Few months ago, the wireless carrier AT&T and American satellite radio service provider Sirius filed a joint proposal to FCC that would protect the adjacent satellite radio spectrum from interference and enable WCS (Wireless Communication services) spectrum for the first time — to be used for mobile Internet service. Yesterday, American based Journal, the Wall Street Journal reported that Federal Communications Commission approves a plan that would solve longstanding interference issues between AT&T Inc. and Sirius XM Radio Inc. and allows to extend its 4G LTE network.
The deal between the two companies will let AT&T use 20MHz of the band while leaving 10MHz open to avoid potential interference with Sirius. FCC chairman Julius Genachowski praised the two companies for coming up with a deal that resolved the issues of “a long-troubled band that has evaded easy answers for 15 years.”
In first week of August, AT&T announced that it has agreed to acquire NextWave Wireless, which holds licenses in the Wireless Communication Services (WCS) and Advanced Wireless Service (AWS)spectrum. WCS spectrum has not been used for mobile Internet usage due to technical rules designed to avoid possible interference to satellite radio users in adjacent spectrum bands.
Last time AT&T, has already boasted that its 4G LTE network is capable of delivering mobile Internet speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G. The carrier has invested more than $115 billion into operations and acquiring spectrum and other assets enhancing its wireless and wired networks over the last five years. AT&T has already expanded its high-speed 4G LTE coverage into 9 new areas of the U.S., with 44 more markets coming before the end of 2012.