Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Donny Jackson

800 MHz interleaved channels to be used for another year

Sprint Nextel and public-safety groups have agreed that the carrier should be allowed continued use of 800 MHz interleaved channels for at least another year, but the FCC was left with the task of settling differences regarding the method by which Sprint Nextel eventually would vacate the spectrum.

Sprint Nextel asked the FCC for relief from its requirement to vacate the interleaved channels by June 26 — the FCC's original target date for completing 800 MHz rebanding — after a federal appeals court ruled against the carrier on the matter earlier this year. Because more than half of public-safety agencies have not finished rebanding, Sprint Nextel claimed before the court that losing access to the interleaved spectrum would “cripple” its iDEN services in areas where its post-rebanding spectrum is unavailable.

With this in mind, Sprint Nextel proposed a staged clearing of the interleaved channels that would correspond with the completion of rebanding in a given region.

“The more reconfiguration advances, the more interleaved spectrum we would give up,” Sprint Nextel spokesman Scott Sloat said.

Specifically, the carrier would clear 20 channels in its interleaved spectrum immediately, then clear 40 more channels in a region when 25% of the NPSPAC licensees have rebanded and clear another 60 channels when 50% of the NPSPAC licensees have rebanded. Sprint Nextel said it would vacate an additional 80 channels when 75% and 90% thresholds are reached, and the carrier would clear all interleaved channels after all NPSPAC licensees have completed the rebanding process.

Three key public-safety organizations — the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the International Association of Fire Chiefs — expressed general support for the Sprint Nextel proposal but wanted all interleaved channels available to public safety on 60 days' notice after July 1, 2009.

The public-safety filing noted that first-responder agencies have a “pent-up demand” for the spectrum. Robert Gurss, APCO's director of legal and government affairs, said public safety could begin using the frequencies relatively soon after they are made available.

“I think a lot of the use is going to be existing 800 MHz licensees who already have the equipment and probably just need to make a minor adjustment to their equipment to use the additional channels,” he said.

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