T-Mobile has spent the past 18 months beefing up its 5G network in Los Angeles for Sunday’s Super Bowl, the carrier said Tuesday. “With a more than $100 million investment in 5G infrastructure across the city, more than 95% of people in Greater Los Angeles are now covered” by T-Mobile’s 5G network, the carrier said. T-Mobile said it upgraded or installed hundreds of 5G macro sites and small cells, and made 5G upgrades at Los Angeles International Airport and “enhancements at numerous other venues.” The system at SoFi Stadium has the capacity of nearly 100 traditional macro cellsites, T-Mobile said.

The FCC Wireless Bureau notified tower builders about a recent change in the definition of the “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) provision of the Clean Water Act that could affect all towers requiring CWA permits. In August, the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona vacated the navigable waters protection rule (NWPR) and remanded it to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency, said a Tuesday notice. Both agencies halted application of the NWPR in early September and have been interpreting the WOTUS provision consistent with the pre-2015 WOTUS regulatory regime, the bureau said. “The Corps has announced that it does not intend to reconsider permit decisions that relied on the NWPR before the Court’s vacatur,” the bureau said: “While previously granted permits thus remain valid, tower builders should be aware that the Corps will not rely on a NWPR [approved jurisdictional determination] in evaluating pending or future permit requests.” The notice advised tower builders to contact the Corps “to ascertain the potential implications of the revised WOTUS definition on permitting and environmental compliance obligations for their proposed facility.”

Public Knowledge urged the FCC to consider delaying AT&T’s Feb. 22 3G shutdown because alarm companies faced delays replacing equipment due to the COVID-19 pandemic and chip shortages that were beyond anyone's control (see 2202030042), in a call with an aide to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. The FCC should be prepared to issue an order halting the sunset, unless “AT&T can demonstrate either: (a) that it has made arrangements with the alarm industry to prevent disruption of critical services identified in the record, such as home medical alert systems, DUI monitoring systems, home confinement alarms, and other systems necessary to protect life and safety; or, (b) AT&T is capable of immediately restoring service in the event of a significant disruption to these systems critical to protecting safety of life and property,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 21-304. Unlike flight safety concerns that led to the C-band delay “here, the alarm industry has been delayed by circumstances genuinely beyond their control,” PK said. PK Senior Vice President Harold Feld emailed that he’s not sure whether the FCC will act. “It is clear the Republican offices do not feel the need to act, which makes it more difficult for the Chair in a 2-2 Commission,” he said. A delay would “force us to devote scarce spectrum resources to support relatively few, obsolete 3G-only devices rather than repurposing the spectrum to enhance 5G capacity,” an AT&T spokesperson emailed: “Forcing a delay would needlessly waste valuable spectrum resources and degrade network performance for millions of our customers.”

Federal prosecutors allege that China’s Hytera Communications recruited and hired Motorola Solutions employees to steal trade secrets from Motorola. An indictment was partially unsealed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. “As alleged, from 2007 to 2020, Hytera and the recruited employees used Motorola’s proprietary and trade secret information to accelerate the development of Hytera’s [digital mobile radio] products, train Hytera employees, and market and sell Hytera’s DMR products throughout the world,” DOJ said Monday: “Hytera paid the recruited employees higher salaries and benefits than what they received at Motorola.” Hytera didn’t comment. The company faces a potential criminal fine of three times the value of the stolen technology “including expenses for research, design, and other costs that it avoided,” DOJ said.

CTIA and members urged the FCC to focus on “the timely collection” of 4G and 5G outdoor stationary maps and “a targeted, user-friendly challenge process” to collect data required by the Broadband Data Act. The request came in a call with an aide to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. Requiring in-vehicle coverage maps, “particularly in the absence of parameters such as speed of the vehicle and penetration or signal-strength loss … has the potential to undermine the Commission’s careful efforts to develop accurate and reliable maps,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 11-10: “Outdoor stationary maps fully comply with the Congressional mandates in the DATA Act and provide a granular and accurate depiction of where mobile coverage is available.” Reconsidering "collection of in-vehicle maps will also reduce consumer confusion over how to evaluate multiple maps and avoid disputes among Federal agencies and states about which map should be used for funding decisions," CTIA said. AT&T, T-Mobile, UScellular and Verizon representatives were on the call.

Private wireless revenue last year was “slightly weaker” than projected, leading to a downward outlook revision, Dell’Oro Group said Friday. “The markdown is more driven by the challenges of converting these initial trials to commercial deployments than a sign that demand is subsiding,” said Vice President Stefan Pongratz. “Indicators suggest private wireless activity is firming up.” Private wireless radio access network revenue, including macro and small cells, is still likely to double 2021-26, with LTE dominating the market and 5G gaining share, Dell’Oro said. “The successful launch of private 5G services by suppliers with strong enterprise channels could accelerate the private 5G market at a faster pace than expected,” the firm said: “5G awareness is improving but it will take some time for enterprises to fully understand the value of private LTE/5G.” Dell’Oro said in a second report that Wi-Fi 6E, which uses 6 GHz, is growing more slowly than expected. “Although manufacturers launched Wi-Fi 6E products in mid-2021, products are either not available, or they are in very limited supply,” Dell’Oro said: “Supply constraints have prompted manufacturers to focus on enabling the availability of popular models by re-designing these models with components that are more readily available.”

FAA issued its millionth airspace authorization for drone pilots to use public airspace, the agency said Friday. It was issued under the low altitude authorization and notification capability program, which allows automated approvals. “This system has allowed drone pilots to gain timely access to busy airspace without sacrificing safety,” said Teri Bristol, chief operating officer of FAA’s Air Traffic Organization.

The FCC Wireless Bureau OK’d nine 900 MHz broadband segment license applications sought by PDV Spectrum, said a notice listed in Thursday’s Daily Digest. A 2020 order reallocated a 6 MHz swath for broadband (see 2005130057).

T-Mobile likely won’t use its 3.45 GHz licenses until next year and plans to deploy them the same time as it does the C-band spectrum bought last year, using a single radio, said Neville Ray, T-Mobile president-technology, on a call with analysts Wednesday (see 2202020072). Ray said 3.45 GHz is “a new band … and it does have some complexity with coordination with the DOD to navigate.” Working through problems will take time, he said. “The radio infrastructure is new” and radios still aren't available, which could be complicated by supply chain issues, he said. Ray expects consumer devices to be available at year's end, or early in 2023. CEO Mike Sievert said the C-band fight (see 2202030081) seems mostly settled.“The studies have been completed,” he said: “We think the wireless industry, AT&T, Verizon, the FCC positions, will be validated. And we think they're right.” A “properly functioning radio altimeter” won’t be compromised by C-band interference, he said.

Wireless ISP Association representatives urged an aide to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to act on the 2.5 GHz auction “as soon as possible.” WISPA members like the county-sized licenses expected to be auctioned and favor a single-round, sealed-bid auction format, said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 20-429.