FCC Wireless Bureau late Fri. referred compliance by Cingular Wir...
FCC Wireless Bureau late Fri. referred compliance by Cingular Wireless and T-Mobile USA with Enhanced 911 Phase 2 requirements to Enforcement Bureau for possible action. Cingular and T-Mobile separately had asked FCC in petitions for reconsideration to extend handset…
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deployment dates for Enhanced-Observed Time Difference of Arrival (E-OTD) technology. Carriers requested interim benchmarks beyond what FCC had granted in Oct. 2001 waivers for Phase 2 rollout. Cingular this fall had told FCC that because of uncertainties over ability of E-OTD to satisfy Oct. 1, 2003, deadline for accuracy, it had suspended E-OTD infrastructure shipments. E-OTD is hybrid handset-network solution for locating wireless 911 callers. Ability of wireless carriers to roll out E-OTD technology in GSM portions of their networks has come under fire from public safety groups. In case of T-Mobile, last Dec. it had asked FCC to modify its E911 Phase 2 waiver, outlining proposed new deployment schedule for E-OTD. In report at FCC in Oct., T-Mobile said it didn’t expect it could meet Dec. 31, 2002, benchmark for implementing E-OTD for all valid requests from public safety answering points pending as of June 30, 2002. That proposed target had been part of T-Mobile’s request at FCC to amend its E911 Phase 2 waiver. Because T-Mobile informed agency it couldn’t meet proposed date, “we find it no longer appropriate to address T-Mobile’s amended request for limited modification,” bureau said in order, dismissing request as moot. “We refer issues regarding T-Mobile’s compliance with its Phase 2 obligations under its existing compliance plan to the Enforcement Bureau for possible enforcement action,” order said. In case of Cingular, in Nov. it filed petition for reconsideration of FCC order that had granted waiver request for additional compliance time for E911 Phase 2, including dates by which it had to begin selling certain levels of E-OTD capable handsets. While that petition proposed extended deployment dates, Oct. 2002 filing cautioned that it had halted E-OTD shipments beyond what already had been deployed and was exploring alternatives. In order, Wireless Bureau said it treated as “severable request” part of Cingular’s reconsideration petition that proposed revised handset rollout dates. Other issues remain pending before FCC, order said. In filing Fri., Cingular confirmed that it had decided not to deploy E-OTD in favor of True- Position network-based solution called Uplink Time Difference of Arrival (U-TDOA). Cingular said it had completed trial of U-TDOA in Wilmington, Del., in Oct., including 17 sites that covered 20 square miles. Data showed that 67% of calls were located within 47.1 m and 95% within 112.2 m, within FCC accuracy requirements for network-based Phase 2 solutions.