AT&T unveils plan to lease spectrum to utilities for private networks utilizing Nokia technology

Meanwhile, UTC will continue to discuss potential utility usage in other spectrum bands, including 3.5 GHz, 4.9 GHz and utilizing the 700 MHz airwaves that are expected to support FirstNet’s nationwide public-safety broadband network, Kilbourne said.

“Do we still need spectrum? The answer is ‘Yes,’ but this [AT&T/Nokia proposal] is certainly a step in the right direction,” Kilbourne said during an interview with IWCE’s Urgent Communications. “The beauty of this is that this is dedicated spectrum for utility companies that they can lease for an extended period of time. So, it gives the utility companies that level of reliability that they need that comes along with control over the network.

“And there’s some flexibility involved, which is also nice. So, if a utility wants to build [the private network], it can. If it wants to outsource to let AT&T build it or even manage it, they can do that as well.”

There could be another spectrum-lease choice for utilities wanting private networks, in the 900 MHz band. More than a year ago, pdvWireless asked the FCC to approve a plan that would let pdvWireless consolidate its 900 MHz narrowband spectrum into a contiguous 3×3 MHz broadband swath to support private LTE deployments for enterprise customers, with utilities being the primary target.

But the FCC has not acted on the request. Meanwhile, O’Brien acknowledged that the AT&T/Nokia proposal appears to be structured in a manner similar to the pdvWireless spectrum-lease plan—one of several business models that pdvWireless would be willing to pursue with utilities, if the FCC approves its broadband plan.

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” O’Brien said during an interview with IWCE’s Urgent Communications. “This [AT&T/Nokia announcement] is a pretty darn good summary of what we proposed. Obviously, I’m not going to trash the idea, because we really like the idea.

“Of course, we respect [AT&T]. They are a great player in wireless, and anything they do has to be taken seriously.”

But AT&T/Nokia announcement does not alter the long-term business strategy for pdvWireless, even if it makes it more difficult to execute successfully, O’Brien said.  

“Competition, while never desired, is probably always good for people in the long run—we’re not afraid of it,” he said. “If we were afraid of competition, we wouldn’t have gone against the entire wireless world with our SMR business [that became Nextel Communications].”