Public Safety

Morgan O'Brien - Top U.S. Wireless Innovators of All Time

Sue Marek — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:35:15 -0500

Although Morgan O'Brien began his career as a lawyer with the FCC's Mobile Services Division, where he assisted in establishing the rules and procedures for all land mobile services, he is best known for his work with Nextel Communications. As the co-founder of Nextel, O'Brien is credited with building the company into a multibillion-dollar national wireless carrier that catered to public safety, enterprise and blue-collar workers. O'Brien served as Nextel's chairman from 1987 to 1995 and vice-chairman until its merger with Sprint in 2005.

Today O'Brien is the co-founder and CEO of Cyren Call. The company serves as the adviser to the Public Safety Spectrum Trust.

FCC Chairman: D-block, AWS-3 auctions won't happen in 2008

Lynnette Luna — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:45:24 -0400

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said that neither the D-block re-auction nor the Advanced Wireless Services-3 auction will likely happen this year. "I think it's very difficult to [start either auction in 2008] because in both cases the commission sought... additional comments. For us to complete either of the auctions by the end of this year, I think that makes it difficult," Martin was quoted as saying in RCR Wireless News.

During a conference with reporters, Martin said it might be possible to start one of the auctions, most likely the D-block auction, but he didn't believe that would even happen. Comments on the FCC's rulemaking for the D-block re-auction were filed last month with reply comments arriving last week. The D-block band, designed for a public-private partnership, failed to receive the minimum $1.3 billion bid. The FCC is now looking for ways to make bidders feel more secure since they have to negotiate deals with public safety for part of its use. The FCC recently extended the public comment cycle for the AWS-3 rulemaking process to July 25 and Aug. 11 as T-Mobile raised concerns about potential interference with its existing AWS licenses.

For more:
- check out RCR Wireless News

Related stories:
FCC grants more time for comments on AWS-3 auction plans. AWS-3 story
FCC seeks comments on D-block re-auction. D-block story

Report: Sprint considers Nextel spin-off

Tue, 06 May 2008 06:59:58 -0400

Yesterday, the rumor mill claimed that T-Mobile USA parent company Deutsche Telekom was mulling a bid for Sprint Nextel. Now a report in the Wall Street Journal says Sprint is considering a plan to spin-off or sell its Nextel unit. The report, however, claims that no particular deal is forthcoming, the consideration comes during a strategic review process, which could mean the carrier is just reviewing its options. One of the options is selling the Nextel unit back to a group of investors organized by Nextel co-founder Morgan O'Brien, who now runs public safety company Cyren Call. Current valuations of Nextel put it at between $5 billion and $16 billion, far less than the $35 billion Sprint spent in 2005 to acquire it.

For more on the rumored spin-off:
- read this report from the WSJ (sub. req.)

Report: Lease payments tanked D Block auction

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 06:59:57 -0400

A report from the FCC inspector general concluded that the requirement for lease payments of about $500 million contributed to the failure of the D-block auction. No serious bidders emerged for the spectrum, which was reserved for a public-private partnership that would give first responders a national wireless broadband network.

The inspector general's report was based on interviews with FCC staffers, public safety and companies such as Frontline Wireless--which had planned on bidding for the spectrum but couldn't raise enough money. The report concluded that demand from public safety, via Cyren Call, which was appointed to manage negotiations, discouraged bidding. The report also called into question the commercial viability of such a public-private partnership given the way the FCC constructed the rules for the band.

