Verizon Wireless resolved an “intermittent network interruption for customers in some markets in the south” by 4 p.m. Tuesday, a spokesman said. He didn't say what caused outages reported by customers in multiple big markets in the Northeast and Southeast (see 1809250053).
Sprint described the challenges it faces if not combined with T-Mobile, meeting FCC officials scoping the deal. Sprint was represented by Chief Commercial Officer Brandon Draper among other executives. T-Mobile officials also attended. “Despite achieving substantial cost reductions and stabilizing its financial position, Sprint has not been able to turn the corner with respect to its core business challenges,” Sprint said Tuesday in docket 18-197. “Sprint tried a more localized approach in an attempt to drive growth, but continues to face declining subscribers and revenue. Sprint has attempted to position itself as a value leader with aggressive price promotions, but those efforts have not achieved sufficient growth or churn reduction to offset their cost.”
Sector 5 landed an FCC equipment authorization for a 15-watt transmitter wall for wireless charging in schools and businesses, said the company Tuesday. The FCC granted Sector 5's application Sept. 18. Sector 5 is working to develop Qi-compliant wireless charging products “for all types of devices,” said the company.
T-Mobile and Sprint filed additional data at the FCC in response to questions on their proposed transaction, they said in a separate letters posted Tuesday in docket 18-197 (see here and here). The sets of data filed by both weren't entered into the public record. In August, both received dozens of questions on the transaction from the Wireless Bureau (see 1808150072).
Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at New America, said if the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band is hung up in the Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee, he hopes it’s for a good reason (see 1809240059). “If questions are raised in the IRAC, they [should] focus on why the FCC seems to want to modify CBRS licenses so that they are unaffordable and unworkable for every other industry and sector except the big mobile carriers,” Calabrese told us.
The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology approved special temporary authority for Nokia to demo end-to-end citizens broadband radio service to customers in Murray Hill, New Jersey. The STA will “allow the company to enhance its efforts to design and develop equipment to meet the communications needs of our customers,” Nokia said. Ericsson said the FCC approved certification for its CBRS portfolio. “The 3.5 GHz CBRS band for LTE will be used to improve wireless broadband access and performance in the U.S.,” the company said. “The shared spectrum approach adopted in the CBRS band is key to meeting service providers' network capacity challenges as data demands increase. CBRS will also open up new opportunities for private LTE operators, enterprise and cable companies, and will support mobile broadband and Fixed Wireless Access applications.”
Former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said many interests are using 5G as an excuse to get things they want, in a Brookings Institution blog post. T-Mobile and Sprint use the race for 5G as evidence their deal should be approved, Wheeler said. The FCC “has used the race to justify extending Washington’s regulatory reach down to telling local governments how to do zoning for antenna siting,” he said. Satellite companies want to recast their licenses for 5G spectrum and seek a “potential monetary windfall” from a private auction, he said. It's time for cooler heads to prevail, said Wheeler, a Brookings visiting fellow. “5G is an important step forward for wireless technology that will benefit consumers and drive economic growth,” he said. “However, it is time to take a deep breath and let logic temper emotional battle cries and political gamesmanship. We need to spend less time worrying about China and more time asking how we can we race to make 5G work for all Americans.”
Verizon Wireless said it’s trying to resolve service issues in some markets, after customers reported outages Tuesday in the Northeast and Southeast. An outage report map showed user-reported problems in markets including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New York and Washington. “Verizon Wireless is currently experiencing an intermittent voice, text and data services interruption for customers in some markets in the south,” the company tweeted at 1:19 p.m. “Our engineers are aware of the issue and are working diligently to resolve it.”
The Associated Carrier Group (ACG), Sprint and Competitive Carriers Association said Monday they agreed to integrate the CCA Device Hub into ACG. It's "another critical step in allowing small- to medium-sized carriers access to niche products and other devices that are challenging to secure,” said ACG President Russ Lipinski. The ACG consortium “enables its members to work with manufacturers, suppliers and other vendors to quickly develop and procure scarce or difficult to obtain products through economies of scale and standardization of coding and other features,” said a news release.
Low-cost, two-way VHF/UHF radios must comply with rules, said an FCC enforcement advisory Monday. All such radios must be authorized before being imported, advertised, sold or operated here, the agency said. “Many of these radios violate one or more FCC technical requirements,” the FCC said. “Some can be modified to transmit on public safety and other land mobile channels for which they are not authorized, while others are capable of prohibited wideband operations. Such radios are illegal, and many have the potential to negatively affect public safety, aviation, and other operations by Federal, state, and local agencies, as well as private users.”