Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) / WiMAX Stories

Govt Delicenses 50 MHz Of Spectrum In 5.8 GHz Band For WiMAX Use

From Indiatimes, The Economic Times, News By Industry, Telecom - http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

Joji Thomas Philip
Times News Network, Monday February 19, 2007 02:16:44 AM

NEW DELHI: In a move that will help roll-out of WiMax services, the government has delicenced 50 MHz of spectrum in the 5.8 GHz band for commercial use. The move assumes importance as the global WiMax forum has identified three frequency bands —- 5.8 Ghz, 2.5 Ghz and 3.5 GHz — to deploy systems using this technological platform.

Of these three frequencies, the world over, only the 5.8 Ghz is a licence-exempt band, and therefore the Department of Telecom’s move to delicense this frequency puts India in line with global standards. DoT has already initiated moves to get spectrum vacated for Wimax services in both the 2.5 GHz and 3.5 Ghz frequencies, currently in use respectively for Insat series of satellite communications and satellite television broadcast.

When asked on the commercial implications of the move, Rajesh Chharia, president of Internet Service Providers Association of India told ET: “A lot of ISPs are likely to offer services in this frequency as it is now free. However, if a large number of ISPs switch, then this frequency can get choked, as only a total of 50 Mhz (from 5.825 to 5.875 Ghz) has been delicensed. This can result in poor quality of services.”

Full story at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Telecom/Govt_delicenses_50_MHz_of_spectrum_in_58_GHz_band_for_WiMAX_use/articleshow/1635433.cms

(Lead for this story from Dave Hughes / Dewayne Hendricks posting to the Dewayne-net mailing list.)

Telephony Magazine / Online - NTCA: McDowell tells rural providers, ‘Go wireless’

By Tim McElligott

Feb 6, 2007 12:28 PM

ORLANDO--In his first formal presentation to an industry association, FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell gave the following advice to members of the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association at the group’s annual meeting in Orlando, Fla.: Take advantage of the upcoming 700 MHz spectrum auction to arm yourself for the future.

Warning the rural industry that it is “on a collision course with disaster” primarily due to a broken Universal Service Fund structure, McDowell said that while he and others are working to fix the USF and address other important issues such as inter-carrier compensation, competition that will pave the path to the future.

“I believe in free markets and that government should only step in where the free market fails. And in rural America, it did,” McDowell said, adding that it was right that the government stepped in and established systems such as USF.

“But we are at a crossroads. Today the system is broken,” McDowell said. "The system is [designed] to take a lot from the few, but the few are getting fewer,” he said, referring to mergers and acquisitions as well as the exemptions enjoyed by some VoIP providers.

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Full story at:
http://telephonyonline.com/home/news/ntca_mcdowell_usf_020607/

(Lead to this story from Dewayne Hendricks posting to the Dewayne-net mailing list.)