Sprint switches gears, backs FDD rather than TDD plan for 600 MHz auction

[The Dave]

Wow this is getting uncomfortable.

[WiWavelength]

Wow this is getting uncomfortable.

 

Sorry, Rosanna, but in this thread, we hold the line.  If you want to leave, I'll be over you.

 

AJ

[MrZorbatron]

I know you may just be throwing that frequency out there but isn't 450Mhz reserved for public safety in the US?  I know in my area, public safety uses 453 and 458 Mhz. 

Also licensed band business radios are in that area too.

[maximus1987/lou99]

Also licensed band business radios are in that area too.

It's band 31, 5x5 brazil is gonna use it.

[MrZorbatron]

It's band 31, 5x5 brazil is gonna use it.

Yeah and they are running CDMA and GSM on it in Russia and GSM (I think) in some of the nordic regions, since the large scale retirement of NMT.

[dmchssc]

Yeah and they are running CDMA and GSM on it in Russia and GSM (I think) in some of the nordic regions, since the large scale retirement of NMT.

Interestingly, they're actually running a Rev. B Ev-Do network on that spectrum. It's sold as extremely reliable broadband that's usable essentially everywhere in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. It's expensive for low data usage, 1 GB is $30 a month including taxes and fees (although prices for most things are around 50% higher for everything). 20 GB is $150 though, cheaper than AT&T and Verizon.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

 

[EmeraldReporter]

Will it be possible for the 600Mhz band to have grouped bands for guaranteed roaming like PCS A-F blocks?

[WiWavelength]

Will it be possible for the 600Mhz band to have grouped bands for guaranteed roaming like PCS A-F blocks?

 

Rephrase your question.  It is not clear.

 

AJ

[EmeraldReporter]

Sorry.

 

Will (can) the FCC make sure to set the 600Mhz frequency(ies) to be interoperable just like 850Mhz and 1900mhz UMTS/GSM? (And/or CDMA?)

 

I don't know the nitty gritty details of the wireless world yet, please excuse my telecom illiteracy.

[Nickel]

Sorry.

 

Will (can) the FCC make sure to set the 600Mhz frequency(ies) to be interoperable just like 850Mhz and 1900mhz UMTS/GSM? (And/or CDMA?)

 

I don't know the nitty gritty details of the wireless world yet, please excuse my telecom illiteracy.

What do you mean by "interoperable"? 

[ImmerStark]

He wants to know if all off the 600MHz band will be one band class on devices or if it will be a mess like 700MHz where there are multiple incompatible band classes.

[S4GRU]

I don't believe there is any 3GPP banding of 600MHz yet. Not enough information is known at this time. No one is even sure how FDD would be applied across a spectrum that will still have TV channels in it.

 

The fact it will not be TDD is amazing to me. If they take half of 600MHz and make it FDD uplink and the other half downlink...it could cause a lot of issues where the downlink channel could be clear, but the uplink channel in the same market has a TV channel in the way.

 

If the FCC is not going to clear all 600MHz from all TV, and wireless broadcasters will have to work around any TV channels that refuse to sell, TDD seems to be the best option so we don't have any wasted spectrum due to a TV channel only blocking a downlink or an uplink FDD channel.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

 

 

[Nickel]

No decision on banding has been made outside of FDD, as far as I know. 

[S4GRU]

No decision on banding has been made outside of FDD, as far as I know.

That decision hasn't been made either. Just providers sending in their wish list to regulators.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

 

 

[WiWavelength]

He wants to know if all off the 600MHz band will be one band class on devices or if it will be a mess like 700MHz where there are multiple incompatible band classes.

 

Well, Lower 700 MHz and Upper 700 MHz are two separate bands because 1) they were auctioned at separate times and 2) Upper 700 MHz necessarily has an inverted duplex.  If 600 MHz goes FDD, it will probably use an inverted duplex.  Other than that, we do not know -- the reverse auction uptake and channel repacking are big question marks that will vary per market and affect the band plan.

 

AJ

[Nickel]

That decision hasn't been made either. Just providers sending in their wish list to regulators.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

But if no wants TDD, it won't be TDD.

[S4GRU]

But if no wants TDD, it won't be TDD.

 

Probably.  But it is not decided, yet.  The industry does not determine, it is the FCC.  There is no decision yet, only opinion.

 

Robert

[Nickel]

Probably.  But it is not decided, yet.  The industry does not determine, it is the FCC.  There is no decision yet, only opinion.

 

Robert

You're right in that no official decision has been made, but the FCC has to make sure AT&T and Verizon are happy.     

[S4GRU]

You're right in that no official decision has been made, but the FCC has to make sure AT&T and Verizon are happy.     

 

You mean like how they made AT&T happy with the Tmo purchase?  

 

Robert

[Nickel]

You mean like how they made AT&T happy with the Tmo purchase?  

 

Robert

I said AT&T AND Verizon, as in they both want something, which unless my memory fails me Verizon wasn't in favor of the Tmo deal.

[S4GRU]

So you are suggesting that anything that AT&T or Verizon would want separately would not be heeded by the FCC, but if they join forces on anything before the FCC then they automatically are compelled to do it?

 

Robert

[dedub]

So you are suggesting that anything that AT&T or Verizon would want separately would not be heeded by the FCC, but if they join forces on anything before the FCC then they automatically are compelled to do it?

 

Robert

 

I don't think anyone is suggesting anything of the sort.

 

That being said, the FCC's customer are both the phone companies and the public at large.

 

They should be serving their customers what their customers want whenever possible and where some kind of consensus resides, unless there are other factors in play that require going against consensus or majority desires.

 

In other words, if there is no technically overwhelming reason why some specific spectrum should be TDD or FDD, then the FCC should be agreeable to whatever the majority/consensus is for the customer's they serve.

 

If something is split so 50/50 that parties along both sides scream and yell, then well I guess they can always flip a coin (literally or figuratively).

[S4GRU]

I don't think anyone is suggesting anything of the sort.

 

That is what he said, though.  He said that the FCC will heed the wishes of AT&T and Verizon because they agree with each other.  That is to say that even if the FCC finds that a contrary opinion is better for the public, he believes the FCC will go with what the big two want.  I disagree with that thinking.

 

But there is something to his point.  If no one in the wireless industry is arguing for TDD, then it probably will not be framed properly for the FCC to consider that as a viable option.  Leaving only FDD likely to be approved.  I just want to make a clear point though that merely because AT&T and Verizon agree on a matter before the FCC does not make it the only outcome the FCC can take.  Or even worse still, the FCC wants to know what their opinion is foremost and strive to make them happy.

 

I wanted to help him get to his main point, and saw myself as helping him get there.  And I also wanted him to point out the fallacy in thinking that whatever AT&T and VZW wants, there goes the FCC.  It was more about his thought being incomplete and not fully explained than it was about him being in gross error.

 

Robert

[dedub]

I agree, FCC should *not* just roll over and go with whatever ATT AND Verizon want, just because they are ATT and Verizon.

[ericdabbs]

Hopefully the 600 MHz spectrum band plan will be FDD in the end just because all the other carriers support FDD.  My prediction is that all the carriers would want to use 600 MHz spectrum partially for VoLTE and I think FDD configuration is more suitable for that than TDD.