Google said it’s launching emergency location service (ELS) for Android in the U.S., in combination with RapidSOS, T-Mobile and West, to bring more accurate location more quickly to 911 call centers. “Accurately locating someone during an emergency call is critical for reducing response time and can be the difference between life and death,” said a Wednesday Google blog post. “More than 80 percent of emergency calls come from mobile phones, but locating these phones can be challenging as traditional emergency location technologies can fail indoors or have a radius that’s too big to be useful.” ELS “provides a more accurate location both indoors and outdoors by using a combination of GPS, Wi-Fi, mobile networks and sensors -- the same high-accuracy location you see when using Google Maps,” the company said. Apple said in June it's working with RapidSOS on similar technology (see 1806180003). Google already launched ELS in the U.S. Virgin Islands through a partnership with West and Viya, a regional carrier.

T-Mobile's buying Sprint faced numerous oppositions last month (see 1808280038) but this week got considerable love. Replies were due Monday to oppositions and many were posted Tuesday (see 1809170025). Many of the filings in FCC docket 18-197 questioned whether Sprint would survive without T-Mobile. T-Mobile and Sprint said they would be stronger together. Both have “standalone plans to deploy 5G networks, [but] the New T-Mobile network will be far superior and will create expanded capacity and lower costs so that American consumers will pay less and get more,” the carriers said. “Notably,” none of the oppositions disputes this point, they said. “Opponents insist either that the merger is unnecessary to build such a nationwide 5G network or that the standalone companies have alternatives to merging. They further hypothesize that the transaction will result in harmful effects on specific segments of the wireless market, rural areas, and company employment.” A recurring criticism is the deal would reduce service or raise process for prepaid plans “attractive to cost-conscious and low-income customers,” the deal partners said. “These concerns, like those raised on T-Mobile acquired MetroPCS, are unfounded. Following this merger, all MetroPCS, Boost Mobile, and Virgin Mobile USA customers with compatible handsets will benefit from the increased capacity and improved service quality that the New T-Mobile nationwide network will provide.” The transaction "comes at a precarious time for Sprint, which has been struggling for years as the nation’s fourth-largest wireless carrier,” the Competitive Enterprise Institute commented. “As the most highly leveraged S&P 500 company, with $32 billion of net debt, Sprint faces an uncertain future as a nationwide wireless carrier capable of competing with larger rivals.” The combined company “will be in a far better position to deploy wireless services to all Americans than would either company alone,” TechFreedom said. The group said many opponents “understate” how competitive the U.S. wireless market is. “In perhaps no other industry are the economies of scale larger than in broadband, and wireless broadband in particular,” TechFreedom said. The National Emergency Number Association said it rarely files on transactions but sees the deal as potentially benefiting emergency calling. T-Mobile is a leader in efforts to improve 911 calling, doing most work in-house, NENA said. “Such work, if carried over to the combined companies, will benefit T-Mobile customers when dialing 9-1-1 from their mobile devices."

The Enterprise Wireless Alliance asked the FCC Wireless Bureau to clarify one part of the temporary 900 MHz freeze, imposed by the bureau last week (see 1809130064). “EWA believes, but asks the Bureau to clarify, that licenses can be modified to change location, as long as the modified location does not expand the currently licensed 40 dBu service contour,” said a filing Monday in docket 17-200. The alliance said it understands the freeze is “necessary to preserve the current 900 MHz landscape and deter the filing of speculative applications” but urged the FCC to “finalize the proceeding as promptly as possible, so that the freeze is not in place for longer than absolutely necessary.” The bureau sought comment in an August 2017 notice of inquiry on the band's future (see 1708070043).

The FCC’s proposed 5G infrastructure order ignores work of the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee, said BDAC member and Georgia Municipal Association Executive Director Larry Hanson in a Monday letter to the FCC. He and other local governments continued to file opposition to the draft in docket 17-84 (see 1809140012). The FCC should let BDAC finish its work; the group won’t be finished until March, Hanson said. “The Commission has chosen the best interests of the wireless industry over that of the public.” Cost-based fees are neither fair nor reasonable, a proposed shot clock for collocation is too extreme and proposed limits on aesthetic reviews are flawed and one-sided, he said. More opposition surfaced Monday from multiple other local officials, including the Kentucky League of Cities, Illinois Municipal League and mayors from Everett, Washington, and Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

