FCC 3650-3700MHz Band Introduction

In 2005, the Commission adopted a non-exclusive licensing scheme for the band, in lieu of an unlicensed scheme that was originally proposed in April 2004. In reaching this decision, the FCC considered several factors, including the band’s encumbrance with grandfathered satellite Earth stations and radiolocation operations, which will prevent new terrestrial use in major population centers along the east and west coasts of the Nation, and the lack of pairing opportunities with other spectrum for duplex operations. This, as well as evidence that the band is well suited to high-power broadband operations, persuaded the Commission that much of the interest in developing the band is focused on smaller markets and less densely populated areas. For these reasons, the Commission structured the band’s rules to provide Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) and other providers an economical means of quickly initiating broadband services, particularly in under-served and rural areas. The Commission concluded that this licensing approach struck an appropriate balance, providing a regime with low entry costs and minimal regulatory delay, while still ensuring more orderly operation than would exist under a traditional unlicensed approach in which users must accept interference from others in the band and users’ locations are unknown. The Commission also designed the 3650 MHz band rules to provide flexibility for a variety of new terrestrial uses in order to encourage multiple entrants including a requirement that equipment operating in the band incorporate a contention-based protocol to minimize interference. The Commission concluded that contention-based protocols are well suited to avoiding interference among the multiple users that seek to use the band simultaneously. Under the Commission’s rules, contention-based protocols can be broadly categorized as either “unrestricted” or “restricted.” Unrestricted protocols are broadly compatible and function to prevent interference even with other, dissimilar contention technologies on the market. Restricted contention protocols can prevent interference only with other devices incorporating the same protocol. The Commission, through the equipment certification process, retains the authority to determine whether equipment that operators seek to deploy in the band meets the requirements established for contention-based protocols. As a further means of promoting effective shared use of the spectrum, all 3650 MHz licensees must cooperate and “make every effort” to avoid harmful interference and the FCC specifically declined to give interference priority to licensees who are the first to deploy in an area. To facilitate the negotiations that must accompany the cooperative use of the band by multiple entrants, the Commission requires that all 3650 MHz band licensees register their fixed and base stations in a common database, i.e., ULS. The Commission also adopted a number of provisions to protect grandfathered satellite Earth stations, which retained their primary status, against interference from the newly authorized operations in the band. Specifically, the Commission created 150 km circular protection zones around approximately 100 grandfathered FSS Earth stations and prohibited terrestrial operations in the band within these zones, absent agreement with the affected satellite operators. Additionally, requests to register base or fixed stations within the 80 km circular protection zones established around each of three Federal Government radiolocation stations will only be approved upon successful coordination by the FCC with NTIA. To provide further protection to the grandfathered earth stations, the Commission set maximum permissible power levels for both mobile and fixed or base stations operating in the band and required that mobile units be configured to transmit only when they could receive an enabling signal from a licensed base station

XR3-3.7 Radio Module

Ubiquiti's XR3-3.7 radio card module is now modularly approved for use in the 3650-3675MHz band.

At this time, the FCC will only consider operation in the 3650-3675MHz band. The XR3 has been locked for use within this range. Specifically, it has been approved for the following channels and modes of operation.

Center Frequency, Spectral Channel Width Options

3658MHz, 5/10MHz

3663MHz, 20/10/5MHz

3668MHz, 5/10MHz

FCC Licensing Process Steps

The steps are the following:

1.) If the applicant does not already have an FRN (FCC Registration Number), one must be obtained by submitting the following form here:

https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/coresWeb/regEntityType.do;jsessionid=Lg9c4pY6MGrH2Y52BnJvPbdSyYc1KK844SvnQHvKXQt6gLphJZpH!-1597250599!-555782090

2.) The applicant must fill out FCC Form 601 using the Universal Licensing System (ULS). This can only be completed after you have obtained your FRN number. To begin the licensing process click the following link to be redirected to the FCC ULS sytem:

http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/index.htm?job=home

- You will need to login with your ULS/FRN credentials:

- Once you are logged into the ULS system you will need to apply for a new license:

- From this page you will need to select the dropdown, and find the specific FCC code for this band. The correct code is NN - 3650-3700 Mhz:

- Once you have selected the correct frequency, the next step is to fill in the Applicant information:

- After the Applicant information, you will need to fill out the Contact information. For most of you this means just hitting the Pre-Fill button. This will copy the information from the Applicant page to the contact page. In the event that you are filing for someone else, then fill in the correct contact information:

- The next step is to fill out the Application Information page. Here you can let the FCC know if your exempt from filing and regulatory fees along with requesting wiaver for the Commission's rules:

- The next page of the Application Information is to state what type of license this is. For most of us this will be a "Regular" type license filing:

- After completing the Application Information section, you will come to the General Information Section. For the first section you will enter your Regulatory Status and the type of installation (most of us will used "fixed".):

- The next step of the filing process is to state your Alien Ownership Information. This will allow you to declare if you are filing on behalf, or apart of a foreign government or institution:

- The following page is the Basic Qualification section. Here you will fill out questions to determine your eligibility for the FCC license grant:

- Once you have finished the Basic Qualification section, you will be brought to the summary of information screen. This will also show you the cost of filing. Please verify that you information is correct, then click continue:

- The next page is for you to digitally sign the application. After this you will be prompted to pay for the application fees. FCC postal mail is very slow and they may not receive your payment in time. Payment via credit card is advisable:

- The final step after paying is to verify that you have submitted your application. Once you reach this screen you are done and should receive your license within 10 business days if approved. You can return to the ULS system at any time to check the status of your application: