3.5 GHz Proposal to allow greater use of TDD equipment

Transcription

1 3.5 GHz Proposal to allow greater use of equipment February 2015

2 Contents Background... 3 Provide feedback on the proposal... 4 Proposal allow licensees to use equipment... 5 Expiry of management rights (2022)... 6 Annex 1: List of TLAs and corresponding spectrum licensees under management rights 144, 145, 155 and Annex 2: Proposed band plan pre-2022 and potential management rights post

3 Background When management rights and spectrum licences within the 3.5 GHz band were allocated in the 2000 s, they were designed to be used by Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) 1 equipment. Since then, there has been a shift internationally towards the manufacture and use of Time Division Duplex () equipment for Broadband Wireless Access (BWA). Nevertheless, while equipment is currently more widely available than FDD, it is not clear whether this will be the case in the future. A number of overseas manufacturers have recently undertaken trials of FDD equipment for the 3.5 GHz band. In October 2014, we sent letters to management right holders and those licensing spectrum from the in the 3.5 GHz band. The majority of responses to these letters supported a shift to enable greater use of equipment in the 3.5 GHz band. Some respondents expressed a preference to continue to use their FDD equipment for the remainder of its usable life. All management rights (and licences) in the 3.5 GHz band expire in We are considering allowing greater use of in some parts of the band before The purpose of this is to increase the utilisation of the band. The current band plan The 3.5 GHz band is currently organised for use by FDD equipment. The licences in owned management rights have a bandwidth of 7 MHz and have conditions on their licences that emphasise the need to comply with FDD direction. Private management rights have no conditions that emphasis use of FDD. However, the way they were allocated in paired blocks is more suitable for the use of FDD equipment. Available technology & standards assignments Amateur IEEE WiMAX Band Class Group 5L (200 MHz) 3GPP Band 42 TD-LTE (200 MHz) 3GPP Band 22 FDD LTE (Mobile Tx 80 MHz) Vodafone Compass Spark Kordia s MHz Available technology & standards assignments IEEE WiMAX Band Class Group 5L (200 MHz) 3GPP Band 42 TD-LTE (200 MHz) 3GPP Band 22 FDD LTE (Base Tx 80 MHz) Vodafone Compass Spark Kordia Fixed Satellite (downlink) s MHz FDD Figure 1: band plan 1 FDD uses two separate frequencies, one for each direction of transmission. uses a single frequency which is time shared for each direction of transmission. 3

4 This document outlines a proposal to allow greater use of equipment In developing this proposal we have endeavoured to take into account the rights of those who wish to continue to use FDD equipment while trying to better cater for those who would like to use equipment. This project aims to enable better use of the 3.5 GHz band, for the benefit of current users of the band (and ultimately their customers). Provide feedback on the proposal We would like to hear your thoughts on the proposal set out in this document. Some specific questions are asked on page 7. Your feedback will inform final decisions around whether or not we should allow greater use of in the 3.5 GHz band before Any final decisions will need to have broad support from affected stakeholders. Please send your response before 9 April 2015; by (preferred) to: [email protected] (subject line: 3.5 GHz Proposal ) or by post to: 3.5 GHz Proposal Radio Spectrum Management, Policy and Planning Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment PO Box 2847 Wellington 6140 We invite responses with sections marked as confidential, and subject to the Official Information Act 1982 will treat them as such. 4

5 Proposal allow licensees to use equipment Licensees in management rights wanting to use equipment will have Condition f) 2 on their licence(s) modified to remove emphasis on the use of FDD equipment. Condition i), which specifies the FDD direction, will also be removed. Licensees wanting to do this will need to engage an ARE (Approved Radio Engineer) to initiate and certify the licence modification requests 3 in the Register of Radio Frequencies (SMART). The Ministry will then agree to grant the modifications. As part of this process, a new condition will also be placed on licences specifying that any new deployment must transmit at a bandwidth no greater than 5 MHz. The 2 MHz difference from the 7 MHz FDD bandwidth will be used as a guard band in Territorial Local Authorities (TLAs) where both and FDD equipment is being used on adjacent frequency licences. Administrative licensing (i.e. radio licences) will be allowed between 3490 MHz and 3510 MHz, for the trial of equipment. Existing spectrum licensees and management right holders will be allowed to register temporary radio licences between 3490 MHz and 3510 MHz for the trial of equipment and to transition customers from FDD to services. These temporary radio licences will be licensed in 5 MHz blocks, and on a TLA basis. A guard band will be placed between 3487 MHz and 3490 MHz. In some TLAs, the coexistence of and FDD use at the 3510 MHz boundary may cause interference issues. In TLAs where this is a problem, the frequencies between 3505 MHz and 3510 MHz will not be assigned and could instead be used as a guard band. Available technology & standards IEEE WiMAX Band Class Group 5L (200 MHz) 3GPP Band 42 TD-LTE (200 MHz) 3GPP Band 22 FDD LTE (Mobile Tx 80 MHz) Changes to assignments Amateur FDD/ FDD/ Vodafone Compass Spark Kordia GB s MHz Available technology & standards IEEE WiMAX Band Class Group 5L (200 MHz) 3GPP Band 42 TD-LTE (200 MHz) 3GPP Band 22 FDD LTE (Base Tx 80 MHz) Changes to assignments FDD/ FDD/ Vodafone Compass Spark Kordia Fixed Satellite (downlink) s MHz FDD FDD/ Figure 2: Proposed band plan pre Condition f) specifies the need to comply with the frequency division duplex direction is emphasized. 3 as online Form 8 s 5

