Representatives of Intel, Meta Platforms and Qualcomm spoke with an aide to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel about the companies’ proposal for the 60 GHz band. The companies have been making the rounds at the FCC and earlier presented to staff from the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology (see 2208220035). The goal is to ensure "the 60 GHz unlicensed band remains a band that can support next-generation … applications and ongoing innovation by allowing diverse technologies to successfully co-exist today and well into the future,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 21-264.

Global revenue from IoT gateway devices is projected to approach $48 billion in 2026, reported ABI Research Thursday. Factors driving the growth of gateways over the next five years will include the transition to cellular from fixed line and replacement of existing 2G/3G gateways, plus rapid growth in the industrial and infrastructure markets, it said. By 2023, 3G gateways will become a “minimal share” of the market, with the 3G gateway installed base replaced by Cat-1 gateways and 5G gateway shipments beginning to accelerate in 2026, said ABI. By 2026, cellular gateway shipments will top 127 million units, rising at a 23% compound annual growth rate between 2021 and 2026, it said. But gateway growth won't go “unimpeded,” said ABI. Gateways engineered for smart home tech will continue experiencing more competition, it said: “More voice control front-end devices and smart TVs are including gateway functionality to complement their core services.”

AT&T is “boosting dedicated in-building connectivity where public safety needs it most” based on an investment by the FirstNet Authority (see 2208170043), the company said. “Qualified first responder agencies on FirstNet can now get Cell Booster Pros for use in areas where they’ve previously experienced connectivity challenges,” AT&T said Wednesday. The Cell Booster Pro is “an enterprise-grade mini cell site” and the mesh of three within a building “can increase coverage by up to 45,000 square feet, supporting nearly 200 users,” the carrier said.

Sennheiser representatives spoke with staff from the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology on “the importance of clean low-band UHF spectrum for wireless microphone operations and the content creation community,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 12-268. Sennheiser discussed “the current regulatory framework surrounding wireless microphone operations in light of the termination of the vacant channel proceeding and discussed the need for solutions to ensure wireless microphones have the necessary low-band UHF spectrum needed to operate in an effective manner,” the filing said: “Finding a solution for wireless microphone operations in light of the termination of the vacant channel proceeding is essential, particularly as consumption and desire for content continues to increase at an exponential rate.” The FCC terminated a 2015 NPRM last year on whether to allocate a vacant channel for use by white space devices and wireless microphones (see 2204060068).

The FCC Wireless Bureau granted five more licenses in the 900 MHz broadband segment to PDV Spectrum Wednesday, four in Kansas and one in Missouri. The FCC approved an order in 2020 reallocating a 6 MHz swath in the band for broadband while keeping 4 MHz for narrowband (see 2005130057).

Lockheed Martin clarified its stance on receiver standards (see 2207280050), in a filing at the FCC posted Wednesday in docket 22-137. “For the benefit of accuracy of the record, Lockheed Martin wishes to reiterate that its comments do not convey support for interference limits or harm claim thresholds but instead expressly discuss the challenges and disadvantages associated with each,” the company said.

The National Spectrum Management Association urged the FCC to require real-world tests, using 6 GHz devices, before further liberalizing rules for the band (see 2207060036). “Due in part to an increasingly complex spectrum management environment the public has been made increasingly aware of potential systemic failures involving large-scale systems that rely on fail-safe spectrum management,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 18-295: “It is time to ensure the future operations of 6 GHz mission-critical systems will be undeniably proven safe.” NSMA noted an audit of the FCC Universal Licensing System found the “vast majority” of licensed 6 GHz systems “are mission-critical.”

The FCC posted the robotexting report approved Tuesday by its Consumer Advisory Committee (see 2208300059). The report was much as outlined during the CAC meeting. “The availability, ease of use, and high open rates make wireless messaging an ideal medium for all sorts of communications -- including relaying urgent information to consumers (e.g., fraud alerts or flight changes),” the report said: “That popularity, however, also makes it attractive for bad actors, who may seek to employ a variety of techniques to exploit consumers and undermine trust in the messaging ecosystem.” Enforcement of existing laws and use of industry best practices “helped to protect consumers and mitigate the transmittal of unwanted messages; however, the Commission and wireless service providers continue to receive a significant number of complaints about unwanted texts,” the report said.

Spectrum auctions usually don’t have clear winners, but T-Mobile looks like it won the 2.5 GHz auction, MoffettNathanson’s Craig Moffett told investors. The auction ended Monday with net proceeds of $427.8 million (see 2208290043). “While we won’t know for sure who ‘won’ the licenses in question for another week or so, it is universally assumed that T-Mobile was far and away the auction’s principal buyer,” Moffett said: It's “the only U.S. company that uses 2.5 GHz spectrum (2.5 GHz is the backbone spectrum band of their 5G network), and the licenses at auction were best seen as the ‘holes in the Swiss cheese’ of T-Mobile’s otherwise national 2.5 GHz footprint. There was a great deal of spectrum here for sale, but it wasn’t geographically contiguous, and thus it would be difficult for anyone other than T-Mobile to use it.” Few speculators likely jumped in, he said. “If there is but one true exit -- i.e., to sell to T-Mobile -- then bidding more than T-Mobile was willing to pay would seem an ill-advised strategy.” The spectrum adds to T-Mobile’s “already-large spectrum advantage versus Verizon and AT&T” at a “much lower price than had been expected,” he said. “We congratulate the FCC on completing the 2.5 GHz auction, which will help enhance 5G coverage across the country,” emailed CTIA Senior Vice President-Regulatory Affairs Scott Bergmann: “We look forward to working with Congress, the FCC and the Administration to identify the next 5G auction of licensed spectrum that will be critical to maintaining our position as the world’s innovation hub and leader of the growing 5G economy.”

The FCC Public Safety Bureau granted 42 alert originator waivers Tuesday to do tests of the wireless emergency alert system. The tests will be Sept. 12 and 13, with alternate dates of Sept. 19 and 20. “Promoting the effectiveness of the nation’s emergency alerting systems is an important priority for the Commission and granting this waiver will enable” the bureau “in partnership with 42 alert originators, to gather critical data regarding WEA performance from geographically targeted areas across the United States.” This information collected “will help address a gap in alert originators’ understanding of WEA’s end-to-end performance,” the order said: The bureau “received reports that emergency management agencies are declining to use WEA in situations where it could save lives because they lack information about, and confidence in, how WEA works in practice.” The system wasn't used during the Marshall fire in Boulder “due to ‘concerns about its reliability and delivery,’” the bureau said. “The alert will sound and appear on compatible mobile devices using participating wireless networks in that area,” the FCC said in a news release: “The alert message will make clear that it is only a test and contain a link for the recipient to complete a survey about their receipt of the alert. Each agency will have a control group of volunteers in the targeted geographic area complete the survey, and members of the public may also do so. The tests are intended to assess the geographic accuracy of the alerts in addition to other performance factors, including reliability and speed.” The FCC also sent letters to AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon with questions they're asked to answer as the FCC does a broader assessment of the tests. WEAs “are a life-saving tool, but emergency managers tell us that they need more information on the geographic accuracy of these alerts in order to use them with confidence,” said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.