U.S. Cellular added three 5G Samsung devices to its lineup, set for Sept. 18 availability. The Galaxy Z Fold2 5G and Galaxy Z Flip 5G smartphones will be available online only at uscellular.com. The Galaxy Tab S7 5G tablet will be available online and in stores, the carrier said. Its 5G network will soon add service in parts of California, Maryland, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia, joining Iowa, Maine and Wisconsin.

Japanese petroleum, oil and metals conglomerate Eneos bought a stake in Ossia, said the wireless power company Monday: They will work together to explore wireless power opportunities in Japan and Asia. Eneos launched a venture capital company in October.

There’s no definitive schedule for the Food and Drug Administration to release the proposed rule on over-the-counter hearing aids (see 2008250030), despite House Republicans telling us last week they hope FDA will quickly put the rule out for public comment, emailed an FDA spokesperson Sunday. The FDA will release its next unified agenda update in fall, posting a date when the proposed rule is expected in the Federal Register, she said. It could be after the fall, she said. The agency missed its Aug. 18 statutory deadline for releasing the proposal.

Comments are due Sept. 14 on the National Lifeline Association’s petition for waiver of the scheduled increase in the minimum service standard for Lifeline mobile broadband (see 2008280050). Currently 3 GB, it will rise to 11.75 GB on Dec. 1 without FCC action. An order on circulation would change the way MSS increases are calculated and result in an MSS of 4.5 GB (see 2008240024). The NaLA petition filed last week also asks the FCC to halt a scheduled rate decrease, from $7.25 to $5.25. Replies are due Sept. 21, said Monday's Wireline Bureau public notice on dockets including 11-42.

The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council warned of problems for public safety if the FCC requires T-band licensees vacate the spectrum. “If Congress fails to repeal the T-Band mandate it adopted in 2012, the result is significant disruption to public safety, the likelihood of a failed auction, an unfunded mandate for public safety relocation and unnecessary cost to taxpayers,” NPSTC said in comments in docket 13-42. Comments were due Monday on an NPRM seeking to “take the next statutorily required step to implement” the 2012 spectrum law's mandate for public safety to move off the 470-512 MHz T band (see 2005150053). NPSTC noted its members, “jurisdictions that rely on the T-Band, the GAO, the FCC Chairman, and two major wireless carriers” support repeal. NAB said an auction would almost certainly fail. Consider “seeking preliminary bids or taking other actions to ascertain whether auction of limited spectrum has any chance of covering the costs of relocation of incumbents,” broadcasters said.

“Ongoing” 5G deployments in China drove Marvell Technology’s networking business to 23% year-over-year revenue growth in fiscal Q2 ended Aug. 1, said CEO Matt Murphy on a Thursday investor call. Revenue in the sector jumped 3% from fiscal Q1, Marvell’s fourth straight quarter of sequential revenue growth from the wireless infrastructure market “as we benefited from the start of the 5G transition,” through design wins at four of the world’s top five tier 1 base station OEMs, he said. Marvell is “on track” to start shipping 5G basebands to Nokia and processors “customized” for massive multiple-input and multiple-output applications to Samsung later this year, said Murphy. “We a lot of wind at our back in terms of the 5G business.”

Rules for a C-band auction starting Dec. 8, approved by commissioners this month (see 2008060069), were published in Friday's Federal Register.

Working out a sale price for T-Mobile to buy Shenandoah Telecommunications' wireless operations (see 2008270048) could take months, Shentel said Thursday. “The Notice of Dispute triggered the dispute resolution process set out in the affiliate agreement and may lead the parties to extend or otherwise adjust the timeline for the appraisal process and purchase under the terms of the affiliate agreement,” Shentel said. The company “will provide updates on any material developments as warranted.”

T-Mobile is hoping to take the bite out of 5G smartphone pricing with the Revvl 5G, tagged at $399. The 5G phone is $200, after 24 monthly bill credits, for consumers switching or adding a line, said the carrier Thursday. Nearly six in 10 consumers familiar with 5G are worried about the high cost, it said. The Android phone has a 6.5-inch Full HD+ display, triple rear camera with a 48-megapixel main camera, plus super-wide and macro cameras and a 16-megapixel selfie camera. The phone will operate on T-Mobile’s 600 MHz and 2.5 GHz 5G spectrum. The wireless carrier said this month it was expanding 5G coverage by 30%, making it the first to launch a commercial nationwide standalone 5G network, covering 250 million people (see 2008040036). T-Mobile also launched the Revvl 4 ($120) and Revvl4+ ($192) on the LTE network. Availability is Sept. 4.

Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at New America, explained the group’s push for prompt action on the 5.9 GHz band (see 2008210044) in calls with an aide to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology staff, said a filing posted Thursday in docket 19-138. “Reallocating all 75 megahertz of the unused 5.9 GHz band for unlicensed use and authorizing [vehicle-to-everything] in a new public safety band, particularly the 4.9 GHz band, can achieve the optimal win-win for consumers and the U.S. economy,” Calabrese said. 5G Automotive Association representatives emphasized in a call with a Pai aide the growing use of cellular V2X. Ford “plans to deploy C-V2X Direct throughout its vehicle fleet pending favorable Commission action in this proceeding, and many other automakers, including Fiat Chrysler, BMW, Jaguar Land Rover, and Tesla, among others, also have endorsed this technology,” 5GAA said: “This growing momentum is also reflected in planned and operational infrastructure deployments of C-V2X Direct technology in Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Virginia, and -- most recently -- Hawaii.”