Consumers will spend $75 billion globally on apps during 2017, Juniper Research said Wednesday in a report. The growth in consumer spending will occur because of the “in-app” purchase model, which is forecast to gain “continued traction across many markets,” Juniper said. Intensified competition from Microsoft, Amazon and others against the “effective duopoly” held by Apple and Google will strengthen the app ecosystem, leading to better search and discovery tools and will encourage app developers to create apps for stores outside the duopoly, Juniper said. Revenue from apps paid for at download will fall to about 25 percent of the forecast $75 billion in spending in 2017; that will be a challenge to developers that seek to maximize the number of users and amount of revenue from their apps, Juniper said. But not only developers seek to capitalize on their user base -- “many app stores are also implementing carrier billing to ensure that unbanked consumers are able to pay for apps, which will contribute to the strong growth in app downloads,” said Siân Rowlands, the report’s author, in a news release.

The FCC Media Bureau granted Gray Television waivers of the “significantly viewed” exceptions to the FCC’s network non-duplication rule and the syndicated exclusivity rule in Harrisonburg, and Staunton, Va., for programming from Fox affiliate WTTG Washington, said an order released Wednesday. Gray used data obtained from Nielsen to show that “WTTG received no measurable over-the-air viewing” in Harrisonburg and Staunton over the last two years, said the order. “Indeed, Gray maintains that WTTG cannot actually deliver an over-the-air signal to Harrisonburg or Staunton,” the order said. No oppositions to Gray’s waiver petition were filed, said the Media Bureau (http://bit.ly/16Ltun7).

Various news gathering organizations pressed the FCC to preserve the two-channel set-aside for wireless mics once an incentive auction of broadcast TV spectrum is complete. “Although we compete fiercely with one another in the field to be the best at what we do, we share one common reality: all electronic newsgatherers rely extensively on wireless microphones to communicate vital information to Americans,” they said in a letter to acting Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn filed at the agency Tuesday (http://bit.ly/15FkRrA). “Broadcast and cable television viewers, radio listeners and online multimedia consumers across the country rely on live news to stay informed and, more importantly, to stay safe. Especially in the face of an emergency that imperils lives and homes, such as a tornado or hurricane, newsgatherers provide citizens with crucial, often life-saving information before firemen, police and other rescue workers can arrive on a scene.” Signers included numerous broadcast station and network owners, NAB and the Radio Television Digital News Association.

Improper installation of three yaw rate sensors was the root cause of a failed launch of three Russian satellites on a Proton M rocket in July, International Launch Services said. The ILS Failure Review Oversight Board determined that the installation “caused the vehicle to deviate from its flight path shortly after lift-off,” ILS said in a press release (http://bit.ly/16lkBE9). The rocket was carrying Glonass navigation satellites for the Russian federal government when it crashed shortly after liftoff from Kazakhstan (CD July 3 p15).

The International Trade Commission said it’s publishing its notice of a limited exclusion order and a cease and desist order against some Samsung mobile devices that infringe Apple’s patents in Thursday’s Federal Register. The commission issued the orders Friday (CD Aug 12 p10). Lawyers previously told us they believed the Samsung import bans won’t be affected by U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman’s veto of an ITC ruling that would have banned early model iPhones and iPads. The patents involved in this case aren’t standard-essential patents. The ITC is setting bond at 1.25 percent of the entered value of infringing Samsung mobile devices during the 60-day period for USTR to review the import ban. The ITC found that Samsung violated U.S. Patent Nos. 7,479,949 and 7,912,501. No. 7,479,949 covers touch-screen heuristics, while No. 7,912,501 covers detection of objects in a headphone jack. The ITC found no infringement on other patents Apple claimed in the same ITC investigation. A Samsung spokeswoman declined to comment.

