Spectrum Management Capabilities Deck

8/9/2019 Spectrum Management Capabilities Deck

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Spectrum Management


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Spectrum Management + Computech 1

From strategic planning to technical implementation,we work with regulators on projects of various size and scope to

Manage Spectrum Resources

presented at:


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Managing The Spectrum LifecycleProject Discipline combined with Innovation

The management of spectrum resources is now, more than ever, crucial to a countrys communications. Indeed, channel congestion, broadcast interference and the unlicensed

use of the airwaves inhibit the deployment of the latest in wireless technologies. Countries must manage and control their airwaves. They have to know where and what

frequencies are being used. And by whom. Countries need to assign spectrum using a systematic process that is every bit as modern and efficient as the technology it

supports.

For more than 16 years, we have provided government authorities a one-stop shop for all aspects of spectrum management. From pre-auction application filing to

designing and running spectrum auctions, post-auction licensing and reporting & results, our capabilities enable countries to control broadcast assignments within a region or

country. From processing broadcast applications to selecting frequencies and allocating licenses, we help clients gain control of their airwaves.


learnmoreaboutou

rspectrume

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A spectrum dashboard -- constructed for the FCCs Broadband.gov


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While best known for our 16 years of continuous service at the FCC, Computech has worked with

telecommunication authorities around the world in a variety of spectrum-related roles. For instance, we provided

support to Thailands Post and Telegraph Department by leading spectrum frequency management projects, and

developed and implemented multiple online auction platforms for Mexicos COFETEL. Recently, both Ofcom (in

the United Kingdom) and Industry Canada awarded supply agreements that allow us to support their spectrum

auction programs.

A 31-year old IT firm founded on the simple idea that the best systems are built in close collaboration between IT

experts and business experts, we keep our methods simple. The technical services we provide directly relate to

managing a nations spectrum management lifecycle:

Auctions

Licensing

Secondary markets

The Build vs. Buy Decision

We work with regulators to build a strong foundation as they think about re-farming, the digital divide and new

auction rules + designs. The spectrum lifecycle, from an IT perspective, incorporates three major phases:

Planning

Allocation

Post-allocation + maintenance

A portfolio of systems can (and usually does) support each phase. From data collection to integration,

optimization to validation, our support enables countries to take a programatic approach to managing spectrum.


Five Countries, One Clear FocusThe FCC, Industry Canada, COFETEL, Ofcom and the Post + Telegraph Department of Thailand

Spectrum managementservices

Designing licensing systems

Inventory + Audit

Spectrum dashboards

Communicating a DTV transition

Liberalisation

Exchange


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Key Features

Computechs Auction Platform 4

In the spectrum auction business since 1994, we have created three generations of Simultaneous Multiple Round (SMR)

systems (ascending and descending), developed two Package Auction systems, a Combinatorial Clock with final proxy round

auction system, a Sealed-Bid auction system, and a two-sided Spectrum Exchange system. Additionally, we have built two

generations of SMR auction systems for Mexicos COFETEL.

Most recently, we deployed the Computech Auction Platform (CAP) to support COFETELs entire spectrum auctions program.

Developed by the same auction system experts who built the automated auction systems used by the FCC, we designed CAP

with a full suite of secure, web-based tools to support a spectrum management program via the Internet.

Key features of CAP include:

Fully redundant and reliable IT infrastructure;

Multi-lingual administration & bidding systems which employ a content management system;

Support for various auction designs, including Simultaneous Multiple Round, Clock, Exchange, Reverse, and Combinatorial;

Auction Type Wizard to provide a repeatable, auditable auction setup process to define the auction design (e.g. SMRA), items

and packages, bidders, bidder to item association, bid controls, and processing and round controls to result in a customized

auction profile;

Comprehensive bidder communication module that includes bidder statistics, status summary reporting, an auction timer, and

allows auction administrators to send messages to auction participants

Reporting module, delivering viewable and downloadable round by round auction & bidder-specific results in English,

Spanish or French;

A playback report for the administration system, which displays a time sequence list of all actions performed by every bidder

for an open round and updated real-time.

