Oppositions to petitions for reconsideration of the FCC’s 4.9 GHz order are due Feb. 24, replies 10 days later, says Tuesday's Federal Register. The agency reallocated the band to the states in September (see 2009300050) over dissents by Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks. APCO, the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council and the Public Safety Spectrum Alliance sought recon.

With the 5G transition in the past year evolving “from hype to reality,” Israeli networking equipment vendor Ceragon Networks is working with operators to push 5G “from initial trials into the field,” said CEO Ira Palti on a Q4 call Monday. “This is what we have been waiting for and are very excited to develop.” Adoption of open radio access networks is “picking up speed,” said Palti. ORAN lets operators “integrate specialist solutions for each network domain from different vendors,” he said. “The market is becoming more democratized, which plays to our favor.” The transition from 4G to 5G “is creating a huge change in the way networks are designed,” he said. "We help operators achieve an evolutionary approach. We provide a wireless-based backhaul network that is supporting 4G networks and that can be upgraded cost effectively to 5G.” Ceragon claims “major tier 1 operators” in North America, Europe and Southeast Asia as “recently acquired” customers, he said.

President Claude Aiken and others from the Wireless ISP Association laid out its positions on spectrum bands in a call with FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington. In 2.5 GHz, WISPA seeks a “single-round, sealed bid auction.” Move forward with the opening of 5.9 GHz for unlicensed use, WISPA said: “We noted the benefits that consumers are receiving from more than 100 Special Temporary Authority grants to deploy” there. WISPA members are “very interested” in the 4.9 GHz band, said a filing posted Monday in 19-348 and other dockets.

The U.S. lags behind on mid-band spectrum for 5G and needs to have a 3.45-3.55 GHz auction, CTIA officials told an aide to FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “The C-Band auction was powerful evidence of the need for licensed, exclusive-use mid-band spectrum for 5G, and auctioning the 100 megahertz of spectrum at 3.45-3.55 GHz under a substantially similar framework is critical for the development of 5G in the U.S.,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 18-122.

Nokia representatives cited the importance of open radio access networks in a call with acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, said a filing Friday in docket 18-89. Reps recommended the government “do more than fund basic research by investing in testbeds” as “testbeds can simulate real-world network deployment scenarios wherein issues like performance and security can be studied across the types of scenarios that will be encountered when O-RAN is introduced into previously deployed, multi-generation networks.” Rosenworcel backs ORAN for 5G security (see 2009140054).

Strong demand including for 5G points to a “solid 2021,” S&P reported Friday. U.S. tech firms in Q4 delivered “strong beats and guides” for future quarters amid a “smart" 5G smartphone cycle, and increasing fifth-generation wireless network deployments will add to the growth, the firm forecast. Enterprise IT spending remains weak, however. Increasing confidence in an economic recovery will likely result in higher spending as the year goes on, said the report. Apple's fifth-gen rollout was a “great success” in Q4 and will support a 2021 upgrade cycle that Samsung will also benefit from, said S&P. The next-gen mobile phone cycle will be “very good for suppliers since 5G phones have higher silicon content.” Network upgrades are accelerating, too, to support wider adoption of 5G phones, with Japan and Korea furthest ahead, followed by China, the U.S. and Europe. Ericsson should pick up market share from Huawei, particularly in Europe, it said.

Reject calls for a pause in equipment certifications for 6 GHz unlicensed low-power indoor (LPI) devices until more testing is done (see 2101270037), CTA wrote Thursday in FCC docket 18-295. “This misguided proposal threatens the important role the Commission’s equipment-certification process plays in advancing U.S. technological innovation, far beyond the context of this 6 GHz proceeding,” CTA said. “CTA members and other equipment manufacturers of all kinds, using bands across the radiofrequency spectrum, depend on a predictable, reliable and timely FCC equipment certification process."

T-Mobile had industry-leading postpaid net phone adds of 1.6 million in Q4, with 5.5 million in all of 2020, said a Thursday release. The carrier projected it will have to spend as much as $3 billion before taxes combining its stores, employees and infrastructure with those of Sprint, which it acquired last year. Integration costs were about $1.9 billion last year. Some 25 percent of Sprint postpaid customer traffic has been moved to the T-Mobile network. Year-over-year income was flat at $750 million on revenue of $20.3 billion. T-Mobile’s Ultra Capacity 5G now covers 106 million people, is projected to cover 200 million people nationwide by year-end. “If we play our cards right, T-Mobile is positioned to stay ahead in the 5G race for years to come,” said CEO Mike Sievert in a call with analysts. Officials said addressing Sprint’s high churn rate will take some time. “T-Mobile has a powerful advantage, and they mean to use it,” New Street’s Jonathan Chaplin told investors: “The only challenge we see is that, if AT&T continues to give away free iPhones to retain customers (and Verizon gets more aggressive) they may dampen switching.” T-Mobile stock closed down 4.1% Friday to $125.28.

Fans in Tampa Bay's Raymond James Stadium with iPhone 12s can take part in Verizon’s 5G interactive experiences in the NFL app, launching at the Super Bowl Sunday, the carrier said. That includes the first 5G stadium in Fortnite's Creative mode, it said. Users can engage with seven different camera angles while in the stadium. Fans watching at home with an iPhone 12 can access five camera angles and project augmented reality overlays of NFL statistics, Verizon said Monday. Verizon said the virtual stadium was designed to highlight the “power of 5G for gaming.” And "reimagining live events is one of the best use cases" for fifth-generation wireless, said Diego Scotti, chief marketing officer at the carrier. It invested over $80 million to support the Super Bowl events.

Though COVID-19 community spread “exposed the vulnerability of dense urban clusters,” those same so-called “microcities” as engines of tech and economic growth “will remain unchallenged,” reported ABI Research Thursday. The estimated 13,000 microcities globally “will remain hotbeds for urban technology innovation,” said analyst Dominique Bonte. Smart cameras, digital signage, private Wi-Fi networks and 5G connectivity typify the “common technologies deployed” across most microcities, she said. “They allow addressing specific challenges related to people flow management, access and security, overall customer experience, and environmental impact while generating cost savings through maximizing operational efficiencies.”