Samsung introduced a turnkey security solution for mobile devices that’s said to protect private data. The dedicated “tamper-resistant strongbox” stores users’ confidential and cryptographic data such as personal identification numbers, passwords and crypto-currency credentials separate from mobile memory such as embedded Universal Flash Storage, it said Wednesday. The S3K250AF-based Secure Element chip, used in Samsung's Galaxy S20 series smartphones, comprises a microcontroller, advanced hardware-level protection and an optimized secure operating system.

The FCC Enforcement Bureau approved fines against two wireless ISPs that allegedly interfered with FAA terminal Doppler weather radar in San Juan, Puerto Rico (see 1908220031). Staff imposed a penalty of $25,000 against Boom Solutions, the amount the bureau proposed in August. The bureau proposed a fine of $25,000 against Integra Wireless but cut that to $4,051 “after reviewing Integra’s financial condition.”

The FCC Public Safety Bureau set a pleading cycle on a Boulder Emergency Telephone Service Authority petition for reconsideration on wireless location accuracy rules commissioners approved in November (see 1911220034). The order requires carriers to provide height above ellipsoid (HAE) data from wireless calls to 911, within 3 meters accuracy for 80 percent of calls, starting in the largest markets in April 2021. The authority claimed in the December petition “it was arbitrary and capricious, and an abuse of discretion, for the Commission to have declined to adopt proof of performance testing at limited locations in the 50 markets in which carriers will be required to provide Z-axis location data, on the grounds that it would be impractical and burdensome.” The authority said the commission should require wireless carriers to publish procedures for first responders to conduct tests of vertical location accuracy. Oppositions are due 15 days after Federal Register publication, replies 10 days later, in docket 07-114, the bureau said Wednesday.

Verizon, Samsung Electronics Americas, Motorola Mobility and Qualcomm Technologies said Tuesday they hit peak 5G speeds of 4.2 Gbps using 28 GHz spectrum in a test in Texas. “Using carrier aggregation, a technology that combines multiple channels of spectrum to provide greater efficiency for data sessions transmitting over the wireless network, the four companies combined eight separate channels of mmWave spectrum to achieve the multi-gigabit speeds on Motorola’s upcoming flagship smartphone,” Verizon said.

Comments are due March 26, replies April 10, on a population distribution methodology, proposed by GCI Communications and modified by the Alaska Telecom Association, for estimating how many Alaskans receive mobile service within census blocks in remote areas and determining which are eligible for USF support, said an FCC public notice on docket 16-271.

Crown Castle representatives said the FCC should clarify Section 224 of the Communications Act to speed deployment of wireless infrastructure, meeting with aides to Chairman Ajit Pai and a Wireline Bureau staffer. The company asked the FCC to stop “blanket prohibitions by pole owners that prevent attachment of certain equipment or attachment to certain sectors of the pole, explaining that pole owners often impose these ad hoc bans without clear safety or engineering rationale." Monday's filing is in docket 19-250.

CTIA urged the FCC to launch a Further NPRM on licensing the 6.525-7.125 GHz band for flexible-use services and moving incumbent fixed service operations to other spectrum. NTIA has been scoping the 7125-8400 MHz band (see 1908010065). What CTIA seeks could be difficult since federal agencies, particularly DOD, are active in the band (see 1912230035). CTIA isn’t giving up and filed a Commsearch report saying the move is possible. “Merely matching other countries’ spectrum investments, however, will not be enough for the U.S. to lead in our new 5G economy because these nations are not finished,” CTIA said in docket 18-295, posted Tuesday. “Other leading countries are on track to make available four times as much licensed mid-band spectrum as the U.S. by the end of 2020, with nations like Japan and South Korea pushing ahead with plans for additional mid-band spectrum in the next few years.”

Intel launched a portfolio of next-generation hardware and software products Monday designed to meet the needs of 5G networks. The Atom P5900, a 10-nanometer SoC for wireless base stations, provides the high bandwidth and low latency required for wireless 5G base stations, it said. Intel is eyeing a $25 billion silicon opportunity in network infrastructure. Its 5G portfolio also includes scalable Xeon processors; the company said 50% of core network deployments this year are transforming to virtualized networks. Other products in the portfolio are Diamond Mesa, a structured application-specific integrated circuit, and the Ethernet 700 series network adapter with GPS-based cross-network service synchronization.

The FCC draft proposal for the C band, set for a vote Friday, wrongly forecloses sharing with point-to-multipoint operations, wireless ISPs and tech groups told the commission in meetings last week. Most filings posted Monday in docket 18-122 deal with issues previously raised. The FCC should have at least sought comment on sharing, said Google, Microsoft, the Open Technology Institute at New America and the Wireless ISP Association. The agency could delay some issues for future consideration in the interest of broader support for key parts of the plan (see 2002210046:). The draft “mischaracterizes the weight of comments in the record by stating that ‘an overwhelming number of commenters across industries oppose the proposal’” for sharing, the tech interests said: Sixteen commenters "argued for the proposed spectrum sharing.” WISPA and the others had meetings with aides to all five commissioners, posted Monday. NAB sought tweaks, to “allow satellite customers to comment on each satellite operator’s transition plan before approving it” and the commission should require the clearinghouse to “resolve disputes beyond reimbursement. ... The Commission should seek information not only from space station operators, but from other stakeholders, to confirm that the transition has been successfully completed.” CTIA said the FCC is on the right track. “Make clear that earth station operators that elect to transition to fiber rather than maintaining satellite reception must complete their transition by the relevant accelerated relocation deadline,” CTIA asked: “This modest clarification will provide earth station operators, bidders, and the administrator of the Relocation Payment Clearinghouse with added certainty regarding the relocation process, thereby better enabling a smooth post-auction transition.” Aviation industry groups said the order should be modified to guarantee safe operation of radio altimeters in nearby spectrum. The draft “proposes simply to monitor the situation,” said the Aerospace Industries Association, Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association, Air Line Pilots Association, Airlines for America, Aviation Spectrum Resources and others: “There is a lot more that the Commission can and should do now with the inputs and active involvement of both the commercial wireless and the aerospace and aviation industries.” It should “expressly provide that, as new entrants coming into the spectrum, flexible use licensees shall not cause harmful interference to adjacent band radio altimeters and they should be responsible for resolving any such interference,” they said. Charter Communications urged addressing “the potential for harmful interference at the band edge” between the C band and the citizens broadband radio service band.

The FCC should act quickly to reallocate mid-band spectrum for commercial use, including in the 3.1-3.55 GHz band, Nokia told the FCC Friday in docket 19-348. “Nokia has been a consistent voice promoting mid-band spectrum for commercial wireless services, and in particular, throughout the entirety of the 3 GHz band -- in the 3.1-3.55 GHz range, the 3.55-3.7 GHz range, and the 3.7-4.2 GHz range,” the company said: “Each of these ranges pose their own unique challenges with respect to incumbent use cases requiring different approaches to unlock their promise, but the value of this full range of spectrum cannot be overstated.”