Dish Networks Concerned About Possible Limits to its Mobile Broadband Plans

Published on: 21st Nov 2012

­USA based Dish Networks has responded to reports that the telecoms regulator may limit how it wants to reuse 40MHz of AWS-4 wireless spectrum for mobile broadband services.

"While the FCC's proposed order, based on reported accounts, does properly address some of the opportunities with this spectrum, it's significantly flawed by introducing serious limitations that impair its utility," said R. Stanton Dodge, Dish executive vice president and general counsel. "While the FCC would grant full terrestrial rights, its proposal to lower our power and emissions levels could cripple our ability to enter the business."

Dish has declared its intent to launch a wireless business assuming the FCC delivers rules making it economically and technically feasible to do so. 

In the draft order, the FCC appears to back a proposal, advanced by Sprint Nextel, calling on Dish to disable 25 percent of its uplink spectrum and impair another 25 percent of that spectrum to accommodate possible future use of neighboring H Block spectrum by Sprint.

Dish says that the FCC does not currently license H Block spectrum, and that spectrum is unused today. Sprint, which controls more than 200 MHz of wireless spectrum, has expressed interest in acquiring rights to the 5 MHz H Block.

"Sprint's position on the H Block would render useless 25 percent of Dish's uplink spectrum - so that Sprint is positioned to merely gain the exact same amount of spectrum," said Dodge. "This is a zero-sum approach that does not result in a net spectrum gain for the American consumer when the wireless economy needs access to all available spectrum."

Dish expects new approvals could add years to a process that has already lasted 20 months since it acquired two bankrupt companies in an effort to bring this spectrum to the market. This 40 MHz of spectrum remains on the sidelines.

 

Tags: [dish networks]  [fcc]  [USA]