Wireless Internet

Mergers and acquisitions strike fixed wireless landscape amid advances by Verizon and T-Mobile

Verizon and T-Mobile have been headlining the fixed wireless access (FWA) market in the US, signing up hundreds of thousands of new customers to their respective offerings in recent months. But all that action by the market's heavyweights has been obscuring a significant amount of upheaval among some of the sector's smaller FWA providers. For example, Cincinnati Bell (now doing business as altafiber) recently acquired Agile Network Builders, a fixed wireless network operator that was a subsidiary of American Tower.

UScellular CEO says network sharing will be a necessity

UScellular CEO LT Therival is reviving the concept of network sharing as a way to reduce costs and make 5G deployments feasible in rural America. Network sharing isn’t a new phenomenon but traditionally US operators have been opposed to any network sharing arrangements, other than sharing space on cell towers. This attitude is quite different from other regions of the world where network sharing is more commonplace. Therival has reiterated his belief that it doesn’t make sense to build four or five duplicative 5G networks in rural America.

Sponsor: 

CTIA

Date: 
Tue, 08/09/2022 - 13:00

The wireless industry is committed to ensuring equitable access and opportunity for all of its customers and their communities. In cities, towns, and communities across the nation, wireless companies are working to close the digital divide, support STEM and digital skills education, invest in the success of diverse suppliers, and partner with organizations to uplift underrepresented communities.



Senate Panel Considers Future of Spectrum

The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband held a hearing entitled Future of Spectrum to examine the management of spectrum. The Federal Communications Commission's spectrum auction authority is set to expire at the end of September. Congress has a unique opportunity to set future spectrum priorities and coordination goals to encourage efficient spectrum use. The hearing aimed to examine important policy considerations to ensure spectrum is utilized for the greatest benefit to the public.

Consolidated Communications Announces Sale of Wireless Investments to Verizon

Consolidated Communications announced that Clio Subsidiary has entered into an agreement to sell its limited partnership interests in five wireless partnerships managed by Cellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, to Cellco for an aggregate purchase price of $490 million. The net proceeds of the sales will be invested in the business and used to support Consolidated’s Fiber to the Premises build plan. The sales are expected to close by the end of 2022, subject to certain closing conditions and third-party purchase rights available to other partners in the partnerships.

Licensed Spectrum and Broadband Mapping

Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program grants in a given location could go sideways because of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)’s decision to declare facility-based wireless technologies that use licensed spectrum to be considered as a reliable technology that is eligible for BEAD grants. I can foresee two different problems that might result from this decision.

T-Mobile boosts its first-responder service, but why?

Even though AT&T is running the table on the first-responder market in the US because it won the contract to build the FirstNet network, that doesn’t mean that the other two big carriers don’t still desire to serve first responders.

Will Unlicensed Fixed Wireless Technology Make the Cut with the BEAD Program?

One of the biggest surprises in the rules that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) issued for the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) rural broadband funding program was the agency’s definition of “reliable broadband”—at least with regard to fixed wireless. While fixed wireless using “entirely licensed spectrum or a hybrid of licensed and unlicensed spectrum” was considered “reliable,” fixed wireless “relying entirely on unlicensed spectrum” was not.

Wireless in Communities of Color: Bridging the Digital Divide

This paper presents a history of the digital divide, major steps in closing it, and how we can continue expanding access to transform lives for communities of color. To close the digital divide, policymakers should focus on: 1) further expanding access, 2) increasing adoption, and 3) encouraging skill development.

T-Mobile 2022 Q2 Results

T-Mobile US posted a steep second-quarter loss as costs tied to its network overhaul and legal expenses piled up, but the wireless carrier raised its outlook for the year as it added more of its most valuable customers.

Why Fiber Is the Key to Getting Faster 5G Everywhere

While we're still a long way from seeing any of the much-hyped futuristic applications that 5G was supposed to bring, like autonomous vehicles or augmented reality, even the promised higher download speeds and super responsive networks have been inconsistent or simply unavailable to most people, especially those who live outside big cities or dense suburban communities. But there's a potential answer to the 5G coverage issue: more fiber. There's reason to be hopeful on the fiber front.

AT&T Adds 316,000 Fiber Customers

AT&T shared its second quarter 2022 results on July 21, seeing significant gains in its mobile and fiber businesses. AT&T delivered subscriber growth near second-quarter record levels with 316,000 AT&T Fiber net adds. This brings total net additions over the past two years to nearly 2.3 million, including 10 straight quarters of more than 200,000 net adds. The company now has the ability to serve 18 million customer locations in more than 100 US metro areas with its fiber network.

