Firms Push FCC Licensing for Satellite Antennas on Vehicles
Companies as disparate as SES Americom, Qualcomm, ViaSat and Maritime Telecom Network endorsed a General Dynamics call for the FCC to set rules for vehicle-mounted antennas. They want to widen use of FSS Ku-band for mobile broadband services to consumers and to military and emergency vehicles, they said. General Dynamics in May petitioned for a rulemaking that would ease licensing of such terminals, suggesting the FCC use a framework it set up in 2005 for similar terminals on ships, known as ESVs.
SES Americom’s govt. arm is developing satellite antennas designed for moving vehicles, and “there is a strong interest in this new offering, particularly from military users,” it said. SES Americom’s service will allow mobile broadband access, by satellite, at speeds comparable to cable modem service, it said. The system will provide a 2-way broadband link between multiple mobile terminals and the Internet, targeted to vehicles not served by other data communications systems, SES said.
Ku-band vehicle-based services like Qualcomm’s OmniTRACs so far have been operating on a noninterference basis under a waiver of the FCC table of allocations. In 1989, OmniTRACs was the first mobile satellite application to use the 11.7- 12.2 GHz and 14.0-14.5 GHz bands, but on a secondary basis and after extensive study, test and public comment, Qualcomm said.
Earth Station on Vessels (ESV) licensing procedures should serve as a template for vehicle-mounted earth stations (VMES), the parties said. The Commission recently granted its first ESV licenses, to CapRock and Stratos, under rules written in 2005 for satellite antennas on ships at sea (CD Aug 17 p10). The FCC places ESVs under tight limits to avoid having them interfere with fixed satellite services (FSS) and wireless services also in the C- and Ku-band frequencies. Of special concern are antenna pointing parameters, since vessels rock on the water and can point earth station antennas at satellites other than those they're supposed to communicate with. Mispointing interference happens, as FSS satellites are spaced by only 2 degrees.
The FCC should “be vigilant” in developing rules for VMES to control off-axis emissions from earth station mispointing on land, Qualcomm said. The company urged “flexibility in the rules for users to meet the criteria without constraints or bias towards a particular technology.” Qualcomm argued in favor of vehicle tracking for the purpose of interference detection, as in ESV licensing. ESV rules require operators to track ship locations hourly for storage in a file open to the FCC and interested parties in interference investigation.
Others argued for requirements less strict than those for ESVs. SES Americom and ViaSat want less stringent antenna pointing requirements particularly when low-power transmission is involved. VMES operators could have trouble complying with strict antenna pointing rules “because of terrain variations that will be encountered by vehicles, particularly those operating ‘off-road,'” SES said. It also argued against location tracking, saying terminal location data could stymie military applications and threaten national security.
ViaSat backs VMEs licensing because it has consumer applications in mind, it said. ViaSat is developing antenna and modulation tools enabling high-speed data communications available to travelers in civilian vehicles, it said. A regulatory regime licensing VMES on a primary basis would “promote the development of new broadband alternatives through affordable terminals that are attractive to customers,” ViaSat said.