DOD wireless concerns allayed

The Defense Department is satisfied that a new class of wireless technology will not interfere with key battle systems, Pentagon officials said.

On Feb. 14, the Federal Communications Commission approved commercial use of ultrawideband, a new type of wireless technology that is a faster and more secure way of sending wireless transmissions. DOD was concerned that ultrawideband signals are so powerful that they interfere with its wireless operations.

But the FCC, in its decision, set limits on what radio frequencies the ultrawideband devices can use, including avoiding those frequencies used by the military and companies that sell global positioning services.

"DOD concluded FCC's technical restrictions on [ultrawideband] devices would be sufficient to protect military systems. Such restrictions were the minimum required to avoid interference with those systems," said Steven Price, deputy assistant secretary of defense for spectrum and command, control and communications policy.

"The department supports FCC's reasoned and balanced approach of protecting critical national security systems from frequency interference while allowing commercial deployment of new technologies," Price said.

DOD praised the efforts of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which is responsible for managing the federal government's spectrum, for ensuring mission-critical operations are not jeopardized, Price said.

DOD officials said the department would monitor regulatory and market developments to ensure national security is maintained and that ultrawideband devices did not jeopardize mission-critical operations.