PROTOCOL
BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE

OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
AND THE SECRETAR�A DE COMUNICACIONES Y TRANSPORTES

OF THE UNITED MEXICAN STATES
CONCERNING THE ALLOTMENT AND USE

OF THE 406.1-420 MHz BAND
FOR FIXED AND MOBILE SERVICES

ALONG THE COMMON BORDER

This Protocol is being concluded pursuant to the Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the United Mexican States Concerning the Allocation and Use of Frequency Bands by Terrestrial Non-Broadcasting Radiocommunication Services Along the Common Border signed in Williamsburg, Virginia June 16, 1994, (herein referred to as the "Agreement").

ARTICLE I. Purposes


The purposes of this Protocol are:

1. To establish and adopt a plan for the equitable allotment and use of

frequency sub-bands in the 406.1-420 MHz band within the Sharing Zone defined

in this Protocol;

2. To establish technical criteria to regulate the use of the frequency sub-bands referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article;

3. To establish conditions of use so that each Administration may use the frequency sub-bands allotted to the other country for fixed and mobile services, provided this causes no harmful interference; and

4. To provide special interference protection for certain critical receiver stations specifically identified in Appendix I.

ARTICLE II. Definitions

1. For the purpose of this Protocol and as provided for in Article IV

of the Agreement, the term Administration or Administrations will refer with

equal effect to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration

of the Department of Commerce of the United States of America (hereinafter

United States) and to the Secretar�a de Comunicaciones y Transportes of the

United Mexican States (hereinafter Mexico).

2. The Sharing Zone is defined to include the border areas within the United States and Mexico and their respective territorial waters as set forth in Appendix II.

3. Special interference protection is defined as that protection from harmful interference afforded only to those critical receiver stations specifically identified in Appendix I.

ARTICLE III. Conditions of Use

1. In the Sharing Zone, the radio frequency sub-bands in the 406.1-420 MHz band shall be allotted for the primary use of each Administration in accordance with Appendix III. Each Administration shall ensure that all stations subject to its jurisdiction in the 406.1-420 MHz band are operated in such a way that the transmission bandwidth on radio channels shall not exceed the primary frequency allotments in Appendix III.

2. Each Administration shall ensure that fixed and mobile stations assigned to primary frequency allotments within the Sharing Zone shall be operated in accordance with the effective radiated power (ERP) and antenna height limitations specified in the following table (Table I):

Table I

Average of the Antenna Height Maximum ERP in Any
Above Average Terrain on Direction Toward
Standard Radials in the the Common Border
Direction of the Common
Border�

Meters Watts dBm
__________________________________________________________________

Up to 150 500 +56.98
Above 150 to 225 350 +55.44
Above 225 to 300 250 +53.98
Above 300 to 450 200 +53.01
Above 450 to 600 150 +51.76
Above 600 to 750 100 +50.00
Above 750 to 900 75 +48.75
Above 900 to 1,050 50 +46.98
Above 1,050 30 +44.77
_________________________________________________________________

Existing stations in primary frequency allotments shall conform with the above power limitations on or before January 1, 2008.

3. Each Administration shall ensure that the operation of stations on aircraft is limited to portable stations situated inside the aircraft, which have a maximum power of 5.0 watts and which do not employ antennas externally mounted on the aircraft. Such stations may only operate in the primary frequency allotments for their Administrations and at an altitude of up to 20,000 feet (6096 meters) above mean sea level. Each Administration shall take measures to eliminate any harmful interference caused by its portable stations situated inside aircraft.
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� Standard radials are 000�, 045�, 090�, 135�, 180�, 225�, 270� and 315� relative to True North.

4. Frequencies in sub-bands that are allotted for the primary use of one Administration may be assigned by the other Administration to stations located within the latter Administration's territorial segment of the Sharing Zone in accordance with the following conditions:

a. The maximum power flux density (PFD) at any point at or beyond the common border shall not exceed -143 dBW/m�.

b. Land mobile stations and ship stations shall not be operated within 30 kilometers of the common border, and in addition to this distance separation, the power flux density of transmissions from land mobile stations and ship stations shall, in no case, exceed -143 dBW/m� at any point at or beyond the common border.

c. Land portable stations shall not be operated within 10 kilometers of the common border, and in addition to this distance separation, the power flux density of transmissions from portable stations shall, in no case, exceed -143 dBW/m� at any point at or beyond the common border.

d. Each Administration shall take proper measures to eliminate any harmful interference caused by stations operating within its own territory pursuant to this Protocol.

e. Each Administration shall ensure protection to stations assigned to radio frequencies in primary allotments of the other Administration operating in accord with this Protocol.

f. Stations operating in accordance with the conditions set forth in this paragraph 4 shall be considered as secondary and shall not be granted protection against harmful interference from stations whose Administration has primary use of the frequency allotment.

