Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/908098
14 FCC UPDATE 600 MHz Update Last month, T-Mobile, the cell carrier that has leased the lion's share of the 600 MHz UHF band, sent a letter to every Secondary License holder, detailing their timeline for implementing broadband service in the 600 MHz band. The letter contains a graphic, accompanying text, a URL link to an active information page and an email address for questions. The graphic just shows how the spectrum will be used when their 600 MHz plan is complete. The URL is a link to a page where there is useful information on the actual timeline and a short explanatory video. The video outlines their primary issues—T-Mobile cannot use its new 600 MHz equipment until the existing UHF stations have been "repacked" into the 500 MHz band, and one of the largest issues is that there are very few highly trained "tower engineers" capable of safely replac- ing and fine-tuning the transmitting antennas—high-altitude work, and with the amount of power being irradiated, a slight error in the physical tuning can cause an antenna to melt. Another video shows the projected timeline for the repacking process, and the good news is that the Greater Los Angeles Area will be among the last areas to change. The bad news is that T-Mobile has the right to test its system within any of the currently clear UHF channels, which is where we currently use our radio mics in 600 MHz, so it is possible that clear chan- nels can be unusable, starting now. And of course, any station successfully "repacked" into the 500 MHz band means 6 MHz less usable spectrum for radio mics. T-Mobile recommends bookmarking the URL, as they intend to update it regularly. I will. And if you have any questions, they have supplied an email address. www.howmobileworks.com/spectrum Re: Notification of T-Mobile Deployment in the 600MHz Band for BAS Licensees To whom it may concern: T-Mobile USA Inc., is planning to deploy commercial wireless services in some or all of our owned spectrum blocks over the next three years. We have posted a county list on www.howmobileworks.com/spectrum/ that includes where we plan to deploy in the near future. We plan to continuously add to this list during the next few years as we expand our LTE and 5G network. BAS Licensees should review this list regularly to make sure affected licensees know where T-Mobile's licenses will be used next. The letter includes the date by which T-Mobile plans to begin using the spectrum in each county. T-Mobile realizes that each system is unique so please contact us if you have questions about potential implications to your system. For your information, the following chart illustrates how the new wireless band (71) overlays with the existing UHF channels 38-51. We wish to minimize interference with the wireless base stations and handsets that will operate in the new band and we want to avoid disruptions to any other operations currently in use. Thank you for your assistance making other users of the 600 MHz band aware of the change in ownership and use. Please let us know of any questions or concerns at 600MHzFC@T-Mobile.com Sincerely, Dan Wilson Senior Manager, Spectrum Engineering Currently, any UHF TV band system that doesn't tune above UHF TV Channel 36 (608 MHz) is best. Also in 2015, the FCC provided new opportunities for licensed users outside the TV broadcast band, including VHF 169 MHz-172 MHz band, portions of the 900 MHz band (941 MHz-960 MHz), the 1435 MHz-1525 MHz and the 6875 MHz-7125 MHz bands… Unlicensed operators … are permitted in several bands outside of the TV bands, including the 902 MHz-928 MHz band, the 1920 MHz-1930 MHz band and por- tions of the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. "New opportunities…" They are not much of an opportunity. The VHF stuff is a bit problematic for our 'body-pak' use, requiring longer antennas, but will do for IFB; the transmitting restrictions on the licensed 900 MHz stuff are way beyond what any manufacturer can make at this time, and the 1435 MHz-1525 MHz and 6875 MHz-7125 MHz bands are extremely problemat- ic for multiple reasons. "New opportunities" they ain't, really. The masking requirements for the 900 MHz stuff were addressed in one of my previous columns. –Jay 600 MHz Band Plan w GBs Please let them know of any questions or concerns at 600MHzFC@T-Mobile.com