Amazon Tests 2 GHz Globalstar Network

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By now you've probably seen the articles about Amazon testing a wireless network near its facilities in Cupertino, CA. If not, I recommend Phil Goldstein's article Report: Amazon testing wireless network using Globalstar's spectrum on FierceWireless.com.

Most of the articles in the popular press seem to have missed the main point of Amazon's testing. It wasn't about Amazon gearing up to offer wireless services, rather it was about Globalstar demonstrating the value of its 2 GHz “Terrestrial Low Power Service” (TLPS) I wrote about some time ago. (See Globalstar Proposal Could Impact 2 GHz ENG Channels and Globalstar Wi-Fi Spectrum Plan Draws Fire.)

One question is whether or not any of the TV stations in the San Francisco area that use ENG channels A9 and A10 were notified of the experiment and its potential for interference. The operation is under experimental license WG2XNS issued to Jarvinian Wireless Innovation Fund, which requires prior coordination with SBE.

As I pointed out in my earlier articles, broadcasters aren't the only ones concerned about Globalstar's TLPS plans. Wireless ISPs and other users of the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band are concerned TLPS could negatively impact available unlicensed spectrum.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung
Contributor

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack. A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.