Attachment waiver list

This document pretains to SAT-MOD-20031118-00333 for Modification on a Satellite Space Stations filing.

IBFS_SATMOD2003111800333_378731

M o b i I e S a t e I Iit e v e n t u r e s




          Via Hand Delivery                                            bEcc;iblL-l;N/c,qATIONs      COMMI~,OIU
          Ms. Marlene H. Dortch                                              OFFlc~     OF JHE SECREJARv

          Secretary                                                                                  b34ved
          Federal Communications Commission
          445 12th Street, S.W.
          Washington, D.C. 20554
                                                                                                   ”‘
                                                                                                   %e%
                                                                                                      2 I 2004
                      Re:        Mobile Satellite Ventures Subsidiary LLC                     I“ie‘“ati0nd &Ireau
                                 Ex Parte Presentation
                                 File No. SAT-MOD-20031118-00333 (ATC application)
                                 File No. SAT-AMD-20031118-00332 (ATC application)
                                 File No. SES-MOD-20031118-01879 (ATC application)

          Dear Ms. Dortch:

                 In connection with the above-referenced applications, there has been some discussion of
          the number of waivers that MSV has requested. See Opposition of Inmarsat Ventures Ltd.
          (March 25,2004), at 5-7. (A copy of Inmarsat’s “list” is attached hereto as Exhibit A.) From
          MSV’s perspective, there are only two principal contested waiver requests: (i) to increase the
          amount of reuse permitted in the uplink portion of the band and (ii) to increase the output power
          of MSV’s base stations in the downlink portion of the band.

                  Four of the items in MSV’s application that have been characterized as waivers (Exh. A,
          items 1,2,3, and 10) actually involve variables in the formula that the Commission adopted for
          determining whether an ATC deployment exceeds the permitted level of potential interference in
          the uplink portion of the band. The ATC Order recognized and invited modification of these
          variables in the “baseline” that was used to create the formula.’ Consistent with this invitation,
          MSV has shown that it can modify certain of the variables without increasing the level of
          potential interference to Inmarsat or other co-channel systems. As indicated above, MSV has
          also sought an increase in the overall permitted level of potential co-channel intersystem
          interference, to 6% AT/T. This is the only true waiver request regarding MSV’s operations in the
          uplink part of the MSS L-band. (MSV’s request for authority to operate simultaneously more
          than 90,000 mobile terminals (Exh. A, item 9) flows from this request and is also based on the
          redundancy of a limit on reuse and a limit on the simultaneous MT operations. Technically, the

          1
           See Flexibility for Delivery of Communications by MSS Providers, Report and Order, IB
          Docket No. 01-185, 18 FCC Rcd 1962, 7 147 (February 10,2003) (“ATC Order”). See also
          Note to 47 C.F.R $ 25.253.

                                                                                              No. of Copies
                                                                                              List ABCDE

Mobile Satellite Ventures LP                                                10802 Parkridge-Boulevard, Reston, Virginia, 201 91 -541 6


Ms. Marlene H. Dortch
June 8,2004
Page 2


request is not for a waiver, since the limit was not incorporated into the rules, but was only
referred to in the ATC Order.)

         Another five of the items that have been characterized as waivers (Exh. A, items 4,5, 6,
7 , and 8) all flow from what is actually a single request to permit MSV to increase the power of
its base stations in the downlink portion of the band by up to 15 dB in order to reduce the number
of base stations required and the cost of their deployment. MSV has demonstrated that this can
be done without causing interference to Inmarsat mobile terminals in the vicinity of such base
stations. NTIA and Industry Canada have largely agreed with this request. In a related request,
MSV also demonstrated that a relaxation of the limit on base station overhead gain suppression
would have a nominal impact on interference potential. Again, NTIA and Industry Canada
agreed that a change in this limit is reasonable.

        MSV has not requested a waiver of the dual-mode handset requirement (Exh. A, item
12). In fact, MSV’s application demonstrates how and why its handsets will comply with this
gating factor. Finally, MSV’s request to operate an in-orbit spare (Exh. A, item 1 1 ) is
unopposed.

       Please direct any questions regarding this matter to the undersigned.

