EXHIBIT A SPECIAL TEMPORARY AUTHORITY NARRATIVE

1400-EX-ST-2019 Text Documents

SprintCom, Inc.

2019-08-07ELS_235417

            EXHIBIT A – SPECIAL TEMPORARY AUTHORITY NARRATIVE
SprintCom, Inc. (“Sprint”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sprint Corporation, pursuant to
Sections 5.3(e), 5.3(j), and 5.61 of the Federal Communications Commission’s (“FCC’s” or
“Commission’s”) Rules, 47 C.F.R. §§ 5.3(e), 5.3(j), and 5.61, hereby requests Special
Temporary Authority (“STA”) to conduct demonstrations of experimental transmitters. The
testing will further advance Sprint’s understanding of the proposed technology and its
application towards High Altitude Platform Stations (“HAPS”). The STA is sought for a period
of 180 days beginning on November 1, 2019. Consistent with the standards set forth in Section
5.61 of the Commission’s Rules, Sprint outlines below its need for the requested STA and the
reasons that the STA should be granted expeditiously.


GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Sprint intends to conduct a series of tests with a subsidiary of SoftBank (“HAPSMobile”) to
demonstrate and determine the techniques and potential for communicating with a HAPS over
the island of Lanai, Hawaii. HAPSMobile has partnered with AeroVironment to conduct these
tests. Sprint seeks temporary authority to support these tests.


FREQUENCIES USED FOR EXPERIMENTAL TESTING
The spectrum frequencies (“Spectrum”) that will be utilized for the experiments under this STA
fall within the 1.9 GHz Personal Communications Service (“PCS”) band (“B25”) and the 2.5
GHz Broadband Radio Service “BRS” and Educational Broadband Service (“EBS”) bands
(“B41”). Specifically, the following frequencies channels will be utilized:
    •   B25 Service Link: C4 (1980-1985 MHz paired with 1900-1905 MHz)1
    •   B41 Feederlink Downlink (From HAPS to Ground) 15 MHz occupied bandwidth (2500-
        2515 MHz)2 within channels: BRS1, A1, A2, and A3 (2496 – 2518.5 MHz)
    •   B41 Feederlink Uplink (From Ground to HAPS) 15 MHz occupied bandwidth (2616-
        2631 MHz)3 within channels: K, BRS2, E1, and E2 (2614 – 2635 MHz)


SUMMARY OF TESTING ACTIVITIES
HAPSMobile intends to conduct multiple tests utilizing the Sprint Spectrum over the period of
this STA. Specifically, HAPSMobile will be testing the capability of transmitting LTE signals
from certain ground equipment to a HAPS. The primary objectives of this testing will be to:


1
         Sprint is licensed for the B25 Service Link pursuant to call sign WPOJ830.
2
         Sprint is licensed for the B41 Feederlink DownLink pursuant to call sign B222 and WHR717 (pursuant to
lease ID L000007908 with the EBS entity University of Hawaii).
3
         Sprint is licensed for the B41 Feederlink UpLink pursuant to call signs B222 and WQYK918


   •   Determine the system’s ability to maintain a stable service link while the HAPS is station
       keeping over Lanai.
   •   Test the HAPS optimal system link budgets for LTE service
   •   Test User Equipment (“UE”) handover between the service link cells
   •   Conduct drive testing to determine HAPS signal coverage over Lanai
Additional details concerning the technical aspects of these testing activities and the proposed
equipment are included in the attached Confidential Exhibit.


GEOGRAPHIC AREA OF TESTING ACTIVITIES
The HAPS Ground Station will be located at Latitude 20.7667, Longitude -156.9333.
In addition to initial ground testing, HAPSMobile will operate the HAPS platform above 15
Kilometers and below 24.4 Kilometers over the island of Lanai as shown in Figure B below.
The latitudinal and longitudinal boundaries of the HAPS flight box are as follows:

                              Direction       Latitude      Longitude

                                North          21.1301     -156.993743

                                South          20.5566     -156.898754

                                 East          20.8267     -156.622924

                                West           20.8267     -157.540248


                          Figure B: HAPS Operational “Flight Box”


University of Alaska Fairbanks on behalf of HAPSMobile and AeroVironment has filed the
necessary applications to the Federal Aviation Administration as required by Commission
Rules.4


PROTECTION AGAINST INTERFERENCE
Sprint has identified that it is the only licensee holding licenses in the testing frequencies and the
frequencies immediately adjacent to those being utilized for this testing. The equipment used for
the Service and Feeder links include a radiation hardened “Out of Band” control relay capable of
disconnecting supply voltage to the radio transmitter in the event that Sprint or HAPSMobile is
contacted by a third party with an alleged interference concern. In these circumstances,
HAPSMobile will immediately cease operations and investigate the cause of the alleged
interference.


SPRINT CONTACT INFORMATION
Gardner Foster
Senior Counsel
Legal and Government Affairs
900 7th Street NW
Suite 700
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 585-1916

4
    47 C.F.R. § 5.61(b)(11). FAA Application File Number is 2019-WSA-3623.


Gardner.Foster@sprint.com

Kyle Entz
Manager
Legal and Government Affairs
12502 Sunrise Valley
Reston, VA 20196
(703) 592 -2968
Kyle.Entz@sprint.com


One or more of the following individuals will be available 24/7 during all testing and has
authority and ability to immediately cease all operations:


Steve Leonard
Regional RF Engineering Manager
(913) 315-0278
Steve.Leonard@sprint.com

Andy Mayes
Local RF Engineer
(808) 777-7714
Andrew.Mayes@sprint.com



Document Created: 2019-08-07 18:00:35
Document Modified: 2019-08-07 18:00:35

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