The Land Mobile Communications Council requested a meeting with Rosemary Harold, chief of the FCC Enforcement Bureau, on rogue Part 15 devices. The bureau is likely well aware of the problem, the group said in a Tuesday letter. “Devices produced in Asia by multiple manufacturers are often sold through the internet … as well as from retail outlets,” said LMCC. “The accompanying materials note, at most, that the devices have received FCC type-acceptance for use under Part 15 of the rules for amateur operations. In fact, the devices are marketed for use by any entity, for any purpose, complete with programming instructions for operation on any channel from 136-174 MHz and 400-520 MHz without regard or critical information relating to Federal and non-Federal spectrum allocations, user eligibility or licensing requirements.” The FCC didn't comment.

America Movil, the biggest MVNO in the U.S., lost about 3 million U.S. customers in 2017, the company reported for Q4. America Movil's Caribbean revenue dropped 9 percent in Q4 year on year, driven by a 16 percent revenue drop in Puerto Rico, hit by Maria. “The situation in Puerto Rico following the damage that occurred after hurricane Maria hit the island in September remains very complicated,” the company said. “Roughly 50 percent of the territory still lacks electrical power, which has made the restoration of the telecommunication services difficult.” America Movil said it “worked rapidly” to re-establish service. “Almost all our wireless base stations are now operating but more than half are being powered by diesel making it more expensive and complex for them to operate,” the company said. The company said about 75 percent of its wireline infrastructure is operational, “however, we have had to credit back the rents of clients that can’t use the service because they don’t have electricity.”

Cell Detect explained its approach to curbing use of contraband cellphones in prisons, which targets prisoners and not the network, during last week’s meeting at the FCC convened by Chairman Ajit Pai (see 1802070048). Cell Trax is “designed to eliminate illicit cell phones in prisons and jails by detecting, reporting and eventually jamming only those devices that are in close proximity to the inmate actually using the cell phone,” the company said in docket 13-111. Cell Trax offers a small, lightweight bracelet to be worn by inmates. “When a cell phone is detected, the Cell Trax bracelet immediately reports the inmate’s identity to a cloud-based computer, which processes the alert and notifies officers in real-time,” the company said. “The Cell Trax bracelet will also be capable of emitting a low-power, short burst, jamming signal precisely timed to prevent the illicit cell phone from receiving responses from the tower.” The company wasn't listed among those attending in an FCC-written ex parte filing on the meeting last week, which described the discussion in broad terms.

The internet's future will be written by smartphone users in the developing world, blogged Caesar Sengupta, vice president of Google’s Next Billion Users Team. “The future of the internet is in the hands of the next billion users -- the latest generation of internet users to come online on smartphones in places like Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and Nigeria,” he said. “As time goes on, the average internet user will be more like these ‘next billion users’ than the first billion who started on PCs.” Sengupta warned that these users have a very different mindset. “The next billion users are already changing the internet in three key ways: a mobile-only mindset, an instinct for ubiquitous computing, and a demand for localized content,” he said.

The Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition told the FCC “the time is right” to act on its long-pending proposals for the 71-76 and 81- 86 GHz bands now that the agency decided against “mobile and/or unlicensed use in the 70/80 GHz bands” as part of November’s second spectrum frontiers order (see 1710270030). The FWCC said its proposal calls for “smaller antennas for fixed point-to-point operations; 45 degree polarization; rules to prevent the accumulation of never-built links in the registration database and to allow certain amendments; and adoption of a channel plan.” A few parties “have asked the Commission to consider the 70/80 GHz bands for use by satellite systems or high-altitude platforms,” the coalition said in docket 10-153. “None offers anything like a concrete proposal; each just vaguely references possible future activity. Any such applications will be years away, if they come to pass at all. In the meantime, fixed service operators are making economically productive use of the bands.”

Shentel said it's partnering with Hitron Technologies for a new offering it calls “Wall to Wall WiFi.” The service “offers a powerful modem with signal extenders when needed to cover every inch of livable space in the home,” Shentel said. “The network is custom installed by a Shentel technician who will identify and eliminate areas in the home where Wi-Fi signals are weakest.”

Smartphones, small appliances and wearables drove a 40 percent surge in wireless charging devices in 2017, IHS Markit reported Tuesday. Some 500 million devices with wireless charging shipped in the year, led by Samsung’s Galaxy S8 smartphone and the latest iPhones. Adoption remains relatively low, with 29 percent of respondents to an IHS survey saying they used wireless charging. Awareness is expected to increase this year on Apple’s support of the technology. Apple Watch led wearables, and cordless toothbrushes led small appliances.

T-Mobile’s buy-one-get-one offer on iPhones -- including the X -- is “something to watch,” Wells Fargo analyst Jennifer Fritzsche wrote Tuesday, citing a continuation of the carrier’s “fight back” mode in protecting its customer base. Under the promo, customers who buy an iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus or X can get another for “free.” That’s up to a $700 maximum value via rebate; X's are $999. Customers have to trade in a fully functional, paid-off, iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, 6, 6 Plus, SE or 5s; LG V20, G6 or G5; Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, S7 Active, S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+, S6 Active, S5, S4, Note5 or Note 4, a chat agent told us. The representative said he hadn’t been given an end date for the sales event, shown as a “limited-time” offer on the website.

Verizon said it became the first carrier to make an over-the-air call using a new 5G radio prototype under the 3rd Generation Partnership Project’s recently approved initial 5G standard, a call placed earlier this month at Nokia’s Murray Hill, New Jersey, facility. The carrier Monday said it used a Qualcomm handset and Nokia 5G network technology.

Enterprise Wireless Alliance President Mark Crosby met Zenji Nakazawa, aide to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, on the group's push for action on its 2009 petition for rulemaking seeking rule changes to maximize use of the Part 90 800 MHz spectrum between 809-817 and 854-862 MHz. The FCC asked for comment in 2015 (see 1505130018). “The proposal subsequently was endorsed by virtually the entire Private Land Mobile Radio user community and ... the Land Mobile Communications Council, whose members represent PLMR users, ... agreed on criteria governing the assignment of these channels to protect adjacent 25 kHz bandwidth systems from interference,” EWA said in docket 15-32.