                                                    Very truly yours,

                                      -----.-
                                                -   /   ---        ..”---

                                                ‘ Lon
                                                  - =      -
                                                      C. Levin

cc:    Donald Abelson
       James Ball
       William Bell
       Sam Feder
       Anna Gomez
       Howard Griboff
       Paul Locke
       Jennifer Manner
       Paul Margie
       Kathyrn Medley
       Barry Ohlson
       Sankar Persaud
       Roderick Porter
       Thomas Tycz
       Sheryl Wilkerson


                                                  EXHIBIT A

                        Opposition of Inmarsat Ventures Ltd. (March 25, 2 0 0 4 )

application are a rehashing of what MSV has said before. These arguments either have been

raised and rejected in the NPRM portion of the ATC rulemaking proceeding or fully briefed in

the reconsideration phase.

               Although MSV characterizes it as “few instances” where it seeks “flexibility to

vary fiom the specific technical rules,’a1’there in fact are twelve (12) technical waivers or

variances sought bv MSV. Specifically, MSV requests:

        1)     A waiver to increase the number of ATC base stations above the 1725 limit
               based on:

               a. Requiring Inmarsat to accept a significant increase in uplink
                  interference to a total of 6% AT/T;”

               b. MSV’s plans to deploy 80 percent (rather than 50 percent) of its ATC
                  base stations in the United States;13

               c. The assertion that MSV’s mobile terminals have an average antenna
                  gain calculated to be -4 dBi or less when operating in the “ATC mode,”
                  but an unspecified EIRP;14and



l1     ATC Application at 2.
l2
       ATCApplication at 12. See also, e.g., Letter from MSV to Secretary, FCC, exparte
       letter, Il3 Docket no. 01-185 at 1 (filed January 28,2003) (“January 28,2003 MSV ex
       parte”); Letter from MSV to Secretary, FCC, exparte letter, TB Docket No. 01-1 85 at 2
       (filed January 24,2003); Letter fi-om MSV to Secretary, FCC, exparte letter, IB Docket
       no. 01-185 at 1 (filed January 21,2003); cf., e.g., Letter from Inmarsat to Secretary, FCC,
       exparte presentation entitled “Terrestrial Use of the L-Band,” IB Docket No. 01-185 at
        17 (filed November 5,2002); Letter from Inmarsat to Secretary, FCC, exparte letter, IB
       Docket No. 01-185 at 2-3 (filed January 10,2003); Letter from Inmarsat to Secretary,
       FCC, exparte letter, IB Docket No. 01-185 at 1-2 (January 23,2003); see also See
       Petition For Partial Reconsideration and Clarification of Mobile Satellite Ventures
       Subsidiary LLC, IB Docket No. 01-185 at 9 (July 7,2003) (the “MSVPetition”);cf.
       Inmarsat Opposition to Petition For Partial Reconsideration and Clarification of Mobile
       Satellite Ventures Subsidiary LLC, IB Docket No. 01-185 at 9-11 (August 20,2003)
       (“Inmarsat Opposition”). Most of MSV’s requests are a reiteration of issues raised
       earlier in the ATC proceeding. Where this is true, Inmarsat cites in the footnotes to this
       Section I where the issue was raised and to certain relevant filings related to the subject.
l3
       ATC Application at n. 27. See MSV Petition at 6 ; cf. Inmarsat Opposition at 6-8 and
       Opposition Technical Annex 9 2.1.

                                                  5
DC\665945.1


                d. MSV’s proposed use of a self-interference cancellation technique that
                   purportedly will prevent ATC from increasing MSV’s noise floor by       1


                   more than 6% ATR, but has no impact on the ATC interference
                   generated into Inmarsat;’’

         2)     A waiver of the requirement to use quarter-rate vocoders as specified by
                the ATC Order;I6

         3)     A waiver to permit the unlimited use of those frequencies not used by
                Inmarsat (or any other MSS operator) anywhere in the world that could be
                visible from the ATC service area;I7