According to the report, "Cyren Call's statements regarding a $50 million-per-year payment was not the deciding factor in Frontline's decision not to bid on the D-Block, but was merely one of many concerns it had regarding the auction." -Lynnette

For more about the inspector general's report:
- check out this article from Dow Jones

Related articles:
Cyren Call says it's not to blame for Frontline's end. D-block report
Frontline closes doors; D-block auction in question. Report on Frontline

Firetide - Top Wireless Company 2008: FierceWireless, Fierce 15

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 09:11:49 -0400

Firetide

Where it's based: Los Gatos, Calif.
When it was founded: 2001
Website: www.firetide.com

Why it's Fierce: At a time when governments are rethinking their muni-WiFi strategies, the use of digital video surveillance as part of public safety represents a strong opportunity as it cuts down on crime and reduces manpower. As such, video surveillance is becoming a primary driver for mesh WiFi deployments. Jurisdictions around the country are reporting some dramatic results from video surveillance made possible by wireless mesh systems, and Firetide has become one of the biggest beneficiaries. Firetide's mesh technology offers resilience, self-forming and self-healing capabilities that guarantee camera connectivity. Moreover, the technology's ability to handle high-quality video traffic from cameras enables the delivery of real-time video for situational awareness with quality good enough to identify license plates. That is exactly why Firetide has scored some big WiFi mesh deals. Firetide is the mesh provider for the city of Chicago's Operation Virtual Shield, one of the world's largest high-quality video security systems in the world. The vendor also has constructed mesh networks for video transmission in Dallas and Phoenix. Firetide even played a key role in the construction of the world's tallest skyscraper, the Dubai Tower, providing IP voice and real-time video streams.

What to Look For: Firetide doesn't just play in the public-safety market. Its other market segments include healthcare, education, hospitality, industrial, construction and transportation where it appears the opportunity is endless for wire free, high-quality video surveillance systems.

700 MHz spectrum auction: That's a wrap!

Brian Dolan — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:56:50 -0400

After 261 rounds of bidding and more than $19.59 billion in provisionally winning bids, the 700 MHz auction (officially Auction 73) is over. Four out of the five spectrum blocks achieved their reserve prices, which enabled the auction to more than double expected revenues: the congressional estimate for the auction was $10.2 billion. During the past 15 years the FCC has conducted 68 spectrum auctions, which collectively generated $19.1 billion. Not only did the 700 MHz auction raise more money than any FCC spectrum auction before it, the latest auction managed to raise more than every other auction combined. The proceeds from the auction will be transferred to the U.S. Treasury by the end of June, and, according to the FCC, the money raised will support public safety and the digital television transition.

The four spectrum blocks that met their reserve prices were the Upper C Block, the A Block, B Block and the E Block. The winning bids for theÃ‚Â C Block were on the 12Ã‚Â regional licenses that make it up rather than the nationwide package. TheÃ‚Â 12 bids total $4.75 billion,Ã‚Â more than the C Block's reserve of $4.6 billion. Provisionally winning bids on the A, B, and E Blocks were $3.96 billion, $9.14 billion and $1.27 billion, respectively. Those three blocks collectively more than doubled their reserve price of $8.72 billion.

The D Block, of course, languished during the 700 MHz spectrum auction, with only one bid during the first round. Because the bid was well under the block's $1.3 billion reserve price. In a statement yesterday, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said that "the FCC is now evaluating its options for this spectrum" and that "the Commission remains committed to ensuring that we work to solve public safety's interoperability challenges." No word yet on whether the FCC will start Auction 76, the Plan B auction which was to take place after Auction 73 in the case that a spectrum block failed to meet its reserve price. The FCC will have to decide which rules if any it would remove from the D Block and/or what it's new reserve price should be.

The FCC will announce the winning bidders in the coming weeks.

700 MHz auction: That's a wrap!

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 07:59:58 -0400

The four spectrum blocks that met their reserve prices were the Upper C Block, the A Block, B Block and the E Block. The winning bids for the C Block were on the 12 regional licenses that make it up rather than the nationwide package. The 12 bids total $4.75 billion, more than the C Block's reserve of $4.6 billion. Provisionally winning bids on the A, B, and E Blocks were $3.96 billion, $9.14 billion and $1.27 billion, respectively. Those three blocks collectively more than doubled their reserve price of $8.72 billion.

The FCC will announce the winning bidders in the coming weeks. -Brian

700 MHz Auction limps along

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:59:55 -0500

After 83 rounds, the 700 MHz auction is limping along with a just a handful of small bid increases on minor pieces of spectrum. The last few rounds have seen increases of $3 million to $5 million in new bids or about 0.03 percent change in the total amount raised by the FCC.

It appears the C-Block portion is over as the bidding has stopped at $4.7 billion. The D Block, the spectrum reserved for a private/public partnership for public safety, doesn't have any qualified bids. So far, the auction has a total of $19.5 billion in bids.

Now everyone is sitting on the edge of their seats wondering who walked away with most of the C Block spectrum. And the FCC is wondering what went wrong in the D-Block auction.

For more about the auction:
- read this article from TelecomWeb
- check out our 700 MHz coverage

Related articles:
C Block meets its reserve, open access sticks Report
New rule should end auction soon Report

700 MHz Auction: C Block approaches $3B

Brian Dolan — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:54:40 -0500

Provisionally winning bids for the FCC's 700 MHz auction now total more than $6 billion, with the C Block's current pricetag making up about half that figure. After eight rounds of bidding the open access block of spectrum is going for $2.98 billion, while the D Block, which requires a public-private partnership for a public safety network, has only garnered one $472 million bid from the first round. The last round brought another 890 bids and an additional $789 million in provisionally winning bids.

700 MHz auction: D Block languishing

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 06:59:58 -0500

After the third round of bidding, the FCC's 700 MHz auction has raised more than $3.2 billion in provisionally winning bids, which marks a $424 million spike in bidding since the last round. The C Block of spectrum, which has special open access rules attached to it, is now going for $1.49 billion. That figure is still far short of the $4.6 billion minimum pricetag that the FCC set for the block and that Google said it would match. If bidders don't commit to $4.6 billion or more for the block, then the FCC will have to re-auction the C Block possibly without the open access provision.

Meanwhile, the D Block of spectrum, which was set aside for a public-private network that would benefit public safety workers, is languishing. The spectrum block has only garnered one bid for $472 million since the first round of bidding. If the D Block does not go for $1.3 billion or more, then the FCC will re-auction that slice of spectrum with a lower minimum price cap and possibly without the requirement for a public safety network.

The fourth round of bidding begins at 1 PM EST, so check out our live updates on our dedicated 700 MHz auction page this afternoon for more results. Find Round Three information here.

FCC chief Martin: Auction must go on

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 06:59:55 -0500

As the 700 MHz auction draws ever nearer, speculation that the D-block of spectrum, which the now "closed for business" Frontline Wireless was expected to win, has reached a fever pitch. FCC chairman Kevin Martin gave some guidance on the auction during a press conference about the XM-Sirius acquisition.

Because of auction rules that require potential bidders to remain quiet, Frontline cannot disclose why it went out of business, but many assume that the soft market is responsible for its inability to raise sufficient funds to bid on the spectrum.

"Is this ideal time to be conducting an auction? I'm not so sure," Martin said, "but Congress has required us to go forward with that auction." Martin also looked to deflect criticism that the FCC tailored rules for the D-Block to Frontline Wireless, which could make it a difficult slice of spectrum to auction now. "None of the rules we adopted for the spectrum was put into place to facilitate entry by any company," Martin said.

Martin would not explain what the FCC would do should the D-Block not fetch its required price point: "It's premature to speculate what the commission might end up doing," Mr. Martin said. "We're still focused on this auction and still optimistic that someone will be willing to take on that burden to serve public safety."

For more on Martin's defense of the auction:
- read this report from the WSJ (sub. req.)

Related:
Click here for the latest 700 MHz news.

Ramifications of Frontline's demise

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 06:59:56 -0500

Frontline Wireless recently closed its business leaving plans for a nationwide public safety network following the 700 MHz auction in the lurch. It's anybody's guess what will happen to the D Block of spectrum, which Frontline was generally favored to win.

