WASHINGTON-SouthernLinc, the iDEN division of the Southern Co., will be going up against Nextel Communications Inc. and the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association if it follows through on comments urging the Federal Communications Commission to mandate automatic roaming between carriers with like technologies.
“Given the fact that in today’s increasingly unwired society people rely on their mobile phones for safety more and more when they travel, it is simply not in the public interest to allow carriers to deny roaming services when it is technologically feasible to provide them,” said Michael D. Rosenthal, regulatory affairs director for SouthernLinc.
Comments in the automatic roaming/911 proceeding were due at close of business on Friday after RCR Wireless News’ deadline, but in conversations with Rosenthal and Michael F. Altschul, CTIA vice president and general counsel, the conflict became apparent.
“We are going to oppose the imposition of any automatic roaming rule,” said Altschul, noting the FCC should handle individual complaints through its complaint process.
SouthernLinc has consistently tried and failed to reach a roaming agreement with Nextel, Rosenthal said.
“When customers are outside their coverage area, an inability to roam not only prevents them from making ordinary business or personal calls, but also prevents them from making the life-saving calls contemplated by the enhanced 911 initiative,” said Rosenthal.
Altschul believes the 911 argument was settled when the FCC required carriers to carry 911 calls from competing carriers using like technology.
It may be difficult or technically impossible for iDEN carriers to connect 911 calls from a competing carrier because handsets only recognize certain geographic areas unless programmed by the carrier.
Nextel did not respond to requests for comment.
On another Nextel/911 related issue, Allen Telecom Inc.’s Grayson Wireless division was also expected to file comments last Friday urging the FCC to reject a waiver request from Nextel regarding the E911 Phase II.
Phase II requires carriers to more precisely locate 911 callers using either a network-based system or a handset-based system using the global positioning system. Grayson Wireless has a network-based system known as Geometrics.
Nextel claimed in a Nov. 9 filing with the FCC that it will not be able to meet the Oct. 1 deadline because handsets are not available.
Allen Telecom’s outside counsel, Ken Hardman, said the company was expected to tell the FCC that Geometrics would meet the Phase II mandate using iDEN technology and that an iDEN solution had been available since 1999.
Allen will also urge denial of a similar petition from Hawaiian Wireless, Hardman said.
