Data
Band Plan
There is a total of 2 MHz of spectrum in the 220 MHz services band. The spectrum is divided into 200 channel pairs, each channel’s center frequency is spaced 5 KHz apart, with "mobile side" frequencies 1 MHz higher than the corresponding “base side” frequencies. 10 channel pairs are available exclusively for Government operations and 15 channel pairs are available exclusively for Public Safety. Accordingly, there are a total of 175 channel pairs available for use by commercial, business, or other eligible entities (see
Rule 90.703).
In Phase I, the channels were organized functionally into radio service groups: QT, NC, QO, QD, and QM. In the QT radio service, channels were initially required to be trunked. To account for trunked radio technologies, the channels for each trunked radio license maintained a separation of 150 KHz (e.g., if a trunked radio license had five channels, the mobile side frequency for the first channel would be 150 KHz away from mobile side frequency for the second channel and so on, similarly the base side frequencies would have a corresponding separation). These trunked channels were assigned in groups of 5 channel pairs per license (trunked channel groups). The non-trunked channel pairs (NC, QO, QD, and QM) were divided so that they would be licensed in contiguous channel groups. In total for the 220-222 MHz band, there are 100 QT channel pairs, 20 Nationwide Commercial (NC) channel pairs, 10 Other (QO) channel pairs, 15 Data (QD) channel pairs, and 15 Public Safety (QM) channel pairs. 10 channels are for Government Nationwide use and 30 channels did not become available until Phase II.
In Phase II, QT radio service trunked channel groups or contiguous single channel pairs were combined to create channel blocks for auction. Each block, A through E, includes 10 channel pairs (100 KHz) for each Economic License (EA) license area. Each block, F through J, includes 15 channel pairs (150 KHz) for each Regional Economic Area Group (REAG) license area. And each block, K through M, includes 10 channel pairs (100 KHz) for each nationwide license.
All of the channel groupings are depicted in 220 MHz Auction Band Plan (
pdf). Channel assignments for each channel block are shown in
Rule 90.721.
Band Plan
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