The IEEE 802.19TM Wireless Coexistence Working Group established a study group on “Wireless Automotive Coexistence,” IEEE said Tuesday. “The IEEE 802.19 working group has been developing standards for coexistence between wireless standards of unlicensed devices,” said Alaa Mourad, chairman of the Wireless Coexistence study group in a news release. “However, with an uprise in connected cars, we’re seeing the need to develop standards focused on wireless automotive coexistence.” The group will examine the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, interference between IEEE 802.11 devices and interference between 802.11 and 802.15/Bluetooth devices, IEEE said.

The FCC should refrain from imposing traditional buildout requirements in the 28 GHz, 39 GHz and 37 GHz bands, CTIA said in a filing at the FCC in docket 14-177. The bands are being studied for mobile broadband as part of the FCC’s spectrum frontiers rulemaking. CTIA said it strongly supports reallocation of the bands. “CTIA anticipates that millimeter wave spectrum will be used primarily for adding capacity and high-speed data, as opposed to traditional ‘macro’ mobile broadband networks characterized by seamless buildout and broad coverage,” CTIA said. “While a population or geographic area coverage benchmark is logical for ‘coverage bands’ such as the 700 MHz band, the millimeter wave bands will have uses more in line with those bands that carry substantial service performance requirements.” Imposing a substantial service performance requirement with safe harbors “is reflective of the technical characteristics of, nascent nature of the technology contemplated for, and proposed usage of, these spectrum bands,” CTIA said.

Protesting the length and complexity of mobile app terms and conditions, Norway's consumer protection agency will have politicians, data protection officials, international students and others reading aloud policies of Angry Birds, Facebook, Netflix, Skype, Snapchat, Tinder, Twitter and two dozen more companies -- all told 250,000 words that will take 24 hours to utter during a live stream Friday. "The current state of terms and conditions for digital services is bordering on the absurd," said Digital Policy Director Finn Myrstad at the Norwegian Consumer Council, or Forbrukerrådet. The agency said the collective length of app terms and conditions found on an "average" mobile phone is longer than the New Testament. "Their scope, length and complexity mean it is virtually impossible to make good and informed decisions." He said consumers are at a disadvantage since companies can "unilaterally" amend policies to track, store and sell user content. Advocates want standards for how terms, conditions and privacy statements are written and presented, he said. Haida Tajik, chair of the Norwegian Parliament's justice committee, and Norwegian Data Protection Commissioner Bjørn Erik Thon will be among the numerous speakers during the Web stream.

The Rainbow Push Coalition welcomed T-Mobile’s announcement last week (see 1605170021) that the carrier is further expanding the number of providers offered on its zero-rated Binge On program. Subscribers can watch video without its counting against their monthly data allowance. “Binge On now has 80 eligible streaming services, which represent both mainstream and culturally-specific content, that do not count against their customers’ data caps,” Rainbow Push said in a Monday news release. “Last week’s announcement of additional video providers includes Univision and Univision Noticias, stations geared toward Hispanic consumers, and TIDAL, a streaming network owned by entrepreneur Jay Z, where T-Mobile consumers will have unlimited exposure and streaming access to their music and video libraries.”

The FCC would be ill-advised to impose any rules to shore up 5G security as it opens high-frequency bands for commercial use as part of its spectrum frontiers rulemaking, CTIA said in a filing Monday. The FCC has long supported industry leadership and working groups like the Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council to address technical issues “affecting the entire global ecosystem,” the wireless association said. “CTIA urges the Commission to maintain an ongoing dialogue with the wireless industry on important and complex 5G security issues and encourage actions that can be taken in standards groups and by CSRIC,” CTIA said in the filing submitted to dockets including 14-177. Carriers are committed to ensuring that 5G is secure, the group said. Nokia is doing research on security for 5G networks and Ericsson has been working on 5G issues, CTIA said. Any move by the FCC while 5G is still nascent “would depart from that history and undermine ongoing global collaboration,” CTIA said. “Given the complex technical issues involved, FCC regulation also would be nearly impossible to execute and could have serious unintended consequences. The Commission should instead continue to rely on industry actions that can be taken in standards groups and by CSRIC to bring together the wireless ecosystem to continue work on emerging 5G architecture.”

The Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee will next meet June 8, said a notice Friday in the Federal Register. A detailed agenda will be released before the meeting, which starts at 1 p.m. EDT at the offices of law firm Wilkinson Barker, 1800 M St. NW, Suite 800N, in Washington.

Global smartphone sales jumped 3.9 percent in Q1 to 349 million units despite Apple’s first-ever double-digit iPhone sales decline, Gartner said in a Thursday report. Apple’s iPhone sales declined 14 percent in the quarter, it said. Demand for low-cost smartphones in emerging markets and for affordable 4G smartphones drove much of the industry’s Q1 sales growth, the research firm said. “In a slowing smartphone market where large vendors are experiencing growth saturation, emerging brands are disrupting existing brands' long-standing business models to increase their share," it said. "With such changing smartphone market dynamics, Chinese brands are emerging as the new top global brands.” Samsung widened its market-share lead by more than two percentage points over Apple from a year earlier to 23.2 percent vs. 14.8 percent, but both brands lost share from a year earlier, Gartner said. Android increased its share over iOS to 84.1 percent vs. 14.8 percent (compared with 78.8 percent vs. 17.9 percent a year earlier), it said. But despite Android’s “advancements and its dominant market share, the challenges of profitability remain for a number of Android players,” Gartner said. “This will have an impact on the vendor landscape where new or more innovative business models will increasingly become key to succeed."

The Competitive Carriers Association laid out the group’s regulatory agenda in a meeting with aides to FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, said a filing in 10-208 and other dockets. “CCA discussed access to additional spectrum resources, including reallocating more spectrum for mobile broadband use,” the filing said. “Regarding the ongoing incentive auction, CCA emphasized the importance of gaining access to spectrum purchased, while simultaneously ensuring a safe and expeditious repacking plan.”

New America Wireless Future Project Director Michael Calabrese agrees with Well Fargo’s skepticism about likely bidding in the FCC incentive auction (see 1605180039). “The Wells Fargo analysis is not surprising, particularly with respect to the limited appetite of Verizon and AT&T for more expensive TV spectrum,” Calabrese emailed. “Together they already hold 80 percent of all low-band coverage spectrum. And one of them will gain access to public safety’s allocation. We expect the two largest carriers to focus their energies and investment dollars on the far less expensive, higher-frequency spectrum, at 3.5 GHz, 28 GHz and even higher up, which they can use in targeted urban areas to expand capacity, not coverage.” Calabrese is a member of the Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee. Some others had doubted the analyst report.

The FCC Wireless Bureau sought comment on a request by the U.S. Coast Guard that passenger-carrying vessels required to carry VHF radiotelephone equipment with digital selective calling (DSC) capability be permitted to carry Class D VHF-DSC radios instead of Class A equipment. “Under Commission’s rules, only Class A VHF-DSC equipment, which is intended for large, ocean-going ships to meet the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) requirements, meets the VHF-DSC carriage requirement,” the bureau said. “Also available, however, is Class D equipment, which is less costly and provides minimum facilities for VHF DSC distress, urgency, and safety, as well as routing calling and reception.” The Coast Guard maintains that both Class A and Class D radios “are sufficient … and provide an equivalent level of safety, because both share the same basic capabilities to instantly send distress alerts and to initiate or receive radiotelephone calls,” the notice said. Comments are due June 20, replies July 5.