Skepticism about Elon Musk's ambition that Starlink become a fully integrated global carrier delivering fixed broadband and direct-to-device service using its own licensed spectrum is short-sighted, space consultant Carlos Placido wrote Wednesday. Starlink becoming a mobile network operator "could fundamentally transform the mobile ecosystem." An obvious scenario is a bundling of Starlink residential fixed broadband with D2D, he said. But beyond that, "a particularly disruptive move" for SpaceX would be integrating small-cell base station capabilities onto Starlink broadband terminals and antennas, letting customers extend mobile coverage through Starlink's satellite backhaul, Placido said. "The result? A hybrid infrastructure that seamlessly integrates terrestrial and satellite networks into a next-generation mobile connectivity model."
FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty assured Competitive Carriers Association members that the agency understands their need for faster buildouts and access to more spectrum. “We are working to create a regulatory environment that empowers you, the private sector, to build and innovate,” she said in written remarks for CCA's annual convention, posted Wednesday.
Most people are using AI over mobile platforms, which will mean even more data on carrier networks, CTIA President Ajit Pai said at a Politico event Tuesday (see 2509160040). As an example, he talked about a recent vacation with his family to Japan, where he made extensive use of an AI-based travel app. Pai tied AI to CTIA’s push to make more full-power licensed spectrum available for carriers and streamline wireless siting rules. “We’re starting to see more and more companies start to use AI and 5G to make their operations more efficient,” he added. “We’re just scratching the surface.”
The FCC sought comment Tuesday on a July petition by the Safer Buildings Coalition (SBC) urging the FCC to launch a rulemaking on guidelines for getting consent from licensees to install signal boosters (see 2507210025). Comments are due Oct. 16, replies Oct. 31, said a Public Safety Bureau notice in docket RM-12009.
VoIP-Pal "does not understand the claims it has tried to plead," wireless companies said in a reply filed Friday with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (case 1:24-cv-03051). The company is suing AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile for using their market dominance to withhold unbundled voice-over-Wi-Fi calling and texting from consumers (see 2410300004).
NextNav countered the arguments that RFID company Avery Dennison made in its challenge to NextNav’s proposal to offer a terrestrial complement to GPS using 900 MHz spectrum (see 2507280039). Avery Dennison said in a filing last month that NextNav’s proposal “presents a significant threat to the continued effective operation of the RFID ecosystem, which plays a vital role across multiple industries, including logistics, retail, airline, consumer goods, and healthcare.”
Federated Wireless Chief Technology Officer Kurt Schaubach touted the importance of the citizens broadband radio service (CBRS) band in a meeting with FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty, according to a filing Monday in docket 17-258. Federated officials called for “critical” changes to rules for the band to further spur deployment.
Many companies and local governments are turning to private 5G networks as a way to address connectivity issues, ResearchAndMarkets.com said in a report Friday. The report cited numerous examples of how the networks are being used. It also noted that while most of the networks rely on gear from traditional wireless infrastructure companies, including Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei and ZTE, “alternative suppliers are continuing to gain traction.”
Regulators "may need to define cautious regulatory frameworks" for direct-to-device (D2D) service using terrestrial mobile spectrum to protect incumbent services there, GSMA said in a paper Friday. It said one option for regulators is for D2D operations to protect existing services in accordance with ITU's radio regulations, with D2D operating on a no-interference/no-protection basis. Another option is creating secondary allocations in certain mobile bands, along with some conditions to ensure that D2D operations don't cause harmful interference to terrestrial mobile.
Representatives of the Ecommerce Innovation Alliance met with an aide to Chairman Brendan Carr on the group’s pursuit of a declaratory ruling finding that people who provide prior express written consent to receive text messages can't claim damages under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act for those received outside the hours of 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (see 2503030036).