Network management

The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA)'s new “Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin” on “Risk of Potential Adverse Effects on Radio Altimeters” stated airplane communications and safety features could be affected by the Federal Communications Commission's roll-out of 5G, scheduled for December 2021 but now delayed until January 2022.

Speedcheck carried out an extensive survey in the US market to check user satisfaction and what they are doing to improve the WiFi experience. The study shows:

The introduction of the fifth generation of mobile technology (5G) is expected to bring disruptive changes. These changes will be much more pervasive than any previous introduction of new mobile ‘generations’ and they are expected to influence the whole economy. For this reason, the global rush for 5G technology is not only considered crucial in economic or technological terms, but also for its implications in terms of geopolitics, international policy and national security.

Sens Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) introduced the Protecting Against Tyrants by Restoring Internet Access and Yielding Vital Interconnectivity in Designated Areas (PATRIA Y VIDA) Act to build a strategy to protect internet freedom worldwide and strengthen support for technologies that allow users to evade foreign government-backed censorship and restrictions.

Wireless customers nationwide can look forward to a big upgrade in service in 2022 — and possibly some major headaches as millions of older phones become obsolete. The wireless industry’s transition to super-fast, more reliable 5G networks will be finalized over the next 12 months. To free up bandwidth for the switch, older 3G networks are being shut down. The big catch for consumers: As many as 10 million 3G cellphones now in circulation will be useless.

AT&T and Verizon agreed to delay their planned December 5 rollout of a new 5G frequency band so they can work with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to address concerns about potential interference with key cockpit safety systems. AT&T said it agreed to delay its planned 5G deployment until January 5 at the request of the US Transportation Department, which oversees the FAA. Verizon also agreed to postpone its launch of the new 5G wireless spectrum by about a month, people familiar with the matter said.

Open Radio Access Networks (Open RANs) would define open standards and interfaces between components of wireless RANs, providing a unique opportunity to diversify the supply chain by separating today’s integrated, single-provider RAN systems into modular parts. This report by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation provides the history of Open RAN, the technology's benefits and challenges, and recommendations for policymakers. The key takeaways are:

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) upped the ante in what has been an ongoing scuffle between communications regulators and the wireless industry with aviation stakeholders – as the agency issued a warning over potential interference to airplane safety systems from upcoming 5G deployments in C-band frequencies.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded AT&T a $182 million Task Order agreement to support its domestic and international wireless and wireline connectivity needs. Under this Task Order, AT&T will continue to provide wireline voice and data services to USAID domestic locations while significantly expanding the scope of services it provides. AT&T will consolidate USAID’s disparate networks onto the company's global IP voice network and provide mission-critical connectivity in support of an additional 90 USAID international locations.

Being digitally connected is such a central feature of our lives that we don’t often stop to think about how it actually works. Transient data, a combination of ones and zeros, pass through a surprisingly tangible physical infrastructure of fiber optic cables connecting centralized data servers — infrastructure that is vulnerable to an increasingly erratic and punishing climate. The reality of digital disconnection was brought into sharper focus during the COVID-19 pandemic; fundamental aspects of our daily lives shifted online instantly, from schooling to remote work to health care.