To present Sharp as an 8K ecosystem leader, it will show at CES this week in Las Vegas content creation capability via an 8K camcorder that will touch 8K along the chain, including commercial storage, distribution and content transmission over 5G, said Rey Roque, vice president-channel marketing and sales, in a Friday interview. Japanese broadcaster NHK has begun delivering programming in 8K leading up to the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.

The FCC Wireless Bureau declined a request from small carrier OTZ for additional time to build out the part of a cellular license to serve Ambler, Alaska. OTZ applied to add 10 locations to its license in 2007 and benefited from other extensions, said a Friday order. The initial deadline was 2008. “Although we have previously found it appropriate to provide OTZ relief with respect to this license, OTZ fails to demonstrate why a further extension of time … is warranted,” the bureau said. The difficulties OTZ said it encountered negotiating a site lease with the village and a local tribal council “are not circumstances beyond its control, as site selection is generally viewed as a voluntary business decision not warranting relief,” the bureau said. “OTZ has been aware of the need to acquire an appropriate site since it was first authorized to build the Ambler location in 2007.” The provider didn't comment.

Public safety and local government groups said the FCC should act on enhanced requirements for wireless emergency alerts. They are seeking upgrades that include improved geo-targeting, multimedia and multilingual alerting, and “many-to-one” feedback. “All of the organizations that have signed on to this letter appreciate the efforts the Commission and the industry have taken thus far but write today, in light of recent emergencies, to underscore the critical need for these improvements to be instituted no later than May of 2019,” the letter said. “Many of the requested enhancements have been under discussion for the last several years, some longer, and it is now time for action.” The Big City Emergency Managers, International Association of Emergency Managers, National Emergency Management Association, U.S. Conference of Mayors and National Emergency Number Association signed the letter, in docket 15-91.

By 2022, 80 percent of smartphones will have “on-device AI capabilities,” up from 10 percent in 2017, Gartner reported Thursday. As a product differentiator in an increasingly commoditized market, “future AI capabilities will allow smartphones to learn, plan and solve problems for users,” said the research firm regarding artificial intelligence. "AI solutions running on the smartphone will become an essential part of vendor roadmaps over the next two years.”

The FCC Enforcement Bureau revoked spectrum licenses held by Acumen Communications and dismissed the company’s pending applications for modification and renewal of various authorizations. The action follows an order by the FCC Chief Administrative Law Judge Richard Sippel, the order said. "Acumen lacks the qualifications to be or remain a Commission licensee because Acumen failed to respond to a Letter of Inquiry from the Enforcement Bureau, waived its right to a hearing, and failed to respond to evidence that has been presented to the Commission in its own license application proceedings.” It holds eight licenses for private land mobile radio (PLMR) stations in the Los Angeles area, a single PLMR license authorizing itinerant operation nationwide and two licenses for microwave stations in the Los Angeles area, the bureau said. The company didn't comment.

Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure named a new chief financial officer, Michel Combes, effective Jan. 6. He replaces Tarek Robbiati, exiting at month's end. “Combes will support Claure and the senior leadership team as the company enters a new phase of transformation to deliver profitable growth,” said a Thursday news release. “He will be responsible for leading the company’s financial operations, strategy and continued cost transformation.” Combes was previously at Vodafone Europe, French tower company TDF, France Telecom, Alcatel-Lucent, SFR Group and Altice, Well Fargo’s Jennifer Fritzsche said. He resigned from Altice last year (see 1711140042). Combes is seen as a “turn-around” specialist, the analyst wrote. “Robbiati did a very impressive job as to what he was tasked to do -- lower the company's cost of capital,” Fritzsche said. “However, at this point in Sprint's evolution we believe Combes' turnaround expertise will be well served.”

AT&T expects to be the first U.S. carrier to launch mobile 5G in a dozen markets by year-end, it said Thursday. “The promise of mobile 5G is seemingly endless and we're moving fast to make that promise a reality.” Verizon and Samsung Electronics America said Wednesday they plan to launch in Sacramento, also in 2018 (see 1801030020). AT&T said the launch will be standards-based. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project “completed key elements of 5G new radio (NR) standards last month,” the carrier said. “Hardware, chipset and device manufacturers can start development. This allows us to provide mobile 5G services sooner. We're confident this latest standards milestone will allow us to bring 5G to market faster without compromising its long-term vision.”

Inovonics Wireless told the FCC it opposes recent requests by multilateration location and monitoring service (M-LMS) licensees for more time to build out their 900 MHz licenses. “These licenses were ripe for termination because, after almost twenty years, the M-LMS licensees still had not made use of their licenses and had no valid explanations for not putting their licenses into service,” the company said in a filing in docket 16-385. Inovonics cited applications for review by Helen Wong-Armijo and FCR, and petitions for reconsideration. “Given the hundreds of millions of unlicensed devices deployed in the 902-928 MHz band, it is in the public interest for manufacturers and users of this equipment to have regulatory certainty with regard to potential band sharing with M-LMS licensees, and to put an end to the spectrum warehousing,” the company said. Wong-Armijo said in a December petition that “no commercially available equipment is available to the licensees to construct an M-LMS system.” FCR argued similar.

Samsung Electronics America said Wednesday Verizon picked it to supply the carrier with commercial 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) network solutions. They plan to launch commercial 5G in Sacramento in the second half of this year, Samsung said. “The industry has been discussing 5G connectivity for years, and through our joint collaboration with partners like Samsung, we are beginning to make it a reality for our customers," said Ed Chan, Verizon chief technology architect. "Sacramento is an ideal place to begin deploying 5G broadband services, providing a progressive environment for creating future use cases.” The two did trials in seven cities. Lessons learned include that a single 5G radio can reach the 19th floor of a multi-dwelling unit, Samsung said. The tests proved line of sight, partial LOS and non-LOS connections work and environmental factors “including rain and snow” haven't interrupted services, Samsung said. Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., lauded the announcement as a sign of “continued progress in our work to bring 5G broadband access to Sacramento. The digital economy requires that all consumers have access to next generation technology, which is why the integration of 5G commercial services at the local level is so important.”

The Competitive Carriers Association supports a requirement for more effective geo-targeting of alerts to wireless subscribers but wants lots of lead time for carriers to adjust, said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 15-91. CCA reported on a meeting with a staffer from the FCC Public Safety Bureau. Small carriers will need 48-60 months from when rules take effect to implement them, CCA said. There is “inconsistent evidence about the technical capability of all carriers to achieve” FCC enhanced wireless emergency alerts goals, CCA said. “While CCA members are committed to providing consumers with the most accurate and up-to-date information in times of emergencies, it would defy logic for the Commission to adopt rules that are technically infeasible,” the group warned. “This could result in dozens of carriers seeking waivers of overly-ambitious rules, or worse, carriers opting-out." It asked the commission to "take more time to explore and determine what is technically feasible.”