CTIA representatives met with aides to FCC Commissioners Geoffrey Starks, Nathan Simington and Anna Gomez on changes the group is seeking to a draft Further NPRM on 911 wireless location accuracy (see 2503190025). “CTIA and its member companies stand ready to work with the FCC and public safety partners to take a fresh look at the FCC’s regulatory framework to further enhance wireless 911 location accuracy,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 07-114. The FNPRM is set for a commissioner vote March 27 (see 2503060061).
Comments are due April 17, replies May 19, on the FCC's Further NPRM on wireless emergency alerts (WEA), in dockets 15-94 and 15-91. Commissioners approved the FNPRM 4-0 last month (see 2502270042). “The Commission proposes to broaden the circumstances in which alert originators may send WEA messages using the ‘Public Safety Message’ classification, which can allow consumers greater flexibility in how messages are presented on their mobile device, including the potential ability to silence alerts,” said a Wednesday notice from the Public Safety Bureau. “The Commission also seeks comment on whether subscribers should be empowered to further customize their receipt of WEA messages, as well as additional steps that wireless providers, equipment manufacturers, and operating system developers can take to reduce the rate at which subscribers opt out of WEA.”
NAB discussed a broadcaster alternative to GPS in meetings at the FCC about a draft notice of inquiry scheduled for a vote March 27 (see 2503060061). After conversations last week with aides to Chairman Brendan Carr and Commissioner Anna Gomez (see 2503130038), the latest meetings were with staff from across the FCC's bureaus and offices. “NAB looks forward to participating in the proceeding and hopes that the Commission will move expeditiously to support broadcasters’ full deployment of Next Gen TV, which will in turn allow broadcasters to fulfill the crucial need for complementary and alternative [positioning, navigation and timing] solutions,” said a filing posted this week in docket 25-110.
T-Mobile wants to sell hundreds of 800 MHz licenses to Grain Management, partially in exchange for 600 MHz spectrum. Grain, in turn, plans to work with utilities and others to deploy services on the 800 MHz spectrum.
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).