Wireless Internet

Boost Mobile appears happy with an earlier go selling Cox prepaid home internet service at its retail stores in a few markets, as distribution has expanded more broadly to all Boost store locations within the cable operator’s footprint. In December 2021, Boost Mobile, the Dish-owned prepaid brand, started selling Cox’s Straight Up Internet service in select stores in Las Vegas (NV) and Phoenix (AZ) while mulling a wider push.

In July 2021, the Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau released its report on the state of the Lifeline marketplace. The aim of the report was to identify areas for FCC consideration regarding the continued transition of Lifeline from a program that primarily supports voice services to one with a greater focus on supporting broadband Internet access service. Unfortunately, there are three critical questions I noticed the FCC’s Lifeline report did not address:

San Ysidro is a neighborhood in San Diego that is adjacent to one of the world’s busiest border crossings and nestled within one of North America’s largest metropolitan regions. And yet, wireless networks, which are responsible for cellular signals and data, are spotty here.

As our daily lives increasingly depend on wireless services for everything from telemedicine to distance learning, the demand for a new wireless spectrum for 5G and next-generation Wi-Fi has exploded. The spectrum to meet that demand must come from somewhere.

When Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile introduced the first 5G mobile services in the US three years ago, they promised 10-times faster connection speeds that would unlock a new era of technological advancements. Although no one expected doctors to immediately turn their scalpels over to robots, the telecommunications industry has loudly trumpeted an array of business opportunities such as using augmented reality as a way for online shoppers to try on clothes remotely.

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.

Bringing rapid innovation and increased diversity and competition to mobile services is a national imperative. To accomplish this goal, the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS)—the research and engineering arm of the US Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)—is encouraging the evolution of open and interoperable 5G networks through the 5G Challenge. The goal of the 5G Challenge is to accelerate the development and widespread deployment of open and interoperable 5G networks with true plug-and-play operation.

"To support the next-generation of wireless connectivity, we must work together to free up more spectrum—and especially mid-band airwaves," said Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel at the Mobile World Congress of 2022 In Barcelona, Spain. "I'm excited to announce that the United States will hold another mid-band spectrum auction. This July we will kick off our auction of the 2.5 GHz band.

This report advances the Meaningful Connectivity framework as a way to support more inclusive societies and strengthen digital economies. It measures the gap in the number of people with just basic internet access and those with meaningful connectivity and examines what this digital divide means for people’s online experiences. The framework focuses on four pillars: 4G-like speeds, smartphone ownership, daily use, and unlimited access at a regular location, like home, work, or a place of study.

The ultra-compact, fully integrated Ericsson Street Radio small cell can be deployed globally by plugging into existing streetlights that utilize a National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) standardized connector. And it is virtually unseen from street level. The device sits just above the streetlight shield next to the light itself allowing it to blend into the existing infrastructure. No long wires and big, bulky boxes – a true aesthetic improvement.