U.K. chip maker CSR is hoping to steal a march on the Zigbee radio control system with a new approach based on Bluetooth, the company told us at a “Future is Smart” exhibition in London Tuesday staged by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), which runs the Bluetooth licensing program. “CSR Mesh,” as CSR is calling it, works as a mesh radio network like Zigbee, but without the need for an additional network hub or router, CSR said. This is possible because all modern smartphones and tablets come with enhanced Bluetooth smart capability “out of the box,” it said. CSR Mesh lets one smartphone control a virtually unlimited number of devices, such as lights, heating or security, with plug and play set-up, it said. CSR is now pledging to donate its CSR Mesh technology to SIG on a no-royalty basis, it said. At the London exhibition, Rick Walker, senior product marketing manager for CSR in Cambridge, demonstrated a prototype LED home lighting system similar to the Philips Hue, but using CSR Mesh instead of Zigbee. “CSR Mesh is disruptive,” Walker said. “It puts the smartphone at the center of the Internet of Things. We developed a software protocol that runs over the smart standard to create a mesh network at the standard Bluetooth frequency of 2.4 GHz, controlled by standard Bluetooth hardware.” Now that CSR has shown what can be done, “there are some big nasty competitors out there that will want to develop their own systems and fragment the market,” Walker said. “We want to avoid a situation like the zillion different standards for Wi-Fi, so will donate our technology to SIG and let SIG give free licenses. This is imminent.” CSR first announced the system in February and will release technical details on its website by the end of July, Walker said. “Then, early next year, we will offer everything, except the source code, to SIG to license without royalties.”

The FCC Wireless Bureau Wednesday sought comment on a request by Spectrum Networks Group (SNG) that it be allowed to use 900 MHz Business/Industrial/Land Transportation (B/ILT) Pool channels for Specialized Mobile Radio operations. The bureau said SNG has filed 111 applications since October for B/ILT channels at various locations. SNG wants to use some of the channels “to provide communications services to business for their private, internal machine-to-machine communications needs, and to provide service only to Part 90 eligible businesses,” the bureau said (http://bit.ly/1to2xFh). Comments are due July 30, replies Aug. 11, in docket 14-100.

CTIA, NTCA and the Competitive Carriers Association jointly asked the FCC to put off the deadline for submitting short-form applications for the AWS-3 auction until after their separate conferences in September. The three groups met with Wireless Bureau staff to raise objections, said an ex parte filing posted by the FCC Tuesday in docket 14-78. CCA and CTIA both meet during the second week in September and NTIA has a meeting Sept. 21-24, they said. The filing notes that anti-collusion rules for the auction kick in the day short-form applications are due. “These conferences provide opportunities for wireless carriers to discuss business opportunities and policy issues in an open forum,” the groups said (http://bit.ly/1ohdSz0). “Our respective members take the FCC’s anti-collusion rules very seriously. As the FCC itself has recognized, the anti-collusion rules may place significant limitations upon an auction participant’s ability to pursue certain business opportunities."

The multiyear 800 MHz band reconfiguration “is nearing completion” and the FCC could simplify the process for all players by finding that Sprint has effectively met a requirement of the FCC’s landmark 800 MHz rebanding order and won’t owe the government a windfall payment, Sprint said in a filing at the FCC. The carrier reported on meetings with various agency officials. The landmark 2004 rebanding order required Nextel to pay out the full value of the 10 MHz national spectrum license it got as part of the order through rebanding costs or else pay the balance to the government. Nextel subsequently merged with Sprint. “The participants discussed the current process for reviewing Sprint’s external expenditures to credit them against the anti-windfall payment contingency,” Sprint said. “Sprint noted that the current process has effectively become an unnecessary and unwarranted audit of the records of each state or local government public safety communications operator (or law enforcement agency) after it has completed the Commission-required retuning of its public safety communications system and is operating on its prescribed replacement channels.” The filing was posted by the FCC Monday in docket 02-55.

