Sprint majority owner SoftBank may sell part of its stake in T-Mobile to raise $41 billion to repurchase shares, but doing so would be a mistake, New Street’s Jonathan Chaplin wrote investors Friday. The agreement between SoftBank and Deutsche Telekom limits the Japanese company’s ability to sell the stake for four years, without DT approval, but DT would likely be a willing buyer, the analyst said. SoftBank "would be making a mistake if they sell any of their new T-Mobile stake now,” Chaplin said: “We believe the asset will triple in value over the next five years, becoming one of the most valuable communications infrastructure assets on the planet.” SoftBank didn't comment.

Companies weighed in about sharing the 6 GHz band with Wi-Fi and other unlicensed devices, in filings posted Friday in docket in 18-295. Lobbying has intensified with an announcement expected this week on whether Chairman Ajit Pai will seek a vote at the April 23 commissioners’ meeting. AT&T said the FCC shouldn’t approve unlicensed use of the entire band, absent automated frequency coordination (AFC). “Even if the probability of harmful interference for each individual unlicensed device were low, the overall impact would still be enormous due to the very high number of potentially interfering devices (nearly a billion) and the crucial nature of the components of the Nation’s infrastructure that rely on those licensed uses,” AT&T said. "Absent AFC protections, interference from these devices could not be stopped, nor could so many devices be retrieved once released into the wild.” Sony Electronics said the FCC shouldn’t require AFC in an RF environment that contains both “managed” and “unmanaged” access points. It's "difficult for an AFC system to identify the precise source of any harmful interference in a scenario where both managed and unmanaged access points operate on the same frequency channel,” Sony said. Model rules on those for the 5.15-5.25 GHz band, which “accommodate both outdoor and indoor operation, while imposing additional requirements on outdoor deployments to protect licensed services,” Sony said. Tech companies said power levels for very-low-power (VLP) devices are critical. “A Commission decision to establish a maximum power level of less than 14 dBm for a 160-megahertz channel would render VLP devices unreliable based on our examination of body loss and battery drain in typical usage scenarios,” said Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, Facebook, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Intel, Microsoft and Qualcomm. Broadcom, Cisco, HPE, Intel, Qualcomm and Ruckus Networks separately commented on power levels to protect the 5.9 GHz band. “The Commission should adopt its proposal to limit emissions from fixed 6 GHz ... devices below 5925 MHz and above 7125 MHz to -27 dBm/MHz, provided that compliance is verified using the same assumptions as those included in this record,” they said. “The -27 dBm/MHz average emissions limit for fixed devices will protect licensed operations in the bands immediately below and above the 6 GHz unlicensed band.” Verizon told Commissioner Mike O’Rielly and an aide to Commissioner Brendan Carr the FCC should consider licensing part of the band, as urged by CTIA.

Microsoft officials said a proposal to relax rules for distributed transmission systems that broadcasters seek to use for ATSC 3.0 raises concerns as the company rolls out its Airband service in the TV white spaces. Commissioners are to vote on an item for the March 31 meeting (see 2003100065). Microsoft "highlighted the importance of including questions on the potential impact the proposed rule revisions would have on white space device users in the item,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 20-74. Service area for DTS in the UHF band measures 64 miles from the reference point to the edge of the broadcast service area and “the proposed item would effectively extend this area to 153 miles,” representatives told aides to Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioners Mike O’Rielly and Jessica Rosenworcel.

CTIA, AT&T and T-Mobile said the FCC should reject the Boulder Emergency Telephone Service Authority’s (BRETSA) petition (see 1912270038) for the FCC to reconsider part of rules commissioners approved in November requiring carriers provide height above ellipsoid data from wireless calls to 911, within 3 meters accuracy for 80 percent of calls, starting in the largest markets next month (see 1911220034). Oppositions were posted Thursday in docket 07-114. CTIA said the FCC reviewed and rejected the authority’s proposals. “BRETSA’s request to compel the Test Bed and wireless providers to provide public safety with standards and procedures for testing the correlation of Z-axis information to floor level is both premature and unnecessary,” CTIA said. Granting the petition “would add [a] significant and unjustified burden on wireless providers in their efforts to successfully deploy z-axis technologies by the upcoming April 2021 deadline and … delay rollout,” AT&T said. The FCC was right to reject BRETSA proposals in drafting its rules, the carrier said: “The record in this proceeding showed that relying on the testbed would be the most practical and cost-effective method.” T-Mobile said BRETSA is wrong in calling for proof of performance testing: “The record overwhelmingly confirms that representative testing via the transparent and collaborative test bed remains the only viable method.”

The Rural Wireless Association asked the FCC to give eligible telecom carriers until June 22 to report existing Huawei and ZTE equipment and services and replacement costs because of the pandemic. Reports are due April 22. COVID-19 “has caused tremendous disruption to RWA members as well as the entire nation,” RWA said in a filing posted Wednesday in docket 18-89. RWA member ETCs are spending “substantial time and resources ... to numerous pandemic‐related urgent new activities.”

Wireless voice minutes were up 39% Monday, compared with an average Monday, Wi-Fi calling minutes rose 78% and home voice calling minutes gained 45%, AT&T said Tuesday amid COVID-19. The carrier deployed as many as 18 portable cellsites to bolster FirstNet coverage.

Pacific Gas and Electric warned of risks from sharing 6 GHz with unlicensed devices, echoing and amplifying "concerns by other utilities regarding the significant harm that interference to utility 6 GHz microwave links would have,” said a PG&E filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-295. With a vote possible in April (see 2003190051), others also weighed in. Apple, Broadcom, Facebook and Google spoke with FCC staff about the “importance of authorizing a very-low-power unlicensed device class in the 6 GHz band.” Broadcom reported on a call with a staffer from the Office of Engineering and Technology on “appropriate measurement techniques” for out-of-band emissions: “Ensure that its 6 GHz technical rules do not inadvertently inhibit home networking by applying client-device power restrictions to devices that would comply with the indoor-only restrictions.” CTIA said the FCC should consider licensed use of part of the band, in a call with aides to Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioner Mike O’Rielly.

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology extended a waiver of the push notification requirement for fixed and mode II personal/portable white space devices through Sept. 30. The waiver was to expire March 31. The original waiver was approved in an August 2015 order on Part 15 rules and white spaces devices got their initial reprieve in 2016 (see 1612230051). “Manufacturers may continue to market previously approved white space devices" and users "may continue to operate them,” said Tuesday's order in docket 14-165.

Making more licensed mid-band spectrum available for 5G, beyond the citizens broadband radio service and C band, must remain an “urgent goal” for the U.S., said an Analysys Mason report released by CTIA Monday. An average of 382 MHz of licensed mid-band spectrum will be available in 13 other countries by the end of the year, compared to 70 MHz in the U.S., the report said.

Tech companies told the FCC listen-before-talk features of Wi-Fi and other unlicensed devices will protect electronic newsgathering operations in the 6 GHz band. “Wi-Fi does not transmit if it detects energy above a specified ‘energy detection’ threshold,” said a filing posted Monday in 18-295. “If it detects the presence of such a signal, or after transmitting itself, it will then wait a random period of time before attempting to transmit again, minimizing the odds that multiple transmitters will begin transmitting” simultaneously. Traffic is also “regulated to ensure that no single device transmits continuously for more than a few milliseconds,” the companies said. The filing was by Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, Facebook, Google and other companies advocating the FCC allow sharing in the spectrum, and responded to NAB. SiriusXM Radio reported on a call with an aide to Chairman Ajit Pai on its 6 GHz concerns (see 2003180044).