Sprint Nextel reportedly is lobbying the incoming Obama administration to create a $2 billion interoperable cellular network for emergency first responders.
The carrier is pitching a five-year, $2 billion plan to Obama's transition team that, according to Sprint, will be a readibly deployed interoperable network. The plan specifically calls for 100 satellite-based light trucks that would respond to emergencies, as well as some 100,000 handsets and pieces of equipment positioned at up to 40 pre-selected sites.
The plan is emerging in the wake of the FCC's failure to create an interoperable network for first responders using the D block of the 700 MHZ band. Last fall the FCC created preliminary auction rules to create such a network, but the measure foundered and a new framework was not put in place. The FCC tried to auction off the D-block spectrum during the original 700 MHz spectrum auction in early 2008, but was unable to get a commercial bidder.
For more:
- see this article [1]
Related articles:
FCC [2] proposes new plan to auction D block
FCC [3] chairman: D-block, AWS-3 auctions won't happen in 2008
Links:
[1] http://fixed-mobile-convergence.tmcnet.com/topics/mobile-communications/articles/48931-report-sprint-tapping-obama-2-billion-emergency-communications.htm
[2] http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/fcc-proposes-new-plan-auction-d-block/2008-09-25
[3] http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/fcc-chairman-d-block-aws-3-auctions-wont-happen-2008/2008-07-15