Cisco’s Tuesday forecast for mobile data traffic growth offers “some positive read-throughs to the telecommunications infrastructure providers, namely the tower sector,” said Wells Fargo analyst Jennifer Fritzsche in an email to investors Thursday. “We believe this report’s findings also have positive implications for other parts of the ecosystem including fiber players and data center companies.” Cisco said mobile data traffic’s share within total IP traffic will more than double by 2021 from its 2016 share, while average mobile data speeds will more than triple. It forecast that large-scale deployments of 5G infrastructure will begin affecting mobile data traffic in 2020-2021 (see 1702070040). The forecast for 5G “bodes well for [tower companies], especially those exposed to the small cell area” like Crown Castle, Fritzsche said. “While the formal standard of 5G will not be set until 2020, we do know the critical elements of the 5G infrastructure will be small cells and fiber.”

CTIA disagrees with states over how to split text-to-911 costs, it said in comments due Wednesday in docket 11-153 and posted there Thursday. To resolve a conflict holding up Maine's adoption of text-to-911 via message session relay protocol, and so the state may appropriately assess costs, the Maine Public Utilities Commission asked the FCC to clarify where the point of demarcation is between wireless providers and the state’s next-generation 911 network (see 1701090027). Wireless service providers should pay to connect from the text control center (TCC) to the state’s NG-911 system, the Maine PUC commented. “Placing the burden on a 911 authority, even on an interim basis, is fundamentally unfair when the requirement to provide the service lies with the carriers.” The point of demarcation should be at the ingress designated by the state’s session border controller, “which governs inputs to the statewide ESInet and routes calls using an Emergency Service Routing Proxy (ESRP),” it said. CTIA said the egress side of the wireless providers’ TCC is the appropriate demarcation point: “The Maine PUC offers no justification for upending the established cost allocation paradigm that public safety representatives and wireless providers have instituted and the FCC has recognized for interim text-to-911 solutions.” The National Association of State 911 Administrators supported the Maine PUC. The FCC should set a standard point of interconnection that could be applied to future multimedia communication in NG-911, NASNA commented. “This would aid states that are moving aggressively toward NG911 to better serve the evolving communication preferences of consumers and hopefully minimize the transition timeline.” APCO said the information provided by Maine seemed to support its suggested demarcation point. “To ensure comprehensive applicability across network designs and naming conventions, the Commission might benefit from considering the need for a functional definition of the demarcation point, rather than identifying a specific piece of equipment or network element,” the public safety group commented. The National Emergency Number Association urged the FCC to resolve the matter soon. "Unless and until critical demarcation questions, such as the one raised by Maine, are resolved, states like Maine and other local 9-1-1 authorities will face continued uncertainty and potentially conflicting service provider demands with respect to the structure of legacy voice, interim SMS, and end-stage Next Generation 9-1-1 service."

MediaTek launched a 16-nanometer ARM octa-core mobile processor for dual-camera smartphones, it said in a Wednesday news release. The chip supports high-resolution 4K video and high dynamic range, said the company. Smartphones using the P25 are expected to come on the market this quarter.

Dolby Labs joined Via Licensing's LTE patent pool, said Via, a Dolby subsidiary, in a Wednesday announcement. The pool provides a “fair, transparent and cost-effective license to all essential LTE and LTE-Advanced patents” from Via’s LTE licensors, said the company. The LTE technologies are used in smartphones, tablets, laptop computers, vehicles, voice and data services and the IoT. Other participants in Via’s LTE patent pool are AT&T, China Mobile, Deutsche Telekom, DTVG Licensing, Google, HP, KDDI, MediaTek, Newracom, NTT DoCoMo, SK Telecom, Telecom Italia, Telefónica and ZTE.

SoftBank is exploring many options for subsidiary Sprint, said Wells Fargo analyst Jennifer Fritzsche Wednesday in a research note. She cited SoftBank Chairman Masa Son’s comments that day in a financial results presentation, in which Son said the company’s many options include buying or selling with T-Mobile or a different company. The comments prompted some to ask if Sprint is a seller, Fritsche said. “We don't know the answer but it is hard for us to see Softbank taking a minority position in a combined entity given the momentum in Sprint is only just being seen, in our view (even in a period of limited capital spending),” the analyst wrote. “In any negotiations, Sprint would be in a position of strength given the significant spectrum asset value to any potential combination.” Last week, Sprint Chief Financial Officer Tarek Robbiati said the carrier may need a transaction to get the size to compete with AT&T and Verizon (see 1701310046).