TUV Rheinland launched what it’s calling the world’s first certification standard for wearable devices. With sales of wearable devices rising, “product safety, performance, interoperability and durability still exhibit room for improvement,” said the German-based provider of technical and safety certification services. Manufacturers that subscribe to the standard will “stand out and gain a competitive edge,” it said in a news release Friday (http://bit.ly/1snXAIr). The certification “will also help consumers choose the safest high-quality wearable devices while promoting industry development,” it said. To gain certification, wearable devices must meet safety, “smart function” and wearability requirements, it said. For example, in terms of safety and wearability, TUV Rheinland said its certification process will assess the durability, environmental adaptability, skin contact, battery characteristics and electromagnetic interference of devices and components “to ensure comfortable fit and ease of use.” As for smart functionality, “the responses of imbedded sensors and the information security, connectivity, assessability and data analysis capabilities of the devices and their processors” will also be tested, it said. TUV representatives didn’t immediately comment on program specifics, such as whether it will include a logo, what it will be called and how product testing would be conducted.

The FTC formally revealed it added mobile cramming to a complaint against two organizations already accused of sending millions of unwanted text messages and making robocalls to consumers (http://1.usa.gov/1n1i1G1). The FTC told us about the amended complaint last week (CD July 7 p5). It’s the fourth mobile cramming complaint the commission has filed against a third party. The complaint alleges the companies -- Polling Associates and Boomerang International -- used their text message scam to also sign up owners of mobile phone numbers for recurring $9.99 charges without properly notifying consumers, the FTC said. Neither company could be reached for comment. The FTC last week also filed a lawsuit against mobile service provider T-Mobile, alleging it had earned hundreds of millions from taking a cut of numerous mobile cramming scams (CD July 2 p5).

The FCC Wireless Bureau will let a subsidiary of electric utility Pepco install seven fixed locations in Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey to support Pepco’s smart grid. The bureau issued an order Monday giving PHI a waiver to make use of Automated Maritime Telecommunications System spectrum for inland communications. But since AMTS spectrum is located to broadcast TV spectrum used by channels 10 and 13, the bureau stipulated that the operations must not result in harmful interference to broadcast TV (http://bit.ly/1n8u6hd). PHI plans to control interference “by operating with less power than permitted by the AMTS rules and using directional antennas to ensure that signals remain within the master station contours, and concludes that its proposed operations will cause no interference to television reception,” the bureau said. “While we do not agree in every particular with the methodology of PHI’s engineering study, we conclude that PHI’s unopposed proposed deployment does not appear to have any potential interference issues.”

Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson directed the Transportation Security Administration to start screening more closely cellphones and other electronic devices before they're permitted onboard international flights to the U.S., DHS said Sunday (http://1.usa.gov/1jhIuEn). During the screening, “officers may also ask that owners power up some devices, including cell phones,” the department said. Devices that can’t power up won’t be permitted onboard and the traveler may face “additional screening,” DHS said.

The FCC released tips to raise consumer awareness about the importance of protecting mobile devices from theft. D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier signed off on the warning. Among the tips is that consumers should record the unique identifying numbers on every phone as well as its serial number and MAC/Wi-Fi address “and store it in a safe place.” Consumers also need to be aware of their surroundings and treat cellphone theft like credit card theft, since mobile devices “frequently contain sensitive financial and personal information,” the agency said. The FCC issued the warning Thursday on the front page of its website (http://bit.ly/1j0WxxJ). FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has made stopping mobile device theft a top agency focus (CD June 20 p1).

IPS Group, which makes smart parking meters, agreed to pay $14,000 and implement a three-year compliance plan to resolve FCC complaints it had marketed some of the wireless meters without proper authorization, the Enforcement Bureau said Thursday. Rules impose restrictions marketing modified devices to ensure they continue to comply with commission rules, the bureau said (http://bit.ly/1kjmcgj). “These devices could cause harmful interference to other electronics and radio communications devices if they are not in full compliance with the Commission’s technical requirements.” The company manufactures and assembles smart parking meters, including credit card-enabled and solar powered units, and offers Web-based management systems, the bureau said. One of its competitors filed a complaint at the FCC a year ago, the bureau said.