§  20.3   Definitions.

   Link to an amendment published at  86 FR 44638 , Aug. 13, 2021.

   Automatic Roaming. With automatic roaming, under a pre-existing
   contractual agreement between a subscriber's home carrier and a host
   carrier, a roaming subscriber is able to originate or terminate a call
   in the host carrier's service area without taking any special actions.

   Commercial mobile data service. (1) Any mobile data service that is not
   interconnected with the public switched network and is:

   (i) Provided for profit; and

   (ii) Available to the public or to such classes of eligible users as to
   be effectively available to the public.

   (2) Commercial mobile data service includes services provided by Mobile
   Satellite Services and Ancillary Terrestrial Component providers to the
   extent the services provided meet this definition.

   Commercial mobile radio service. A mobile service that is:

   (a)(1) provided for profit, i.e., with the intent of receiving
   compensation or monetary gain;

   (2) An interconnected service; and

   (3) Available to the public, or to such classes of eligible users as to
   be effectively available to a substantial portion of the public; or

   (b) The functional equivalent of such a mobile service described in
   paragraph (a) of this definition.

   (c) A variety of factors may be evaluated to make a determination
   whether the mobile service in question is the functional equivalent of
   a commercial mobile radio service, including: Consumer demand for the
   service to determine whether the service is closely substitutable for a
   commercial mobile radio service; whether changes in price for the
   service under examination, or for the comparable commercial mobile
   radio service, would prompt customers to change from one service to the
   other; and market research information identifying the targeted market
   for the service under review.

   (d) Unlicensed radio frequency devices under part 15 of this chapter
   are excluded from this definition of Commercial mobile radio service.

   Consumer Signal Booster. A bi-directional signal booster that is
   marketed and sold for use without modification.

   Fixed Consumer Signal Booster. A Consumer Signal Booster designed to be
   operated in a fixed location in a building.

   Host Carrier. For automatic roaming, the host carrier is a
   facilities-based CMRS carrier on whose system another carrier's
   subscriber roams. A facilities-based CMRS carrier may, on behalf of its
   subscribers, request automatic roaming service from a host carrier.

   Incumbent Wide Area SMR Licensees. Licensees who have obtained extended
   implementation authorizations in the 800 MHz or 900 MHz service, either
   by waiver or under Section 90.629 of these rules, and who offer
   real-time, two-way voice service that is interconnected with the public
   switched network.

   Industrial Signal Booster: All signal boosters other than Consumer
   Signal Boosters.

   Interconnection or Interconnected. Direct or indirect connection
   through automatic or manual means (by wire, microwave, or other
   technologies such as store and forward) to permit the transmission or
   reception of messages or signals to or from points in the public
   switched network.

   Interconnected Service. A service:

   (a) That is interconnected with the public switched network, or
   interconnected with the public switched network through an
   interconnected service provider, that gives subscribers the capability
   to communicate to or receive communication from all other users on the
   public switched network; or

   (b) For which a request for such interconnection is pending pursuant to
   section 332(c)(1)(B) of the Communications Act, 47 U.S.C. 332(c)(1)(B).
   A mobile service offers interconnected service even if the service
   allows subscribers to access the public switched network only during
   specified hours of the day, or if the service provides general access
   to points on the public switched network but also restricts access in
   certain limited ways. Interconnected service does not include any
   interface between a licensee's facilities and the public switched
   network exclusively for a licensee's internal control purposes.

   Manual Roaming. With manual roaming, a subscriber must establish a
   relationship with the host carrier on whose system he or she wants to
   roam in order to make a call. Typically, the roaming subscriber
   accomplishes this in the course of attempting to originate a call by
   giving a valid credit card number to the carrier providing the roaming
   service.

   Mobile Consumer Signal Booster. A Consumer Signal Booster designed to
   operate in a moving vehicle where both uplink and downlink transmitting
   antennas are at least 20 cm from the user or any other person.

