Monica Alleven

Dish Network sent a letter May 27 to SpaceX demanding that the company retract statements that it says could trigger interference with Dish satellite TV services. The letter came after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted that Starlink is available for RVs, campers and other large vehicle users but didn’t state that the service can’t be used on moving vehicles.

Judging by what T-Mobile executives have shared publicly, the integration of Sprint into the T-Mobile sphere is going swimmingly. But if you’re the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the whole thing stinks. T-Mobile said it plans to finish transitioning all Sprint customers to the T-Mobile network over the next few months. The company also is on track to upgrade or decommission substantially all Sprint sites in 2022.

Given T-Mobile’s recent history of arguing for more licensed spectrum, it’s easy to forget how much unlicensed spectrum plays into its overall strategy. But a recent application before the Federal Communications Commission serves as a reminder of that. T-Mobile is asking for special temporary authority (STA) to operate on spectrum in the 6110-6190 MHz portion of the 5925-7125 MHz (6 GHz) band in and around the areas of Alexandria and Falls Church (VA).

Deutsche Telekom is making good on its promise to become majority owner of T-Mobile US, paying $2.4 billion to SoftBank Group to increase its stake to 48.4 percent in the US company. Deutsche Telekom (DT), based in Bonn, Germany, bought 21.2 million T-Mobile shares at an average price of $113 per share. The move raised its stake in T-Mobile by 5.3 percent.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s response to a question about the 12 GHz band during an FCC oversight hearing March 31 is giving hope to the 5G for 12 GHz Coalition. The 5G for 12 GHz Coalition (which includes the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society) has been urging the commission to change the rules for the 12 GHz band so it can be used for two-way 5G communications.

There’s no doubt that the open radio access network (RAN) movement has taken the wireless industry by storm. Interest is at an all-time high, but is there a risk the whole thing will blow up due to industry sniping? After all, some players would like to see the big incumbent vendors get out of the way, making room for the new and, presumably, improved set of players.

In a win for T-Mobile over challenger Charter Communications, the National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs determined that T-Mobile's "no data caps" claim for its Home Internet service was not misleading. NAD also found that T-Mobile's advertising “did not reasonably convey a disparaging message” that competing cable internet providers, including Charter, require long-term contracts and “exploding bills,” as compared to T-Mobile's Home Internet service.

The House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing on spectrum policy entitled "5G and Beyond: Exploring the Next Wireless Frontier." The hearing covered a range of spectrum topics, including the Federal Communications Commission’s authority to conduct spectrum auctions. The FCC’s auction authority, which has been extended several times since originally granted in 1993, is set to expire on September 30, 2022.

Verizon will cover more than 175 million people with its 5G Ultra Wideband service by the end of 2022, according to executives. In 2021, Verizon said it expected to provide service Ultra Wideband 5G to 175 million people over the course of 2022 and 2023, so it’s hitting that target significantly faster than previously planned. They expect to cover at least 250 million people by the end of 2024. Verizon currently serves 100 million people with its C-band 3.7 GHz spectrum.

Using terms like “predatory” and “anti-competitive,” four retail wireless dealers filed suit against T-Mobile in recent weeks, all saying they were basically run out of business since the operator's merger with Sprint. Absolute Wireless, Maycom, Solutions Center and Wireless Express each named T-Mobile in their complaints. All of them previously sold wireless services for Sprint.