FCC Revises E-911 Phase II Schedule, Lets VoiceStream Go Hybrid

Less than a month before E-911 Phase II implementation-plan reports were due, the FCC granted a modest extension to wireless-service providers. Wireless providers now must report their Phase II technology choices by Nov. 9 instead of Oct. 1. Merely a small step backward, the extension was far less than GTE had hoped for; it had asked the FCC to move the filing date to June 2001, only four months from the Phase II implementation date. The extra time allows providers to react to the new rules for handset solutions as detailed in the same ruling.

Another source of contention, the ultimate deadline for implementation of Phase II requirements remains steadfast at Oct. 1, 2001.

Given the stalemate on development of automatic-location- identification (ALI)-capable handsets, the revised implementation schedule may help those providers who opt for handset-based solutions. The FCC ruling said that Ericsson, Motorola and Nokia do not plan to develop GPS-capable handsets until they receive firm orders from providers. The commission called such a situation unfortunate and agreed that it may give providers fewer options for complying with Phase II rules; however, the report related that "other ALI technologies are currently available that provide a reasonable prospect for compliance."

The new timeline gives providers seven extra months to begin selling ALI-capable handsets. On the other end of the time frame, providers now have an extra year - up to December 2005 - to reach full penetration of ALI-capable handsets.

The commission did not revise the handset schedule in response to claims from vendors and providers that the old schedule and its requirements would be impossible to meet. Nor did the FCC want to grant requests from Nokia and Motorola for substantial delays in the handset schedule. The industry as a whole, according to the ruling, "(has) had a substantial period of time in which to prepare for Phase II."

"Based on the information presented to us on the state of technology, we feel the minor adjustments to the Phase II handset-deployment schedule are appropriate," said Meribeth McCarrick, FCC spokesperson. "This modified schedule will provide greater clarity for all parties involved in making E-911 Phase II a reality."

Additionally, the FCC eliminated the separate and faster handset-deployment schedule for those providers who receive a public-safety-answering-point request for Phase II service. The commission concurred with Sprint PCS, which pointed out that the rule would have providers attempting to implement Phase II in random areas at a nearly impossible pace.

The commission, however, did not approve Sprint's request to use a hybrid solution for Phase II. The provider wanted to use a method called advanced forward-link triangulation (AFLT) that would use network software and GPS handsets to determine a caller's position. Without delineated accuracy levels for AFLT, the FCC felt the alternative technology would not put Sprint on a clear path to compliance.

VoiceStream, though, acquired the go-ahead on its proposed hybrid solution. The GSM provider will use a technology called enhanced observed time difference (E-OTD), which will employ both the network and the handset to determine the location of the caller. The FCC recognized that VoiceStream's GSM network, the global standard but a rarity in America, faces unique challenges for delivering Phase II services. The ruling said that ALI solutions for GSM providers have not been developed comparable to those for the more common American networks. The E-OTD alternative was the provider's only option, according to Bob Calaff, VoiceStream corporate counsel.

"No other technology than E-OTD would work for us in terms of complying," he said. "We had done a great deal of investigation of the location technologies out there."

VoiceStream has no plans to have location-technology vendors assist its E-OTD solution. The provider, though, will work on an accelerated implementation schedule given the minimal need for upgrades to handsets and the network. Half of Voice-Stream's new handsets must be ALI-capable by Oct. 1, 2001, with accuracy requirements of 100 meters for 67% of calls and 300 meters for 95% of calls.

FCC Chairman William E. Kennard hopes the ruling will "jumpstart delivery of life-saving E-911 services to the American public." He also believes that VoiceStream's more rapid implementation schedule will increase competition and expedite other providers toward Phase II compliance. Jim Nixon, VoiceStream senior manager of regulatory affairs, remains confident that enhanced emergency mobile services soon will come to fruition.

"Everybody accepts that this needs to get done," he said. "Anytime you get two different functional experts together, to each person, the other person's job looks relatively easy and straightforward, until you start digging into it. Public safety and the wireless industry are two different functional areas, and we're learning each other's requirements and important issues and working together on them. It's just a matter of time."