"With the recent press reports regarding Frontline's implosion as a viable bidder, concerns among FCC and public safety officials are growing over the fate of the D Block and the success of the auction itself. If the reserve price for the D Block is not met, it can be re-auctioned with or without the same rules," said Jessica Zufolo, a telecom analyst at Medley Global Advisors.

The FCC also seems a bit edgy about Frontline's abrupt demise:

"Given the communications problems that our nation's first responders continue to face during emergencies, it is imperative that we do everything we can to help advance the build-out of a nationwide interoperable broadband network for the good of public safety and the American people," an FCC official told RCR News. "We are hopeful that someone will bid on the spectrum, but at this point, we'll have to wait and see what happens."

Pundits speculate that Frontline's exit leaves AT&T, Verizon Wireless or perhaps even Google as potential bidders for the D Block, but as the FCC official noted--only time will tell.

For more on the ramifications of Frontline's demise:
- read this report from RCR News

Sprint, SquareLoop team up for safety alerts

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 06:59:55 -0500

Location-based services provider SquareLoop announced that Sprint is the first carrier to deploy its Mobile Alert Network, which offers advanced, geographically-targeted public safety alerts to mobile phones. According to SquareLoop, its LBS technology enables public and private sector officials to send messages to subscribers based on their actual location as they travel, placing the intelligence in the handset to maintain consumer location privacy. Contra Costa County, California is the first jurisdiction to offer the mobile text alert service to its residents.

"SquareLoop's geographically targeted alert system increases the relevancy of every mobile alert sent and the chances of that message being acted upon," said SquareLoop CEO Tom Stroup in a prepared statement. "We are pleased to work with Sprint to implement a new standard for emergency messaging that enables location-based delivery of messages without the need for tracking wireless subscribers." -Jason

For more on the SquareLoop/Sprint deal:
- read this release

FCC allows wholesaling for public safety bidders

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 06:59:55 -0500

The FCC eased the designated-entity bidding rule for the 700 MHz D-Block band, the swathe of spectrum reserved for a commercial/public-safety network. The change is a victory for Frontline Wireless, which desires to bid on the spectrum using a wholesale access model.

Frontline filed a petition for reconsideration with the FCC in September, seeking a change to the rules. A designated entity typically receives bidding discounts up to 25 percent, but is barred from wholesaling more than 50 percent of its spectrum. However, the FCC made an exception for the D block given the fact that the bank requires a commercial/public-safety leasing arrangement.

"To encourage the widest range of potentially qualified applicants to participate in bidding for the D-block license, we enabled eligible bidders for this license to seek designated-entity bidding credits for small businesses, as a means to create incentives for investors to provide innovative small businesses with the capital necessary to compete for the D-block license at auction," the commission stated.

The filing window for short-form 700 MHz applications runs between Nov. 19 and Dec. 3.

To find out more:
- read this article from RCR Wireless News
- check out this release

Related articles:
Heavy duty VCs get ready for 700 MHz auction Report
Frontline appeals FCC auction rules Report

Will PTT experience a resurgence in 2008?

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 06:59:59 -0500

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Will PTT experience a resurgence in 2008?

Push to talk was quite a hot topic a few years ago when new vendors such as Kodiak Networks and Sonim Technologies emerged on the scene with promising technologies that wireless operators hoped would make them competitive with Nextel's highly specialized iDEN push-to-talk service. I remember writing lots of stories about these new technologies and how they offered non-iDEN operators the opportunity to lure away some of Nextel's high-ARPU PTT customers.

Some operators have deployed these technologies (AT&T and Alltel both use Kodiak Networks' PTT technology), but few have been as successful as Nextel in penetrating the highly desirable enterprise market. In fact, most operators have marketed their PTT services to consumers instead of infiltrating the different enterprise verticals such as public safety and construction workers where iDEN has had so much success.

