Nokia officials urged the FCC to move forward on the C band for 5G, in a meeting with FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. “While the planned 2.5 GHz band and 3.5 GHz band auctions are positive steps for mid-band spectrum in the U.S., they do not remove the urgency of moving forward with the 3.7 GHz band,” Nokia said in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-122. “Terrestrial wireless spectrum in the mid-band is critical to the United States keeping pace globally in the ‘Race to 5G.’ Nokia outlined the most recent international developments where spectrum allocation and product development and deployment planning in mid-band continue ahead of the U.S.”

Corning’s “fiber densification” for 5G wireless “has not yet gained momentum outside the early leaders,” prompting Corning to downgrade the 2019 sales forecast for its optical-fiber business, said Chief Financial Officer Tony Tripeny on a Q2 earnings call Tuesday. “Several large build projects we projected for the second half of the year have been pushed out” to 2020, he said. “Multiple carriers have reduced” capital expenditures “for the remainder of the year.” Corning entered 2019 expecting the global optical-fiber market to grow by 5 percent or more, and Corning’s sales to increase “in the low teens,” said Tripeny. “We now believe the global market will be down by the mid to high single digits, and that our sales will be up by the low to mid single digits.” But the company is “increasingly confident of our long-term projections” on the 5G buildout,” said CEO Wendell Weeks. “These are significant capital projects. Our customers need to get themselves organized, make the decision and then begin to make those investments. In that, timing can be difficult to call.” Corning is seeing that “people are waiting a little bit” on 5G, said Weeks. “There’s sort of a little gap between projects, other than the sort of real leaders in 5G. They’re putting their plans together, they’re getting their financing house in order and getting their alliances in place.” Weeks thinks “the good news here, this isn’t going to be subtle, as our customers announce and decide they’re going to roll, and how they’re going to roll, in 5G,” he said. Ultimately, in 5G, “demand will follow, and we’ll have a hard time keeping up,” he said. Corning hasn’t “really started to feel the big oomph from the wireless networks of the world changing from relatively fiber-poor to very fiber-rich” with 5G, said Weeks. “That’s all ahead of us.”

The FCC Public Safety Bureau approved a waiver Monday for the Hamilton County, Ohio, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (EMHSA) to conduct a wireless emergency alert test Sept. 4. The county includes Cincinnati. “In light of the threat of natural and man-made hazards in Hamilton County, we are persuaded by the Hamilton County EMHSA Amended Letter that the proposed test will help to educate the public about WEA and improve the proficiency of Hamilton County EMHSA in sending a WEA message to residents, business owners, and visitors,” the bureau said Monday in docket 15-91.

The FCC Wireless Bureau approved a waiver CTIA had sought of the continuing clearinghouse notification obligations of advanced wireless service licensees. “For one, we find that compliance with the rules is impossible for licensees when no clearinghouse is operating,” the bureau said in a Friday order in docket 00-258. “Accordingly, the only effect of these rules would be to prohibit AWS licensees from taking the actions that would trigger the notification requirement.” The rules have also largely served their purpose, the bureau said: this “Coupled with the unique circumstances that the Commission did not originally envision -- that there would be no clearinghouse in operation -- and the public interest benefit of continued deployment in these bands, justifies a waiver of the rules.”

The FCC approved the sensor deployment and coverage plans of three environmental sensing capability (ESC) providers for the citizens broadband radio service band -- CommScope, Federated Wireless and Google. Standing up the ESCs is an important step toward Wi-Fi and other unlicensed operations in the 3.5 GHz band, since they protect the Naval radars that also use the spectrum (see 1904300208). “Each certified ESC must operate in conjunction with at least one Spectrum Access System (SAS) that has been approved for commercial deployment by the Commission,” said the Monday notice by the Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology in docket 15-19.

