Satellite, Wireless Interests Joust Over ESIMs

Satellite operators reject concerns mobile network operators (MNOs) raised about terrestrial operations in the 27.5-28.35 GHz upper microwave flexible use service (UMFUS) band (see 2005050034). Verizon and U.S. Cellular red flags are "a last-minute sandbagging attempt" at getting the FCC to revisit settled out-of-band emission (OOBE) issues in the adjacent 28.35-28.6 GHz band, said SES/O3b, Inmarsat and Hughes/EchoStar in a docket 17-95 posting Thursday. They challenged the call for OOBE limits specific to earth stations in motion (ESIM) to protect UMFUS in the 27.5-28.35 GHz band, saying the millions of licensed fixed terminals communicating with geostationary orbit satellites haven't caused UMFUS problems, so extending those rules to non-geostationary satellites shouldn't, either. They said deployed ESIMs will be a fraction of the fixed blanket-licensed earth stations already authorized for the 28.35-28.6 GHz band, so aggregate interference also isn't a realistic worry. Viasat said the ability of ESIMs to operate on a co-frequency basis with UMFUS systems in the 27.5-28.35 GHz band is extraneous to the draft ESIM order on the May 13 commissioners' agenda (see 2004220048). It said internationally, there's an interference threshold to protect terrestrial fixed and mobile services from co-frequency ESIM operations on a cross-border basis, so terrestrial fixed and mobile operators need to plan co-frequency ESIM operations in the 27.5-28.35 GHz band. Verizon emailed it and other U.S. carriers "have made significant investments to deploy robust 5G services to Americans using the 28 GHz band. Given the stakes in the international race to 5G, it is important that the FCC consider the interference risk that the proposed new ESIM satellite operations would pose to incumbent 5G operations in the adjacent 28 GHz band." CTIA said it argued in conversations with aides to Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioner Mike O'Rielly co-channel sharing between ESIMs and UMFUS isn't feasible and the spectrum frontiers proceeding was specific about allowing only limited siting of new earth stations in UMFUS bands.