Sprint is currently planning on deploying Qualcomm's QChat technology in first quarter 2008. The carrier will market QChat under the old iDEN Direct Connect brand and the company hopes to be able to transition existing iDEN customers to QChat as well as appeal to new customers by offering more handsets and more applications.

I wonder if some of the new applications that Sprint will be offering on QChat will help revitalize the PTT market. At the FierceMarkets Wireless Voice 2007 event in San Francisco earlier this week, Greg Young, vice president, engineering and product management for Qualcomm's QChat division talked about one QChat initiative, called Yagatta, which is an advanced version of push to talk that includes simultaneous voice and data sessions. Yagatta would allow push to talk to be incorporated with other services such as social networking, user-generated content, chat rooms, video text messaging and more.

Young wouldn't say whether Sprint would be launching Yagatta's advanced applications when it launches QChat next year, however during Sprint's third quarter earnings call, executives said that QChat would make new services available that were not currently available on iDEN. I suspect that some of these new applications will marry PTT voice with data services. Perhaps this next-generation of PTT will revitalize the age-old service and spark more competition among operators. -Sue

Frontline Wireless appeals FCC's auction rules

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 06:59:57 -0400

Frontline Wireless, the startup that seeks to build a national wireless network shared by public safety and commercial services, has filed a petition for reconsideration with the FCC to change its rules in the upcoming 700 MHz auction. Frontline wants the FCC to allow small businesses that want to bid on the spectrum to employ a wholesale model on a new network. The startup also wants the FCC to deny spectrum to incumbents who, if they win the bid, might have an "excessive concentration in spectrum holdings." Frontline also wants the FCC to lower the minimum bid for the spectrum block dedicated to public safety.

Verizon Wireless recently filed a suit against the FCC over its open access provisions for the auction.

For more on Frontline's appeal:
- read this article from the AP

Related Article:
Report: Apple interested in 700 MHz auction. Article

FCC 07-156 STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN KEVIN J. MARTIN

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 10:33:33 -0400

Federal Communications Commission
FCC 07-156
STATEMENT OF
CHAIRMAN KEVIN J. MARTIN

Re: In the Matter of Alltel Corporation, Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture, EB-07-SE-
008

Re: In the Matter of Sprint Nextel Corporation, Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture, EB-07-SE-006

Re: In the Matter of US Cellular Corporation, Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture, EB-07-SE-009

Ensuring that E911 service meets the needs of public safety and the expectations of the American people is a top priority of mine and of the Commission. I recognize that the public expects us to get these issues right. One of my first actions when I became Chairman was to ensure that all Americans could pick up the phone and dial 911 and connect to emergency services whether they were using a wireline, wireless or Internet phone. On the wireless side, Americans increasingly expect that dialing 911 also means first responders can pinpoint a callerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s location, even when the caller is incapacitated or does not know where he or she is. To this end, the FCC required all carriers to ensure that 95% of their subscribers have handsets that are location capable by December 31, 2005.

Alltel, Sprint Nextel, and U.S. Cellular failed to meet this critical deadline by a significant margin, despite the clear requirements of the Commission and the needs of their consumers. While we recognize the efforts undertaken by the carriers, and encourage the continued efforts of all carriers to enhance these life-saving technologies and work with the public safety community, the fines issued today are significant and appropriate. Our actions today underscore the critical importance that 911 services play in the lives of the public. I continue to believe that one of the CommissionÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s highest obligations is facilitating the ability of the public safety community to help those in need. Effective enforcement of our E911 rules is a valuable and necessary tool in achieving this mission.

Frontline made more calls and visits to FCC

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 06:59:57 -0400

While Frontline Wireless does not have the lobbying spend of most wireless carriers, the company did make more calls and visits to the FCC between January and August. According to a report from the Center for Public Integrity, Google had a total of 19 calls or meetings with FCC officials, 11 of which were with commissioners. The CTIA had 43 calls or visits. Verizon Wireless beat out Google too with 40 conversations with agency officials. Frontline Wireless, however, came out on top with 70 official FCC meetings.

