Wireless has the potential to transform agriculture, CTIA said in a report released Friday, tied to Earth Day. Agricultural land and agriculture account for some 80 percent of U.S. water consumption, the report said. “Less than 10 percent of irrigated farms in the U.S. used advanced irrigation management techniques, such as those using wireless technology,” the report said. “Wireless technology has the potential to not only help farmers more efficiently manage water use but to also add substantial value to the agricultural industry.” In 2013, 67 percent of U.S. farms had access to the Internet, compared to 51 percent in 2005, the report said. Twenty-four percent of farms with Internet access relied on wireless as their primary method of accessing the Web in 2013, compared to 3 percent in 2005. The report was written by the Brattle Group.

T-Mobile US said it will host an earnings call and “an extended, open conversation” about the company’s Q1 financial results Tuesday. The call starts at 8 a.m. EDT. “Participants will have multiple ways to submit questions including via phone and Twitter,” the carrier said in a news release. “T-Mobile will also take questions via text and respond to some of them on the call.”

As smartphones mature and market growth slows, display manufacturers “are looking to new in-cell and on-cell touch-screen solutions that offer consumers thinner and brighter displays, while shortening the supply chain for smartphone manufacturers,” IHS said in a Thursday report. As panel makers promote these new displays, and offer aggressive pricing, in-cell and on-cell touch displays are expected to comprise half of all smartphone displays shipped in 2017, IHS said: “New touch solutions are emerging that boast greater flexibility, lighter weight and other feature improvements.”

Wireless industry groups and those representing the deaf and hard of hearing filed a letter at the FCC Thursday urging the agency to support their joint proposal from last year on a revised commission proposal for hearing aid compatibility (HAC) rules (see 1511130027). “The Parties have worked together for many years to ensure that wireless handsets are accessible to and usable by people who use hearing aid devices, and we are pleased to continue our ongoing collaboration on this important issue,” the groups said. The FCC “thoughtfully” incorporated the proposal into its NPRM proceeding, the groups said. “The Parties continue to urge the Commission to adopt the Consensus Proposal as submitted.” The letter offers advice on a panel that would track progress toward ensuring that 100 percent of handsets are eventually HAC-compliant. “At a minimum, the task force participants should include representatives of consumers who use hearing aid devices, research and technical advisors, wireless industry policy and technical representatives, and hearing aid manufacturers,” the letter said. ”However, lack of participation by any task force member will not prevent the task force from proceeding with its work on the schedule provided.” The groups said the task force “should be overseen by a group with technical, legal, and administrative expertise to help manage a consensus-based process that will make a recommendation as to the achievability of a 100 percent HAC compliance requirement, while carefully weighing the needs of both the wireless industry and consumers, including those who use hearing aid devices." The Competitive Carriers Association, CTIA, Hearing Loss Association of America, National Association of the Deaf, Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (TDI) and Telecommunications Industry Association signed the letter. It was filed in docket 15-285.

With Verizon set to report earnings Thursday, Wells Fargo analyst Jennifer Fritzsche predicted Wednesday the carrier will report a decline of 120,000 wireless phone connections and 576,000 tablet adds, for net growth. “On the wireless side, we believe VZ had a relatively quiet quarter characterized by strength in margins and churn offset by weaker service revenues and postpaid phone losses,” Fritzsche said in a note to investors, referring to the carrier's stock symbol. “We expect a lot of focus on VZ's recent acquisitions -- RYOT Corp., Complex, Awesomeness TV -- and how they fit within its digital media/AOL platforms. We do not expect any commentary around a possible Yahoo bid.”

A recent FCC Enforcement Bureau order tentatively finding in favor of AT&T in a data roaming dispute with Worldcall Interconnect (WCX) isn't the kind of order that requires WCX to seek review or reconsideration, the bureau said in a letter posted Wednesday in docket 14-221. The April 14 order “is not a final order or action” that would trigger deadlines for WCX to seek review, the bureau said. WCX didn't demonstrate that AT&T’s proposed rates “are commercially unreasonable,” the bureau said in an earlier order, which directed both sides to continue negotiations (see 1604150063).

The FCC is seeking comment on ANSI C63.26–2015, ‘‘American National Standard for Compliance Testing of Transmitters Used in Licensed Radio Services,’’ said a notice in Wednesday's Federal Register. The agency is seeking comment on incorporating the standard into FCC rules “by reference as part of an open rulemaking proceeding that addresses its equipment authorization (EA) rules and procedures,” the notice said. The standard was recently published and is already considered an ‘‘active standard,’’ the agency said. Comments are due May 5, replies May 16. “Take note: the periods are shorter here than in many Commission proceedings, so if you have something to say, you should be prepared to say it quickly,” Fletcher Heald said in a blog post.

Officials from FirstNet’s technical HQ team were at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February and saw a lot of technology with implications for FirstNet’s future network, said a Wednesday blog post by the authority’s devices group. FirstNet officials saw advances in smartphones and 5G technology, wearables and drones that can be used for communications, the group said. “As commercial wireless technology transitions to public safety use, there are areas that are customized to support the public safety operational procedures and working environments,” the group said. “Examples of these areas include ruggedization of devices for operation in hazardous environments, modification of user interfaces to match the public safety usage requirements, and enhanced security capabilities to allow connection to limited access databases.” In general, advances in technology occur first on commercial networks, the blog post said. “Monitoring the advancements in the area of commercial products provides some advance notice of what may be coming in the future to public safety platforms,” the group said. “In some cases, there may be a need to accelerate the transition of commercial focused technology for the benefit of public safety users.”

CTIA representatives warned the FCC it’s premature for the agency to focus on wireless emergency alert (WEA) rules in the context of 5G when 5G is still evolving. “CTIA and members also noted the uncertainty regarding the timing of ubiquitous deployment of 5G networks and its implications for WEA,” said a filing on the meeting in docket 15-91. The FCC proposed at its November meeting to allow longer WEA messages, inclusion of hyperlinks and narrower distribution of alerts (see 1511190053). CTIA and its members also warned about an FCC proposal to embed information in alerts. “CTIA and carriers explained their concerns over network congestion that could result from an untold number of wireless subscribers simultaneously attempting to access embedded URLs or phone numbers from a WEA message,” the filing said. “The parties discussed the complexity that would be introduced in trying to manage the impact on wireless providers’ networks.” While the proceeding “provides an opportunity for all stakeholders to consider ways to further enhance the WEA system, the Commission should only adopt rules that maintain the simplicity and success of the WEA program for wireless providers, local alert originators, and wireless subscribers,” the filing said. Representatives of AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Verizon met with staff from the FCC Public Safety Bureau.

Sprint scheduled its fiscal Q4 2015 earnings call for May 3, starting at 8:30 a.m. EDT, it said Tuesday. Last quarter, the carrier moved up its earnings call by a week, reportedly to address shareholder concerns (see 1601220047). Verizon, traditionally the first major carrier to report, releases results Thursday.