Wireless Price Hikes Fatten Profits for Phone Carriers With Few Risks

Millions of wireless customers are opening recent phone bills to find AT&T and Verizon raised rates on older service plans. Both Verizon, and to a lesser degree T-Mobile US Inc, have also increased monthly fees. While customers aren’t happy about it, they’re not racing for the exits. And that could pay off for the carriers. “[Telecom companies] want to use this inflationary period to reset their pricing models upward,” said Tammy Parker, an analyst with GlobalData.

Chairwoman Roseworcel Probes Top Mobile Carriers On Data Privacy Practices

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wrote to the top 15 mobile providers requesting information about their data retention and data privacy policies and general practices. In the letters of inquiry, Chairwoman Rosenworcel asks about their policies around geolocation data, such as how long geolocation data is retained and why and what the current safeguards are to protect this sensitive information.

United States' Mobile and Fixed Broadband Internet Speeds June 2022

Speedtest by Ookla released its June 2022 mobile and fixed broadband speeds market analysis. Speedtest Intelligence reveals T-Mobile was the fastest mobile operator in the United States during Q2 2022 with a median download speed of 116.54 Mbps on modern chipsets. Verizon Wireless remained in second place and AT&T finished third. T-Mobile also had the fastest median upload speed among top mobile operators in the US at 11.72 Mbps during the second quarter of 2022. Verizon Wireless was second and AT&T finished third.

Fiber Versus 5G: Why the Wired Connection Still Reigns

While 5G and what it can do for your smartphone is certainly impressive, don't count on it to replace your home Wi-Fi service just yet, especially if fiber-optic internet is available in your area. The same attributes that make 5G home internet appealing -- high speed potential, decent value and simple, contract-free service terms -- are also applicable, often even more so, to fiber. Plus, you'll get faster upload speeds, better speed reliability and more plan options with fiber internet versus 5G service.

New York City Launches First Link5G Kiosk

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D-NY), Chief Technology Officer Matthew Fraser, and LinkNYC CEO Nick Colvin unveiled the first active Link5G kiosk, located in Morris Heights (NY). The new phase of LinkNYC — which provides free Wi-Fi, nationwide phone calls, and other digital services to New Yorkers — will offer 5G connectivity, with priority given to underserved areas throughout the five boroughs. Link5G will provide the needed infrastructure for cellular service providers to expand 5G wireless technology — the next generation of mobile phone service — across the five boroughs.

More Device Usage by Wireless Customers Means More Streaming and Data Problems, JD Power Finds

As wireless customers continue to increase their phone and device usage, more problems in network quality are being cited and the perception of network quality is declining. The most common reported problem is slow or failure to load content, according to the JD Power 2022 US Wireless Network Quality Performance StudySM—Volume 2, released July 14. The study is based on responses from 34,174 wireless customers. Carrier performance is examined in six regions: Mid-Atlantic, North Central, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest and West.

5G Experience Report

Opensignal released its July 2022 5G Experience Report. This report shows data collected between March 16 and June 13, 2022. Key findings include:

Big Tech is Forcing Carriers To Invest in Networks, Says Orange CEO

Through the “huge” growth of internet traffic, Big Tech is “forcing” phone companies to invest heavily in improving networks while not helping to meet the cost, said Orange SA CEO Christel Heydemann. “We are condemned to invest in infrastructure,” Heydemann said. She added that network traffic is expected to “multiply by three or five” times in the next six years. That huge growth is “essentially captured by a few players, the big content providers, five players that force us to invest,” she added.

FCC Waives 2.5 GHz Rural Tribal Deadline

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau waives the Tribal-specific interim and final performance deadlines of the FCC’s rules for all 2.5 GHz Rural Tribal Priority Window licensees to afford them flexibility as they complete their deployments. All Tribal Window licensees will instead be subject to the generally applicable performance deadlines for all other 2.5 GHz licenses initially granted after October 25, 2019. As such, Tribal Window licensees must make an interim showing within four years of initial license grant and a final showing within eight years

Starlink Satellite Service Showing its Age

The June 2022 Ookla data tries to spin a rosy picture of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet performance since its November 2020 public beta launch. While early Starlink users once swooned over the service because they had the only dish in town, they now find their once-speedy connections slowly sliding back to DSL/basic cable-esque performance with more people on the system. The performance slide comes at a time when SpaceX is trying to get its next-generation Starship off the ground, the only rocket capable of carrying its satellites in sufficient quantities.

5G for 12 GHz Coalition snaps back at Starlink ‘misinformation campaign’

The 5G for 12 GHz Coalition, a group that includes Dish Network, RS Access [and the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society], said that it wants to set the record straight on Starlink’s “misinformation campaign.” The most recent spat started when SpaceX encouraged Starlink users to send messages to the Federal Communications Commission and lawmakers about the 12 GHz proceeding.

FCC Acts to Improve Network Resiliency During Disasters

The Federal Communications Commission adopted a Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking taking measures to improve the reliability and resiliency of mobile wireless networks that are a significant lifeline for those in need during disasters and other emergencies.