At 9/1/2011 01:09 PM, Kevin Sullivan wrote:
Fred,
That's some really interesting a valuable information that you
have on (un)available PtMP spectrum. Any chance you could check out
Corvallis, Oregon area and let me know who I would have to talk to?
No problem. Of the four 2.3 GHz WCS licenses, one is shown in the
FCC database as belonging to AT&T (BellSouth Mobile Data), and three
to WCS Wireless License Subsidiary LLC, which appears to be NextWave.
WCS Wireless License Subsidiary, LLC
12264 El Camino Real, Suite 305
San Diego, CA 92130
ATTN Jennifer M. McCarthy
P:(619)573-1576
F:(858)704-7825
E:[email protected]
NextWave is AFAIK in the license leasing business, so they might make a deal.
The 2.5 GHz band is tougher. There were a bunch of licenses in Salem
and Eugene belonging to "American Telecasting", but that's Sprint,
which is to say at this point Clear. But that seems to be
cancelled. And a few belonging to universities, including Chemekta
Community College, the Oregon University System, Western Oregon U,
the University of Oregon, Linn-Benton CC, Lane CC, and Oregon State
U. University (EBS) licenses are basically for 35 mile radii, and
you're near the outer edge of both cities' radii, not well within
either. So your coverage area would be a combination of two radii
plus the "swiss cheese" auction, if that happens.
So you might be able to lease spectrum from a college, but it would
be tricky because of the locations. You can find theoretical contact
info on the FCC's (old) web site, going to WTB, ULS, license search,
classes WS, BR and ED, and doing geosearch on your county.
Thanks!
Kevin
----- Original Message -----
From: <mailto:[email protected]>Fred Goldstein
To: <mailto:[email protected]>WISPA General List
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 1:19 PM
Subject: Re: [WISPA] Licensed PTMP
Just to add to what Tom said below, there aren't a lot of licensed
PtMP frequencies. The 2.5 GHz band (BRS/EBS, f/k/a MMDS/ITFS) is
largely controlled now by Clear. They accumulated a lot of licenses
(Nextel had bought many years ago) and leased a lot of the leasable
spectrum from educational licensees. The general rule has been that
an educational licensee could lease out 3/4 of its spectrum, leaving
them roughly a TV channel's worth for their own use.
The old educational licenses were largely intended for
broadcast-type use in a 35-mile radius, though they are allowable
for 2-way use too. MMDS were mostly geographic-area (BTA)
licenses. The "swiss cheese" between the EBS radii was to be
auctioned, though I don't know if it actually was. Auctions
maximize scarcity, allowing Clearwire, basically, to shut off the
air supply (hmmm, double meaning here) to everyone else.
A few years ago, I downloaded the FCC's ITFS/MMDS database and
mapped it. This would tell me what the ITFS/BRS radius licenses
were near. Looking at Galax, there are none nearby; the nearest
licensees are in Winston-Salem, Johnson City and Roanoke. NTELOS
has about 13 channels' worth of BRS, though, in BTA 367, pretty much
the whole run, which looks like an old "wireless cable" play.
Another licensed band is WCS at 2.3 GHz. This has some issues with
nearby satellite broadcasting, but might be usable. Again, it was
all auctioned off (for a song) in 1997 and largely purchased later
by NextWave (not the original, bankrupt one but the same owners'
later company). So they might rent it out. But in your case, AT&T
owns the WCS licenses, with Horizon Data leasing 10 MHz too. So
again availability is probably nil.
Hence if someone asks the cost of a licensed PtMP, you might ask
them if they want to take Clear off of its owners' hands, since
that's probably the only way to get one.
At 8/30/2011 02:35 PM, Tom DeReggi wrote:
The answer to your questions does not have a generic answer.
If your area is highly rural, there might be options. But to find
out, you'd likely have to spend some money to get a spectrum search
done to find it, if it exists.
Licensed PtMP spectrum is not accessible to most, in most areas, as
you stated, it takes Billions at auction.
But there someimes is the option to sub-lease spectrum from
spectrum licensees, if they have not already leased it out.
EBS is one example, often owned by local school systems
previously. Some spectrum ranges were sold in small geograpghical
blocks, so leaving it unused in some small rural towns. Most cell
carriers already found the vacant spectrum and leased it, like much
of the 2.5Ghz spectrum used by Sprint/Clearwire.
One way to find it is to go to FCC website, and do a geosearch for
spectrum owners within a radius of your area. Then manually call
them all, to ask if they are using it, and would be interested in
sub-leasing it if not. That can be a tedius process for someone not
familiar with it all.
There are only two resources I know of to refer you to.
1) I belive WISPA's attorney, Steve Coran, has helped some
companies find licensed spectrum.
2) I believe SpectrumBridge databases unused spectrum, and helps
prospective leasee find leasors.
> We're in Carroll and Grayson Counties in SW VA. I just can't
see a business case for investing in licensed wireless for 21k
houses in 900 sq miles
Not necessarilly. You'd never be able to serve 21K homes with
unlicensed. Often spectrum owners buy national licenses because
they want to cheey pick the prime markets, and might not have built
out the most rural markets, and never plan to. Thus there is a
model for the spectrum to be sub-let to a partner that will
buildout the rural network, and actually has an interest to. Most
WISPs cant afforf licensed spectrum because they start out serving
200 homes within 21k, not 21k homes.
Buying small area licensing actually helps buying licenses more
affordably because it allows a smaller dollar sale, more within the
realm of what a small provider could secure financially. Often
spectrum is valued by an equivellent method, such as # of homes
served, thus a small area license would cost the same as a large
area license from a "per person" cost.
With that said, I have no idea what kind of spectrum might or might
not be available in your area.
--
Fred Goldstein k1io fgoldstein "at" ionary.com
ionary Consulting http://www.ionary.com/
+1 617 795 2701
----------
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Fred Goldstein k1io fgoldstein "at" ionary.com
ionary Consulting http://www.ionary.com/
+1 617 795 2701
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