The launch of 5G will mean “a new era of technology innovation” transforming how people live and how things interact, 5G Americas said in a new white paper. “The flexible capabilities of 5G enable a wide range of business models, including fixed-wireless access, enhanced mobile broadband, and IoT support,” the group said. “The innovative 5G technical standard provides the specifications for harnessing new millimeter Wave spectrum that has never before been used for cellular technology communications.” The paper, “5G: The Global Impact of Wireless Innovation,” was written by Rysavy Research. “Operators and vendors are collaboratively working towards efficient, faster, and higher-capacity networks for the realization of 5G,” said Chris Pearson, president of the trade group.

CTIA said it's launching the CTIA Cybersecurity Certification Program for cellular-connected IoT devices. The program is the first of its kind for the national wireless carriers, CTIA said Tuesday. “By offering certification for IoT devices built from the ground up with cybersecurity in mind, the program will protect consumers and wireless infrastructure, while creating a more secure foundation for smart cities, connected cars, mHealth and other IoT applications,” CTIA said. The program “harnesses CTIA's network of authorized labs and reflects our commitment to securing networks and devices in an increasingly connected wireless world,” said Tom Sawanobori, CTIA chief technology officer.

The National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (NATHPO) submitted a statement of issues in in United Keetoowah Band v. FCC & USA, No. 18-1129, a case challenging the FCC’s March infrastructure order. “NATHPO intends to file opening and reply briefs focused on the detrimental impact of the FCC’s order on historic preservation of Tribal cultural resources,” the group said. Issues to be raised include whether the FCC “properly interpreted the National Historic Preservation Act with respect to its definition of an ‘undertaking,’” whether the FCC has authority “to eliminate Tribal review and associated fees through administrative order” and whether the agency engaged in the required “government-to-government consultation with Indian Tribes,” NATHPO said.

T-Mobile and Sprint said jointly the FCC shouldn’t pause its shot clock on consideration of their proposed deal, as sought last week by Communications Workers of America and others (see 1808170052). “The FCC’s rules and precedent are clear that ‘extensions of time shall not be routinely granted,’” the carriers said in a Monday filing in 18-197. “Here, Movants have demonstrated no legitimate grounds for the relief they request and therefore the Motion should be summarily dismissed or denied. The Applicants submitted the spectrum holdings information about which Movants express concern on June 18, and it has been publicly available for almost two months.” A combined T-Mobile/Sprint would likely exceed AT&T’s share of the U.S. wireless market in five years, Macquarie’s Amy Yong said in a Tuesday note to investors. Yong also sees odds improving that regulators will let the deal move forward. “T-Mobile-Sprint have all the ingredients to eventually lead the industry: scale, spectrum and strategy,” she wrote. “Meanwhile, the combination of 5G infrastructure developments, including rural connectivity as well as job creation, support the deal, in our view.” Yong expects some backlash, possibly including opposition from Dish Networks.

Granting Dish Network its ask for a waiver of rules limiting out-of-band emissions from equipment in the 1925-2000 MHz band into the 2000-2050 MHz band and vice versa (see 1808030039) would effectively entangle its H Block and AWS-4 licenses together permanently, NTCH said in an opposition posted Monday in docket 18-237. It said its pending judicial appeal of the FCC denying its challenges to those licenses (see 1808160065) likely will mean Dish will have to rescind one or both licenses, leaving a potential new licensee "stuck with a highly impaired band" without those OOBE protections. It said instead the agency should wait for the outcome in court of its appeal before it acts on the waiver request.

The U.S. wireless market isn’t effectively competitive, the Competitive Carriers Association said in reply comments on the FCC’s biennial “Communications Marketplace Report.” CCA and NATOA were the only ones to file replies in docket 18-203, though most initial commenters argued the U.S. wireless industry is competitive (see 1807270050). “Suggestions that the market for mobile wireless service is competitive nationwide overlook the market power of AT&T and Verizon and its negative impact on competition, as well as the continuing challenges for deployment in rural and remote areas,” CCA said. “AT&T and Verizon’s combined market share is stifling mobile wireless competition.” NATOA, which filed with the National League of Cities, said local governments aren’t to blame for shortfalls in competition. “Despite the evidence of a healthy market, some commenters assert that local governments are a barrier,” the two said. “These largely unsupported assertions do not stand up to scrutiny.” NATOA and NLC said there are many areas that won’t get investments in wireless infrastructure. “Commenters suggest that shorter shot clocks, deemed granted remedies and cost-based fees, among other things, would drive additional investment throughout the country,” they said. “Outside of the context of FCC proceedings, however, there is no indication that the wireless industry has any significant plans to deploy outside of major markets.”

Neville Ray, T-Mobile chief technology officer, and others from T-Mobile and Sprint, were at the FCC last week to try to build a technical case for the proposed deal between the two companies. Ray met with FCC Wireless Bureau Chief Donald Stockdale and aides to Commissioners Mike O’Rielly and Jessica Rosenworcel, among others, said a filing Monday in docket 18-197. Ray said "he proposed merger of T-Mobile and Sprint will enable New T-Mobile to build the first broad and deep nationwide 5G network that will deliver unprecedented coverage and capacity,” the filing said. “He reviewed the variety of services and applications that could be supported by the combined company’s 5G vision -- and the associated benefits for U.S. consumers. However, he underscored that a robust, high capacity network is needed to bring this vision to reality.”

If Lenovo ships on schedule a 5G “mod” for the Motorola Moto Z3 smartphone in the U.S. early next year, it will be “the first company to provide the 5G mobile experience to customers,” said CEO Yang Yuanqing on an earnings call last week. The goal for the year ending June 30 is to “control” to under $1 billion the annual operating expenses of the Motorola business, he said. If successful, that means Lenovo will have reduced Motorola’s operating expenses by $800 million since buying it from Google for $2.91 billion nearly four years ago (see 1410300029), said Yang. Also last week, Lenovo reported sales in the quarter ended June 30 rose 19 percent to $11.9 billion as a small profit reversed a year-ago quarterly loss.

Sennheiser is asking the FCC to start allowing low-power auxiliary stations, including wireless mics, to use more bandwidth in the TV bands and 600 MHz duplex gap when they employ new technology. In a petition posted Friday, Sennheiser said existing wireless mic technology lets engineers use at most 12 such devices in a 6 MHz channel, but it and other manufacturers are developing wireless multichannel audio systems (WMAS) that combine the signals from multiple devices into a 6 MHz channel instead of giving each its own separate frequency segment. It said spreading each connected device across the full channel width, WMAS allows denser use of the channel by ending the problem of multiple receivers picking up adjacent frequencies. The company asked for amendment of a Section 74.861(e)(5) rule on low-power auxiliary stations so it defines WMAS and allows WMAS system use of 6 MHz of bandwidth when providing the same or better spectrum efficiency as conventional single-channel systems.

A federal court asked litigants to propose a briefing format by Sept. 17 for tribal challenges to a March FCC wireless infrastructure order. "Parties are strongly urged to submit a joint proposal and are reminded that the court looks with extreme disfavor on repetitious submissions and will, where appropriate, require a joint brief of aligned parties with total words not to exceed the standard allotment for a single brief," said an order (in Pacer) Friday of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in United Keetoowah Band v. FCC, No. 18-1129. "Whether the parties are aligned or have disparate interests, they must provide detailed justifications for any request to file separate briefs or to exceed in the aggregate the standard word allotment."