CAPCOMPUTECHSAUCTIONPLATFORM

Spectrum auctionservices

Design + Format Analysis

Customization of a Platform

Training through Mock Auctions

Conduct Live Auctions

Host + Support Live Auctions

Inter-round Optimization

Surveillance

Results Analysis


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Auctioning spectrum in Mexico 5

Auctioning Spectrum in Mexico

Background:

For over a decade, Computech has supported bilingual auctions for the Mexican Governments Comisin Federal De Telecomunicaciones (COFETEL). We first established a partnership with

COFETEL in 1995, when we were selected to customize a licensed version of the FCCs Automated Auction System. We have served as the sole auction solution provider for COFETEL since

that time, delivering three custom auction systems. During this timeframe, we expanded our relationship with COFETEL, based on our continued success, to provide auction policy and design

consulting services in addition to auction system services. We now serve as the service provider that supports COFETELs entire auction program.

Challenges:

Computech faced tight initial government-mandated deadlines as well as strong public pressure from the Mexican spectrum industry to deliver the completed auction system in just over four

months from the release of the auction rules. Additionally, Computech must ensure that our platform comply with international standards, operate fully in Spanish, and meet the unique needs

of Mexicos telecommunication users (e.g. spectrum cap limits and reporting, accommodating on-site bidding).

Solution:COFETEL selected the Computech team to provide full auction lifecycle support, from initial auction policy, design, and format consultation, through system customization, and live auction

conduct and support. To support Mexicos spectrum auction plans, we delivered a leading-edge version of our auction platform (CAP) in 2009 for COFETEL to ensure the Mexican

government could provide spectrum services that incorporated modern auction design and methodology, as well as conformed to international best-practices. After deploying the auction

system, the Computech team went on-site in Mexico City to lead hands-on training with COFETEL staff for conducting the full auction life cycle with the new system, support internal mock

auctions, customer mock auctions, as well as the initiation of the live auction process.

Notable Results:

On May 25, 2010, the Computech team kicked off COFETELs current two parallel auctions, Auctions 20 & 21, on-site in Mexico City with the COFETEL

auction team & auction participants. From these two auctions, COFETEL anticipates $1 - $2 Billion pesos in combined high bid amounts.


7/10Communicating the DTV transition 6

Communicating the DTV transition in the U.S.

Background:

In 2009, Congress required a transition from analog to digital broadcasting. Known as the DTV transition, Congress charged the FCC with providing real-time information to the general public

in advance of this national switchover.

Challenges:

While the FCCs main website provided cursory information, such as policy documents and scheduled transition dates, they could not make available real-time transition data, from public-

facing tracking statistics to internal executive-level decision making. With the vast majority of the U.S. public uninformed and unequipped for the transition, FCC help desks were flooded with

calls from nervous and confused citizens. Further complicating the transition: service providers kept customer data private, preventing the FCC from modeling supply or demand challenges.

In addition, allowing industry to shape the message about the risks and costs of the transition to the public undermined confidence in the FCC.

Solution:

Working with the FCCs Office of Communication and New Media bureau, we created a dashboard specific to the DTV transition, and separate from www.fcc.gov. We built the site to integrate

data from non-standard sources (e.g. national broadcasters and crowd-sourced feedback from the public). Packaged in a rich, intuitive interface, behind the scenes DTV.gov required

complicated analytical transformations, integration with other systems for key data, and authoring tools that enabled business users to keep the site up-to-the-minute fresh. This solution

enabled FCC staff to mobilize hundreds of grass roots support organizations, Congressional staff, and millions of U.S. households by providing up-to-the-day information on:

Digital conversion penetration by precise geographical boundary;

Localized transmission simulations for use by the public; and

Education and outreach material for support and advocacy organizations, end customers and call centers.

Notable Results:

On June 12, 2009, the transition date, 11,744,906 DTV.gov website page views were recorded, a record in one day for the FCC. More importantly, Americans survived the transition to

digital television without incident, prompting major news organizations to applaud the FCCs efforts to turn the digital TV conversion into a non-event for most Americans.
http://dtv.gov/http://dtv.gov/http://www.fcc.gov/http://www.fcc.gov/


8/10Accounting for spectrum use 6

Accounting for spectrum use in the U.S.

