Verizon leads wireless carriers in national coverage and network reliability, but rivals aren’t far behind, RootMetrics reported for the second half of 2016. Verizon had the best reliability among all carriers at the metro, state and national levels during the period, it said. AT&T deployed the greatest amount of LTE spectrum among carriers across the 125 metro markets tested, increasing the carrier’s median download speeds significantly, the researcher said. “While Verizon’s performances on the national stage remained outstanding in all test categories, AT&T offered strong competition, finishing second in five out of six performance categories,” RootMetrics said. “Sprint, meanwhile, delivered particularly strong results during call and text testing.” AT&T finished second to Verizon in all national-level tests except call performance, where Sprint finished second and AT&T finished third. Sprint and AT&T tied for second place in text performance. T-Mobile finished last in all national categories, but generally performed better in metro areas, RootMetrics said. On network speed and data performance metrics, T-Mobile finished second place for total number of metropolitan areas where it was the outright or shared leader.

Ten percent of U.S. broadband households are likely to cancel their fixed broadband service over the next 12 months, replacing it with their wireless or mobile data services, said a Parks Associates report Thursday. The findings signal more of the migration away from fixed-line phone services in favor of cellular, with 8 percent of U.S. broadband households planning to cancel fixed-line service over the same period, Parks said. Currently, 51 percent of U.S. broadband households have fixed-line phone service, it said. “The diminishing use of fixed-line voice services may foreshadow the decline of fixed-broadband Internet services as the mobile data capabilities of smartphones increase and mobile carriers in the U.S. re-introduce their unlimited data plans,” said analyst Harry Wang. Younger consumers are more likely to go “completely mobile” for their internet needs, said Wang, while 15 percent of household heads ages 25-34 said they’re likely to cancel fixed broadband service over the next 12 months.

End the delay rolling out FirstNet, local governments told the federal court weighing Rivada Mercury’s protest of the company’s rejection as a candidate to build the network. In a joint amicus curiae brief we obtained Thursday, Boston and the Bay Area Regional Interoperable Communications Systems Authority (BayRICS) urged the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to quickly address the case, which they said caused a delay that's hurting local governments. “In 2016, amici and others thought themselves less than a year away from the deployment of a dedicated public safety communications network, but the pending bid protest has added further delay and frustration to amici and other local governments,” Boston and BayRICS said. “Amici seek to ensure the Court is aware of the important public safety considerations entwined with this case and the administrative resources being expended as the deployment of the First Net network continues to be on hold.” DOJ and AT&T also submitted final written briefs this week (see 1702210062). In an order Thursday, the court accepted the amicus brief and set oral argument for March 3 at 10 a.m. on the Rivada motion and the DOJ and AT&T cross-motions for judgment on the administrative record.

Seventy-eight percent of U.S. and U.K. consumers say they would prefer their ISPs to supply them with Wi-Fi gear, versus buying it themselves, in a survey commissioned by AirTies, which provides premium in-home wireless systems. Forty-three percent reported areas in their households where internet service doesn’t work and 54 percent have called their ISP to complain about their home internet or Wi-Fi. The survey was based on 1,050 responses from consumers with multiple Wi-Fi users per home and was conducted by Qualtrics, said an AirTies news release. “Notably, 74 percent of respondents said they would consider upgrading to a faster tier of Internet service if they were ensured better speed and coverage in every room of their home or apartment; and 77 percent said they would be willing to pay an extra monthly fee for better Wi-Fi.”

NTIA extended the time to comment on an IoT green paper to March 13, the agency said in a Wednesday notice and tweet. The Department of Commerce agency didn't give a particular reason for extending the Monday deadline by another two weeks, saying it's seeking broad input. The paper, which was released more than a month ago, "lays out an approach and areas of engagement" for Commerce's potential work on IoT, including how it can tackle related policy challenges (see 1701120050).

Rising prices in some spectrum auctions worldwide are leading to “more expensive, lower quality mobile broadband services,” the GSMA said in a report released Wednesday, “Effective Spectrum Pricing.” The average final prices paid in auctions increased 250 percent from 2008 to 2016, “with the most exorbitant price tags often influenced by policy decisions,” the GSMA said. “The era of judging the success of auctions based on headline-generating revenue figures is over,” said Brett Tarnutzer, GSMA head of spectrum and a former FCC official, in a news release. “The damage done to consumers -- and the wider digital economy -- by policies that artificially inflate spectrum prices has been too great. While auctions remain an effective means of awarding spectrum, regulators should adopt spectrum policies that focus on maximising the benefits for society, rather than simply driving up the cost of spectrum.”

