LTE represents 51 percent of mobile connections in North America, or 219 million, 4G Americas said in a news release Thursday. That's 69 million new LTE customers since September 2014, and the expectation is LTE connections in North America will hit 392 million by 2021, it said. Latin America had LTE growth of close to 350 percent over the past 12 months, with LTE and high-speed packet access mobile broadband connections combined being close to half of all mobile connections in the region, 4G Americas said. The trade group said LTE penetration for North America is at 61 percent, with the next highest global market Western Europe at 27 percent. There are 68 commercial LTE networks in the U.S and Canada, and 435 worldwide, 4G Americas said. Globally, there were 908 million LTE connections as of the end of Q3, up 152 million in one quarter.

IDC sees 2015 as the first year of single-digit percentage worldwide smartphone sales growth, 9.8 percent to 1.43 billion units. The forecast reflects a slowdown in growth in most Asian markets and in Latin America and Western Europe, it said Thursday. With the smartphone market “finally slowing” to single-digit year-to-year growth, maintaining market momentum will depend on “the success of low-cost smartphones in emerging markets,” it said. “This, in turn, will depend on capturing value-oriented first-time smartphone buyers as well as replacement buyers.” IDC sees Android smartphones finishing 2015 with a 9.5 percent global shipment increase to 1.16 billion units, enough for an 81.2 percent market share. Shipments of iPhones will rise 17.3 percent this year to 226 million units, for a 15.8 percent share, it said. IDC sees Windows Phone shipments declining 10.2 percent to 31.3 million units for a 2.2 percent share.

A Ford software update made available to Sync-equipped vehicle owners Thursday adds Apple Siri capability for hands-free access to iPhone features, Ford said. Siri Eyes-Free allows drivers to activate Siri with a long press of the voice recognition button on the steering wheel that’s similar to activating Siri on an iPhone, said the carmaker. Voice requests drivers can make to Siri include calling contacts in the address book, looking up phone numbers for points of interest, setting a reminder or alarm, getting weather information, selecting and playing music, sending and receiving text messages by voice and getting directions from Apple Maps, it said. The update is compatible with vehicles dating back to 2011, Ford said.

Internet companies shouldn't have to choose between engaging in necessary communication with their users and the threat of class-action litigation, Internet Association CEO Michael Beckerman said of the FCC's recent Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) order. The Internet Association filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, urging the court to overturn the FCC's TCPA order. The FCC declaratory ruling interpreted the TCPA in a way that expands its scope beyond any reasonable interpretation of Congress’ original intent, a news release from the association said. The ruling exposes any company using a modern phone system, including Internet companies simply attempting to communicate with their users, to a dramatically increased risk of frivolous litigation, it said. “In an unlawful attempt to respond to changing technology, however, the Commission has interpreted the TCPA in such a way that it now potentially reaches almost any form of electronic communication -- a far more sweeping (not to mention unconstitutional) and ambitious rule than Congress’s much more modest focus on the specialized automated dialing equipment that telemarketers used in 1990 … . [T]he Commission’s Order rolls out the welcome mat for lawsuits threatening the innovative approach to communication that the Internet Association members promote and on which their business models depend,” the brief said.

Public Knowledge's FCC push on Communications Act Section 333 rules and Part 15 devices "is nothing more than a ploy designed to limit the competitive roll-out of LTE-U products under the guise of protecting the Wi-Fi/unlicensed commons," MediaFreedom said in comments posted Wednesday in docket 15-105. Beyond "help[ing] its corporate supporters compete in the marketplace," MediaFreedom said, PK also is "recklessly invit[ing] the agency's novel and potentially deleterious participation in the Part 15 device development process -- a process that has thrived precisely because the Commission has not been actively involved in it. Section 333 cannot presently be reconciled with Part 15 permission-less innovation." Public Knowledge last month submitted comments asking the agency to make clear unlicensed and licensed spectrum are on equal footing (see 1511200036). The effect of that would be compatibility and coexistence requirements for Part 15 devices that give them interference protections "that well exceeds their Part 15 status," especially since the FCC hasn't ever required interference-free operation between Part 15 devices, MediaFreedom said. Public Knowledge didn't comment Thursday. When asked about MediaFreedom's own financial funding, Director Mike Wendy emailed that the nonprofit has taken direct corporate support in the past from the cable and telecom industries, but in the past two tax cycles it hasn't received direct corporate support from the cable, telecom, or information and communications technology industries. "I presently operate on two small, private grants. The rest comes out of my pocket," he said.

