Fossil Group, one of the first traditional watch and fashion accessories suppliers to sign on for the Android Wear platform (see 1501060025), sees technology “emerging as the latest trend in fashion, with the growing interest in wearable technology inspiring new entrants into the watch space,” CEO Kosta Kartsotis said on an earnings call. Fossil’s expected launch of “connected” wearables in time for the holiday selling season “has the potential to energize the accessories category, given the innovation we are bringing to market and the strong consumer interest in the category,” Kartsotis said Tuesday. Fossil’s ambition in wearables has “crystallized” into three different categories. There is the Android Wear “digital screen watch, which looks really good for fall,” and “will get better as it gets smaller and more robust” over the next few years, he said: “That’s got long-term legs as it continues to improve.” Smart bracelets without onboard displays have “the capability of creating an entirely new accessories category based around technology,” Kartsotis said. “Probably most significant long-term is what we call smarter watches, which is just adding chips and additional functionality to existing watches.” Those smarter timepieces will look “just like a regular analog watch,” but will have “a chip in it that gives measures, activity and sleep and also has notifications in it,” he said.

Verizon supports adopting power spectral density (PSD) limits for cellular licensees “to promote mobile broadband deployment in the cellular band,” Verizon said in a filing at the FCC posted Wednesday in docket 12-40. “PSD limits, which allow transmitter power limits to be applied on a per MHz of bandwidth basis, are necessary to eliminate the bias in the current cellular power rules towards narrowband technologies,” Verizon said. AT&T has been pushing the envelope on the issue. In April, the FCC Wireless Bureau sought comment on a request by AT&T to use PSD-based measurements to comply with the commission’s radiated power limits for 800 MHz cellular operations in parts of Missouri (see 1504130031).

Patience is no virtue among consumers coping with “faulty” smartphones or lousy customer care at their wireless carriers, found a Blancco Technology Group study. Blancco canvassed 1,400 smartphone-owning consumers aged 25-65 in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australia in early June and found that the combination of defective phones and shoddy customer service would cause 31 percent of respondents to switch to different mobile carriers and another 33 percent to change their device manufacturers, the research firm said Wednesday in a report. Though only 2 percent of consumers surveyed said they’re “bothered” by inferior camera or video quality, 38 percent cited poor battery life as their most pressing smartphone gripe, the firm said. Faulty smartphone functionality “is the norm, not the exception,” the firm said. It said 31 percent of respondents typically experience problems with their devices at least once a month and as often as several times a year.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology formed the 5G mmWave Channel Model Alliance to look at 3D channel modeling at high frequencies, NIST said in a news release. Last week, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said the FCC soon would press ahead on an NPRM on more use of high-frequency spectrum bands (see 1508030071). NIST said the alliance includes telecom companies and universities. “NIST created the group to help meet a global surge in demand for wireless data transmission and capacity,” NIST said Tuesday. “As telecommunication frequencies go higher, the behavior of wireless signals changes. Different factors, like structures in the way, affect signal loss and distortion. Accurate models based on real-world measurements are needed to design not only the optimum system hardware but to develop standards that drive the underlying protocols for handling the transmissions. The work is challenging, in part because the technologies don't exist yet.”

The FCC Wireless Bureau released a pleading schedule on AT&T’s proposed buy of six lower 700 MHz C-block licenses and two lower 700 MHz B-block licenses, all in Michigan, from Agri-Valley Communications. Under the transaction, AT&T would get 12-24 MHz of spectrum spanning 37 counties and seven cellular market areas, the bureau said Wednesday. Petitions to deny are due Sept. 11, oppositions Sept. 21 and replies Sept. 28. “The Applicants maintain that the proposed transaction would provide AT&T with additional spectrum that would enable it to increase its system capacity to enhance existing services, better accommodate its overall growth, and facilitate the provision of additional products and services in the geographic areas authorized under the eight licenses,” the bureau said. It sent letters to both asking a series of additional questions about the deal. Explain “any attempts made to enter into a sale of this spectrum or alternative arrangements with parties other than AT&T,” said the letter to Agri-Valley.

