Qualcomm Defends Rechannelization Plan Amid Automaker Critiques

Qualcomm pushed back at various technical assertions made by critics of rechannelization as a means for sharing the 5.9 GHz band. The resistance came in an FCC filing posted Wednesday in docket 13-49 in response to automaker complaints that rechannelization could slow the deployment of dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) systems designed to curb traffic accidents (see 1607250013). "Enabling such DSRC operations while opening up a portion of the 5.9 GHz DSRC band to Wi-Fi is the essence of the rechannelization plan," Qualcomm said, saying rechannelization wouldn't require all-new DSRC performance testing. Qualcomm also said software changes can allow for rechannelization, obviating any need to redesign DSRC equipment. Rival detect-and-avoid proposal would need extensive testing, and it wouldn't open up wide swaths of spectrum for Wi-Fi operations indoors since DSRC roadside infrastructure and vehicles will prevent Wi-Fi from having meaningful access to the U-NII-4 band inside vehicles, homes and businesses within a several hundred meter radius of those DSRC transmissions, Qualcomm said. It said it agreed simultaneous detection of multiple 10 MHz DSRC channels is feasible, but it also brings "an onerous device and system implementation cost" that would affect rollout of U-NII-4 Wi-Fi devices.