Background:

The FCCs Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) oversees millions of private, commercial, and non-governmental spectrum authorizations. For years, the WTB issued hundreds of

thousands of spectrum licenses under 10 wireless services, each characterized by a unique business process and licensing system. Subsequently, a disproportionate number of paper formscollected by the FCC contained inconsistent information, ultimately creating latent and costly application processing delays.

Challenges:

About 500,000 applications are received per year by the FCC. Prior to development of a universal licensing system, these applications had to be hand keyed, verified with applications, and

manually moved through many workflows. Moreover, applicants tracked the progress of their application by calling the FCC to get status updates. And to top it off, each of the prior

applications had their own maintenance and support teams. This poses a real challenge to the FCC in terms of regulation + oversight; that is, who holds spectrum licenses and whos using

spectrum.

Solution:

Working with the FCC, we make available web interfaces that allows the public to search for license information and file applications for updating or requesting new licenses. This licensing

system simplifies the application and licensing processes and provides secure, world-wide access through the Internet. This universal licensing system consists of five major subsystems that

accommodates all application and licensing processes including:

Electronic filing;

Automated application processing;

Internal administration;

Automated outputs (letters, Public Notices, emails, authorizations); and

Searches (internal, external and reports).

Notable Results:

ULS collapses 45 data forms into 5, greatly simplifying the tasks of the applicant. By using an online system instead of paper, users receive immediate feedback on data

entered, which reduces rework. Processing time is reduced to a few days from many weeks, and users can check the status of an application at any time. This encourages

secondary market competition, as industry now knows who owns which licenses and whats been built.


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LicensingAuctions

Leadership Team in Brussels 8

Lawrence FitzpatrickPresident

301.656.4030

[email protected]

twitter.com/fitzpatl

linkedin.com/in/lfitzpatrick

Larry Fitzpatrick, or Fitz, is the president of Computech, a leading technology consulting

firm that supports numerous public and private clients. Under Fitzs direction, the firm

creates mission-critical custom applications that last by building software that matters.

Before joining Computech in 2009, he led the NASD's/FINRA's software development

organization transformation from scratch to 500+ people in less than 8 years. Before that, he

was VP at Open Text Corp and at PLS.

Alfred S. Dominick IIIVice President

301.656.4030

[email protected]

twitter.com/aldominick

linkedin.com/in/aldominick

Al Dominick joined Computech in 2005; since than, hes met with regulators from around the

world to discuss the various ways technologies help manage scarce spectrum resources. Al

leads our IT firms business development efforts; specifically, running our sales, marketing and

communications efforts. A voracious reader, he regularly writes about auctions, data

management and business intelligence for our firm. He earned his MBA from the University

of Maryland and BA in Politics from Washington & Lee University.

Kristofer ShieldsAuction Practice Lead

301.656.4030

[email protected]

linkedin.com/in/khshields

Kris Shields leads Computechs Auction Practice, and specializes in auction systems design

and development. He has built spectrum auction systems for the last seven years for a varietyof spectrum regulators, including the FCC and COFETEL. Under his lead, Computechs

auction systems allowed the FCC to generate over $13.8 billion from its AWS auction in 2006,

where 1,087 licenses were awarded after 168 bidders engaged in 161 rounds of bidding.

In addition, he led Computechs auction team in support of the FCCs most financially

successful auction, its 700MHz auction that raised $19.1 billion in 2008. Most recently, Mr.

Shields led Computechs development and operations research team in the creation of the

Computech Auction Platform (CAP).

Dashboards ExchangeInventory Liberalisation
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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7735 Old Georgetown Road, 12th FloorBethesda, Maryland 20814

United States of America

301.656.4030 (main)301.656.7060 (fax)

computechinc.comtwitter.com/computech

#spectrummanagement

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Spectrum Management Capabilities Deck