The Wireless ISP Association welcomed revised rules for over-the-air reception devices approved by the FCC Thursday (see 2101070068). The decision is “a major win for WISPs and the customers they serve,” the group said Friday, after initially declining to comment. “It will facilitate the placement of broadband-only ‘hubs’ and ‘relay antennas’ -- pizza box-sized technology -- on homes, multi-tenant buildings and vertical structures, providing a potent tool for WISPs and other small innovators to grow broadband deployment beyond past limits imposed by the former rule.”

Micron Technology expects 5G smartphone unit sales to double in 2021 to around 500 million handsets globally, said CEO Sanjay Mehrotra on a quarterly call Thursday. Mobile demand “remains strong as 5G momentum increases and the mobile market recovers from the impact of the pandemic,” said Chief Financial Officer David Zinsner.

NTIA set Feb. 10 for comments on a 5G Challenge notice of inquiry, in cooperation with DOD, says Monday's Federal Register. The goal is to “accelerate the development of the open 5G stack ecosystem in support of Department of Defense missions.”

Bidding slowed in the C-band auction Friday, with provisionally winning bids closing at $80.6 billion after five rounds Friday, up from $80.5 billion Thursday. "Bidders seem to be finalizing their demand,” wrote Wiley’s Ari Meltzer and Rick Edelman: “Bidders have placed bids on all licenses, and average prices for the blocks in the largest US markets seem to have been determined.”

Verizon 5G Home Internet will expand this month to parts of Anaheim, Miami, Phoenix, San Francisco, St. Louis and Arlington, Texas, the carrier said Thursday. Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband service is coming to Colorado Springs, Knoxville and Columbia, South Carolina.

T-Mobile expects 1.7 million total net additions in Q4, including 824,000 postpaid phones. Total customer count increased to a new record high of 102.1 million. It added 5.6 million customers in 2020.

The FCC’s C-band auction broke the $80 billion mark Thursday, as expected (see 2101040061), closing at $80.5 billion after 65 rounds. That doesn’t include some $13 billion in additional accelerated clearing payments. The FCC scheduled five more rounds Friday. The auction opened Dec. 8.

T-Mobile told the FCC two licensees remain to be retuned in the 800 MHz rebanding. “T-Mobile has continued its efforts to work with impacted licensees to complete all remaining retunes and to contractually close all remaining Frequency Reconfiguration Agreements (FRAs) with incumbent licensees,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 02-55.

Verizon and AT&T executives told a Citigroup virtual conference Tuesday they have the spectrum they need now. Both are expected to add to their portfolios through the ongoing C-band auction (see 2101040061). Only about 60% of Verizon’s existing spectrum holdings are “actually deployed for LTE at this stage,” said Ronan Dunne, Verizon consumer group CEO. “We have the ability to deliver more from the existing spectrum we have.” The “creme de la creme” of the portfolio is its extensive 28 and 39 GHz holdings, he said. Verizon closed 85% of its stores during the early days of the pandemic, with a second wave in late 2020, but stores are now at about 85% capacity, he said. AT&T has the “deepest low-band and medium-band spectrum portfolio” for 5G, said Chief Financial Officer John Stephens. “We have the fastest, highest-quality, best coverage, best speeds for iPhones. All those network investments that we made are paying off.” Stephens said the pandemic “significantly impacted our overall business,” but “we're still generating $26 billion in free cash flow.” The C-band auction hit $79.8 billion Wednesday in provisionally winning bids.

The FCC seeks comment by Feb. 4, replies by Feb. 19, on whether to open a window to consider authorizing additional volunteer examiner coordinators (VECs) who prepare and administer amateur radio operator exams. There are 14 VECs, and the Wireless Bureau would consider “likely no more than five” more, said a Tuesday notice in docket 21-448.