Largest U.S. carrier Verizon Wireless told FCC late Tues. it coul...

FCC on Phase 2 timelines, joining Nextel, AT&T Wireless, Cingular and others. Verizon filing came in advance of FCC Oct. deadline for beginning to deploy more specific wireless location capabilities of Phase 2. Verizon proposed alternative compliance timeline, requesting temporary waiver of Phase 2 handset-based location technology deadlines. Carrier attributed temporary waiver request to fact that network upgrades and Phase 2-capable handsets wouldn’t be available in time from vendors. For Phase 2 deployment of its network assisted GPS-advanced forward link trilateration handset solution, carrier proposed to: (1) Begin deploying network-assisted portion by Oct. 1 in its switches and cell sites for Lucent markets, Jan. 1, for Nortel markets and Nov. 1 for Motorola markets. (2) Complete deployment of those network upgrades by April 1 for Lucent markets, Aug. 1 for Nortel markets and March 1, 2003, for Motorola markets. (3) Begin selling Phase 2-compliant handsets that used that technology in Dec. Under proposal, 25% of new handsets would be activated by July 31, 2002, 50% by March 31, 2003, 100% by Dec. 31, 2003. “It is important to note that this schedule would result in the deployment of network upgrades in all of Verizon Wireless’s markets, irrespective of receiving” request from public safety answering point (PSAP), Verizon said. Aside from deploying GPS-based software solution, Verizon Wireless plans to provide network-based location information to PSAPs for many customers until its full Phase 2 technology is rolled out. “Verizon Wireless is committing to deployment of Phase 2 technology in its network in advance of many PSAPs’ own capability to do so,” filing said. That means that customers who buy Phase 2-capable handsets in those areas “will be ready to be served as soon as the PSAP upgrades its own emergency communications capabilities to use the location information that Verizon Wireless will be ready to transmit.”