WASHINGTON-Public-safety officials eagerly applauded action last week to designate Project 25 Phase I as the interoperability standard for use in the 700 MHz band.
“The result of the FCC’s action is that all public-safety users of the new 700 MHz band will be able to communicate with each other when responding to emergencies, even if they are from different agencies and use otherwise incompatible radio equipment,” said Lyle Gallagher, president of the Association of Public-safety Communications Officials International Inc.
The FCC’s action designated that 10 percent of the 24 megahertz being returned to the government with the transition to digital TV will be used for interoperability.
Nearly 20 years ago with the crash of an airplane into a local bridge and continuing to 1995 with the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, public-safety officials have complained about their inability to talk with each other. It is hoped that by reserving these channels for interoperability, stories like these will be history by the end of the decade.
Of the 10 percent (32 channels) reserved for interoperability, two are dedicated to voice and two for data using Project 25’s suite of data products.
The FCC’s rules largely adopt proposals submitted by the National Coordination Committee last February. The NCC was created by the FCC to advise the agency on how it should use the 24 megahertz Congress set aside for public safety.
“Spectrum efficiency is an important goal, but saving lives has got to be a higher priority. Today we got it right on both fronts,” said FCC Commissioner Gloria Tristani.
FCC Commissioner Susan Ness said the rules would promote competition among providers, but did not specify how. Nokia Corp. says that only Motorola Inc. makes 12.5-kilohertz equipment. FCC staff could not name other manufacturers, but said now that a standard has been designated, any equipment manufacturer was free to enter the market.
Nokia had pushed hard both at the NCC stage and at the FCC for a system it manufactures in Europe known as TETRA.
Motorola, which manufacturers TETRA equipment for use in Europe, lobbied for Project 25. Motorola dominates the public-safety equipment market. Indeed, when asked when equipment would be available, Kathleen O’Brien-Ham, deputy chief of the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, said representatives from Motorola were in the room and could answer that question.
“We have been in active dialogue with key public-safety customers who are in dire need of new systems that can only be met by this spectrum,” said Richard C. Barth, Motorola vice president and director of telecommunications strategy and regulation, noting that equipment should be available no later than the first quarter of 2002.
The FCC did not specify whether public safety must only implement interoperability equipment. Nokia had argued that since the 700 MHz band will not be available in many parts of the country until at least 2007, flexible rules for interoperability should be implemented.
Since Project 25 is a 12.5-kilohertz standard, the FCC punted on whether there would be a migration to 6.25 kilohertz on the general category channels. The agency is seeking further comment on a migration path to 6.25 kilohertz.
On the interoperability channels, the FCC will not visit the 6.25 kilohertz migration path issue until at least 2005.
Public-safety agencies that choose 12.5-kilohertz systems will be able to continue to use those systems for 10 years after installation even if a migration to 6.25-kilohertz systems has been established.