Noah Rafalko of MessageComm, a new association “laser focused on growing a healthy messaging ecosystem,” met with FCC officials, posted Friday in docket 03-251. It gave "unbiased education regarding the SMS (Short Messaging Service, AKA-Text Messaging)," the filing said. “Completion of consensual communications requested by Consumers on toll free numbers. Impacts occurring to public safety, the 833 auction, and privacy."

Commissioners 5-0 denied a 2009 application for review of a staff decision on 22 geographic area paging licenses. Clifford Bade told the FCC “circumstances beyond his control -- specifically, failure to obtain approvals from the Canadian regulatory body to operate near the Canadian border -- prevented him from meeting the construction requirements for the five licenses.” The licenses are in Michigan's Detroit/Ann Arbor/Flint market area in the 152 MHz band, the FCC said Friday. Bade paid $4,160 in an auction. “Bade has failed to identify anything in the Staff Decision that conflicts with the statute, Commission regulations, case precedent, established Commission policy, or requirements under the Above 30 MHz Agreement (or other international agreement),” the order said: “Nor has Bade identified any other basis for concluding that the determinations made in the Staff Decision were erroneous or ill-considered. Accordingly, we find that the Staff Decision correctly denied Bade’s extension requests.” Bade couldn't be reached for comment.

Chief Technology Officer Neville Ray dove deep on T-Mobile’s 5G spectrum strategy, during a call with analysts Friday as it got the federal antitrust nod to buy Sprint (see 1907260071). The goal is combining low-, mid- and high-band spectrum, he said: “That’s absolutely critical for the type of 5G service that customers can use on a ubiquitous basis. … You need all of those elements.” T-Mobile is mostly invested in the 24 GHz band but has built out 28 GHz licenses and is the first U.S. carrier with millimeter-wave coverage maps, he said. “You can absolutely use millimeter-wave where there are large concentrations of people, where the population exists,” but not to serve the whole country, Ray said. T-Mobile covers 150 million POPs with 600 MHz spectrum, up 50 percent in one quarter, he said. “We are going to bring large, very large-scale coverage on 5G to the U.S. this year, and nationwide as we move into 2020.” The company doesn’t “trash” viability of high-band spectrum, said CEO John Legere. “We have made fun of a millimeter-wave only strategy -- it won’t work.” High-band across the U.S. would cost $1.5 trillion to build, he said.

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology sought comment Thursday on a waiver request by Liberty Defense Holdings of Part 15 ultra-wideband rules to allow marketing and operation of its swept frequency UWB surveillance system. The Hexwave system uses active 3D imaging “to detect weapons, explosives, and other threats using a UWB surveillance technology operating in the 6.0-10.6 GHz band,” OET said. Comments are due Aug. 14, replies Aug. 29 in docket 19-217.

Major structural changes to the Galaxy Fold gave Samsung confidence to resurrect the launch of its first foldable smartphone, emailed Display Supply Chain Consultants CEO Ross Young Thursday. Samsung announced Wednesday it will bow the Galaxy Fold in September, after shelving it just before its April 26 commercial introduction. Samsung hadn't advised that what looked exactly like a removable screen protector wasn't removable but an integral part of the display's structure. The “final version” of the Galaxy Fold “is expected to use a thicker changeable window and go underneath the case and be folded over,” said Young. He expects Samsung “to pursue ultra thin cover glass” in its next foldable-phone prototype, and will source the glass from Schott, he said. The supplier didn’t comment. Samsung “fully evaluate[d]” the Galaxy Fold’s design, and made “necessary improvements and [ran] rigorous tests to validate the changes,” said the company. The protective layer of the Infinity Flex screen, sourced from panel maker Samsung Display, “has been extended beyond the bezel, making it apparent that it is an integral part of the display structure and not meant to be removed,” it said. The device has “additional reinforcements to better protect the device from external particles while maintaining its signature foldable experience,” said Samsung. The top and bottom of the hinge area are strengthened with “newly added protection caps”; additional metal layers underneath the Infinity Flex screen will reinforce the protection of the display; and space between the hinge and body was reduced. The company didn't comment Thursday.