AT&T criticized the latest comments from the Alarm Industry Communications Committee asking the FCC to reject the carrier's plan to shutter its 3G network starting Feb. 22 (see 2109150041). Granting the petition would “throw a monkey wrench into AT&T’s carefully planned 5G transition,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 21-304. “The Commission lacks statutory authority to delay AT&T’s 3G sunset,” the carrier said: “AICC’s rationales for delaying that sunset remain irreconcilable with the presumptively truthful assurances that its member companies have given investors about the business effects of COVID and the global microchip shortage.” Delay “would threaten AT&T’s network performance,” it said. AICC didn't comment.
Sennheiser said the FCC should act on its petition seeking a vacant channel for mics in every market (see 2101080050), and that an analysis it will soon file shows a channel is available in the 50 largest U.S. markets. “A vacant channel is critically important to wireless microphones and the content creation industry,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 15-146: “Otherwise, wireless microphone users may be less likely to create or adopt new technologies if the specter of a third round of obsolescence continues to loom.” Company representatives spoke with staff from the Office of Engineering and Technology and Media and Wireless bureaus. NAB wants to ensure some vacant channels remain available (see 2107280036). “Sennheiser continues its desperate efforts to concoct a plausible justification for overturning the Commission’s unanimous order closing the long-dormant vacant channel proceeding," an NAB spokesperson emailed: "Sennheiser recycles arguments that have already been soundly rejected while promising new ‘analysis’ that could have been previously presented to the commission and thus has no basis for reconsideration.”
Verizon’s broadcast message center (BMC) performed “as we would have expected, including the duration between the BMC’s receipt of the English and Spanish language versions of the message” from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, during the August wireless emergency alert system test (see 2108260046), the carrier said in a letter to the FCC, posted Thursday in docket 15-91. The time required “reflected the need to map the alert to the large number of sites in Verizon’s nationwide network, to determine the appropriate [mobility management entity] (which directs WEAs to associated cell sites), and to process both the English and Spanish language text versions of the message,” it said: The Public Safety Bureau asked that the information be filed.
The NSA and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recommended ways to prevent a malicious 5G cyberattack from compromising an entire network. Three more white papers are to come. “After the initial compromise of a network, attackers commonly pivot laterally by exploiting the availability of internal services, particularly looking for services that are unauthenticated,” Thursday's report said: “An attacker might use an initial position on a compromised virtual machine (VM) or container to access an application programming interface (API) or service endpoint that is not exposed externally. 5G cloud deployments will introduce more opportunities to move laterally.” Networks should assign unique, authenticated identities to all elements that communicate with other elements, the paper urged. Credential management is important, said NSA and CISA, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security. “Analytics for detecting potentially malicious resource access attempts should be deployed and run regularly,” they said: 5G cloud software should be kept “up-to-date and free from known vulnerabilities.”
Samsung Electronics and Ciena agreed to partner on a “combined 5G solution set” for rendering faster, “pre-validated” network deployments, they said Wednesday. The companies will collaborate on hardware and software for network operators “to support the increasing volume of 5G data traffic at the edge and within an increasingly distributed 5G architecture,” they said. It's an “end-to-end solution set” that includes Ciena’s xHaul routing and switching portfolio and its next-generation manage, control and plan domain controller, plus Samsung’s Core and radio access network portfolio, including virtualized RAN solutions, baseband units and radios.
The Rural Wireless Association disputed arguments by the Competitive Carriers Association that “hexagon 8 resolution is sufficient to accurately map rural areas” as part of the challenge process for mobile coverage maps (see 2109290045), in a filing posted Wednesday in FCC docket 19-195. “Imposing a high-resolution-everywhere approach in rural areas with few or no roads shifts the burden to those who have the least means to challenge bad service, in favor of those with the best means to rebut challenges,” RWA said. CCA didn’t comment.
T-Mobile agreed to pull TV advertisements with singer Gwen Stefani and NFL quarterback Tom Brady based on the recommendations of the Better Business Bureau’s National Advertising Division. Both ads for its 5G network premiered during the Super Bowl and made fun of the problems of communicating on subpar networks. AT&T complained. “Both parties submitted consumer perception surveys in support of their respective positions: T-Mobile in support of its arguments that the Stefani and Brady commercials do not convey a disparaging message about AT&T’s service or network (or any other T-Mobile competitors generally) or a message that T-Mobile’s service is superior with respect to video calls, but instead use humor to emphasize the benefits of its 5G network; and AT&T to demonstrate that the challenged advertisements communicate a comparative and disparaging superior performance claim,” NAD said Tuesday. T-Mobile said it’s “disappointed with NAD’s decision but will comply with its recommendations.”
The wireless industry is “betting big” on the U.S. 5G future, CTIA President Meredith Baker told the start of the Mobile World Congress Los Angeles, livestreamed Tuesday. Baker recalled the CTIA conference 10 years ago: “The LTE versus WiMax debate was still alive, and we were awed by the new devices that 4G was offering." The big story was a phone that offered 12 Mbps: “We were bragging about how quickly 4G was deployed. It was the fastest transition ever. It pales in comparison to what is happening with 5G.” Baker said carriers need access to the C band starting in December for 5G to take off: “We need to replicate the expedited process that made the 3.45 [GHz] auction a reality this year. We need to know when the next licensed auction will be, and the one after that.” Wireless will make needed investments to “tackle climate change head on,” she said: “We will help reduce waste, reduce consumption and reduce costs.”
Rural Wireless Association officials told an FCC Public Safety Bureau staffer that smaller carriers are reluctant to install open radio access network technology as part of the agency’s rip-and-replace program. “RWA’s carrier members were optimistic about Open RAN’s potential for lower costs, increased security, and network visibility, but expressed reservations toward adopting Open RAN for the Reimbursement Program when none of the three nationwide providers -- AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon -- have adopted,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 21-63: “Absent major carrier adoption (and FCC support for Open RAN via a rulemaking), small and rural carriers cannot afford to expend human and capital resources to learn how to fully integrate Open RAN.” RWA warned carriers will need to shut parts of their Huawei and ZTE-equipped networks during testing. Jerry Tilley, Nemont chief operations officer, and John Nettles, Pine Belt Communications president, were on the call.
OMB OK'd for three years new information collection requirements in the FCC order reallocating the 5.9 GHz band (see 2011180043), says Monday's Federal Register. The requirement is effective Monday.