You knew there had to be a controversy, right?
Globalstar’s plan might seem like its wrapped up all pretty in a neat little bow, but as is always the case when talking about repurposing spectrum for another use, it’s not that simple.
First off, Globalstar can’t do TLPS with its spectrum alone: it only has access to 11.5 MHz in its satellite band. To get to a full 22 MHz Wi-Fi channel, it’s asking the FCC to let it tap a 10.5 MHz hunk of frequencies in the neighboring unlicensed band. The spectrum it’s interested in is a kind of no-man’s land today. It can’t be used by Wi-Fi because there’s not enough bandwidth in it to form a proper Wi-Fi channel. Also, a lot of unlicensed users steer clear of it to avoid interfering with Globalstar’s orbital network. Bluetooth, however, has staked out its territory in the band.
The 2.4 GHz band with Wi-Fi channels. Globalstar's TLPS is in orance (Source: Globalstar)
The 2.4 GHz band with Wi-Fi channels. Globalstar’s TLPS is in orange (Source: Globalstar)
Globalstar claims that the 10.5 MHz swath is so lightly used that the FCC might as well let it have access to it so it could put it work in a wireless broadband network. The Wi-Fi Alliance and the Bluetooth Special Interest Group are a bit more skeptical. Both have filed objections with the FCC to Globalstar’s plans, wanting assurances that TLPS’s encroachment onto their turf won’t knock out their devices.
In addition, Globalstar recently raised the ire of the Wi-Fi industry it’s been trying to placate. The FCC is weighing opening up more airwaves for Wi-Fi use in the 5 GHz band. For a while Globalstar was the sole opponent to the plan, claiming Wi-Fi would interfere with its sky-to-ground satellite links in the same spectrum. Globalstar and the plan’s proponents eventually came to a compromise, and the proposal is on the FCC’s meeting agenda this month. But the incident didn’t sit well with unlicensed spectrum advocates.
As Public Knowledge SVP and legal director Harold Feld put it, on the one hand Globalstar is asking for spectrum freebies at the expense of the unlicensed band, and on the other hand it tried to throw roadblocks in the way of creating more spectrum for unlicensed use. That takes a lot of chutzpah and it’s a pretty good indication that Globalstar TLPS won’t play nice with regular Wi-Fi if its allowed to build its network, Feld wrote in in his Wetmachine blog.
The FCC is looking favorably on Globalstar’s proposal, according to Ponder, and it has a lot of reasons to. The government is desperately searching for ways to put more spectrum to broadband use, and Globalstar’s plan definitely fits the ticket.
But there’s a larger debate here about whether the government should be favoring unlicensed use of the public airwaves, which everyone is free to access, or licensed use, in which a single company has sole control over a set of airwaves. That’s a debate we’ll see played out in the coming months.