"Contraband wireless devices in jails continues to be a problem that affects the safety of officers and the public," said National Sheriffs' Association Executive Director Jonathan Thompson and others on behalf of that group known at a meeting with FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai's chief of staff, Matthew Berry. "There needs to be flexibility at the local level to manage this issue to accommodate the needs and budgets of different sheriffs." A filing on the meeting, which also included Pai aide Brendan Carr, was posted Wednesday in docket 13-111. Pai has said the agency isn't acting aggressively enough on illicit cellphones in prisons, while Chairman Tom Wheeler said regulation is possible and the commission is working with industry on the issue (see 1510220047). CTIA declined to comment Thursday.

The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions issued a series of new studies to identify the feasibility and standardization/implementation considerations for multiple possible wireless emergency alert (WEA) enhancements, a news release from ATIS said Wednesday. The studies aimed to address recommendations from the FCC Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council (CSRIC) and investigated enhancing cell broadcast geo-targeting for WEA alerts; providing supplemental information for a WEA alert; and increasing the WEA alert message length. The first study looked into methods for the delivery of geo-targeted WEA messages to a given geocode, circle or polygon, and concluded that the current wireless infrastructure-based geotargeting continues to be the recommended solution for WEA geotargeting. ATIS also studied the practicality, limitations and effects of providing supplemental information for a WEA alert to a mobile device and enabling a mobile device to display supplemental information. The study said multimedia content can't be supported in today's cell broadcast-based WEA system. The study of WEA message length confirmed that an increase in the maximum displayable characters is technically feasible for an LTE WEA message.

Wireless and particularly its data services is the reason for overall telecom growth, in a "regulatory environment [that] remains mostly constructive" except for scrutiny of large mergers and acquisitions and risk under Title II of the Communications Act, said a debt-ratings firm in a news release and longer report. It's an "otherwise benign environment," regulation-wise, said Moody's. "M&A activity will be limited until the broadcast spectrum auction is completed," and the March 29 start could be delayed, it said. "Without the entrance of non-traditional bidders, the auction could disappoint broadcasters who may expect high prices." Wireless data revenue "will fuel overall telecom growth, driven by the increasing use of smartphones, tablets and other connected devices, as well as the growing popularity of mobile video that has made larger data plans more alluring," said Senior Vice President Dennis Saputo. U.S. telecom profit will rise 2 percent in 2016 as wireless revenue grows 3-4 percent, said Moody's Wednesday. "Mobile video is a potential growth catalyst, but probably 2-3 years from now."

ACA International, Exacttarget, Consumer Bankers Association, The Professional Association for Customer Engagement, Portfolio Recover Associates, Salesforce.com, Sirius XM, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Vibes Media filed a joint amicus brief against the FCC's recent order (see 1507130039) interpreting the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in docket 15-1211. The order embraces a "self-contradictory definition" of automatic telephone dialing system (ATDS) that "severely curtails a wide range of legitimate communications that Congress never sought to restrict," the brief said. The order asks whether equipment could be modified to store or produce random or sequential numbers, dial numbers randomly or sequentially, or dial phone numbers without human intervention -- rather than focusing on the present ability of equipment to perform all of the statutorily defined tasks, the brief said. "Contrary to the First Amendment and common sense, the order threatens to turn even an ordinary smartphone into an ATDS." CTIA is concerned that if the FCC's order is left as-is, it could cause many wireless industry callers and message senders to cease offering the information, services and communications that wireless customers desire and consent to receive, the organization said in its notice of intent to file brief as amicus curiae in support of petitioners. The American Gas Association, Edison Electric Institute, National Association of Water Companies, National Association of Chain Drug Stores and National Rural Electric Cooperative Association also filed amici briefs.

AT&T defended coming rate increases for unlimited smartphone data plans (see 1512010069). "Our unlimited data plan customers continue to receive an incredible value, especially those taking advantage of our 4G LTE network," a spokesman told us. AT&T said the rate increases are expected to start with customers' February service.