Patience is no virtue among consumers coping with “faulty” smartphones or lousy customer care at their wireless carriers, found a Blancco Technology Group study. Blancco canvassed 1,400 smartphone-owning consumers aged 25-65 in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australia in early June and found that the combination of defective phones and shoddy customer service would cause 31 percent of respondents to switch to different mobile carriers and another 33 percent to change their device manufacturers, the research firm said Wednesday in a report. Though only 2 percent of consumers surveyed said they’re “bothered” by inferior camera or video quality, 38 percent cited poor battery life as their most pressing smartphone gripe, the firm said. Faulty smartphone functionality “is the norm, not the exception,” the firm said. It said 31 percent of respondents typically experience problems with their devices at least once a month and as often as several times a year.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology formed the 5G mmWave Channel Model Alliance to look at 3D channel modeling at high frequencies, NIST said in a news release. Last week, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said the FCC soon would press ahead on an NPRM on more use of high-frequency spectrum bands (see 1508030071). NIST said the alliance includes telecom companies and universities. “NIST created the group to help meet a global surge in demand for wireless data transmission and capacity,” NIST said Tuesday. “As telecommunication frequencies go higher, the behavior of wireless signals changes. Different factors, like structures in the way, affect signal loss and distortion. Accurate models based on real-world measurements are needed to design not only the optimum system hardware but to develop standards that drive the underlying protocols for handling the transmissions. The work is challenging, in part because the technologies don't exist yet.”

The FCC Wireless Bureau released a pleading schedule on AT&T’s proposed buy of six lower 700 MHz C-block licenses and two lower 700 MHz B-block licenses, all in Michigan, from Agri-Valley Communications. Under the transaction, AT&T would get 12-24 MHz of spectrum spanning 37 counties and seven cellular market areas, the bureau said Wednesday. Petitions to deny are due Sept. 11, oppositions Sept. 21 and replies Sept. 28. “The Applicants maintain that the proposed transaction would provide AT&T with additional spectrum that would enable it to increase its system capacity to enhance existing services, better accommodate its overall growth, and facilitate the provision of additional products and services in the geographic areas authorized under the eight licenses,” the bureau said. It sent letters to both asking a series of additional questions about the deal. Explain “any attempts made to enter into a sale of this spectrum or alternative arrangements with parties other than AT&T,” said the letter to Agri-Valley.

Lawn-mower robots got a nod of approval from the FCC. The Office of Engineering and Technology approved a waiver request filed by iRobot allowing certification of its robotic lawn mowers that make use of the 6240-6740 MHz range. “Granting this waiver is in the public interest because it will enable iRobot to market its robotic lawn mower without posing a significant risk of harmful interference to authorized users of the radio spectrum,” OET said Wednesday. The device uses stakes with attached transmitters to be placed in the ground to establish the robot's mowing pattern. The rules prohibit the use of fixed wireless infrastructure otherwise prohibited for Part 15 devices, which necessitated a waiver, OET said. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory objected to iRobot’s waiver request, saying it could be an interference threat to radio astronomy operations in the 5925-6700 MHz band (see 1503060069). IRobot’s business plan “including the use of low-to-the-ground transmitters pointing horizontally -- and its focus on marketing for non-commercial residential use” should minimize this threat, OET said. “Because the NRAO analysis looked at line-of-sight separation distances, it has greatly overestimated the interference potential of transmitters that are located less than two feet above the ground.”

A number of “use cases” will drive the growth of 5G, 4G Americas said in white paper released Tuesday. HD video, supported in high-density areas and “with ubiquitous coverage,” is one driver, the group said. “Other categories of 5G use cases include ultra-reliable communications for industry/transport automation, low latency communications applications, and high/medium data rate service for massive Machine Type Communication (MTC) for various applications like e-health, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), augmented reality and tactile internet.” Spectrum will need to be available for 5G in bands under 500 MHz to 60 GHz and beyond, the group said. “As much of the spectrum, especially in the lower ranges, is currently used by other applications and services, a critical aspect to securing additional spectrum is to leverage new regulatory frameworks involving shared spectrum whenever dedicated licensed spectrum is not feasible,” 4G Americas said. “This will help address the need for more spectrum and enable more efficient utilization of the spectrum while still protecting the incumbent services.”

Craig Moffett, analyst at MoffettNathanson, said Tuesday in a note to investors that he is upgrading Verizon to a buy, while upgrading the sector as a whole to overweight. Moffett set a price target of $54. Verizon shares closed at $47.60 Tuesday during regular trading. Moffett noted that his firm has been bearish on the sector since MoffettNathanson launched in 2013. “Our principal concern has been wireless pricing,” he said. “As we have often reminded investors, in a fixed cost business like wireless, pricing is everything. It was with pricing in mind that we turned from a negative to a neutral sector stance four months ago. … And it is again with pricing in mind that we are now moving to an overweight.” Moffett lists Verizon as his preferred stock as sector recovery begins.

Intel urged the FCC to proceed quickly on launching an NPRM on high-frequency spectrum. The plea came in a series of meetings at the agency, said a filing in docket 14-177. Intel also filed a white paper on the topic at the FCC as part of the discussion. Last week, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler indicated the FCC would soon press ahead on an NPRM, building on last year’s notice of inquiry (see 1508030071). Intel calls the high-frequency spectrum millimeter wave (mmW) spectrum. “Intel believes the record in the NOI justifies moving forward with an NPRM,” Intel said in the white paper. “We believe it would be beneficial to marketplace developments if the FCC were to expeditiously make mmW frequencies available for 5G, and importantly, under flexible rules which incentivize incumbent license holders to put the spectrum to its highest-value use.” If the FCC moves quickly, it would be an encouragement to the ITU to add a discussion on high-frequency spectrum at the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2019, Intel said. “It will be crucial that the U.S. support the principle that other countries and/or regions could include additional frequency bands to the scope of the 5G agenda item during these discussions,” the company said. Quick FCC action would also “reduce investment risk and uncertainty in the U.S. especially as to particular bands,” Intel said. Intel recommended a mix of licensed and unlicensed bands in the spectrum.

Sprint notified the FCC it agreed to accept the terms and conditions for a waiver of the benchmark rate applicable to Cuba specified in the April 8, 2011, TeleCuba waiver order. The Sprint filing was posted Monday in docket 10-95. In June, Sprint announced it had become the first national carrier to offer an add-on plan making it easier for subscribers to call Cuba (see 1506150070).

The FCC should refrain from taking a heavy-handed approach on special access rules, Mobile Future Chairman Jonathan Spalter said Monday in a blog post. Spalter said the growth of the wireless industry depends on a robust fiber system to carry traffic from the cell tower to the Internet backbone. “Despite what some companies would have us believe, the market for special access is highly competitive,” he said. “Now is not the time to look backwards and devote significant resources to regulate the services of the past. Now is not the time to consider regulating fiber-based Ethernet special access services under the guise of ‘facilitating technology transitions’ Rather, the FCC should acknowledge the success of its deregulatory approach to special access and focus on our mobile future.”

The FCC Public Safety Bureau sought comment Monday on an application by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol to modify its private land mobile radio license by adding three new 800 MHz channels to its license for the area in and around Salisbury. “North Carolina states that two channels currently licensed at its High Peak site in Burke County, NC are ‘impacted by interference from the City of Salisbury, North Carolina’ and that ‘on-air experience showed these two channels un-useable,'" the bureau said. “Consequently, North Carolina seeks to replace the two channels receiving interference with two alternate channels. It also seeks to add a third channel to the site to compensate for ‘increased traffic.’” Comments are due Sept. 9, replies Sept. 24.