Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Nextel reduces Re-banding offer to $700M

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2003 11:14:46 -0400

Nextel reduces Re-banding offer to $700M
Static Still Surrounds 800 MHz Rebanding Plan

Oct 22, 2003

By the time the dust settles regarding the U.S. wireless industry's battle over
how to eliminate interference with public safety radio operations,
software-defined radio technology could make re-banding in the 800 MHz band
unnecessary.

At the Industrial Telecommunications Association's Private Wireless Summit 2003
earlier this month, it was clear that proponents and opponents of the "Public
Safety Consensus Plan" are entrenched more firmly than ever in their positions
(WDN, Nov. 20, 2002). "I think we were discussing exactly the same issue last
year," Robert Pettit of the Wiley, Rein and Fielding law firm said about 800 MHz
re-banding.

Proponents of the proposal have told Wireless Data News that they expected an
order from the proposed rulemaking (WT Docket 02-55) by last June, but the Federal
Communications Commission has yet to act on the proposal. Chairman Michael Powell
gave no indication at the ITA event that an order is imminent. "My dear hope is to
find a workable solution to the dilemma in the very, very near future," Powell
said in a keynote address.

Nextel Communications [Nasdaq: NXTL] and its allies in the Consensus Plan--the
Association of Public Safety Communications Officials-International (APCO) and the
Private Wireless Coalition--remain committed to convincing the agency to adopt
their proposal. Of course, Nextel's competitors in the commercial wireless space
are just as adamant about convincing the FCC to choose some other solution.

"Do not converge on anything so Draconian without understanding that there are
alternatives," Brian Fontes, Cingular Wireless' vice president for federal
relations, offered as advice to the FCC, and to public safety and private wireless
operations.  Fontes also made it clear Cingular would appeal any order approving
the Consensus Plan. "If the commission were to grant Nextel everything it wants, I
can assure you there will be a legal challenge," he said.

But nothing else so far has been proposed that would accomplish eliminating or
reducing interference with public safety operations caused by traffic on Nextel's
network. The plan consolidates public-safety systems in the 800 MHz band, and it
re-tunes private wireless operations within that band. It also grants them twice
as much bandwidth if they move to the 900 MHz band, using frequencies Nextel would
relinquish (WDN April 9). Nextel's 700 MHz guard-band holdings would be
redesignated for public-safety use under the proposal, and the carrier would gain
10 megahertz of spectrum nationwide in the valuable 1,900 MHz band as well as
spectrum in the 800 MHz band.

Nextel previously offered $850 million to pay for relocation public safety and
private wireless in the 800 MHz band, but trimmed that sum to $700 million.
However, it hasn't trimmed its regard for the problem. "It's been apparent over
time that this probably was widespread and more serious than we first
anticipated," Larry Krevor, Nextel's vice president for government affairs, said
during the 800 MHz re-banding discussion. APCO doesn't doubt Krevor's description.

"It is a very serious and a very broad-based problem," said Robert Gurss, APCO's
director of legal and government affairs. "It's only going to get worse as cell
sites proliferate."

>> Robert Pettit, 202/719-7000; Brian Fontes, [email-masked] ; Larry
Krevor, 703/433-4700; Robert Gurss, 202/662-4856<<

www.telecomweb.com

---

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2003 11:37:20 -0400

Nextel is a MESS.

Confusing staements from their CTO- Barry West.

Misleading figures in the media - Wireless Data News

You have got to watch these guys!

jbarbour wrote:

> [email-masked] wrote:
>
> This just confirms the fears of many about the lack of guarantees about
> the funding of this plan.
>
> The right answer: Make Nextel bid on the 1.9 Ghz spectrum they want, and
> give them credit for what they paid in fees to the FCC for the
> 700/800/900 spectrum they have. NOT what they paid to the previous
> licensees (all the SMR's they bought out), JUST what they paid to the FCC.
> Then give (same fees as normal for new or add-ons, as appropriate) some
> of that freed spectrum to PS, and auction the rest to B/I, etc. users.
> --
> Jim Barbour

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