The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology asked for comment Thursday on a waiver request from Bosch for its Wallscanner D-Tect 200 frequency-hopped ultra-wideband wall imaging system. Comments are due Sept. 21, replies Oct. 19, in docket 20-268. The device operates between 1.8 and 5.7 GHz, OET said. Bosch describes the D-Tect 200 as a tool “used for detection and inspection of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, electric cables, wooden beams, plastic pipes, and for identification of structural flaws within construction materials,” OET said. It said the company needs waiver of several FCC rules to market the technology.

The FCC Wireless Bureau granted licenses Thursday in the 37, 39 and 47 GHz band auction won by Blue Ridge Wireless. The bureau approved a single license in the 24 GHz auction won by Atlantic Seawinds Communications.

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology sought comment on a waiver request by Tesla to market a sensing device that would operate in the 60-64 GHz band at a higher power than specified in FCC rules. Comments are due Sept. 21, replies Oct. 19, in docket 20-264. “Tesla indicates that its device would be focused on the interior of automotive passenger vehicles for applications such as child safety systems and seatbelt reminders; however, it also states that the device may be able to scan up to 2 meters (6 feet) outside of the vehicle, and that millimeter-wave sensors can provide vehicle security benefits such as detecting a broken window or vehicle intrusion,” OET said Thursday. OET also sought comment on an Infineon Technologies waiver request, with the same deadlines, in docket 20-263, for in-vehicle child safety systems that operate in the 57-64 GHz band at higher power than specified in FCC rules.

Energous is working with Xentris Wireless to develop ruggedized wireless charging for the military. Products will have freedom of alignment and the ability to monitor battery levels through software control, said the companies Wednesday. Xentris will supply the U.S. Army “mission-ready” charging technology, and the two companies will collaborate on next-generation wireless offerings.

Cree views 5G as a “multiyear expansion, with major traction coming,” said CEO Gregg Lowe on a Tuesday investor call. The company supplies silicon-carbide RF and power chips for 5G infrastructure applications. “There have been a number of recent announcements coming out of Asia pointing towards growing 5G momentum in that region. While the global pandemic has further delayed some rollouts in other regions, we continue to be well positioned to support this global expansion.” Cree stopped shipping to Huawei “for the better part of a year” after the Commerce Department’s export ban took effect, said Lowe: “We have no Huawei revenue plans in any of our future projections or forecasts.” Any “large impact” from Huawei, “we've basically taken it out of the picture,” he said. “We have developed good relationships with other players around the world and are repurposing the technology that we had developed for Huawei for those customers.” Lowe concedes the “Huawei situation was a pretty significant setback for us,” he said. “But we've adjusted our plans, we've adjusted our focus to go after non-Huawei customers.”

The FCC approved a request by AT&T to use the Galileo satellite system to improve the reliability of its enhanded-911 location services. “We find that AT&T satisfies the conditions for Commercial Mobile Radio Service (CMRS) providers to integrate foreign satellite signals into E911 services,” the Public Safety Bureau said in a Wednesday order in docket 07-114: “Granting AT&T’s Request would serve the public interest by improving mobile device location determination, thus improving emergency response and saving lives, without increasing the exposure of AT&T devices to harmful interference.”

Though most of the media and entertainment industry is focused on using the 5G network for content distribution and delivery, the technology’s “superior capacity” makes it tailor-made for content production, reported ABI Research Wednesday. It’s forecasting 5G network coverage will support more than 35% of the global mobile user base in 2024, and video is “a key application that will drive mobile data consumption.” Video production trials over the 5G network have started in some markets in Asia, Europe and North America, said ABI. The 5G network can support the higher bandwidth and lower latency capability for video production, but network performance “can be challenging when it is shared by multiple users and applications,” it said. That’s why 5G networking slicing is expected to play a “critically important” role to deliver better bandwidth and latency performance, “which is required for high-value content production such as sports,” it said.

MoffettNathanson’s Craig Moffett said wireless industry trends all tie back to a charging T-Mobile. “Whether it is Verizon buying spectrum, or the Cable operators attempting to reduce costs in order to (eventually) lower price, everyone is chasing T-Mobile,” Moffett told investors Wednesday: “Only three months into the merger, it is already becoming clear that T-Mobile is poised to pull away from an otherwise uninspiring wireless sector.” Moffett said cable operators, eager to cut their costs, are likely among the biggest bidders in the citizens broadband radio service auction. Based on numbers from BitPath, prices are as high as 91 cents MHz/POP in Orange, California, and 68 cents in San Diego, he said. “Cable needs CBRS to bring their costs down, particularly if they are to eventually have the ability to price competitively versus T-Mobile,” he said: “Verizon wants CBRS to augment their LTE network.”

AT&T raised concerns similar to those raised by Verizon and T-Mobile (see 2008180021) on additional parameters for broadband maps beyond those adopted in last month’s order (see 2007160062). An accompanying Further NPRM asks about standardizing “additional propagation model parameters such as signal strength and fading statistics data,” AT&T said in a filing posted Wednesday in docket 19-195: “Carriers set their propagation model inputs that are suitable for their unique network capabilities. It is not possible for all carriers to use the same parameters and produce maps that accurately predict their individual network performance.” Don’t ask for additional maps requiring “completely different parameters,” such as speed, cell edge probability or cell loading values, or a separate challenge evaluation map, AT&T said: “Producing such additional maps would be costly and administratively difficult.” AT&T representatives spoke with staff from the Wireless and Wireline bureaus and the Office of Economics and Analytics.

The FirstNet board approved a $213 million budget for FY 2021 Tuesday. They OK'd an $83.5 million operating budget, with the same amount held in reserve. The spending plan includes $46 million for “investments in support of FirstNet network enhancement.” It “provides steady funding for the FirstNet Authority and continues our momentum for investing back into the FirstNet network,” said Chairman Edward Horowitz.