LigoWave 3.65GHz Licensing Process Walkthrough

From LigoWave wiki

Contents 1 Introduction 2 History & Rules 2.1 Contention Based Protocol 2.2 3650 Cooperation 2.3 Grandfathered Satellite Earth Stations 3 Obtaining an FRN (FCC Registration Number) 4 Obtaining a 3.65GHz Nationwide License 4.1 ULS 4.2 New License 4.3 Applicant Information 4.4 Contact Information 4.5 Application Information 4.6 General Information 4.7 Alien Ownership Information 4.8 Basic Qualification Information 4.9 Summary 4.10 Certification 4.11 Confirmation 5 Registering Each Radio Location in ULS 5.1 Logging into ULS 5.2 Locations 5.3 Application Questions 5.4 Location Questions 5.5 Site Data 5.6 Transmitter Antenna Data 5.7 Equipment Data 5.8 Site Summary 5.9 Confirmation

Introduction

This wiki is intended to be a complete walk-through for any users wanting to register and license LigoWave's 3.65GHz products for use in the United States. The four main steps include:

1. Obtaining an FRN (FCC Registration Number)
2. Obtaining a nationwide 3650 license
3. Examining ULS for nearby 3650 registrations
4. Registering each LigoWave - 3.65 radio with ULS

If anything in the guide is unclear or questions arise, please send an email to support@ligowave.com, and we will be glad to provide assistance.

Legal Disclaimer: This guide is offered as an example walkthrough of the FCC process to register and license LigoWave's 3.65GHz products for use in the United States. Ligowave offers this guide as an example process only and it is not guaranteed to be complete or accurate for every circumstance. By completing and submitting these applications, you are electronically signing a legally binding agreement, please consult your legal advisor before signing anything.

History & Rules

In order to stimulate the rapid expansion of broadband services, the FCC has opened the 3650 - 3670 band for terrestrial wireless broadband operations. The band contains a non-exclusive licensing scheme which strikes a balance between an unlicensed approach and an expensive exclusive licensing scheme. Because every fixed station must be licensed, the band will not contain unknown sources of interference (portable phones, soho wireless routers, etc). At the same time, the method provides a low entry cost and minimal regulatory delay.

For more information on the 3650-3670 MHz band, see the following FCC link:

http://wireless.fcc.gov/services/index.htm?job=about&id=3650_3700

Contention Based Protocol

LigoPTP-3 products contain a restricted contention based protocol. This means the LigoPTP-3 products are only operable from 3650-3675 MHz.

3650 Cooperation

In order to promote an effective shared use of the spectrum, all 3650 MHz licensees must cooperate and “make every effort” to avoid harmful interference. There is no first come, first serve rule in this band. If one user has 3650 equipment on a tower, and a competitor wants to install on the same tower, the original user must do what is necessary to work together with the competitor. To facilitate with this process, all radios are licensed in the FCC database (ULS).

Grandfathered Satellite Earth Stations

The 3.65 GHz band is also home to a handful of grandfathered FSS (Fixed Satellite Service) operators. In order to protect these band incumbents, then FCC has imposed exclusion zones in which terrestrial broadband operators are not allowed. There are approximately 100 grandfathered earth stations which have 150km circular protection zones; in order to operate these zones approval must be given by the incumbent FSS operator. Additionally, there are three Federal Government radio location stations that have 80km circular protection zones; usage in these zones will only be approved upon successful coordination by the FCC with the NTIA.

The three grandfathered stations are located at :

• St. Inigoes, MD 38 10 00 N 76 23 00 W
• Pascagoula, MS 30 22 00 N 88 29 00 W
• Pensacola, FL 30 21 28 N 87 16 26 W

To see a list of grandfathered stations follow this link:

http://www.fcc.gov/ib/sd/3650/grandftr.pdf

Obtaining an FRN (FCC Registration Number)

Before applying for a license to operate in the 3.65GHz band in the US, the company or individual applying for the license must obtain an FRN (FCC Registration Number). This is basically the user account for the FCC ULS (Universal Licensing System).

To register an FRN, navigate to the FCC's official website located at:

http://www.fcc.gov

Once at the FCC's website, locate the option FCC Registration Number (FRN) Commission Registration System (CORES) in the main menu (see image to right). Click on the link and you will be transferred to the FCC Registration System.

Once at the FCC Registration System main menu, you will select the option to Register and receive your FRN

In the next form, select the appropriate responses (whether you are filing as an individual or as a corporation). If filing as an individual you will be required to submit your personal social security number; if filing as a corporation, you will be required to submit your corporate tax identification information.

You will then be directed to a registration form where you will be required to enter registration/contact information for you and/or your organization.

After completing the registration, you will be provided your FRN number. You will need this FRN number in order to apply for licenses, so print or save the form for your records.

Obtaining a 3.65GHz Nationwide License

To apply for the nationwide 3.65GHz license, navigate to the ULS (Universal Licensing System) website, located at the following URL:

http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls

ULS

You will then see the ULS Menu. Since you have already obtained an FRN number, you will want to click the LOG IN option. If you do not have this information, see the section Obtaining an FRN (FCC Registration Number)

At the login screen, enter the FRN number and the password you submitted when obtaining the FRN number

After successful login, you will be redirected to your license manager. To apply for a new license, click the Apply for a New License option in the menu

New License

The first option asks what type of radio service the new license will accommodate. In this case you will choose NN - 3650-3700 MHz

You will then begin the registration process.

Applicant Information

The first section is basic Applicant Information. Here you will enter Business/Individual information, Address, etc

Contact Information

The second section is corporate / individual contact information

Application Information

The third section begins the application information form. In most cases, you will mark no for any exemptions or rule wavers. You also do not need to enter a renewal date, since the 3650 license is good for ten years.

