US incumbent AT&T has received approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to deploy LTE services in the WCS band after the regulator lifted restrictions.
The spectrum had been blighted by concerns that wireless services would interfere…
US incumbent AT&T has received approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to deploy LTE services in the WCS band after the regulator lifted restrictions.
The spectrum had been blighted by concerns that wireless services would interfere with satellite radio broadcaster Sirius XM.
However, during the summer AT&T and Sirius put forward a joint proposal that would allow the operator to utilise the frequency.
“The WCS band is a long-troubled band that has evaded easy answers for 15 years,” said FCC chairman Julius Genachowski.
“I am pleased that we are now solving it.”
In a statement Joan Marsh, a regulatory exec at AT&T, said: “The era of regulatory dispute and uncertainty in the WCS band is finally drawing to a close.”
“AT&T took real risks to develop this under-utilized band and is committed to devoting the resources necessary to unlock its full potential.”
In August AT&T agreed to purchase Nextwave Wireless for US$600m. It has various spectrum holdings including frequencies in the WCS band.
When it agreed to acquire Nextwave, AT&T said that post-FCC approval it would be three years before it is able to start deploying LTE services in the WCS band.
Nextwave’s shareholders approved the deal at the beginning of October and AT&T expects to complete the acquisition before the end of the year.
