Ericsson estimates 5G will reach 1.5 billion subscribers globally by the end of 2024, or more than 40 percent of the world’s population. If Tuesday's forecast comes true, it would make 5G “the fastest generation of cellular technology to be rolled out on a global scale,” said the company. Increased network capacity, lower cost per gigabyte and new use case requirements will be “key drivers” of 5G deployments, it said. North America will lead the world with 55 percent penetration of 5G subscriptions by the end of 2024, followed by northeast Asia (43 percent) and Western Europe (30 percent). ABI Research forecasts the U.S. will beat China in the race to 5G deployments, but China ultimately will have the world's largest such ecosystem (see 1811270001)

VTDigger must file a brief by Feb. 1 for the local news publication’s appeal of its Freedom of Information Act case against FirstNet, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a Monday notification (in Pacer) in case 18-2819. A lower court found FirstNet exempt from FOIA requests, dismissing all counts (see 1809260014).

Fifty-six percent of Cyber Monday e-commerce site visits came from smartphones and tablets, Adobe reported Tuesday. Total sales were $100 million above its forecast (see 1811260016), at $7.9 billion. Conversion rates from site visits to transactions on Cyber Monday were 3.9 percent for smartphones. Since Nov. 1, $35.7 billion in online sales has come from computers, $17.5 billion from smartphones and $5.3 billion from tablets. Adobe predicts $58.52 billion in online sales through Dec. 31 vs. $50.1 billion for last holiday season. Two-thirds of smartphone owners used their devices to research holiday purchase decisions, up from 63 percent last year, reported the National Retail Federation Tuesday.

The FCC needs to end uncertainty about the 5.9 GHz dedicated short range communications (DSRC) allocation and make clear it's for transportation safety, said the Maryland Department of Transportation in a docket 13-49 posting Monday. Maryland "is at the forefront" in adopting technology for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications that need the full spectrum band, and the FCC needs to ensure that band stays dedicated to DSRC and not allow unlicensed use, it said. An FCC Further NPRM on the band is expected (see 1811140061).

Smartphone shopping has skyrocketed this holiday season, jumping 56 percent to $15.3 billion, Adobe reported Monday. That day, $2 billion of online sales were expected to have come from smartphones, after Friday was the first day smartphones generated $2 billion. Early data showed smartphones were 59 percent of retail site visits Monday. It was the largest U.S. online shopping weekend, at $6.4 billion. Nov. 1 through Monday morning, consumers spent $50.6 billion online, 20 percent growth.

Revised rules for public land mobile radio use of the 800 MHz band that were approved in October on circulation (see 1810220050) take effect Dec. 27, says an FCC notice for Tuesday's Federal Register.

The 5G Automotive Association asked the FCC for a waiver to deploy cellular vehicle-to-everything technology (C-V2X) in a 20 MHz channel (5905-5925 MHz) of the 5.9 GHz band. "C-V2X represents a significant advancement ... and is the first step towards leveraging 5G to increase road safety and to maximize the myriad other benefits of connected vehicles," said a 5GAA petition posted Wednesday that included a 128-page test report. It said "widespread implementation of C-V2X" in the U.S. isn't currently feasible because the FCC's 5.9 GHz band rules restrict intelligent transportation system operations to those using the dedicated short range communications (DSRC) standard. "Recent testing performed by 5GAA members demonstrates that C-V2X peer-to-peer mode consistently outperforms DSRC in several key areas," the petition said. "These performance advantages, which include enhanced reliability over an extended communication range, better non-line-of-sight performance, and greater resiliency, can ... provide vehicles and drivers with an earlier, more complete picture of the surrounding road environment. C-V2X’s performance advantages over DSRC are particularly important in non-line-of-sight scenarios (e.g., around corners, through large trucks, etc.)."

Wi-Fi will keep the “connectivity crown” in the 5G era, as chipsets compatible with IEEE’s 802.11ax standard break the 1 billion annual unit shipments barrier in 2022, said ABI Research Tuesday. Though it took several years to develop and ratify 802.11ax, “market adoption of this standard is anticipated to be swifter than the rollout of 5G technologies,” it said. Smartphones will drive the technology adoption of 802.11ax as the market “transitions away” from the 802.11ac standard beginning in 2019, it said. Mainstream adoption isn’t expected before 2020, once the standard “becomes increasingly leveraged in flagship devices from key smartphone vendors,” it said.

GameStop entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Spring Mobile business, which owns and operates 1,289 AT&T wireless stores, to Prime Communications for $700 million, excluding transaction fees and subject to working capital and debt adjustments, it said Wednesday. The sale is part of GameStop’s strategy to refocus on its core video game and collectibles businesses. Proceeds may be used to reduce the company’s outstanding debt, fund share repurchases or reinvest in core businesses, it said. The deal is expected to close in Q4 FY 2018.

Delta Air Lines -- backing the airline industry-owned Aviation Spectrum Resources' ask for allowing aeronautical operational control communications in the lower 136 MHz band (see 1810170021) -- said doing so would improve flight safety and efficiency, according to ROM-11818 comments posted Tuesday. It said the Data Communications program in the 136.5-136.975 MHz band has been successful, and clearing the lower 136 MHz band for expansion of the program "will continue to yield benefits."