Aviation Spectrum Resources representatives discussed “frequency coordination in the lower 136 MHz band and operations on 136.750 MHz” with FCC Wireless Bureau staff, as the company implements frequency assignments as part of the FAA’s DataComm communications program. DataComm is being used at 62 airports for ground operations with the start of deployments “for aircraft in the air in certain regions,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 19-140. Among the advantages are that “faster dissemination of information reduces delays” and there are “more timely updates for advanced aircraft routing,” the filing said: “Information can be directly input into aircraft once approved by the pilot. Written text eliminates audio readback errors.”

Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) asked the FCC to ignore objections by Haystack Observatory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to its proposed use of 92-95.5 GHz spectrum for enhanced flight vision systems (EFVS) on aircraft. “EFVS with 95 GHz radar will provide great public benefits in assisting pilots with landing aircraft during degraded visual situations where aircraft otherwise may be unable to land,” SNC said in a filing posted Friday in docket 19-140. Haystack raised objections twice, most recently in a filing dated June 2019. “It has come to our attention that the proposed use of airborne radars at 92-95.5 GHz as laid out in the Docket is likely to cause harmful interference to radio astronomy observations at our facility,” the observatory said. “Haystack’s statement is highly overblown, and it would be draconian to deny authority for EFVS radar everywhere in the U.S. solely to protect one site,” SNC said.

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NARO) raised concerns about Aeronet’s push for expanded use of the 70/80/90 GHz bands for uses including fixed wireless and 5G backhaul. In a filing last week, Aeronet noted “interactions with various federal agencies and outlined potential approaches to coordination with such agencies that would eliminate chances of harmful interference while being viable as an operational matter for Aeronet and similarly situated providers.” NARO said it “notes with concern the recent ex parte communication,” per a filing posted Friday in docket 20-133. There's “a strong potential for harmful interference from SDDL [scheduled dynamic data link] operations aboard aircraft at large distances whose antennas were not pointed toward radio observatories,” the observatory said: “At small distances, radio astronomy receivers were shown to be at risk of burnout from SDDL in-band emissions.”

Altice USA and T-Mobile extended their mobile virtual network operator agreement and T-Mobile will remain the nationwide network for Altice’s Optimum Mobile service, Altice said Thursday. Optimum offers three data plans -- 1 GB, 3 GB and unlimited.

T-Mobile unveiled DevEdge, a developer platform Wednesday, and said it will launch a Tech Experience 5G Hub, “a new state-of-the-art innovation center.” The carrier also unveiled 5G partnerships with Disney StudioLAB and Red Bull. The developments are part of T-Mobile’s new 5G Forward initiative. “5G is a game changer,” but “5G hype has been out of control,” the company said: “5G developer innovation has been disappointing. 5G will never reach its full potential if the Carriers don’t get out of the way.”

Boingo will bring wireless connectivity to the Las Vegas Monorail’s Convention Center Station, where it will open a new “innovation hub” in 2022's second half, said the carrier Wednesday. The hub will be a “launch pad” to test and demonstrate 5G, Wi-Fi 6/6E, Wi-Fi 7 and IoT pilot programs, plus “use cases like instant sports betting at live events,” it said.

Global wireless 5G adoption has entered the “rapid acceleration phase,” having exceeded a half billion connections by the end of 2021 and forecast to reach 1.3 billion by the end of 2022, reported 5G Americas Wednesday, citing Omdia data. North American 5G connections grew 292% year on year, reaching 72 million at the end of 2021, said the trade group.

Verizon subsidiary Tracfone's ability to offer the FCC affordable connectivity program monthly discount for all services "is a particularly heavy lift," the carrier said as it sought a 60-day waiver of the program requirement. Tracfone's systems "are not designed to apply a discount ... and then assess the remaining post-discount amount to the customer," Verizon said , in a petition posted Tuesday in docket 21-450. The provider "does not have that capability because it historically has not offered discounts." Tracfone would need "several weeks" to test those systems. Verizon noted Tracfone "has enrolled over 270,000 new ACP-eligible consumers" so far.

Mavenir told the FCC use of open radio access networks would save significant money over use of traditional telecom equipment, in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-89. The FCC reported providers requested $5.6 billion from an FCC program to cover the cost of ripping and replacing Huawei and ZTE gear from their networks, nearly triple the $1.9 billion allocated in a federal fund (see 2202040066). Mavenir can replace gear at an average $420,000 per site, the company said. “Based on publicly available information about the wireless equipment and services that need to be replaced by the Reimbursement Program applicants, it appears that this is about one-third of the average cost of the submitted wireless applications,” Mavenir said: “The Replacement Program could be completed for up to $2 billion less than currently requested if all of the wireless applicants were to use Mavenir’s solution (or a vendor that is similarly cost competitive).”

Qualcomm representatives urged action on the company’s push for sharing the 37 GHz band (see 2104280038), in meetings with staff from FCC Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology. Qualcomm’s proposal would support: “(1) fixed point-to-point and point-to-multipoint links; (2) mobile operations; (3) private networks; (4) device to device (peer to peer) operations; and (5) mobile hotspots, and open all 600 MHz to licensed sharing by multiple licensees, each of whom would have priority rights to a given channel in the Lower 37 GHz band to provide a guaranteed Quality of Service,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 14-177. Qualcomm recommends auctioning priority license channels of 100 or 200 MHz: “Each priority license holder of a particular channel would have primary rights to that channel and secondary rights to the other Lower 37 GHz band channels.”