The National Institute of Standards and Technology asked for letters of interest “describing technical expertise and products” that support and demonstrate International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 18013-5 and ISO/IEC 18013-7 standards capabilities for the Accelerate Adoption of Digital Identities on Mobile Devices project. “This notice is the initial step for the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence in collaborating with technology companies to address cybersecurity challenges identified under the … project,” said a Tuesday Federal Register notice. The center plans to start “collaborative activities” tied to the project no earlier than Sept. 28.

Stage three testing is nearly complete and stage four testing is underway in NTIA’s $7 million 2023 5G Challenge, the agency said Tuesday. The third round of testing separated the contestant radio unit (RU) subsystems from the central unit and distributed unit pair (CU+DU) subsystems. “Six pairs of contestants were accepted for Stage Three,” NTIA said (see 2306050058): “Three pairings successfully interoperated, meaning their components all worked together to successfully make a 5G phone call. Two contestants’ network components did not pass while one pair is still within their testing window.” The three pairings that passed are Capgemini CU+DU and QCT/Benetel RU, Mavenir CU+DU and NewEdge RU and Radisys CU+DU and Lions RU, NTIA said.

Representatives of the Open Technology Institute at New America and Public Knowledge spoke with an aide to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, urging the agency to complete work on issues raised in a 2020 Further NPRM on the 6 GHz band (see 2004230059). “We urged the Commission to finalize the two key issues that remain pending in the 6 GHz FNPRM in a robust way that avoids the risk of creating a new ‘Wi-Fi digital divide,’” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 19-295: “Both the authorization of Very Low Power (VLP) devices and higher power for indoor-only use (LPI) are particularly crucial for digital equity and inclusion, for continued U.S. leadership in next generation Wi-Fi, and for virtually all consumers, businesses and community anchor institutions.” The groups led a recent letter to Rosenworcel raising those concerns (see 2308030061). Southern Co. representatives, meanwhile, raised concerns in a call with an aide to Commissioner Nathan Simington. “To the extent the Commission may be moving forward to expand unlicensed use of the 6 GHz band to include VLP operations, it must first put the details of its proposals out for public comment to receive necessary input and information from stakeholders and to comport with the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act,” they said.

Public Knowledge supports FCC moves last week launching a process for testing the automated frequency coordination systems that will manage access to 6 GHz band spectrum by standard-power unlicensed devices (see 2308250061) and hopes for continuing progress, emailed Kathleen Burke, PK policy counsel. “The pending [6 GHz] order before the FCC has taken longer than expected,” she said: “We would rather the Commission take its time and get things right than rush ahead with compromises that would limit the opportunities this band has to offer.” PK hopes the commission will move forward on its proposed rules on low-power indoor and very-low-power operations “without adding cumbersome mitigation measures that would unnecessarily increase the cost of next-generation WiFi and VLP devices, potentially creating a WiFi digital divide,” Burke said.

The FCC Office of Engineering clarified Monday that the period for a public trial of automated frequency coordination systems, before approval, runs 45 days, not the 30 days described in last week’s public notice (see 2308250061).

T-Mobile highlighted its progress on network slicing using its 5G stand-alone network. “This summer, we reached a huge milestone, pulling off the country’s first use of 5G network slicing for remote video production on a commercial network,” Chief Technology Officer John Saw said Monday. At a Red Bull’s Cliff Diving event in Boston, T-Mobile used slicing “to boost Red Bull’s broadcasting capabilities,” Saw said: “This customized slice gave the broadcast team supercharged wireless uplink speeds so they could easily and quickly transfer high-resolution content from cameras and a video drone circling the event to the Red Bull production team in near real-time over T-Mobile 5G.” T-Mobile hit uplink speeds of up to 276 Mbps, he said.

The FCC Public Safety Bureau sought comment Monday on a request by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol (NCSHP) to use extra 800 MHz channels for its communications. The patrol wants to use two 800 MHz specialized mobile radio pool channels, 856.5375 and 859.0375 MHz, and associated mobile units on the mobile transmit side of the SMR channel pairs, at 811.5375 and 814.0375 MHz. Comments are due Sept. 12, replies Sept. 27. In its waiver request, NCSHP “proposes to operate two trunked 800 MHz channel pairs to supplement and enhance ‘limited coverage’ areas of Surry County,” the bureau said: “NCSHP indicates that ‘[d]ue to the lack of Public Safety Spectrum and proximity of several other 800 MHz users, it is not possible for the State Highway Patrol to provide adequate coverage for Emergency Responder radio systems from frequencies within the 800 MHz Public Safety allocation.’”

AT&T asked the FCC to block use of a signal booster it says is causing interference with operations in 2.3 GHz spectrum. The booster amplifies transmissions in the wireless communications service band “directly in contravention of the Commission’s rules,” said a filing Friday in docket 10-4. “This booster somehow cleared the FCC certification process without this apparent violation being observed or addressed,” AT&T said: “In addition to taking prompt action to halt the sale of this booster in the United States, the Commission should re-examine its equipment certification procedures to ensure a mistake of this nature cannot be repeated.” SiriusXM discussed the booster in a June filing. AT&T representatives spoke with staff from the Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology.

Burns & McDonnell, an engineering and consulting firm, received permission to participate in the federal court proceeding in which Dish Network is asking for more time to buy T-Mobile’s 800 MHz licenses. “As a potential alternative purchaser of the spectrum that DISH is apparently unable to purchase by the already-extended deadline, Burns & McDonnell has a critical interest in both the underlying controversy and the outcome of DISH’s motion, and no other party adequately represents that interest,” the company said in a pleading last week in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. “Burns & McDonnell’s brief will thus meaningfully assist this Court in understanding the full context of DISH’s request -- including the significant interests of parties not currently before the court -- in adjudicating the pending motion,” Burns & McDonnell said. Judge Timothy Kelly granted permission to the company to file a brief opposing Dish’s motion for relief from judgment. The spectrum was part of a complicated set of arrangements allowing T-Mobile to complete its buy of Sprint. Dish was required to pay $3.6 billion to buy the licenses, with a $72 million fee for walking away from the deal (see 1907260071).

Aura Network Systems CEO Bill Tolpegin and others from the company met with an aide to FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks on the company’s request for a rulemaking to expand use of air-ground radiotelephone service channels between 454.675-454.975 MHz and 459.675-459.975 MHz for voice and data communications, including by drones (see 2109230049), said a filing posted Friday in RM-11912. Aura executives have been making the rounds at the FCC (see 2308210044).