ROANOKE TIMES Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times DATE: Wednesday, January 31, 1996 TAG: 9601310052 SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-5 EDITION: METRO DATELINE: WASHINGTON SOURCE: JEANNINE AVERSA ASSOCIATED PRESS
THE FCC is opening waves that can travel only short distances but can carry lots of information.
Car radar to warn of approaching trouble. Wireless gadgets to control your appliances and security from an easy chair.
Federal regulators are unlocking a vast, virtually unused portion of the public airwaves to make these and not-yet-imagined other commercial services available - and to open a window to the 21st century.
It began in a little-noticed action last month as the Federal Communications Commission began delving into the segment of the public airwaves known in telecommunications lingo as millimeter waves.
Technically, the frequencies are located above 40 gigahertz - far past frequencies used for television, radio and cellular phones.
``That's where the virgin territory is,'' said Mike Marcus, the FCC's associate chief of technology.
Because of their location on the spectrum band, the frequencies have extremely limited use compared with other frequencies. The waves can travel only short distances - about half a mile on a clear day - but can carry lots of information, including voice, video and data.
Largely because of their limitations, companies have had little interest in using the frequencies.
Advances in technology have changed that. General Motors, Hewlett-Packard, AT&T and Apple are among companies exploring ways to apply the frequencies to new services and devices.
``I think this is very definitely something that is going to be important to the marketplace and to people in their daily life,'' AT&T government affairs director Frank Mathewson said.
According to information supplied by the companies to the FCC and described in interviews, possible uses include:
Radar systems for cars to alert drivers to potential collisions. General Motors, Ford, Chrysler and VORAD Safety Systems have filed comments with the FCC expressing interest in using millimeter wave technology in such a way.
Wireless systems to make homes ``smart'' by controlling appliances, heating and cooling, and security.
High-capacity wireless links to connect computers within an office, or communication systems between nearby buildings.
Wireless links to connect phones, pagers and other communication devices throughout a college campus or airport.
Video conferencing; telecommuting; and transmitting detailed medical information, including images and X-rays, to doctors and institutions.
Some of the ideas are not necessarily novel but are noteworthy because they harness frequencies without commercial uses before now. Company executives also believe they will be able to offer high-speed data transmissions and other similar services more cheaply than companies using different technology.
``The exciting thing is not what companies are thinking about now, but what it might make available in the future,'' said Cynthia Johnson, government affairs director for Hewlett-Packard.
Executives of these companies say making the new technology available will take at least five more years.
The only current uses for millimeter waves are by radio astronomers, who use a few mostly for weather observation, and by the military.
The frequencies are sandwiched between the highest band reserved for commercial satellite communications and infrared - which, among other things, is the signal that lets almost all remote-control devices talk to TV sets, stereos and videocassette recorders.
In addition to traveling only short distances, millimeter waves have other disadvantages, the FCC says. They're and fog, and they don't penetrate walls very well.
On Dec. 15 the FCC made available 6.2 gigahertz for new technologies on an unlicensed basis. That means devices like radar systems will be sold as baby monitors, garage door openers and cordless telephones are now. That means that unlike cellular telephone customers, buyers of the new technology will not be tethered to a particular company for service.
That chunk of the airwaves constitutes roughly 10 times the amount of the spectrum currently reserved for TV broadcasters, even though the millimeter waves have much less capability than the prime portions of the airwaves used by broadcasters, said Don Gips, deputy chief of the FCC's plans and policy office and one of its spectrum gurus.
In addition to traveling only short distances, millimeter waves are susceptible to interference from rain, snow, and hail.
LENGTH: Medium: 92 linesby CNB