Cybersecurity and privacy, the funding and financing of transportation investments and the transition to automated and connected cars are some issues the Intelligent Transportation Society of America included in its public policy road map released Wednesday. ITS America President Regina Hopper said in a news release the recommendations gives federal, state and local policymakers tools to capitalize on artificial intelligence, robotics and wireless communications. The organization said it will work with policymakers over the next year to "rebuild and modernize transportation infrastructure" through investments that cut costs and create jobs. ITS America also said it will urge President Donald Trump and Congress to include the group's recommendations in upcoming infrastructure proposals. Private and public stakeholders and academic and research communities contributed to the road map, the release said. Amazon, Apple, General Motors, Google, IBM, Intel, Qualcomm, Uber and Verizon are among the organization's members.

The FCC set a pleading cycle on AT&T's planned spectrum buy from Lackawaxen Long Distance in Pennsylvania. Petitions to deny the application for transfer of control of the lower 700 MHz C-Block license are due March 1, oppositions to petitions March 8, replies March 15, said a public notice Wednesday in docket 17-36. The applicants say AT&T would hold 24 MHz of contiguous, paired lower 700 MHz spectrum in the local market, allowing a 10 x 10 MHz LTE deployment, said the PN, which noted staff preliminarily found AT&T would hold 111 to 131 MHz total, including 61 MHz of below-1-GHz spectrum in the local market. A separate public notice said: "In connection with the Commission’s review of the proposed transaction, the Commission intends to examine information contained in the biannual Numbering Resource Utilization and Forecast (NRUF) reports filed by wireless telecommunications carriers, carrier-specific local number portability (LNP) data related to wireless telecommunications carriers, and further disaggregated monthly carrier-specific local number portability data (Carrier-to-Carrier LNP Data) related to wireless telecommunications carriers. These data may assist the Commission in assessing the competitive effects of the transaction."

The Navajo Nation has "grave concerns" about a Universal Service Administrative Co. decision "that would force over 1,000 low-income Navajo Nation residents to lose essential phone service" under the Lifeline USF subsidy program. USAC has directed Cellular One (Smith Bagley) to obtain documentation from about 3,000 customers to verify their identities, said a filing by Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye posted Wednesday in FCC docket 11-42. Most of the residents live in "unreachable areas" and have limited access to mail and electric service, and many are elderly and disabled. He said travel is particularly difficult in winter, and a local state of emergency was declared in recent days. "Yet USAC demands that all of these people travel these distances by February 18, 2017, in the middle of the long Navajo winter or lose their phones," he wrote. Cellular One is doing extensive outreach, but more than 1,000 customers remain and need more time, Begaye said, asking the FCC to direct USAC to resolve the issue without jeopardizing the safety of Navajo people.

Sprint wants the FCC to “address delays and excessive costs in the local zoning and permitting process,” it said in a Friday meeting with an aide to Commissioner Mike O’Rielly. Sprint supported a petition by Mobilitie, said an ex parte letter posted Wednesday in docket 16-421. Mobilitie seeks a ruling interpreting Communications Act Section 253(c) to preclude cities from charging carriers more than other providers for use of the right of way. Sprint will have more to say in comments due March 8, a spokeswoman said.

The Rural Wireless Association is misinterpreting the acceleration rule in applying for review of T-Mobile's FCC Wireless Bureau waiver on the requirement that the holder of three 700 MHz licenses provide a certain level of coverage in Montana and Wyoming, T-Mobile and Charter Communications-owned Bresnan Communications said in an opposition posted Wednesday in docket 16-319. The bureau in December awarded a waiver as part of Bresnan's plans to assign those licenses covering parts of Montana and Wyoming to T-Mobile (see 1612210038). RWA's application for review said the acceleration rule -- which accelerates a buildout deadline if certain interim deadlines aren't met -- was aimed at preventing spectrum warehousing, but its purpose really is to promote better spectrum access and services, particularly in rural areas -- which is exactly what the waiver is intended to do, T-Mobile/Bresnan said. The milestones set by the bureau will ensure service goes to affected areas and thus be in the public interest, they said, again asking the agency to dismiss the RWA application (see 1701300043). RWA in a statement said its application for review "raises serious issues which were not properly addressed in the Bureau’s decision. While RWA understands T-Mobile’s desire for certainty, the public interest demands enforcement of the FCC’s construction requirements. The Bureau's waiver grant is in error and fails to consider the underlying purpose of the Acceleration Rule."