     ’   4)     A waiver of the rule that L-band ATC base stations not exceed a peak
                EIRP of 19.1 dBW, in a 200 kHz per carrier, with no more than three
                carriers per sectorI8such that MSV may operate ATC base stations with an
                aggregate EIRP per sector of up to 38.9 dBW EIRP provided the aggregate
                E W of all the base stations within a 50 mile radius does not exceed 58.3
                dBW in any given direction;lg

                A waiver of the rule that L-band ATC base stations not exceed an EIRP          ’
         5)
                toward the physical horizon (not to include man-made structures) of 14.1
                dBW per carrier in 200 kHz such that MSV may operate its ATC base
                stations with an aggregate EIRP per sector of up to 33.9 dBW toward the
                physical horizon (not to include man-made structures);2o
         I

         6)     A waiver of the rule protecting aeronautical MSS services such that MSV’s.
     I
                ATC base stations may either: (i) be located at least 470 meters from any
                airport runway or aircraft stand area, including takeoff or landing paths; or




l4
         ATC Application at n. 27.
         ATC Application at 12.
l6
         ATC Application at 13-14 & n. 245. See also MSVPetition at 14; cf. Inmarsat
         Opposition at 15 and Opposition Technical Annex 5 3.
l7
         ATC Application at n. 27. See also Letter from Lon Levin, MSV, to Marlene H. Dortch,
         Secretary, FCC (Jan. 16,2003).
’’       See 47 C.F.R. 0 25.253(d)(l).
l9
         ATC Application at n. 30. See also MSV Petition at 16-19; cf. Inmarsat Opposition at 15-
         16 and Opposition Technical Annex 0 4.
2o
         ATC Application at n. 3 1. See also MSV Petition at 18; cf. Inmarsat Opposition at 15-16
         and Opposition Technical Annex 3 4.

                                                 6
DC’665945.1


                (ii) not exceed a PFD level of -49.6 dBW/m2/carrierat the edge of all
                airport runway or aircraft stand area, including takeoff or landing paths!’

         7)    A waiver of the rule requiring L-band ATC base stations to meet a PFD
               limit of -64.6 dE3W/m2/200kHz at the water’s edge of any navigable
               waterway such that MSV’s ATC base stations may either: (i) be located at
               least 1.5 km from the boundaries of all navigable waterways; or (ii) not
               exceed a PFD level of -54.4 dBW/m2/canierat the water’s edge of any
               navigable waterways;22

         8)    A waiver of the overhead gain suppression restrictions so as to allow MSV
               to relax the restriction by 10 dB over the range of elevation angles fiom
               55” to 145” and by 8 dB over the range of elevation from 30” to 5S0;=

         9)    A waiver of the 90,000 mobile terminal peak traffic

         10)   A variance to permit MSV to deploy ATC capable of supporting both
               GSM and CDMA air interface protocols;

         11)   A waiver to use another company’s spacecraft to satisfy the satellite
               ground spare requirement; and

         12)   A variance from the use of a “safe hafbor” dual mode handset necessary to
               demonstrate an integrated MSS/ATC system.*’

               Inmarsat does not take a position on (1 1) and (12) above, but e 4 h of the other

requested waivers and variances constitutes a departure fiom the ATC service rules that threatens

to undermine the Commission’s carefully constructed ATC framework. As the Commission has

emphasized: “We view full and complete comoliance with each of the reauirements as essential

to the intemitv of our ‘ancillaw’ licensing rePime.*v26


2’
        ATC Application at n.3 2. See also MSV Petition at 20-22; cf. Inmarsat Opposition at 18-
        19 and Opposition Technical Annex 0 6.
22
        ATCApplication at n.33. See also MSV Petition at 16-19; cf. Inmarsat Opposition at 15-
        16 and Opposition Technical Annex 6 4.
23      ATC Application at n.35. See also MSV Petition at 19-20; cf Inmarsat Opposition at 17-
        18 and Opposition Technical Annex 5 5 .
24      ATC Application at 24. See also Februaly 5, 2002 MSV Presentation at 22.
25      ATC Application at 10.
26      ATC Order at 8 66 (emphasis added).

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DCk565945.1



Document Created: 2004-06-30 14:52:37
Document Modified: 2004-06-30 14:52:37

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