Soli Not a Danger to Other 60 GHz Band Users, Google Says

Google's Project Soli, even at the higher power levels needed to make it effective, "can reasonably coexist" with other 60 GHz band users like remote sensing satellite equipment or radio astronomy, company representatives told an aide to FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, said a docket 18-70 ex parte posting Tuesday. Google said it needs higher peak effective isotropic radiated power and transmitted conducted power levels for U.S.-Europe operational equivalence than now allowed since current power levels result in more blind spots and missed motions for the hand gesture-detecting radar. It said 60 GHz Wi-Fi is "only marginally affected" with sometimes a 10 percent throughput reduction and that the Earth exploration satellite and radio astronomy applications won't see harmful effects from airborne use of Soli because of the attenuation from inside a plane to outside and slim odds of multiple simultaneous uses of Soli at low altitudes during landing directly above a radio astronomy site. Google is seeking a waiver to allow higher power levels (see 1803120031).