex, but are growing more urgent as more carriers begin deploying LTE networks in 700 MHz spectrum. Smaller and rural carriers have claimed that Verizon and AT&T are ordering LTE equipment that will not work with the band classes of 700 MHz spectrum they own, effectively shutting them out of the growing LTE ecosystem. Verizon acquired most of the FCC's 700 MHz C Block spectrum (which lies in band class 13), and many of AT&T's 700 MHz licenses sit in the lower C and B Blocks (which lie in band class 17). A number of smaller operators acquired 700 MHz spectrum licenses in the Lower A, B and C Blocks, which lie in band class 12. An alliance of smaller carriers called the Good Faith Purchasers Alliance, which is a joint venture among Cellular South, Cavalier Wireless, Continuum 700 and U.S. Cellular, has urged the FCC to require network and handset suppliers to build gear that can work across all 700 MHz bands.