United States and Mexico Approve Accords For Advanced Wireless Services Along Border
The senior officials of the United States–Mexico High-Level Consultative Commission on Telecommunications (HLCC) today
signed a bilateral telecommunication agreement between the United States and Mexico to allow for the compatible
operation of Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) throughout the entire U.S.-Mexico common border area.
The agreement allows for AWS communications service providers on each side of the border who serve the same geographic
coverage areas and the same frequency sub-bands to establish agreements among themselves for cross-border roaming or
other collaborative activities. The agreement also establishes a cross-border coordination procedure between new AWS
providers and existing spectrum licensees in order to eliminate cross-border radio interference between networks.
The agreement covers AWS operations in the 1710-1755 MHz and 2110-2155 MHz bands for which the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) began licensing service providers in 2006 following the spectrum auctions of those bands. The AWS
services in these bands are sometimes called third generation networks or “3G” networks.
Additional information regarding the HLCC and the texts of the new AWS agreement can be found at www.state.gov/e/eeb/cip/c622.htm. For more information about the U.S.-Mexico HLCC contact Hal Grigsby at the U.S. Department of State at 202-647-2723,
or FCC representative Charlene Lagerwerff at 202-418-1349.
ENDS