Globalstar, Wireless Interests Remain at Odds Over 5.1 GHz Band Interference Claim

Wireless advocates and Globalstar remain at loggerheads about increased interference in the 5.1 GHz band that Globalstar is blaming on sharing that band with outdoor Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure operations. Numerous wireless advocates in RM-11808 reply comments posted Tuesday repeated their arguments that the company hasn't shown it's suffering harmful interference or proven any such interference is due to U-NII-1 operations (see 1807090003). Globalstar, citing more than 800 noise measurements taken globally since May 2014 that show a sizable increase in the 5.1 GHz noise floor since the FCC allowed outdoor U-NII-1 operations, said opponents haven't shown any data of their own despite knowing about the company's issues since at least November. It said its own consultant considered and dismissed all other possible sources, and no one else has identified a plausible alternate source. Without an FCC investigation and exploration of possible fixes, rising noise levels might hit "extreme levels in the near future" and seriously degrade Globalstar service, it said. Since rules protect Globalstar's licensed operations from unlicensed harmful interference, the company hasn't explained why the U-NII order framework for addressing interference issues in the U-NII-1 band is deficient, CTIA said. It said what Globalstar seeks would put "unnecessary costs and burdens" on Wi-Fi and LTE-U operations and "the mere issuance" of an NOI could chill investment due to regulatory uncertainty. Globalstar is relying on "deeply flawed" measurement data and technical analysis, NCTA said. It said the company's only supporters are its own customers and "opportunistic" satellite companies wanting to use Globalstar's inquiry about U-NII-1 rules as a proxy for their own concerns about terrestrial sharing in other bands. The Dynamic Spectrum Alliance and Open Technology Institute at New America said the FCC should be "skeptical" of incumbents challenging band sharing and that adopting the Globalstar petition would set "a regrettable precedent" undermining agency and NTIA efforts for more efficient spectrum use. Qualcomm said Globalstar's interference analysis includes signals from outside the U-NII-1 band and alleges interference from nationwide U-NII-1 operations using measurements from a single point over the Midwest, while the claimed 2 dB increase in the noise floor comes from a technique that measures noise levels in 1 dB increments. It said Globalstar claims run contrary to U.S. advocacy at the ITU that the FCC’s U-NII-1 framework be applied worldwide. Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Ruckus Networks similarly opposed the petition (see here and here).