Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) has been busy rebanding its 800 MHz spectrum, but only around 55 percent of all non-border 800 MHz public-safety licensees have finished their physical rebanding work, according to a filing the carrier made with the FCC.
In the filing, Sprint said 505 of the roughly 900 non-border 800 MHz licensees are operating 800 MHz systems on their new frequencies. The carrier said that 826 of them have inked rebanding agreements, and that "most, but not all" of those that have not signed rebanding agreements have submitted cost estimates to Sprint, thereby clearing the way for negotiations.
Sprint also said two-thirds of the licensees on the U.S.-Canada border still need to ink rebanding agreements with Sprint; rebanding only started there last year.
Last year, Sprint said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it plans to spend between $3.2 billion and $3.6 billion to reband the 800 MHz spectrum it uses for its iDEN network. The rebanding is intended to reduce interference with adjacent spectrum. The FCC first imposed the rebanding order on Sprint in 2004 as a condition of the carrier's acquisition of 1900 MHz spectrum.
For more:
- see this Urgent Communications article
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