Ericsson, working with PowerLight Technologies, said Monday it showed a 5G millimeter wave base station can be powered wirelessly, through a laser beam. The technology converts electricity into high-intensity light, converted back to electricity at the base station. Ericsson noted the technology has been shown to work for smaller devices like cellphones. “The ability to safely transfer power across distances without having to be connected to the power grid eliminates one of the big obstacles we have when building new cellsites,” said Kevin Zvokel, Ericsson North America head-networks.
New Street’s Jonathan Chaplin predicts a $25 billion 3.45 GHz auction. “This assumes Verizon drops out and AT&T, T-Mobile, Dish [Network], and others bid aggressively,” the analyst told investors Monday. “If Verizon bids to win,” a $35 billion auction is possible, he wrote: If T-Mobile drops out, “the auction could fail.” The auction starts Tuesday.
The Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council urged FCC OK of Verizon buying Tracfone, in a letter posted Monday in docket 21-112. MMTC noted it normally doesn’t weigh in on such transactions, but “the need to maintain competition and customer choices in this market to benefit the communities we serve convinces us of the need to take a stance.” Giving Tracfone access to the Verizon network “will enhance the quality of service, service plans, and product availability for low income customers,” the group said. Tracfone, meanwhile, cited T-Mobile’s recent move to offer Metro, its prepaid brand, at 2,300 Walmarts (see 2109130009). “Standalone TracFone is constrained in its ability to respond to our main competitors in the prepaid space at the same pace and with the same efficiencies,” the company said. “As a pure reseller, TracFone cannot pivot or adjust its offerings with the speed or agility necessary to compete with the offers of competitors like Metro, Cricket, and Boost that have the backing of a network operator.”
Open Radio Access Network Policy Coalition representatives spoke with Wireless and Wireline bureau staff about steps the FCC can take to promote ORAN, said a filing posted Friday in docket 18-89. “We discussed ways in which the FCC can ‘leverage the [Supply Chain Reimbursement Program] process and related funding to inform testbeds, demonstration projects and pilots, which in turn can accelerate and enhance network upgrades,’ including the possibility of the FCC convening additional events or record-building inquiries."
The 4.9 GHz order and Further NPRM, released Friday, is substantially the same as the draft, as indicated Thursday (see 2109300053). One change is the FCC now directs the Wireless and Public Safety bureaus to lift a freeze in place since September 2020 within 30 days. The draft left timing to the bureaus' discretion. The lifting of the freeze is only for “incumbents wishing to modify their existing licenses or license new permanent fixed sites.” The FCC imposed the freeze prior to last year’s order on the band (see 2009090048), overturned by the Thursday order.
The Wireless ISP Association said Thursday it’s developing a certification program “designed to protect vulnerable internet and cloud access from climate-related events.” WISPA tapped David Theodore, chief technology officer of Climate Resilient Internet, to chair a working group developing best practices here.
The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology extended through March 31 a waiver of the push notification requirement for fixed and mode II personal/portable TV white space devices, set to have expired Thursday. The original waiver was approved in a 2015 order on Part 15 rules. “This action will ensure that manufacturers may continue to market previously approved white space devices, and that users may continue to operate them,” said a Thursday notice: “The ability of all approved white space devices to satisfy the at-least-once-daily database re-check requirement will ensure that wireless microphones will continue to receive interference protection from white space devices.”
The 3.45 GHz auction, which starts Tuesday, could hit $30 billion in proceeds, LightShed’s Walter Piecyk told investors Thursday. The analyst bases that estimate on an average price of $1.00 MHz/POP, which is less than the $1.10 paid for C-band spectrum or the $1.82 bid in the recent Canadian auction of 3.5 GHz spectrum. AT&T and Verizon are likely to “both acquire the maximum allowable 40 MHz of spectrum for $12 billion each,” he said. The band has better propagation characteristics than C-band and was included in new iPhones starting last year, he said. “Operators will likely be able to deploy the new spectrum sooner than most of the C-Band, due to the multi-year clearing process of satellite operators.” Piecyk sees T-Mobile’s spectrum advantage narrowing. “T-Mobile’s 127 MHz spectrum depth lead over its closest competitor shrunk to 45 MHz following two FCC spectrum auctions,” he said: “Verizon can effectively eliminate this spectrum deficit altogether by integrating up to 80 MHz of General Access [citizens broadband radio service] spectrum into its network.”
The FCC let spectrum access system administrator Amdocs use Key Bridge’s environmental sensing capability to protect federal incumbents in the citizens broadband radio service band. “Amdocs has demonstrated that its SAS can properly interoperate with Key Bridge’s ESC and that it will comply with all relevant provisions of the Commission’s part 96 rules,” said a Wednesday notice by the Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology.
Greenmail payments to parties challenging certification of an accelerated Phase I C-band clearing, so the content is dropped and there's no incremental reduction in clearing relocation payment, are barred, said an FCC Wireless Bureau public notice Wednesday laying out its Phase I accelerated relocation payment reduction. The PN said certifications without subsequent changes such as amendments won't face incremental decrease if cert was filed before the Phase I deadline and was ultimately validated. Certs filed after the deadline and later validated without amendment will face the incremental reduction schedule in the 3.7 GHz order, with the certification filing date being the "date of completion" for determining the applicable percentage reduction, it said.