   Mobile Service. A radio communication service carried on between mobile
   stations or receivers and land stations, and by mobile stations
   communicating among themselves, and includes:

   (a) Both one-way and two-way radio communications services;

   (b) A mobile service which provides a regularly interacting group of
   base, mobile, portable, and associated control and relay stations
   (whether licensed on an individual, cooperative, or multiple basis) for
   private one-way or two-way land mobile radio communications by eligible
   users over designated areas of operation; and

   (c) Any service for which a license is required in a personal
   communications service under part 24 of this chapter.

   Non-individual. A non-individual is a partnership and each partner is
   eighteen years of age or older; a corporation; an association; a state,
   territorial, or local government unit; or a legal entity.

   Private mobile radio service. A mobile service that meets neither the
   paragraph (a) nor paragraph (b) definitions of commercial mobile radio
   service set forth in this section. A mobile service that does not meet
   the paragraph (a) definition of commercial mobile radio service in this
   section is presumed to be a private mobile radio service. Private
   mobile radio service includes the following:

   (a) Not-for-profit land mobile radio and paging services that serve the
   licensee's internal communications needs as defined in part 90 of this
   chapter. Shared-use, cost-sharing, or cooperative arrangements,
   multiple licensed systems that use third party managers or users
   combining resources to meet compatible needs for specialized internal
   communications facilities in compliance with the safeguards of § 90.179
   of this chapter are presumptively private mobile radio services;

   (b) Mobile radio service offered to restricted classes of eligible
   users. This includes entities eligible in the Public Safety Radio Pool
   and Radiolocation service.

   (c) 220-222 MHz land mobile service and Automatic Vehicle Monitoring
   systems (part 90 of this chapter) that do not offer interconnected
   service or that are not-for-profit; and

   (d) Personal Radio Services under part 95 of this chapter (General
   Mobile Services, Radio Control Radio Services, and Citizens Band Radio
   Services); Maritime Service Stations (excluding Public Coast stations)
   (part 80 of this chapter); and Aviation Service Stations (part 87 of
   this chapter).

   Provider-Specific Consumer Signal Boosters. Provider-Specific Consumer
   Signal Boosters may only operate on the frequencies and in the market
   areas of the specified licensee(s). Provider-Specific Consumer Signal
   Boosters may only be certificated and operated with the consent of the
   licensee(s) whose frequencies are being amplified by the device.

   Public Switched Network. Any common carrier switched network, whether
   by wire or radio, including local exchange carriers, interexchange
   carriers, and mobile service providers, that uses the North American
   Numbering Plan in connection with the provision of switched services.

   Signal booster. A device that automatically receives, amplifies, and
   retransmits on a bi- or unidirectional basis, the signals received from
   base, fixed, mobile, or portable stations, with no change in frequency
   or authorized bandwidth.

   Signal booster operator. The signal booster operator is the person or
   persons with control over the functioning of the signal booster, or the
   person or persons with the ability to deactivate it in the event of
   technical malfunctioning or harmful interference to a primary radio
   service.

   Wideband Consumer Signal Boosters. Wideband Consumer Signal Boosters
   may operate on the frequencies and in the market areas of multiple
   licensees.

   [ 59 FR 18495 , Apr. 19, 1994, as amended at  61 FR 38402 , July 24, 1996;
    61 FR 40352 , Aug. 2, 1996;  62 FR 18843 , Apr. 17, 1997;  63 FR 2637 , Jan.
   16, 1998;  64 FR 60130 , Nov. 4, 1999;  67 FR 1648 , Jan. 14, 2002;  72 FR 50073 , Aug. 30, 2007;  75 FR 22276 , Apr. 28, 2010;  76 FR 26220 , May 6,
   2011;  78 FR 21559 , Apr. 11, 2013;  80 FR 19850 , Apr. 13, 2015;  83 FR 7401 , Feb. 21, 2018;  83 FR 7922 , Feb. 22, 2018;  83 FR 17090 , Apr. 18,
   2018;  84 FR 66779 , Dec. 5, 2019]