Verizon commented in support of its application to discontinue three “obsolete” services that can be delivered only over copper, but are no longer available in the areas where Superstorm Sandy destroyed Verizon’s copper network (http://bit.ly/1cO60nv). Verizon wants to discontinue Metallic Service, Telegraph Grade Service and Program Audio Service there. “None of the seven customers of these services in the affected areas has objected to their discontinuance, nor should they: the three services are outdated and have been supplanted by new technologies and services,” Verizon said. The only comments filed in the proceeding were by “a handful of CLECs who do not purchase these obsolete, copper-based services in the affected areas, but who nonetheless seek to inject broader network transition and interconnection issues into this proceeding,” Verizon said. Any broader network transition questions are better addressed in a more general proceeding, Verizon said, urging the commission to “give these [CLEC] comments no weight in this context."

Intelsat requested an additional 60 days for an existing special temporary authority to operate Intelsat 10. Intelsat plans to drift the satellite from 68.5 degrees east to 47.5 degrees east and “to operate it at that location in the C- and Ku-bands pursuant to the ITU filings” of the German federal government, it said in its application to the FCC International Bureau (http://bit.ly/19tvDJY). The news agency Ihlas Haber Ajansi, based in Turkey, is seeking a license for a U.S. Ku-band temporary fixed earth station newsgathering truck. The earth station “will utilize digital video carriers and provide broadcast services and news feed,” its application said (http://bit.ly/14LU80n).

Gilat’s revenue fell 3 percent to $80.2 million in the second quarter this year, compared to $82.8 million in the first quarter. Revenue for Q2 2012 was $85.3 million, it said in a press release (http://bit.ly/14cEQhR). The company had “lower-than-expected” sales in its defense market, said Gilat CEO Erez Antebi. “We're seeing budget cuts and purchasing slowdowns in the U.S. Defense Department,” but the company expects its defense market to grow significantly in the long term, he said Wednesday during a conference call. “The programs we're after have to do with providing satellite on the move,” and providing tactical communications to ground forces, he said. “We see those programs progressing and there’s an awareness and requirement for this technology.” He said it’s unclear how 2014 will look for Gilat’s defense segment. Sequestration doesn’t have a direct effect on the company’s in-flight connectivity endeavors, Antebi said. “We're seeing orders from integrators providing Ku-band services.” Gilat will provide amplifiers to Honeywell for its role in supplying airborne terminals for Inmarsat’s launch of the Ka-band network Global Xpress, he said. Gilat plans to continue expanding its service by providing broadband access via multi-spot-beam Ka- and Ku-band satellite networks, he said. In Q2 2013, Gilat reported growth in the number of new clients and partnership agreements, he said. It’s expanding its Ku services in support of SES Broadband Services, which resulted in agreements with six ISPs and the delivery of more than 10,000 customer premises equipment units, he said. Through a partnership with Thaicom, Gilat is augmenting its business in the Asia-Pacific region, Antebi added.

U.S. wireless carriers may end 2013 with “virtually” no additions to their postpaid subscriber rolls -- a reversal from 2012, when carriers added 600,000 new postpaid customers, said UBS analyst John Hodulik in an email Wednesday to investors. U.S. carriers added 1 million postpaid subscribers in 2011. Subscriber growth will decelerate more quickly at top-two carriers Verizon Wireless and AT&T as a result of “increasing competitiveness” from Sprint and T-Mobile US, Hodulik said. The predicted lack of growth “will be compounded by the smaller carriers’ efforts to roll out LTE and improve overall network quality,” he said. The industry will become more competitive overall over the next 18 months as a result of Sprint and T-Mobile’s moves to “close the gap” separating them from Verizon Wireless and AT&T, Hodulik said.

Smartphone users in China are much less likely to watch TV or read while using their smartphones, said a new report by the Interactive Advertising Bureau. “In comparison to their U.S. counterparts, Chinese smartphone owners are 86 percent more likely to report less TV usage and 42 percent more likely to report less print usage,” the report said (http://bit.ly/17NCUxi). “In contrast to China smartphone owners’ concentrated focus on the small screen, U.S. smartphone owners are much more likely to consume other media with their mobile devices in hand.” Chinese users are also less dependent on their devices, the report said. While 69 percent of Americans said they would “never leave home without” their smartphone, only 6 percent of Chinese users made the same statement.