It is a digital trunking business radio with telephone interconnect, and operates in the business/industrial part of the 800 MHz spectrum (851-866 MHz). It does look like a cell phone, and it operates like a cell phone.but it really isn't. They operate an "Extended (or Enhanced) Specialized Mobile Radio" service (ESMR). Nextel, contrary to popular belief, is not a cellular telephone company. The result of rebanding will relocate NPSPAC, the contiguous block of frequencies reserved for Public Safety, and create a separate contiguous block reserved for high power ESMR operations, primarily Nextel. After many hearings, replies, counter-replies, and conferences, the FCC issued a Report and Order directing the "rebanding" of the 800 MHz spectrum. The FCC solicited input from the various users groups to determine the best course of action. The number of interference complaints to public safety were rising, and the popularity of the ESMR services that were primarily blamed for the interference was also rising, with no end in sight. In the late 1990's, the FCC was forced to acknowledge that there was a problem. The presence of these sites, and the RF energy they generate in close proximity to public safety operations, causes radios used by public safety to lose contact with their more distant base stations. These ESMR sites transmit continuously with ERP of as much as 1000 watts. Nextel and other ESMR systems use a "low site" or cellular type architecture, with many base stations installed on 1-3 story buildings and 30-50 ft monopoles to create high signal density and greater user capacity over their coverage area. This results in lower signal strength over a wide coverage area. Public Safety systems are not operated for profit, and typically use a "high site" architecture, where a few base stations with power output in the 100-200 watt range are located on tall buildings and hill tops. During the 1980's and 90's, Nextel created a nation-wide network by buying up thousands of individual licenses for frequencies between 851-866 MHz.Ī Brief History of Mobile Comms and Trunking However, unlike in other bands where licensee types were allocated to contiguous blocks of frequencies, in the 800 MHz band Public Safety, SMR, and ESMR services were all mixed together. Public Safety was later assigned a block of frequencies, and " SMR" (community repeater), "ESMR" (Nextel), and public safety services were allowed on the remainder of frequencies.
When the 800 MHz band was originally created, two segments of the spectrum were set aside for Cellular Telephone (mobile and base). Rebanding is not the same as Narrowbanding. Rebanding does not require switching to digital. Rebanding has nothing to do with cellular telephones. Rebanding has nothing to do with 700 MHz or any other band other than 800 MHz.
The following answers are for the most common questions and misconceptions regarding rebanding.ġ.