Industry and public safety groups and companies asked the FCC for more clarity on an Office of Engineering and Technology notice last year conditionally authorizing 13 automated frequency coordination providers to operate in the 6 GHz band (see 2211030066). “In particular, the Joint Filers seek clarification that the Public Notice does not override industry consensus standards, including propagation model parameters specified by the Wireless Innovation Forum in its standards document known as WINNF-TS-1014,” said a filing Friday in docket 18-295: “That document contains dozens of specifications regarding the operation of AFC systems, all of which were achieved via broad inter-industry consensus through lengthy, painstaking, holistic, expert, and detailed deliberations.” Seeking clarification were APCO, AT&T, Comsearch, the Edison Electric Institute, the Enterprise Wireless Alliance, the Fixed Wireless Communications Council, the Utilities Technology Council and Verizon.

Open radio access networks are expected to be 15%-20% of the RAN market by 2027, Dell’Oro Group said Friday. The Asia-Pacific and North America regions are expected to drive growth, and European ORAN revenue should top $1 billion in four years, Dell’Oro said. The ORAN “movement has come a long way in just a few years, propelling Open RAN revenues to accelerate at a faster pace than initially expected,” the group said: “These trends continued in 2022 and with this latest report, Open RAN expectations have been revised upward to reflect the higher baseline, supported by stronger-than-expected O-RAN progress in North America.” But Dell’Oro noted despite growth, “preliminary data suggest Open RAN is having a minimal impact on the overall RAN supplier dynamics.”

Dahua Technology USA met with FCC staff to seek guidance on the compliance plan required in a November FCC order and Further NPRM clamping down on gear from Chinese companies (see 2211230065). “Dahua USA informed the Commission that it plans to submit the requested compliance plan and will include the various measures Dahua USA suggested in its rulemaking comments to ensure Dahua USA’s equipment is not being marketed or sold for the purposes of public safety, security of government facilities, physical security surveillance of critical infrastructure, and other national security purposes,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 21-232: “Dahua also sought guidance on the process for requesting clarification of the scope of the Report and Order, especially regarding the Commission’s interpretations of the terms ‘critical infrastructure,’ ‘telecommunications equipment,’ and ‘video surveillance equipment.’” Company representatives met with staff from the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology, Public Safety Bureau and Office of General Counsel, Dahua said.

The chip needed for Gogo 5G passed “a critical design review and is now in fabrication,” with delivery anticipated midyear, Gogo said. “The critical design review was an important process and milestone before entering into the manufacturing cycle,” Mike Syverson, senior vice president-engineering, said in a Wednesday news release: “Given the challenges that our supplier experienced in 2022, we felt that passing this amount of review would give us the confidence necessary to deliver 5G in 2023.” Gogo Business Aviation’s 5G service is expected to launch commercially in Q4 and provide 25 Mbps of average throughput, with peak speeds in the 75-80 Mbps range, the company said. “It has been designed to deliver high throughput with very low latency to address the increasing demand for data-heavy interactive services like video conferencing, live TV and gaming,” Gogo said.

Puloli, which provides private networks for utilities, asked the FCC for special temporary authority for 180 days to deploy a private IoT network in 10 counties in Texas, using upper 700 MHz A-block spectrum. “This network will transmit information from sensors monitoring the emission of methane and other greenhouse gases at natural gas, petroleum, and other energy-related facilities in Texas,” said a Thursday filing. Energy companies will use the network “to monitor and limit greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to the critical multinational goal of reduced global climate change,” Puloli said.

The mobile backhaul transport market is expected to hit $5.3 billion worldwide by 2025 because of 5G expansion in areas where wireless backhaul works best, Dell'Oro Group said Thursday. “Demand for wireless backhaul is on the rise,” said Jimmy Yu, Dell’Oro vice president. “Early in the 5G deployment cycle, the main backhaul technology used was fiber-based, resulting in five solid years of fiber backhaul revenue growth,” he said: “Going forward, we expect more of the 5G deployments to take place in locations without accessibility to fiber as well as in countries that traditionally favor wireless backhaul systems, driving a lot more growth for Microwave Transmission equipment in the future.” The microwave transmission market ended contraction in 2020 caused by declining 4G deployment, the firm said. The next growth cycle, driven by 5G, started in 2021 and is projected to grow at an annual rate of 4% through 2025. About 75% of the microwave transmission market is tied to mobile backhaul, Dell’Oro said.

Easy Wireless petitioned the FCC to be designated an eligible telecom carrier in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Texas and Washington, D.C. “Easy Wireless’s mobile, wireless service offerings will provide low-income consumers with an attractive alternative to traditional landline services that may be effectively unavailable or simply not the best option for the consumer,” said the petition posted Wednesday in docket 09-197. “The prepaid nature of Easy Wireless’s services will reduce barriers to adoption of broadband usage and enable low-income consumers to anticipate and control their communications costs more effectively so that they can stay connected,” the company said.

Executives at Liberty Mobile in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands spoke with all four FCC commissioners to oppose proposals in an FCC Further NPRM on extending USF support to eligible mobile and fixed carriers in both territories (see 2210270046). In recent comments, industry raised similar concerns (see 2212120053). A proposed 75% reduction in Stage 2 support “would undermine the Commission’s goals of universal service and competition,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-143. “The Liberty representatives discussed the Unique Characteristics of Puerto Rico and USVI … which increase the cost of their mobile networks.”

Representatives of SignalCommand spoke with FCC Wireless Bureau staff to answer questions about the company’s application for a contraband interdiction system authorization from the FCC. Parts were redacted. The system, to be used in correctional facilities, collects data “to help an independent analyst make a data-based recommendation to disconnect devices,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 13-111.

Comments are due Feb. 22, replies March 24, in docket 22-21, on a data breach NPRM the FCC approved earlier this month (see 2301060057), said a Monday notice in the Federal Register. The NPRM proposes eliminating the “outdated” seven-business-day mandatory waiting period before notifying customers of a breach and requiring the reporting of inadvertent but harmful breaches to the FCC, FBI and Secret Service.