Satellite pay-radio firms spar with Wi-Fi supporters

Computerworld - Two start-up satellite pay-radio operators have asked the Federal Communications Commission to sharply limit emissions from wireless LANs, Bluetooth short-range wireless devices and fixed wireless systems that operate in the unlicensed 2.4-GHz band directly adjacent to their 2.3-GHz licensed spectrum.

The satellite radio operators are betting that their petition will succeed at the FCC because the commission's rules are designed to prevent interference to licensed systems, which they operate, from unlicensed systems, such as wireless LANs.

The wireless LAN industry contends not only that they don't cause interference, but that the "pro-business" FCC headed by Chairman Michael Powell will side with them because of the enormous size and scope and the reach of their industry compared with that of satellite pay-radio operators. The satellite radio industry has two operators and about 20 receiver manufacturers vs. 145 Wi-Fi manufacturers.

Andrew Kreig, president of Washington-based Wireless Communications Association International, which represents fixed wireless companies, said that if the FCC approves the petition, it would "severely hinder" users of unlicensed wireless spectrum. He predicted a "battle royal" over the issue.

The confrontation bubbled out of regulatory obscurity when Powell told the audience at the PC Forum in Scottsdale, Ariz., late last month that he wanted their comments on the issue.

Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. in New York asked the FCC to restrict the power of unlicensed systems operating in the 2.4-GHz band in a Jan. 23 FCC filing. Sirius said out-of-band emissions from devices such as 802.11b wireless LANs "seriously threatened" deployment of the pay-radio systems that Sirius and rival XM Satellite Radio Inc. in Washington have spent a total of $3 billion to develop.

"What we are trying to point out in the filing is what could be a potential interference problem in our band from devices like Wi-Fi. It does not serve their purposes in any way, but it interferes with ours," said Sirius spokesman Jim Collins. For $12.95 per month, Sirius offers subscribers 100 channels of digital audio transmitted from three satellites in an elliptical orbit above the U.S. The company believes the interference problem can be resolved by the installation of simple filters on either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth devices.

Chance Patterson, a spokesman for XM Satellite, which transmits 100 channels of pay-audio from two geostationary satellites and charges $9.99 per month, echoed Collins. Patterson said Wi-Fi and Bluetooth manufacturers can install filters that prevent interference with satellite radios at "a modest cost."

"We want to see all these applications move forward," Patterson said.

Guy Hamblen, a manager in the