The second part of the third section continues the application information. On this page, verify that the type of license you are applying for is listed as Nationwide & 3650-3700 MHz

General Information

The fourth section is general information about the usage of the license. Check each applicable box, and click continue

Alien Ownership Information

The fifth section is Alien Ownership Information.

Basic Qualification Information

The sixth section contains basic qualification information.

Summary

The seventh section displays a summary of information provided and displays the fees due to complete the application. Please ensure all information is correct.

Certification

The eigth and final step in the application process is the electronic signature. Make sure you read and understand all certification statements before agreeing and signing the document. After signing, press Submit Application to complete the application.

Confirmation

After submitting the application, continue through the following menus to submit payment to the FCC. After payment is complete you will be provided with a Confirmation of your application submittal and payment.

You have now completed the application for the 3650MHz nationwide license. Once the FCC processes and approves the application you are then eligible to operate in the 3650MHz restricted band.

After being granted the nationwide license, it is still necessary to register each LigoPTP radio before operation may begin.

Registering Each Radio Location in ULS

Once the nationwide 3.65GHz license has been obtained, it is then necessary to register each location in the FCC ULS (Universal Licensing System) system.

It is required to register each fixed station in ULS. This means both the master and slave sides must be registered.

Logging into ULS

After logging into ULS, the Licenses at a Glance section will be displayed. On the right side of the screen, you will see the Work on this License menu. From this menu select Register Locations

Locations

After clicking Register Locations the list of your current locations will be displayed. If you are adding a new location, click Add New Location

Application Questions

If you are filing for a waiver of the commission's rules or need to upload attachments, you can do so here.

Location Questions

If the transmitter may have an environmental effect or is located in one of the grandfathered earth station areas, you must enter this info here.

Site Data

In this section, you must enter general information about your transmitter site and location

• FCC ASR Number - Antenna Structure Registration number. If you have already registered this location in ULS, you can use the previous ASR information you have on file
• Site Name - Friendly name you want to have associated with each location
• Transmitter Latitude - The transmitter latitude in minutes-seconds format
• Transmitter Longitude - The transmitter longitude in minutes-seconds format
• City - The city the transmitter resides in
• County/Borough/Parish - The County/Borough/Parish that the transmitter resides in
• State - The State the transmitter resides in
• Elevation of the Site AMSL - The elevation of the site (Above Mean Sea Level)
• Overall Height AGL Without Appurtenances - The height (Above Ground Level) to the highest point of the supporting structure only (without appurtenances)
• Overall Height AGL With Appurtenances - The overall height (Above Ground Level) of the entire antenna structure to the highest point, including any appurtenances.
• Support Structure Type - The type of structure the transmitter & antenna will be located on

Transmitter Antenna Data

This section contains information about the antenna you will be using with the LigoPTP-3 products

• Manufacturer - The manufacturer of the antenna you are using. (If you are using the integrated LigoPTP 3-18, you may enter LigoWave)
• Model Number - The model number of the antenna you are using. (If you are using the integrated LigoPTP 3-18, you may enter LigoPTP 3-18)
• Gain - The gain of the antenna you are using (in dBi)
• Beamwidth - The beamwidth of the antenna you are using. For the LigoPTP 3-18, the beamwidth is 22 degrees.
• Center Line - The height (Above Ground Level) of the center of the antenna
• Azimuth - Enter the azimuth of the transmit antenna in degrees (rounded to one decimal place) clockwise from True North. For omni

directional antennas, enter ‘360’

• Elevation Angle - Angle of elevation of the antenna
• Polarization - Please select from the following values
  • - E – Elliptical
  • - F – 45 degrees
  • - H – Horizontal
  • - J – Linear
  • - L – Left-hand circular
  • - R – Right-hand circular
  • - S – Horizontal and vertical
  • - T – Right and left-hand circular
  • - V – Vertical
  • - X – Other (provide a description in an attachment)

Equipment Data

This section requires more specific information about the radio transmitter

The LigoPTP 3 and LigoPTP 3 R2 products contain different FCC IDs! Be sure and enter the appropriate FCC ID off the label of your device!

• FCC ID Number - The FCC ID of the product you are using.
  • For LigoPTP-3 products, this is V2V-PTP3
  • For LigoPTP-3 R2 products, this is V2V-WMR370
• Lower/Center Frequency - The lowest frequency you may use at this location
• Upper Frequency - The highest frequency you may use at this location
• EIRP - Enter the EIRP (in dBm) radiated off the transmitting antenna
• Emission Designator - This designates the transmitter bandwidth (5/10/20 MHz), and emission type. Choose from this list of emission designators based on what bandwidth you will use:
  • For LigoPTP-3 use:
    • 5MHz: 4M14D7D
    • 10MHz: 8M25D7D
    • 20MHz: 16M7D7D
  • For LigoPTP-3 R2 use:
    • 5MHz: 4M24D7D
    • 10MHz: 8M44D7D
    • 20MHz: 17M2D7D
• Modulation Scheme- the modulation scheme you will implement (BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM, etc)
• Restricted/Unrestricted protocol - LigoWave LigoPTP-3 uses a restricted protocol, meaning it can only operate from 3650-3675MHz
• Name of transmission protocol - Select Other
• Description of transmission protocol - In this field, you can enter: Dynamic TDD with Selective Repeat ARQ. Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance for sensing clear wireless medium.

Site Summary

Verify that all information on this screen is correct, then continue to submit application

Confirmation

If everything is accepted, you will see a confirmation page acknowledging that your application has been submitted. Please allow 2-3 days for the registration to officially be complete.