The explanation, of course, is simple: Frontline's vice-chairman Reed Hundt is the former chairman of the FCC. Frontline's chairwoman Janice Obuchowski is a former assistant secretary of commerce in charge of telecommunications policy. In D.C. it's not just how much you can pay, but who you know, apparently.

Frontline had proposed combining the 10 MHz of spectrum reserved for public safety with another 10 MHz of commercial spectrum, which would result in the creation of a shared public-private network. Frontline suggested the winning bidder of this spectrum should have to wholesale the commercial slice of the spectrum. While the FCC adopted some of Frontline's proposed ideas, it did not institute any wholesaling requirements.

For more on Frontline's lobbying frequency:
- read this report from the CPI

FCC: One company can dominate 700 MHz auction

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 06:59:58 -0400

The FCC recently published the details of the final rules for the 700 MHz auction, which have contained no surprises so far, save one: The FCC did not include a rule that would limit the amount of spectrum an incumbent can bid on during the auction, as requested by Google and other new entrants. According to a report in the WSJ, the reason that the FCC did not include such a provision was that public-safety officials feared such a limit would make the spectrum block set aside for a public-private safety network less attractive to bidders looking to buy a large swatch of spectrum. After all, if there is a cap, a carrier might not prefer to spend money on a block of spectrum that comes with special rules, like helping to build out a public-safety network.

So Google successfully lobbied for open access when it comes to devices and applications, but failed to get the FCC to limit the bidding by incumbents like Verizon Wireless and AT&T.

For more on the auction:
- read this article from the WSJ (sub. req.)

FCC: Open access but no wholesale requirement

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 06:59:58 -0400

The FCC commissioners unanimously voted in favor of the auction plan, which is based squarely on FCC chairman Kevin Martin's much debated proposal.

Commercial Spectrum
The final rules include a requirement for "open access," which in this case means the winning bidder must allow "any device" and "any application" for the C Block of spectrum. There is, however, no requirement for wholesaling the C Block spectrum. Also, the final ruling did not answer Google's little discussed fourth request for openness. By calling for "open networks," Google wanted third parties to be able to interconnect at a technically feasible point in the wireless network to enable geolocation and similar services for content providers.

Public Safety/Private Partnership Spectrum
As expected, the FCC also ruled that "the Upper D Block commercial licensee and the public safety broadband licensee will form a public safety/private partnership to develop a shared, nationwide interoperable network for both commercial and public safety users." The terms of the deal between the two parties will be governed by FCC rules and rules set forth by the sharing agreement. That agreement "is subject to FCC approval, and must contain certain provisions such as service fees and a detailed build-out schedule for the network," according to the FCC.

Anonymous Bidding
The FCC will use "anonymous" bidding procedures, in which any information that may indicate specific applicants' interests in the auction, including their license selections and bidding activity, is withheld until after the close of the auction. The FCC said it will require these measures irrespective of any pre-auction measurement of likely competition in the auction.

Fail Safes
While the FCC has not released any of the reserve prices for each slice of spectrum, save the $4.6 billion for the Upper C Block slice, if any block of spectrum fails to meet its reserve the commission will re-auction it without special provisions at a later date. Winning bidders won't necessarily keep their spectrum either if they don't live up to FCC's demands: The commission has put forth various benchmarks for each slice of spectrum that include build out times and coverage saturation by various deadlines. If licensees fail to meet the four-year, interim geographic or population benchmark, the license term will be reduced from ten to eight years, which means the licensee will have to meet their end goals on an accelerated schedule. If winning bidders fail to meet the end-of-term buildout requirements, the FCC will reclaim unserved portions of the spectrum and make it available to other users.

For the full details:
- read this press release from the FCC

UPDATE: The FCC commissioners unanimously voted in favor of the auctions rules. Commissioner McDowell only deferred in part.