The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology approved special temporary authority for Samsung Electronics America to test 5G technology in the 28 GHz band at various locations. Samsung’s goal is to “demonstrate 5G systems to various customers,” the company said in an application posted by the FCC. “We will be operating at low power and within a very limited area of operation.” Among the locations are Plano, Texas, where Verizon is doing tests; Bellevue, Washington, where T-Mobile is headquartered; and in New York.

The Wi-Fi Alliance and “dozens of industry players made significant progress” toward a test regimen on fair coexistence between Wi-Fi and LTE-unlicensed devices at a coexistence workshop Tuesday, the alliance said. “Since Wi-Fi Alliance released the Alpha version of its draft test plan earlier this month, an industry-wide effort has been underway to validate the draft procedures for feasibility, correctness, and repeatability, and to further refine testing criteria,” the alliance said Wednesday in a statement. “Firm conclusions about device coexistence cannot be drawn until this validation phase is complete and the test plan is finalized.” Attendees of the workshop agreed to a deadline for submission of data to support a decision on neighbor awareness test criteria before the next workshop in June, the alliance said. “Attendees explored other ways to ensure the timely completion of test plan validation and accelerate work wherever possible. The importance of community contributions was a common theme, and Wi-Fi Alliance identified specific work items where contributions are necessary to maintain expected progress.”

Apple shares closed 6.3 percent lower Wednesday at $97.82 after a disappointing Q2 FY 2016 earnings report and Q3 guidance for a second consecutive quarterly revenue decline. Apple had predicted an earnings decline for Q2 (see 1601270033) -- its first quarterly revenue drop since Q1 2003, and the $50.6 billion Q2 revenue was at the low end of guidance, a 13 percent drop year over year. Sales of the iPhone fell 16 percent to 51.2 million over the year-ago quarter, Apple said. Apple’s revenue guidance for Q3 is $41 billion-$43 billion, down from year-ago revenue of $49.6 billion, said Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri. He cited a planned channel inventory reduction worth more than $2 billion -- vs. $800 million a year ago -- that will hit higher-end models. The “tough compare” is also due to a strong year-ago quarter and macroeconomic conditions, he said. Apple CEO Tim Cook outlined the three buyer segments for the iPhone: Customers who upgrade from previous iPhones, switchers from Android and other operating systems, and first-time smartphone buyers. During the first half of this fiscal year, the upgrade rate for the iPhone 6s has been “a lot lower” than that of the iPhone 6 but slightly higher than that of the 5s two years ago, Cook said. Apple continues to see a “very high level” of switchers, adding more in first half FY 2016 than any other six-month period, he said. For first-time buyers, he focused on emerging markets including India, where iPhone sales were up 56 percent in Q2 vs. the year-ago quarter. In Q&A, Cook commented on the “mature” smartphone market, saying the company is optimistic about the opportunity for attracting new customers with the more affordable iPhone SE, and about new products in the pipeline. The SE is attracting customers who want the latest technology in a compact package, and that group is larger than Apple anticipated, causing supply constraints. The SE is also drawing consumers who “aspire to own an iPhone but couldn't quite stretch to the entry price of the iPhone,” said Cook.

High-band spectrum will be “an important complement to low- and mid-band spectrum” and will enable the IoT and 5G technologies, said CTIA and member companies in a series of meetings with staff for FCC commissioners. CTIA urged the agency to move forward on licensing and technical rules for the 28, 37, 39 and 64-71 GHz bands this summer, said a filing on the meeting. “That will provide the certainty needed to encourage investment and foster innovation in these bands,” the group said. “CTIA also urged the Commission to explore additional high-band spectrum for mobile wireless use.” CTIA and major carrier and equipment maker members met with staff for the commissioners, except Ajit Pai, said a filing in docket 14-177.

The FCC established a comment cycle on several proposed buys of 700 MHz spectrum by T-Mobile, which has been working to fill out its low-band footprint. In the transactions, T-Mobile would get 12 MHz of lower 700 MHz A-block spectrum from C Spire in all or parts of 34 cellular market areas. T-Mobile also would acquire 12 MHz of A-block spectrum from Cavalier in all or parts of 103 CMAs and 12 MHz of A-block spectrum from Continuum in all or parts of 55 CMAs. “The Applicants contend that these spectrum-only assignments and transfers of control would allow T-Mobile to expand its Lower 700 MHz footprint, and thus offer improved services to its customers,” the FCC said in a public notice. “The Applicants further claim that through T-Mobile’s increased spectrum holdings, T-Mobile would be able to add capacity and improve data throughput speeds within existing coverage areas, and thereby benefit consumers.” Petitions to deny are due May 18, oppositions May 25 and replies June 2.