5. Beyond the Sharing Zone, each Administration shall have unrestricted use of the 406.1-420 MHz band.

ARTICLE IV. Transition Arrangement for Existing Stations

1. Each Administration shall ensure that existing stations within the Sharing Zone that are operating in primary frequency sub-bands allotted to the other Administration shall either cease transmissions or assume secondary status on or before January 1, 2008, in accordance with paragraph 2 or 3 below except for the stations listed in Appendix I which are governed by Article V of this Protocol.

2. Existing stations in the following categories, which are operating in primary frequency allotments of the other Administration, shall cease transmissions on or before January 1, 2008:

a. Stations at fixed locations that do not meet the pfd limitation set forth in subparagraph 4.a of Article III of this Protocol;

b. Land mobile stations, ship stations and land portable stations that are located in the areas set forth in subparagraphs 4.b and 4.c of Article III of this Protocol; and

c. Portable stations operated in aircraft located in the Sharing Zone defined in paragraph 2 of Article II.

3. Existing stations that are able to assume secondary status as provided in paragraph 1 of this Article shall conform to the provisions of subparagraphs 4.d, 4.e and 4.f of Article III of this Protocol.

ARTICLE V. Special Interference Protection for Critical Receiver Stations

1. The critical receiver stations within the 406.1-420 MHz band specifically identified in Appendix I shall be afforded special interference protection from harmful interference notwithstanding the provisions of Article III and Article IV.

2. Any station within the Sharing Zone that causes harmful interference to a critical receiver station or stations specifically identified in Appendix I shall take all remedial measures necessary to eliminate the harmful interference to the protected station or stations and their referenced parameters.

ARTICLE VI. Relation to Other Agreements

This Protocol forms an integral part of the Agreement and shall be referred to as the Protocol for the 406.1 - 420 MHz band in the Index of Annex I of the Agreement.

ARTICLE VII. Appendices

Appendices I, II and III are an integral part of this Protocol.

ARTICLE VIII. Entry into Force and Termination

This Protocol shall enter into force on the date of signature. It shall remain in force until it is replaced by a new Protocol, or until it is terminated in accordance with Article VII of the Agreement.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the respective representatives have signed the present Protocol.

Done at Mexico City this twenty-seventh day of July, 2005, in duplicate, in the English and Spanish languages, both texts being equally authentic.

FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE FOR THE SECRETAR�A DE
OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA COMUNICACIONES Y
TRANSPORTES OF THE
UNITED MEXICAN STATES

/s/ David A. Gross /s/ Mr. Jorge Alvarez Hoth

_______________________________ ______________________________

/s/ Mr. Jorge Arredondo Martinez
______________________________

APPENDIX I

CRITICAL RECEIVER STATIONS IN MEXICO
IN THE 406.1-420 MHz BAND

THAT WILL BE AFFORDED SPECIAL INTERFERENCE PROTECTION

* Calculation includes 3 dB loss for transmission line

appendix i (Continued)

CRITICAL RECEIVER STATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES IN THE 406.1-420 MHz BAND THAT WILL BE AFFORDED SPECIAL INTERFERENCE PROTECTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX II

Areas Within Which the Frequencies Are to Be Protected

U.S.-MEXICO SHARING ZONE

The Sharing Zone is  defined as the areas covered by a distance of 145 kilometers (90.1 miles) from the
U.S.-Mexico common border into the national territory of each country and includes areas of the Pacific Ocean and
the Gulf of Mexico.

These areas are enclosed by the boundaries shown on the map to the right and are further defined in Table II.

Table II

The following geographic coordinates define the U.S.-Mexico Sharing Zone in the national territory of each country. Point 1 is located in the Pacific Ocean due west from the U.S.-Mexico common border and is the starting point in defining the Sharing Zone. The boundary of the Sharing Zone is then defined by plotting each geographic point in advancing numerical order in a clockwise direction. Each distance path between consecutive points is traversed by great circle arc.

APPENDIX III
Allotment of Frequency Sub-bands in the 406.1-420 MHz Band

Mexico Primary� U.S. Primary�

406.10000 - 408.51875 408.51875 - 410.93125

410.93125 - 413.05000 413.05000 - 415.16875

415.16875 - 417.58125 417.58125 - 420.00000

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� All frequencies in MHz