Antenna Waivers Aimed at Higher-Frequency Bands Getting Considerable Support, Petitioners Say
Aviat and Fastback networks' waiver requests for smaller antenna use in the 71-76 and 81-86 GHz bands have gotten lots of support, and the sole opponent would keep those bands underutilized, the two companies said in FCC filings posted Monday and Tuesday (see here and here) in docket 15-244. The Wireless Bureau in October sought comment on the Aviat/Fastback proposals (see 1510130030). Monday was the deadline for replies.
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"The vast majority" turned out to be in support, Fastback said, citing submissions from the Fixed Airless Communications Coalition and PEG Bandwidth (see here and here). Opponent Dash Networks meanwhile said if the FCC won't deny the waiver, it should undertake "a significant amount of study" into broadband demands and antenna and monolithic microwave integrated circuit technology and how they might affect the bands.
While the Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition sought rules changes on antenna standards for the 70-80 GHz bands, "that process may take several additional years," and granting the waivers would be faster, T-Mobile said in comments posted Tuesday. Such waivers would mean "more robust use of the spectrum without denigrating any co-channel or adjacent band users," T-Mobile said. The Telecommunications Industry Association, which backs the waivers, said that similarly situated commenters should also be included in the waiver.
Section 101.115 of FCC rules, on directional antennas, "unnecessarily limits antenna designs, preventing manufacturers from development effective and efficient fixed microwave antennas," AT&T said in a filing posted Tuesday, backing an industrywide waiver. Dash raised concerns about more interference, but that "must be balanced against the deployment disincentives created by the requirement for larger antennas," AT&T said. A balanced approach used in many other bands would be to designate two antenna categories: "one requiring more difficult to meet requirements and the other allowing greater bandwidth, lower beam gain and less stringent side lobe suppression," it said.
Fastback said Dash acknowledges the bands are underused and may be motivated more by fear of competition: Keeping "valuable spectrum largely fallow based upon outdated views of spectrum requirements is long enough to wait." Dash's objections "appear entrenched in protecting a more-than-a-decade old proposal for 'virtual fiber' technology that has yet to take root," as well as the misguided notion the FCC -- in setting rules for the bands -- wanted to maintain the status quo rather than promote private sector development of the bands, Aviat said.
Aviat should instead seek a waiver for the 92-95 GHz band, because the 70/80 GHz bands are the last remaining sizable frequency blocks available to support IP metro transport, Dash said in its own comments posted Monday. "Any waiver granted for reducing the antenna size ... will have a negative effect on the utility of these bands to address the huge demand for video and data transport throughout a metro area." Smaller antennas with 71-76 GHz radios with reduced sideline performance and wider beam widths are good only for lower data rates, and their use will mean more channelization to get interference free operation, Dash said.