Hikvision representatives met with FCC Office of Engineering and Technology staff seeking guidance on the commission’s information disclosure rules, said a filing last week in docket 21-232. Representatives explained that ownership of the China-based company is complicated. “OET acknowledged the challenges of gathering the information and Hikvision advised that it would update its disclosure as it obtains additional information,” the filing said.

Dahua Technology fired back at IPVM as the two continue fighting about Dahua USA’s request for confidentially on its compliance plan with FCC supply chain security rules (see 2405310033). “IPVM’s latest filings continue the organization’s pattern of presenting misrepresentations, baseless speculation, and outright falsehoods about Dahua USA to the Commission as fact,” a filing posted Wednesday in docket 21-232 said: The FCC should “disregard IPVM’s irrelevant and inaccurate claims.”

Vodafone Group completed Zegona Communications' acquisition of Vodafone Spain for $5.4 billion, Vodafone said Friday. The U.K.-based company announced the sale in October. Spanish regulators recently approved the deal (see 2405150022).

USDA's Rural Utilities Service added countries to its list of those eligible for purchases by telecom and electric program award recipients, said a notice for Thursday's Federal Register. The announcement comes after the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative published a list in September determining which countries' products receive "the same treatment as manufactured and unmanufactured products" made in the U.S.

Mexico's 5G auction, set for 2025, “faces hurdles as high spectrum fees deter operator interest,” GlobalData told investors Thursday. The auction will offer licenses in the 600 and 1427-1518 MHz bands, including some covering small geographic areas, and unused licenses in the 800 MHz, 1.7/2.1 GHz, 1.9 GHz and 2.5 GHz bands, the firm said. “Concerns linger as past spectrum license returns highlight the financial strain on operators, potentially impacting the auction's outcome,” GlobalData said.

Spanish authorities approved Zegona Communications’ buy of Vodafone’s Spanish operations, Vodafone said Tuesday. The deal was valued at $5.41 billion. A combination of debt and equity will finance the transaction. The U.K.-based company announced the sale in October.

China-based Hikvision USA answered FCC questions on its proposed plan for compliance with agency rules (see 2308070047) and requested confidential treatment on information filed. The filing notes that Hikvision equipment is sold in the U.S. through distributors and original equipment manufacturers and provides data on its marketing. The data was redacted from the filing, posted Tuesday in docket 21-352.

The U.K.’s Office of Communications laid out its plan for making parts of the 26 and 40 GHz bands available for 5G through auctions. Ofcom said it will make a total of 6.25 GHz available “for mobile services globally, and for 5G in Europe.” Ofcom said it's adopting assignment stage rules it proposed a year ago. “Having considered stakeholders’ comments, we have decided not to include a negotiation period in the assignment stage of the auction,” Ofcom said: “However, to facilitate post auction spectrum trading, we will enable bidders to start negotiating in the period immediately after notifying the assignment stage results to bidders and before the auction licenses have been granted.”

The EU-U.S. Trade and Technology Council will likely continue if former President Donald Trump is reelected, European Commission officials said during a Wednesday briefing. The sixth TTC meeting will occur Thursday and Friday in Leuven, Belgium. It's the last of this political cycle, given U.S. and European elections later in the year. The EC doesn't expect too much disruption of TTC's work, which includes deliverables on 6G, platforms, standardization, AI and quantum computing, officials said. In response to our question about how the TTC can future-proof itself in the face of a possible second Trump presidency, one official cautioned against making too many projections on election results now. The EC believes a "critical mass" of activities has occurred in TTC working groups, demonstrating the importance of these issues for both sides. Regardless of the political situation, the official added, in the technology market, if a country wants to be serious about AI, semiconductor chips and other matters, it would be "foolish" to think it can do it alone. In fact, the official said, the TTC concept is attributed to Trump, who called for talks on trade and technology. Asked whether there's anything the TTC could do if this week's sessions are its final meetings, a second official said the council has shown a good deal of scope for cooperation, something that's politically attractive to both sides and is underpinned by the massive trans-Atlantic trade relationship. A third official noted the EC is building a structured process to prepare for the outcome of the U.S. presidential election. As such, meetings will take stock of previous agreements and discuss pre-election activities, officials said. The TTC has already achieved a great deal, such as helping coordinate trans-Atlantic responses to Russia's attack on Ukraine and creating a relationship for cooperation in the green marketplace, they said. Members will discuss a sustainable and resilient trans-Atlantic marketplace, which will result in a joint declaration on electronic invoicing and an agreement to continue working on digital tools to simplify the relationship; economic security issues such as investment screening and outbound investment; secure and resilient supply chains; and trade and labor issues. The council is also focused on critical materials; it will launch a security forum on minerals after the meeting. In addition, a joint statement will review what the TTC has achieved and discuss its next steps. "As long-time allies and close trading partners, the EU and the U.S. have the chance to set the tone for the next mandate of each partner, making it the 'mandate of cooperation,'" the Computer and Communications Industry Association said separately. However, it added, the time for the council to serve as a meaningful venue to address ongoing burdens U.S. suppliers face in the EU market "is running out."

Comparisons of 5G spectrum allocations and investments in China, the U.S. and Europe often lack detail or rely on data with different definitions, Dean Bubley of Disruptive Analysis wrote in a LinkedIn post Wednesday. Such comparisons "are mostly political and competitive." In addition, those who make such comparisons are often seeking more stringent regulation of a perceived competitor, he said. Claims that China has more midband spectrum allocated than the U.S. ignore that the 3.3-3.4GHz is dedicated for shared, indoor use by multiple mobile network operators, while 200MHz in the lower 6 GHz band is for "localised enterprise private networks," he said. Citing wireless interests seeking additional spectrum for fixed wireless access, Bubley said it is "rather disingenuous ... to complain about traffic volumes on mobile networks ... and then specifically promote services that they know will use 20x more data per subscriber."