The FCC Wireless Bureau Monday approved an American Radio Relay League request for a waiver of the commission’s Part 97 rules to communicate with military stations as part of Pearl Harbor Day commemorations Dec. 6 and 7 (see 2211180048). “This event presents a unique opportunity for the Amateur and military communities to practice communication skills under the guidance of military officials, which may be useful in the future and serves the public interest,” the bureau said: "In addition to the skills gained by amateur operators that participate in the test, this day has a historic significance and emphasizes the importance of reliable communications and the need to be vigilant in our national defense. We also find that the limitations proposed by ARRL are appropriate to prevent harmful interference."
The World Radiocommunication Conference this year is a “critical event” for the GSMA, Director-General Mats Granryd said during an ITU podcast. “It’s where we agree [on] the future spectrum, we harmonize spectrum, and spectrum is our lifeline,” he said. “It’s really an event that affects billions of people.” GSMA’s focus this year starts with low-band, 400-600 MHz, he said. Low band builds capacity and makes sure everyone around the world “can actually get online through a mobile device,” Granryd said. The next focus is mid-band, 4-6 GHz, which is equally important for building capacity, he said. Through spectrum harmonization, carriers can grow and have the same application programming interfaces (APIs) globally, he said. “With 5G now really kicking in properly, and we see more business-to-business applications ... we must have more spectrum,” he said. Granryd said the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona early in 2024 is nearly sold out. Businesses are trying to figure out how they can use 5G connectivity to their advantage, “how can I prosper from that,” he said. Hot topics will include 5G applications, open gateway, “which is basically API roaming," and AI and the use of AI, he said: “I think you will see a lot of use cases.”
The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology Monday approved a tweak that GPR recently sought to a waiver the company received for its driver-assistance safety technology, which uses ultra-wideband (UWB) ground penetrating radar (see 2311140046). “GPR requested that we modify the Waiver Order to remove condition 6, which requires the GPR device to cease operation when the vehicle on which it is mounted comes to a stop,” OET said: Removing the condition “will not undermine the purpose of the UWB rules, i.e., to prevent harmful interference to authorized services.” The likelihood of harmful interference from the GPR device “is extremely low due to a number of factors, including operating in frequency bands that were selected to reduce the likelihood of harmful interference to authorized services, at low power levels with emissions in adjacent bands attenuated to protect services in those bands, only when pointed at the ground, and under conditions that limit how the units may be deployed,” OET said.
The cellular router and gateway market saw 5.6 million units shipped in 2022, with annual revenues of $1.4 billion and the Americas accounting for about half of that, ResearchAndMarkets.com said in a Monday report. Average selling price in the Americas region “is significantly higher compared to other markets, primarily due to a higher share of feature-rich, high-speed 4G LTE and 5G devices in the product mix,” it said. The report forecast $2.5 billion in global revenues in 2027. Ericsson’s Cradlepoint and Semtech’s Sierra Wireless were the market leaders, the report said.
Verizon updated the FCC on integration of low-cost carrier Tracfone into its network (see 2111220069) in a semi-annual report posted Monday in docket 22-210. “Two years after the close of the transaction, Verizon has continued to satisfy the closing conditions set forth by the FCC, and continues to strengthen its internal control environment to further support the compliance program established shortly after close,” Verizon said. “As certain milestones have either arrived on the second anniversary of the transaction, Verizon has continued to adapt its approach to prepare for these critical milestones by proactively testing measures put in place to meet these requirements, and improved its feedback loop with business personnel responsible for meeting the conditions to ensure ongoing compliance.” Verizon said it met one of the most challenging requirements, that by last Thursday all devices “sold by TracFone and activated on the Verizon network must be capable of automatic unlocking.” As a result, “there is no longer customer intervention required to unlock a handset purchased from TracFone and activated on the Verizon network,” the carrier said. Parts of the filing, including data on the number of Lifeline customers transferred to Verizon’s network and the number receiving 5G service, were redacted. Marketing data was also redacted. The last report was filed in May (see 2305240032).
T-Mobile responded to FCC questions (see 2310270058) on its proposed acquisition of Mint Mobile (see 2303150032), a low-cost prepaid wireless brand, and other Ka’ena assets. Much of the response was redacted, including seven exhibits posted Wednesday in docket 23-171. Among the FCC's requests was one seeking more information on claimed transaction-specific public interest benefits. “In the transfer applications, the Applicants stated that post-transaction T-Mobile plans to ‘supercharge the Mint and Ultra brands,’” T-Mobile said: “Specifically, the transaction will enable these brands, which are complementary to T-Mobile’s current prepaid service offerings, to grow faster and reach more consumers across the United States. T-Mobile is an experienced wireless operator known for its customer-first focus and best-of-class services and network.” Among the sections redacted was a document answering questions on reported data security breaches and cyberattacks.
FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks emphasized the importance of the work the World Radiocommunication Conference will do during the next four weeks in remarks to the U.S. delegation’s reception at the conference in Dubai. “Radio spectrum is infrastructure,” Starks said in a speech the FCC posted Wednesday. “There could not be a more important time to future-proof our infrastructure than this moment of serial innovation, driven by advancements in fields like AI,” he said. The WRC offers “tremendous promise for us to build that more just and inclusive digital future together,” he said.
Open radio access networks on their own won’t make a network faster, just as new running shoes alone won’t make someone a faster runner, Geoff Hollingworth, chief marketing officer at Rakuten Symphony, said in a Tuesday blog. ORAN by itself “doesn’t make you more efficient, quicker or cost-effective,” Hollingworth said: ORAN “on its own is potentially a bad idea if operations and procurement aren’t redesigned to support the changes it causes. Operations need to manage disaggregated supply chains at both a software functional level and a hardware platform level, and dynamically deploy the radio software as efficiently as possible. This is equivalent to the training required before putting on new shoes and running a race.”
Deere & Company asked that agricultural interests be taken into account as the FCC considers a 5G Fund (see 2310240046). Deere noted that the Rural Wireless Association and the Wireless Infrastucture Association mentioned agricultural land in their comments. “Deere has pioneered state-of-the-art precision agriculture technologies that provide growers with unprecedented efficiencies in managing inputs, such as seed, fertilizer, herbicides, pesticides, and water, as well as significant labor costs associated with operational delays and downtime,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 20-32: “These precision agriculture technologies are heavily dependent on the availability of mobile broadband service in fields where our customers work.”
The FCC Wireless Bureau approved a waiver, with conditions, sought by ContiTech USA, for a conveyor radar the company developed to monitor content carried on conveyor belts for a variety of applications, including mining. The bureau sought comment last year on the device, which uses the 76-81 GHz bands (see 2207080050). “We find that ContiTech has demonstrated that the Device can serve an important public interest function by monitoring material in various milling, mining, and other processes to improve the safety and efficiency of such mining operations and the other uses detailed in this request,” said a Tuesday order: “Its operations will be conducted under Part 90 site-based radiolocation rules, meaning that each installation will require a separate application and authorization by the Bureau, which allows additional conditions for operation to be added if needed.” The order includes conditions, such as the placement of the radar and exclusion zones.