FCC approves limited use of ultrawideband technology

Computerworld - After a three-year battle that pitted defense and aviation officials against the giants of Silicon Valley and the consumer electronics industry, the Federal Communications Commission today approved the limited use of unlicensed wireless systems that transmit high-speed data across a broad portion of the spectrum band known as ultrawideband (UWB) technology.

The Pentagon and the Federal Aviation Administration had strongly opposed UWB based on concerns that UWB transmitters would cause interference with aerial navigation systems such as ground-based microwave landing systems and radio altimeters, as well as with the satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS), which is used both for navigation and to guide smart bombs, which were heavily used in the Afghanistan campaign.

The FCC ruling today should mitigate some of those concerns because it limited UWB usage to bands outside the 1,559/1,610-MHz frequency occupied by GPS, according to aviation industry officials. The FCC said UWB must be used either above 3.1 GHz or below 960 MHz, both of which are well out of the range of the GPS band.

James Miller, a senior staff specialist for flight operations technology at Chicago-based United Air Lines Inc., said that while the FCC didn't release details of its UWB decision, "it looks like they are going to protect GPS. I am encouraged by the FCC taking a stance to protect GPS."

All new aircraft United has on order from The Boeing Co. in Chicago and Airbus S.A.S. in France will have built-in GPS navigation systems, Miller said. The technology is routinely used today in aircraft flying transoceanic routes, he said.

However, the FCC's decision doesn't protect microwave landing systems operating in the 5090/5250-MHz frequency band or radio altimeters operating in the 4200/4400-MHz band from potential UWB interference, Miller said. This causes him "real concern," he said, because "for the first time, the commission is allowing the use of consumer devices in restricted bands."

The FCC said it decided to "err on the side of conservatism" in its decision today but added that within six to 12 months, it plans another proceeding that could explore "more flexible standards" for UWB. Miller said he is concerned that such an approach could lead to an encroachment on the GPS.

FCC Commissioner Kevin Martin said in a statement that he believes the UWB ruling will lead to better use of scarce spectrum resources by allowing the sharing of bandwidth. Not sharing spectrum amounts to a waste of a "precious natural resource," according to Martin.

Commissioner Michael Copps said in a separate statement that UWB "will play