6 Proposed timeframe April/May 2015 onwards April/May Sept 2015 Sept March 2016 spectrum licensees wanting to use equipment have licence conditions modified as outlined above. Expressions of interest sought for temporary radio licences in the frequencies between 3490 MHz and 3510 MHz. Allocation of temporary radio licences between 3490 MHz and 3510 MHz. Expiry of management rights (2022) The current management rights in the 3.5 GHz band expire in After this, there are a number of possible ways in which management rights could be allocated. The policy decisions around the allocation of the 3.5 GHz band after 2022 have not been made. We note that renewal or reallocation decisions will be made by the government of the day. The decision process is expected to occur in the 5 years prior to expiry (i.e ). If the management rights are being well utilised for BWA, management right holders may be offered an opportunity to renew some or all of their expiring rights. If the management rights remain under-utilised or are not being used for BWA, as they were designed, it is possible that they will be reallocated via competitive means. Possible post-2022 management rights are depicted in Annex 2. If technologies for 3.5 GHz are more readily available than FDD, it is likely that the entire band will be planned for use by equipment. 6

7 Questions 1. Do you support the proposed timeframes? 2. Do you support the proposed use of 3490 MHz to 3510 MHz for trial of? 3. Should the issue of temporary licences in 3490 MHz to 3510 MHz be limited to existing spectrum licensees and management right holders, or should it be open to all? 4. If the frequencies between 3490 MHz and 3510 MHz are to be used for trial of, do you think radio licensing is appropriate or would you prefer spectrum licensing under owned management rights? 5. Are the proposed guard bands an appropriate size to separate the and FDD operations? If not, what size should they be? 6. Is the proposed guard band (3487 MHz MHz) in the appropriate position within the band? Are any additional guard bands needed? 7. Are there any possible technical constraints that would prevent spectrum licensees moving to? If so, what are they? 8. Would you support a complete transition to in 2022? 7

8 Annex 1: List of TLAs and corresponding spectrum licensees under management rights 144, 145, 155 and 156 Territorial Local 144 and and 156 Authorities (TLAs) MHz and MHz MHz and MHz Ashburton Whitfield Electricity Ashburton Auckland city Compass Callplus Banks Peninsula Buller Carterton Central Hawkes Bay Swiftnet Swiftnet Central Otago Netsmart Christchurch city Whitfield Callplus Clutha Dunedin city Callplus Far north Franklin Compass Compass Gisborne Gisborne Net NZ Gore Grey Hamilton city Waihi Lightwire Hastings Swiftnet Hauraki Netsmart Netsmart Horowhenua Hurunui Scorch Communications Hutt city Smartlinx 3 NZ Wireless Invercargill city Kaikoura Kaipara Kapiti Coast Kawerau Mackenzie Alpine Energy Alpine Energy Manawatu Manukau Compass Callplus Marlborough Whitfield Masterton Matamata-Piako Netsmart Netsmart Napier city Swiftnet Nelson city Whitfield ThePacific.net New Plymouth North Shore city Compass Callplus Opotiki Otorohanga Netsmart Netsmart Palmerston North city Papakura Compass Callplus 8

9 Territorial Local 144 and and 156 Authorities (TLAs) MHz and MHz MHz and MHz Porirua city NZ Wireless Queenstown-Lakes W. Preston Russell Watson Rangitikei Rodney Compass Callplus Rotorua Ruapehu Netsmart Netsmart Selwyn Whitfield Scorch Communications South Taranaki South Waikato Netsmart South Wairarapa Southland Stratford Tararua Swiftnet Swiftnet Tasman Whitfield ThePacific.net Taupo Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board Tauranga Waihi Thames-Coromandel Timaru Whitfield Alpine Energy Upper Hutt city Waikato Waimakariri Whitfield Scorch Communications Waimate Alpine Energy Alpine Energy Waipa Netsmart Wairoa Waitakere city Compass Callplus Waitaki Network Waitaki Waitomo Netsmart Netsmart Wanganui Wellington city NZ Wireless NZ Wireless Western Bay of Plenty Westland Whakatane Whangarei Callplus 9

10 Annex 2: Proposed band plan pre-2022 and possible management rights post-2022 Available technology & standards 3GPP Band 22 FDD LTE (Mobile Tx 80 MHz) IEEE WiMAX Band Class Group 5L (200 MHz) 3GPP Band 42 TD-LTE (200 MHz) 3GPP Band 22 FDD LTE (Base Tx 80 MHz) assignments Amateur FDD (14 MHz) Vodafone (28 MHz) Compass (7 MHz) Spark (7 MHz) Kordia (21 MHz) FDD (14 MHz) Vodafone (28 MHz) Compass (7 MHz) Spark (7 MHz) Kordia (21 MHz) Fixed Satellite (downlink) transition Compass Spark Compass Spark Amateur FDD/ Vodafone (28 MHz) Kordia (21 MHz) GB FDD/ Vodafone (28 MHz) Kordia (21 MHz) Fixed Satellite (downlink) (7 MHz) (7 MHz) (7 MHz) (7 MHz) New s post renewal (e.g. 2022) Amateur [n1] [n2] [n3] [n4] [n5] [n6] [n7] [n8] [n9] [n10] [n11] [n12] [n13] [n14] [n15] [n16] [n17] [n18] [n19] [n20] [n21] [n22] [n23] [n24] [n25] [n26] [n27] [n28] [n29] [n30] [n31] [n32] [n33] [n34] [n35] [n36] [n37] [n38] Fixed Satellite (downlink) MHz Guard band FDD FDD/ 10