The nation’s poorest citizens must not fall even further behind because they're not connected to broadband, FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn said Wednesday at a Mobile Future event. At 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies, prospective employees can apply only online, Clyburn said. “The world is changing,” she said. Clyburn noted that 45 states have at least one program for low-income people that requires online application. “That’s why you hear us talk about broadband affordability and adaptability; that’s why it’s so important,” Clyburn said. “Everybody is migrating online.” If low-income people “are not connected they will be left further behind and that, I hope you will agree, is unacceptable,” she said. A nationwide poll of African Americans found a significant gap between their “enthusiastic embrace” of mobile technology as consumers and their “awareness of mobile technology as a tool for economic empowerment,” said a survey released Wednesday by Mobile Future. The telephone poll of 800 African Americans found that 72 percent say they live in households with three or more connected devices and 68 percent report they use their smartphones frequently. But 53 percent saw a lack of skills and low awareness of mobile tech economic opportunities as the biggest barriers to participation in the mobile economy.

HTC is leading a global accelerator program called Vive X targeted at virtual reality startups, said the company Tuesday. The program is designed to support the VR ecosystem by providing expertise, access to advanced VR technology, financial backing, mentorship and go-to market support, HTC said. Vive X will launch in Beijing, Taipei and San Francisco and roll out to other worldwide hubs in the future, it said. Vive X will pilot next month in Beijing, when selected startups from around Asia are invited to apply for the program. Companies from any industry that are creating content, tools, applications and accessories for the VR ecosystem can apply, it said.

Global Tel*Link representatives laid out potential problems of managed access systems (MAS) in prisons, in a meeting with Nicholas Degani, aide to FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai. The systems are one response to combating contraband cellphones, a Pai priority (see 1604070055). Managed access systems are “plagued by an overly complicated and lengthy process for licensing to operate in a non-commercial setting, and staggering costs to deploy and operate,” GTL said. “Depending on the size of the facility, the number of sites within a facility complex, the characterization of the surrounding geography from a topographical and urban versus rural standpoint, the architectural structure of the facility, and the ongoing system maintenance and software upgrades, costs to deploy can start at $1.5 million or more per customer. This does not include any of the regulatory costs for authority to operate such systems.” Funding is critical, the company said. “GTL suggested possible models for funding such as the E911 cost recovery mechanism or direct state efforts like those undertaken by the State of Maryland to deploy MAS at two facilities,” said the filing in docket 13-111.

Communicating in noisy and active environments was a key challenge during a test of an LTE public safety network at a rodeo in Houston, said a FirstNet blog post Tuesday. The test was done by Texas and Harris County, one of five “early builder” public safety LTE network projects. FirstNet has a spectrum manager lease agreement with each project to provide early access the public safety spectrum in the 700 MHz band. Public safety officials did the test at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at NRG Stadium. The March 1-20 event had about 2.48 million visitors, with 75,508 on the most-attended day. Festival noise was a challenge, said Lynn Bashaw, FirstNet director-network operations. “For example, voice communications were severely impacted during the concerts and in the carnival ride areas,” he said. “In addition, when responders are working an incident, they must be able to communicate without holding a device and selecting features. Much work remains to optimize the performance, usability, and reliability of these mobile devices and accessories for use in a noisy and active public safety environment.” For the test, multiple vendors provided more than 90 handheld mobile devices to about 60 users out of about 600 public safety staff, Bashaw said. Public safety used push-to-talk and situational awareness applications, as well as tethering to laptops, he said. Harris County hasn’t finished its Band 14 LTE network for public safety, so the team rolled out a cell on wheels with a 100-foot mast, and installed three Band 14 LTE nodes at key locations around the venue and two low-power nodes for in-building coverage inside the facility hosting the command center, he said.

The FCC needs to ask some key questions in an expected public notice to refresh the record on dedicated short-range communications systems in the 5.9 GHz band, said the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, Association of Global Automakers and Cisco in meetings at the FCC. The FCC is examining sharing the band between Wi-Fi and dedicated DSRC systems aimed at preventing road accidents (see 1602050048). “Addressing questions such as whether a sharing proposal would require DSRC to use 20 MHz, as opposed to the current 10 MHz, channels is critical to developing a robust record that will allow the Commission to make well-reasoned decisions in this proceeding and allow stakeholders to plan effectively as a result,” the three said. “We discussed the potential consequences of the Commission’s recent decision to modify aspects of its 2014 decision to allow higher out-of-band emissions into the DSRC band from U-NII devices operating in the 5725-5850 MHz band,” the filing said. “Allowing higher OOBEs into the DSRC band from U-NII devices operating in the 5725-5850 MHz band will significantly increase the potential for harmful interference to DSRC operations.” The filing, in docket 13-49, reported on eighth-floor meetings with aides to the commissioners and with the Office of Engineering and Technology.