Lawn-mower robots got a nod of approval from the FCC. The Office of Engineering and Technology approved a waiver request filed by iRobot allowing certification of its robotic lawn mowers that make use of the 6240-6740 MHz range. “Granting this waiver is in the public interest because it will enable iRobot to market its robotic lawn mower without posing a significant risk of harmful interference to authorized users of the radio spectrum,” OET said Wednesday. The device uses stakes with attached transmitters to be placed in the ground to establish the robot's mowing pattern. The rules prohibit the use of fixed wireless infrastructure otherwise prohibited for Part 15 devices, which necessitated a waiver, OET said. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory objected to iRobot’s waiver request, saying it could be an interference threat to radio astronomy operations in the 5925-6700 MHz band (see 1503060069). IRobot’s business plan “including the use of low-to-the-ground transmitters pointing horizontally -- and its focus on marketing for non-commercial residential use” should minimize this threat, OET said. “Because the NRAO analysis looked at line-of-sight separation distances, it has greatly overestimated the interference potential of transmitters that are located less than two feet above the ground.”

A number of “use cases” will drive the growth of 5G, 4G Americas said in white paper released Tuesday. HD video, supported in high-density areas and “with ubiquitous coverage,” is one driver, the group said. “Other categories of 5G use cases include ultra-reliable communications for industry/transport automation, low latency communications applications, and high/medium data rate service for massive Machine Type Communication (MTC) for various applications like e-health, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), augmented reality and tactile internet.” Spectrum will need to be available for 5G in bands under 500 MHz to 60 GHz and beyond, the group said. “As much of the spectrum, especially in the lower ranges, is currently used by other applications and services, a critical aspect to securing additional spectrum is to leverage new regulatory frameworks involving shared spectrum whenever dedicated licensed spectrum is not feasible,” 4G Americas said. “This will help address the need for more spectrum and enable more efficient utilization of the spectrum while still protecting the incumbent services.”

Craig Moffett, analyst at MoffettNathanson, said Tuesday in a note to investors that he is upgrading Verizon to a buy, while upgrading the sector as a whole to overweight. Moffett set a price target of $54. Verizon shares closed at $47.60 Tuesday during regular trading. Moffett noted that his firm has been bearish on the sector since MoffettNathanson launched in 2013. “Our principal concern has been wireless pricing,” he said. “As we have often reminded investors, in a fixed cost business like wireless, pricing is everything. It was with pricing in mind that we turned from a negative to a neutral sector stance four months ago. … And it is again with pricing in mind that we are now moving to an overweight.” Moffett lists Verizon as his preferred stock as sector recovery begins.

Intel urged the FCC to proceed quickly on launching an NPRM on high-frequency spectrum. The plea came in a series of meetings at the agency, said a filing in docket 14-177. Intel also filed a white paper on the topic at the FCC as part of the discussion. Last week, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler indicated the FCC would soon press ahead on an NPRM, building on last year’s notice of inquiry (see 1508030071). Intel calls the high-frequency spectrum millimeter wave (mmW) spectrum. “Intel believes the record in the NOI justifies moving forward with an NPRM,” Intel said in the white paper. “We believe it would be beneficial to marketplace developments if the FCC were to expeditiously make mmW frequencies available for 5G, and importantly, under flexible rules which incentivize incumbent license holders to put the spectrum to its highest-value use.” If the FCC moves quickly, it would be an encouragement to the ITU to add a discussion on high-frequency spectrum at the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2019, Intel said. “It will be crucial that the U.S. support the principle that other countries and/or regions could include additional frequency bands to the scope of the 5G agenda item during these discussions,” the company said. Quick FCC action would also “reduce investment risk and uncertainty in the U.S. especially as to particular bands,” Intel said. Intel recommended a mix of licensed and unlicensed bands in the spectrum.

Sprint notified the FCC it agreed to accept the terms and conditions for a waiver of the benchmark rate applicable to Cuba specified in the April 8, 2011, TeleCuba waiver order. The Sprint filing was posted Monday in docket 10-95. In June, Sprint announced it had become the first national carrier to offer an add-on plan making it easier for subscribers to call Cuba (see 1506150070).