CTIA sought extensive tweaks to a draft Further NPRM on 911 wireless location accuracy, set for a vote by the FCC on March 27 (see 2503060061). Representatives spoke with an aide to Chairman Brendan Carr. CTIA is the only party to file an ex parte in docket 07-114 since the FNPRM was circulated.
T-Mobile announced Tuesday that it set a download speed record of 6.3 Gbps in field tests, using a 5G stand-alone network, sub-6 GHz spectrum and six-carrier aggregation. “Calling these record-breaking speeds ‘impressive’ would be an understatement,” T-Mobile said. With that throughput, “you could stream every Super Bowl ever played in 8K resolution -- simultaneously,” the provider said. T-Mobile used Nokia 5G network equipment and gear from Qualcomm and Samsung in the tests. T-Mobile’s record speeds “were achieved in real-world field conditions on our production network, demonstrating both reliability and practicality,” said a news release. “By leveraging its unique mix of owned spectrum bands (2.5GHz, PCS, AWS and 600MHz), T-Mobile has delivered results that are not just impressive but grounded in real world conditions.”
The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) released Tuesday the executive summary for its guidance publication "5G Cybersecurity." NCCoE asked for comment by April 16.
NATE, which represents infrastructure builders, released Tuesday its “Work Zone Safety Guidelines.” The new guide “provides a high-level overview of work zone safety, addressing select critical topics that aim to reduce accidents and improve operational efficiency,” the group said. “While the document offers valuable insights, it is not intended to cover the full scope of work zone safety, allowing employers the flexibility to tailor their own safety plans to meet unique needs and specific circumstances.”
EchoStar's deployed 5G sites are updated to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 17 standard, as it committed to as part of its 2024 construction milestone request, the company told the FCC Tuesday (docket 22-212). It said it had to meet the 3GPP upgrade commitment by June 14.
T-Mobile provided additional answers to the FCC in response to questions posed in December about the carrier's buy of wireless assets from UScellular (see 2412270031). The companies announced in May an agreement where T-Mobile would purchase “substantially all” of the smaller carrier’s wireless operations, including some of its spectrum, in a deal valued at about $4.4 billion, including $2 billion in assumed debt (see 2405280047).
Verizon representatives met with FCC Wireless Bureau staff to discuss the spectral dynamics of the citizens broadband radio service band. While higher allowed equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) levels create “larger cells, which offer more coverage area, propagation losses are identical, regardless of power level,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 17-258. “The propagation ‘slope’ dictates the ratio of cell edge (cell size area) to interfered area. … This ratio (interference area/cell area) is the same regardless of cell size or allowed EIRP.”
Field Radio Systems asked the FCC to certify it as a commercial operator license examination manager. The company “specializes in off-grid and field communication solutions, providing both equipment and educational training for amateur radio operators, communities, and industry professionals,” said an undocketed filing posted Monday: “We operate a robust Learning Management System for administering technical training and certification courses.”
A lawyer for the International Bridge, Tunnel & Turnpike Association spoke with an aide to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to ask about adding a question to the commission's draft notice of inquiry on alternatives to GPS for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT). Commissioners are slated to vote on the NOI on March 27 (see 2503060061). NextNav’s proposal for PNT in the 900 MHz band has long been controversial. The NOI should ask about “interference implications for incumbent spectrum users associated with any of the PNT solutions discussed in this NOI,” the association said in a filing posted Monday in docket 25-110. “The addition of this question will produce a more complete record to support Commission decision-making.”
Starry representatives provided an update on the company’s operations and the importance of the 37 GHz band in a meeting with an aide to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. The band is critical “for serving a variety of use cases, especially the band’s unique capacity to enable robust broadband services, including gigabit fixed broadband,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 24-243. Starry “encouraged the Commission to continue its efforts to make spectrum available for innovative wireless services by finalizing the sharing rules for the Lower 37 GHz Band in the near term.” The 37 GHz band was the topic of a DOD study completed last year as part of the Joe Biden administration’s national spectrum strategy (see 2412030057). In August, the FCC released a public notice about the band's future (see 2408090034).