Pacific DataVision makes pitch for partners at EWA/USMSS Wireless Leadership Summit

Enterprise Wireless Alliance (EWA) President and CEO Mark Crosby said the petition asking the FCC for permission to transition PDV’s 900 MHz spectrum to support broadband services is expected to be filed by Nov. 1. O’Brien said he is “optimistic” that the FCC would issue final rules regarding the spectrum within two years.

Transitioning this 900 MHz spectrum from LMR use to broadband use could serve as a model for the rest of the radio industry long term, O’Brien said, reiterating the message he delivered at the same show last year.

“900 MHz, of course, is top of mind for us, because we just spent all of that money to acquire it,” he said. “But there’s plenty of other spectrum that can optimized, that needs to be modernized, that needs multiple meetings like this to come together and say, ‘If we intend to survive as private versus commercial, we have to find more spectrum opportunities and more products to stay relevant.’

“We hope to bring some leadership to that.”

O’Brien acknowledged that transitioning other sub-1GHz narrowband spectrum likely will be more difficult than the proposed 900 MHz transition, so it probably will take more time.

“When we said 10 to 15 years, we were talking about repurposing, rethinking and massively reimagining spectrum below 900 MHz, because that’s tough,” O’Brien said. “It’s loaded with incumbents with years of history, but it’s incredibly underutilized.

“So, either we leave it the way it is and say, ‘Oh, too bad,’ or we start the process of identifying opportunities.”