Revenue generated from 5G services will reach $600 billion globally by 2026, representing 77% of global operator-billed volume, says a Juniper Research report being released Tuesday. Adoption of 5G services in consumer and IoT sectors is being driven by a strong uptake of 5G-capable devices, “coupled with attractive 5G subscription pricing models, despite the semiconductor crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” it says. Multi-device subscriptions will be key to maximizing 5G revenue growth the next five years, says Juniper: “As geographical 5G coverage expands, operators will capitalise on revenue streams beyond smartphones.” There will emerge an opportunity for “bundling multiple device subscriptions under a single recurring payment to enable operators to benefit from connectivity revenue from other consumer devices,” says the report.

Dish Network wants join the ranks of eligible telecommunications carriers in the 10 states and the District of Columbia that have disclaimed jurisdiction over ETC designations for commercial mobile radio service providers. In an FCC docket 09-197 petition Monday, Dish said it qualifies as a provider of common carrier service that will provide service throughout its designated service area and will remain functional during emergencies. It said being an ETC would let its current emergency broadband benefit subscribers access funds under Lifeline and the EBB successor affordable connectivity program and help Dish in pursuing broadband infrastructure funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Wi-Fi 6 will reach more than 1.5 billion chipset shipments in 2022, said ABI Research, with Wi-Fi 6E component shipments to nearly triple shipments from this year. Ultra-wideband devices are expected to reach nearly 500,000 units as adoption rises in smartphones, wearables, speakers and personal trackers, said the research firm. Wi-Fi 6 grew in 2021 on adoption in smartphones from Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo and Vivo, while growing availability of mobile Wi-Fi 6E chipsets and platforms from chipset vendors Qualcomm, Broadcom and MediaTek will accelerate the transition to 6-GHz capable devices, it said. Tablets and PCs are also transitioning to Wi-Fi 6 and 6E technology, it said.

Global revenue from SMS firewalls is projected to reach $4.1 billion in 2026, rising from $911 million in 2021 and representing “absolute growth” of roughly 350%, reported Juniper Research. It defines this as third-party solutions that reside within wireless networks, enabling real-time monitoring of network traffic to enhance capabilities of blocking fraud. Failure to adopt SMS firewalls can leave service operators vulnerable to diminished revenue from business messaging, “as fraudsters mask business messaging traffic to avoid termination fees,” it said Tuesday. Juniper projects that the volume of business messaging traffic monitored by SMS firewalls will increase from 3.1 trillion transactions in 2021 to 4.4 trillion in 2026.

The National Air Carrier Association is pleased with Verizon and AT&T delaying aspects of deployment of their respective 5G wireless broadband networks in the C band (see 2111240062), Vice President-Government Affairs Chris Brown said in a statement late Wednesday. "We look forward to continuing ongoing deliberations with the telecommunications industry, the White House [National Economic Council], FCC, and FAA on mitigations to ensure that new communications networks do not compromise aviation safety, specifically interference with radio altimeters on commercial and general aviation aircraft." Aerospace Industries Association Vice President-Civil Aviation David Silver in a statement said the organization "will be looking to our regulator to evaluate the operational environment that the telecoms are proposing. We look forward to working with the FAA and all other stakeholders to find a long-term solution that will protect the flying public by ensuring radio altimeters operate accurately while allowing 5G to roll out safely.” The Air Line Pilots Association emailed that it has been urging regulators and aviation and telecom industry stakeholders since May 2018 "to collaboratively work towards mitigations that will not jeopardize aviation safety and ensure that crucial safety devices such as radio altimeters are protected by any potential harmful interference from 5G. ALPA is confident that by working together we will be able to uphold our nation’s stellar aviation safety record while expanding 5G across the country.”

Getting to "plug-and-play" for 5G and its open radio access network ecosystem requires multi-vendor interoperability, which the U.S. government can help accelerate by encouraging industry-led interoperability organizations or agreements, Samsung representatives told FCC Wireless Bureau, Office of Economics and Analytics and Office of Engineering and Technology staffers, per a docket 21-63 ex parte post Wednesday.

T-Mobile plans to appeal Better Business Bureau's National Advertising Division rulings about ads for its 5G network, NAD said Tuesday. It said Verizon and AT&T challenged the ads' reliability claims. NAD said while T-Mobile's reliability claims were based on an audit of data collected from mobile phones, that audit looked at speed and coverage and those traits alone can't support a reliability claim. A T-Mobile spokesperson emailed us that the company "is America’s 5G Leader with the nation’s largest 5G network delivering the fastest average and overall combined 5G speeds. It is also the nation’s most reliable 5G network according to neutral criteria internationally recognized expert umlaut uses to evaluate network performance around the world. NAD’s decision not to recognize umlaut’s assessment is disappointing and we strongly disagree with its recommendation to not advertise this independent award."

Verizon closed its Tracfone acquisition, the company said Tuesday. Verizon paid about $3.1 billion cash and 57.6 million shares, it said: If TracFone keeps achieving certain operating metrics, Verizon will pay up to $650 million more cash. “The addition of the TracFone brands firmly establishes Verizon as the provider of choice in the value segment,” said Verizon Consumer Group CEO Ronan Dunne. Conditions from the FCC’s Monday OK (see 2111220069) “can have real-life benefits for consumers -- if they’re vigorously followed and enforced,” said Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal, Conn.; Sheldon Whitehouse, R.I.; Dianne Feinstein, Calif.; Ron Wyden, Ore.; and Ed Markey, Mass. “This deal reflects the firm, important commitments public interest groups and we fought for to preserve Lifeline and budget services.” The completed deal lets Verizon be "aggressive in the prepaid sector without harming its postpaid branding," said GlobalData analyst Tammy Parker. It "should help reenergize the prepaid sector, amping up the competitive fervor" among national carriers' secondary brands including AT&T's Cricket Wireless and T-Mobile's Metro, she said. "On the negative side, despite consumer protections required by federal and state regulators, TracFone’s acquisition removes an independent service provider from the market."

National Emergency Number Association CEO Brian Fontes urged the Senate Monday to restore “full funding” for next-generation 911 tech upgrades when it takes up the House-passed Build Back Better Act budget reconciliation package. The HR-5376 version passed last week (see 2111190042) includes $490 million for NG-911. That’s less than 5% of the $10 billion the House Commerce Committee proposed in September (see 2109140063); $470 million would go to tech upgrades and $20 million for NTIA to administer the program. The measure also allocates $1 million for NTIA to set up a Public Safety NG-911 Advisory Board. That money would represent “the largest federal investment in 9-1-1 in history” and “we appreciate that,” Fontes said in a statement. “However, it is less than” what House Commerce sought and “less than 4% of the $12 billion” NTIA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommended in 2018.

Members of the Wireless Innovation Forum’s 6 GHz Committee Steering Group urged a quick process for approving automated frequency control systems in the 6 GHz band, in a meeting with staff from the FCC. “AFC Systems must be tested and certified for commercial operation,” which must include “a public trial/demonstration period,” the group said in a filing posted Friday in docket 18-295: Similar experiences with the TV white spaces and citizens broadband radio service “indicate the entire process could be lengthy.” The group said "AFC Systems are significantly less complicated and should be much easier and quicker to test and certify.”