A team of mostly T-Mobile executives met with FCC Commissioners Mike O’Rielly, Brendan Carr and Jessica Rosenworcel to present the case for it buying Sprint, said a filing posted Monday docket 18-197. The deal will create the “only company with incentive and ability to build first broad and deep nationwide 5G network,” said a slide deck: “New T-Mobile will bring revolutionary consumer experience with unmatched speed and latency” and “accelerate significant industry-wide investment in 5G.” The deal will create $43.6 billion in synergies, the companies said. Among attendees were T-Mobile's Neville Ray, chief technology officer; Peter Ewens, executive vice president-corporate strategy; and David Miller, general counsel. Sprint was represented by Charles McKee, vice president-government affairs. Replies were due a Monday, in response to oppositions filed last month (see 1808280038). “The promise of a robust, nationwide 5G network cannot be ignored,” said Citizens Against Government Waste. “Expect the usual outcry from those who believe that competition of three is anti-competitive, and the wireless marketplace requires a fourth competitor. … The ill-conceived notion of the proper number of competitors does not hold up in today’s converging telecommunications ecosystem.” The Free State Foundation also supported the deal. “Although some commenters have argued that the proposed T-Mobile/Sprint merger would harm competition by reducing the number of nationwide mobile wireless providers from four to three, competitive conditions in the market and facts specific to the merger support a contrary conclusion," FSF said. "Sprint’s recent financial history and analysts’ projections reveal that a standalone Sprint would likely be less competitive and perhaps not even viable in the 5G era." The Latino Coalition said the deal is in its members’ best interest. It “promises to expand access to high-quality broadband and deliver a super-charged network that will create additional opportunities for entrepreneurship and innovation,” the coalition commented. The Bellevue, Washington, Chamber of Commerce, in T-Mobile’s headquarters city, said the deal means thousands of new jobs. The Kansas Chamber, where Sprint is based, filed in support.

Commissioners OK'd proposing fines against IOU Acquisitions and Air-Tel for allegedly using radiolocation service (RLS) licenses in the 3300-3650 MHz band for other unauthorized purposes. “Over the course of several years, the Companies apparently used these licenses not to provide RLS service, but rather to provide an unauthorized wireless data transmission service in the same band,” said Friday's FCC order. “The Companies apparently did so by intentionally altering the settings of wireless equipment to operate outside of authorized frequency bands. The Companies did not cease providing their unauthorized service until after the Commission commenced an investigation.” Staff proposed a penalty of $207,290 against IOU and $327,290 against Air-Tel. The Colorado-based companies didn’t comment. Staff said they launched an investigation in April 2017 after a complaint.

Carriers pitched 5G with day one of Apple iPhone Xs and Xs Max smartphone (see 1809120055) preorders, even though Apple isn’t expected to have a 5G-capable phone before 2020. Apple headlined the Super Retina screen, including the "largest display ever” on an iPhone, faster Face ID, the A12 Bionic chip, the dual camera system and improved water resistance. AT&T, Sprint and Verizon led with preorder options for the iPhones and the Apple Watch Series 4, due to ship Friday, and gave Oct 19 preorder and Oct. 26 availability dates for the iPhone XR. Retailers got in on it, too. AT&T Wireless featured unlimited data and streaming media add-ons. The carrier also mentioned its introduction of mobile 5G “on the horizon,” saying it’s expected to be available in 12 cities this year and at least 19 in early 2019. After promoting its 5G service, AT&T said the iPhone Xs and Xs Max are using AT&T’s LTE-LAA network technologies, capable of offering a “theoretical peak speed of up to 1 gigabit per second” in 15 markets “and counting.” Verizon summarizing the week's news listed preorders for iPhone Xs and Xs Max last in a series of company news items behind 5G and Hurricane Florence (see 1809140037) updates. “THIS IS BIG. 5G is here” took top billing. The company noted the world’s first commercial 5G service launches Oct. 1 and that it began taking preorders for 5G Home in Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Sacramento at FirstOn5G.com. Sprint and T-Mobile, seeking government OK to combine, also had promotions here and here. Fifth-generation was much discussed at conferences last week on both coasts: 1809140023 and 1809130043.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr will be in Arizona Friday to meet with local leaders about “the smart infrastructure policies they are putting in place to pave the way for next-gen connectivity and opportunity in communities” across the state, his office said. In Gilbert, Carr will meet with Mayor Jenn Daniels “who has helped her community be one of the first in Arizona to streamline the deployment of small cells, which are the building blocks of 5G,” said a news release.

Verizon got FCC permission to run tests using the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band in Manhattan, Brooklyn and other locations in New York. “Field tests will be conducted in a production network, in a highly controlled field environment, in order to assist in the development of commercial products,” Verizon said. “The testing will benefit the public interest by enabling the pre-commercial testing of new products outside of a lab environment but in a controlled and managed manner.” Verizon said it wants to look at radio propagation characteristics of 3.5 GHz for outdoor installations, end-to-end CBRS architecture and of inter-band carrier aggregation between 3.5 GHz and licensed bands.

The FCC Wireless Bureau Thursday froze applications for new or expanded use of 900 MHz band frequencies, effective immediately. The bureau noted it sought comment in an August 2017 notice of inquiry on the future of the band (see 1708070043). The NOI looks at whether “any rule changes may be appropriate to improve spectrum efficiency or expand flexibility in the 900 MHz band in order to better serve private land mobile radio users’ current and future communications needs,” the bureau said. “The purpose of this freeze is to preserve the current landscape of authorized operations in the 900 MHz band pending Commission action as part of its ongoing inquiry into potential rule changes to promote next generation technologies and services in the band.” The docket is 17-200.