Four groups representing first responders want the FCC to provide better access to data on wireless industry testing of location accuracy technologies, said a letter to the agency. The industry is collecting data as required by the FCC in a January 2015 order (see 1501290066). CTIA is lining up companies to participate in Stage 3 of its 911 location technologies test bed (see 1702030031). “We believe our organizations have an ongoing public interest, both for our membership and for the public at large, to understand as fully as possible the performance of these life-saving technologies,” the first responder filing said. “To do so effectively requires visibility into both the test results from existing and emerging technologies (at a summary level) as well as the live E911 call reporting results from the various carriers. To expect less or accept less would be a disservice to our memberships, our missions, and the public at large.” The International Association of Chiefs of Police, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the National Association of State Emergency Medical Services Officials and the National Sheriffs’ Association made the filing in docket 07-114. The groups also raised concerns about the FCC’s definition of “dispatchable location” (DL) for the purpose of sending first responders to a call. Under one definition under consideration, the DL would need to direct first responders only to a location “either one floor above or below from where the individual is in a multi-level structure” or even to “an adjacent building or one across the street,” the filing said. That level of detail isn’t high enough, the groups said.

Verizon will deliver 5G pre-commercial services to some customers in 11 markets throughout the U.S. starting in the first half of the year, the carrier said Wednesday in a news release. “Verizon's 5G build is the largest proving ground in the world and encompasses several hundred cell sites that cover several thousand customer locations." The company plans to start offering 5G to pilot customers in: Ann Arbor, Michigan; Atlanta; Bernardsville, New Jersey; Brockton, Massachusetts; Dallas; Denver; Houston; Miami; Sacramento; Seattle and Washington, D.C. “This is another important step in commercializing gigabit broadband service to homes and offices via a wireless 5G connection,” Verizon said. The launch "leverages the close collaboration" with Verizon's 5G Technology Forum partners, the company said. The news release quotes officials from Ericsson and Samsung Electronics. "Ericsson's partnership with Verizon in rolling out 5G customer trials is accelerating the global 5G ecosystem," said Rima Qureshi, head of Region North America for Ericsson. "These end-to-end solutions are a key step for preparing Verizon's network for commercial deployment with different 5G scenarios and use cases."

FirstNet remains financially strong, the public safety network said in an annual report to Congress released Wednesday. As of Sept. 30, FirstNet had a cash balance of $6.68 billion after having $84.1 million in operating expenses in FY 2016, it said. It spent $49 million in FY 2015, it said. The FY 2016 spending included $8.9 million in administrative expenses, leaving FirstNet $76.6 million allocated for that purpose. The spending increase "is directly related to activities preparing the organization to obtain a private sector partner and stand up the FirstNet network for public safety,” FirstNet said. The network, for which Congress authorized $7 billion, is still operating without revenue. “Altogether, our financial condition is strong, and we stand ready to ensure delivery of a reliable, secure, and financially sustainable FirstNet network that meets the needs of public safety,” FirstNet said. FirstNet expects to select a vendor this year, CEO Mike Poth said in a letter to Congress introducing the report. It expanded consultation and outreach in FY 2016, with leadership and staff participating in about 130 association events with the Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) and 140 consultation events with state single points of contact (SPOCs), the report said. Information from the SPOC meetings “will guide the development of the State Plan that will be presented to each State Governor,” Poth wrote. “Our intent is to deliver a plan that will reasonably meet each State’s unique needs, while ensuring nationwide interoperability, and maximum urban and rural geographic coverage for public safety.”

Verizon announced a new 2 GB prepaid plan, at $40 per month. The carrier already lists plans offering 5 GB of data at $50 per month and 10 GB at $70. "We're making it simpler for our prepaid customers to enjoy all of the benefits of a network that can keep up with their digital lifestyles," said Ron Zanders, Verizon director-prepaid, in a news release. "Whether you use a little data or a lot of data, we've got a prepaid plan that fits your needs." Verizon also offers a $30 basic phone plan with unlimited talk and text.