PETROLEUM DIRECTORY: FCC Sunset Rule on AMPS affects rural areas

The FCC has set February 18, 2008, as the last day cellular licensees are required to offer analog cellular service. Most cellular licensees are abandoning AMPS due to its much higher operating costs relative to third generation technologies like GSM or CDMA.

In metropolitan markets, abandonment is a non-issue, since population densities make a reasonable business case for deploying more cell sites to provide both coverage and system capacity. Such is not the case in geographically dispersed, high cost markets like Prudhoe Bay.

Most cellular companies offering TDMA/AMPS home service or roaming through ASTAC in Prudhoe Bay are notifying their customers that they will not be utilizing that technology after the sunset date.

Concurrently, CDMA licensees are ending roaming agreements with ASTAC to provide extended AMPS coverage once out of range of CDMA in Prudhoe Bay. This takes coverage that was being provided by AMPS off the table.

While ASTAC has also taken this migration path and has offered GSM roaming service for over a year now, we intend to continue to support TDMA/AMPS home service well past the sunset date. The decision to take a contrarian position on this issue is driven by the number of member companies that depend on TDMA/AMPS for communications and safety out on the edge.

In Prudhoe Bay, the extended range per site provided by our TDMA/AMPS is undisputed. ASTAC’s TDMA/AMPS service gathers a significant amount of roaming traffic when a CDMA carrier’s customer phone travels out of range of CDMA service. Our home customers and other carrier’s TDMA/AMPS customers also benefit when roaming in Prudhoe Bay.

You do have choices.

If your carrier is discontinuing TDMA/AMPS service and stranding your current investment in truck and bag phones, all is not lost. ASTAC will continue offering TDMA/AMPS service in Prudhoe Bay to any and all customers who want to leverage their existing investment in a proven technology.

To initiate switchover of your truck and bag TDMA/AMPS phones, call ASTAC Customer Service at 800-478-6409.