The FCC Wireless Bureau sought comment Wednesday on AT&T’s proposed buy of 3.45 GHz licenses from UScellular. Because the acquisition would give AT&T more than 40 MHz of 3.45 GHz spectrum holdings in some markets, the company must seek a waiver under FCC rules, said a bureau notice. Petitions to deny are due April 25, oppositions May 12 and replies May 22, in docket 25-150.
Ericsson and SoftBank announced Wednesday a memorandum of understanding establishing a strategic partnership for “evaluating, promoting and co-creating 'NextWave Tech.’” The companies will focus on “advancing to the next stage” technologies, including AI, cloud-based radio access networks, extended reality and 6G. “The partnership seeks to explore new use cases and drive technological advancements that will shape the future of cellular networks and its architectures,” they said. "This new collaboration with SoftBank marks a significant step forward in realizing the full potential of AI-powered connectivity technologies,” said Ericsson Japan President Jawad Manssour.
The FCC Wireless Bureau has established the application process for parties seeking certification as a space launch frequency coordinator for the space launch service under the agency's Part 26 rules. In a public notice Tuesday in docket 24-687, the bureau said applicants will need to show they meet minimum qualifying criteria, including an ability to complete coordination using machine-to-machine interface with any NTIA automated coordination process. Separately, the bureau issued licensing and coordination procedures for the commercial space launch service (docket 13-115).
The FCC asked for comment Wednesday on a petition for rulemaking that the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) filed asking the agency to modify the power maximum effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) limits for the 4.9 GHz band. The changes are aimed at allowing the band to be used more effectively for 5G. In October, a unanimous FCC changed the rules for the public-safety spectrum, giving FirstNet access to the band (see 2410220027). Comments are due April 25, replies May 12, in docket 07-100.
The FCC should require that before space launches, the space launch frequency coordinator work with the Enterprise Wireless Alliance (EWA), the FCC-designated coordinator for medical body area networks (MBAN), said GE HealthCare Technologies. In a docket 13-115 filing posted Wednesday recapping a meeting with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr's office, GE reiterated its argument that the MBAN rules aren't intended to protect commercial space launch operations in the 2360-2395 MHz band (see 2503240039). GE said EWA coordination would determine whether the proposed launch operations in the 2360-2395 MHz band would occur within 200 miles of a registered MBAN deployment and let the MBAN and space launch operations coexist through such steps as isolating spectrum use or lowering the transmit power of the space launch operations.
Verizon Chief Revenue Officer Frank Boulben warned Wednesday that the carrier had a rocky start to 2025 in subscriber churn. Speaking at a New Street financial conference, Boulben said Verizon ended its holiday promotions in January, as it does every year. “For the first time, certainly since I've been with Verizon, our competitors didn't follow,” he said. AT&T and T-Mobile buyout promotions “have been particularly aggressive,” he said. “We've seen a lot of switching activity as a result.”
The Better Business Bureau's National Advertising Division sided with Verizon against T-Mobile's challenge of advertising claims that Verizon made about its Frontline program for first responders. T-Mobile challenged two Verizon commercials, “asserting they misleadingly suggest Verizon is the only network that prioritizes first responders” and “argued that all three major carriers provide such services, including their own, which features advanced technology,” NAD said Tuesday. The decision found that Verizon’s claim that it offers a network “that truly prioritizes first responders” doesn’t “reasonably convey a message that Verizon Frontline is the exclusive network that prioritizes first responders while other networks do not.”
In a shake-up at Crown Castle, the tower company announced that Steven Moskowitz “has been terminated” as president and CEO with CFO Dan Schlanger replacing him on an interim basis. Moskowitz was named to the post last April. Crown Castle announced last week agreements to sell its fiber unit to Zayo and its small-cell business to EQT for a total of $8.5 billion (see 2503140021).
EchoStar disagreed sharply with a recent NCTA study that raised concerns about proposals to relax in-band emissions limits in the citizens broadband radio service band (see 2503060016). Other technical studies “disprove NCTA’s arguments that there is a binary choice between high power use and protecting [general authorized access users], sharing, and incumbents,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 17-258. EchoStar’s studies show that power levels and “updating the in-band and out-of-band emission limits will increase spectrum utility without harming federal or commercial incumbents,” EchoStar said, recapping its meeting with an aide to FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks.
Zebra representatives discussed the importance of RAIN RFID in the 900 MHz band during meetings with staff of the four FCC commissioners, the Wireless Bureau and the Office of Engineering and Technology. RAIN refers to "a specific subset of RFID technology that operates in the ultra-high frequency (UHF) range," said a filing posted Monday in docket 24-240. The company opposed NextNav’s proposal to use part of the band for an alternative to GPS, it said. “Zebra emphasized the explosive growth in RAIN RFID systems in recent years and the continued reliance” on the technology “as the backbone of inventory management, asset tracking, supply chain logistics, access control, animal tracking, and loss prevention.”