FCC: Wireless Services: Specialized Mobile Radio Service: Specialized Mobile Radio Service

Specialized Mobile Radio Service

The Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR) service was first established by the Commission in 1979 to provide land mobile communications on a commercial (i.e., for profit) basis. A traditional SMR system consists of one or more base station transmitters, one or more antennas, and end user radio equipment that usually consists of a mobile radio unit either provided by the end user or obtained from the SMR operator for a fee. SMR end users may operate in either an "interconnected" mode or a "dispatch" mode. Interconnected mode connects mobile radio units with the public switched telephone network (PSTN) through the SMR base station. This allows the mobile radio unit to function as a mobile telephone. Dispatch mode allows two-way, over the air, voice communications between two or more mobile units (e.g., between a car and a truck) or between mobile units and fixed units (e.g., between the end user's office and a truck).

More about SMRS...

Licensing

Currently there is no 800 MHz SMR or 900 MHz SMR spectrum scheduled for auction. There are, however, other methods to gain access to this spectrum.

More about licensing and obtaining spectrum...

Band Reconfiguration

The introduction of 800 MHz cellular systems has created interference with Public Safety and Other non-800 MHz cellular systems operating in the band. That matter has been addressed in Commission documents.

Service At A Glance
Specialized Mobile Radio Service
Provides land mobile communications on a commercial (i.e., for profit) basis.
Established	1979
Service Rules	CFR, Part 90
Band Plan
Band(s)	809 MHz - 816 MHz & 854 MHz - 861 MHz (30 general category channels and 80 SMR channels interleaved with 170 B/ILT/Public Safety channels) 816 MHz - 824 MHz & 861 MHz - 869 MHz 896 MHz - 901 MHz & 935 MHz - 940 MHz (200 SMR channels interleaved with 199 B/ILT channels)
Blocks	A-C, G-V (800 MHz band) A-T (900 MHz band)
Block Size	A 1 MHz (20 channel pair) B 2.5 MHz (60 channel pair) C 6 MHz (120 channel pair) G-V 250 KHz (5 channel pair) A-T 250 KHz (10 channel pair)
Market Areas	EAs, MTAs
Channels	540 channels in the 800 MHz band 200 channels in the 900 MHz band
Licensing

System	ULS
ULS Radio Service Codes
GL: 900 Conventional SMR site specific
GM: 800 Conventional SMR site specific
GR: 900 Conventional SMR
GX: 800 Conventional SMR
YC: 800 Auctioned SMR
YD: 900 Auctioned SMR
YH: 800 Auctioned SMR - Rebanded YC
YL: 900 Trunked SMR site specific
YM: 800 Trunked SMR site specific
YS: 900 Trunked SMR
YX: 800 Trunked SMR
Auctions
#7: 900 MHz SMR 12/5/1995 - 4/15/1996
#16: 800 MHz SMR 10/28/1997 - 12/8/1997
#36: 800 MHz SMR Lower 11/1/2000 - 12/5/2000
#43: Multi-Radio Service 1/10/2002 - 1/17/2002
#55: 900 MHz SMR 2/11/2004 - 2/25/2004