Fierce
Dish cuts more jobs amid spectrum reshuffle
Dish Network already is spinning more heads than some companies do in an entire year. Among the revelations: More layoffs at Dish Network, affecting employees at its Colorado headquarters. Dish is transferring certain spectrum licenses to an EchoStar holding company.
It's challenging to determine BEAD-eligible locations, says Wireless 20/20
It will be super complicated for states to define the bidding areas for Broadband Equity, Access & Deployment (BEAD) grants. Some states may define bid areas by census blocks, school districts, or some other defined geography or cluster, while other states may go with a “free-for-all” approach, allowing bidders to say where they want to bid.
Windstream claims 1 Tbps milestone using Cisco, Ciena tech
In a new trial Windstream and Cisco claimed the industry’s first successful 1 Terabit per second transmission over 1,100 kilometers, done across multiple routes on Windstream's Intelligent Converged Optical Network (ICON). The trial showcased the compatibility of multi-vendor technologies on Windstream's disaggregated architecture, using components from Cisco, Acacia Communications (a Cisco subsidiary) and a third-party line system vendor, Ciena. It also marked progress in Windstream's development of ZR+ modules for high-speed wave services.
Is the Affordable Connectivity Program doomed?
The fate of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) hangs in the balance. Amid warnings that the internet subsidy program will shut down this spring without additional funds, Congress proposed legislation that would allocate another $7 billion to the ACP pool. But chances of the bill becoming law is “significantly below 50%,” said New Street Research’s Blair Levin. The $7 billion allotment is slightly higher than the $6 billion figure the Federal Communications Commission requested, saying it would extend ACP benefits through the end of the year.
T-Mobile chronicles 5G achievements since Sprint merger
There’s not much new in T-Mobile’s latest report to the Federal Communications Commission on the progress it’s made since its merger with Sprint. The report, submitted on January 2, centers on the network milestones that T-Mobile has accomplished with respect to its 3-year commitments for nationwide 5G deployment, which includes low-band and mid-band 5G coverage, 5G sites, download speeds and more.
Vexus Fiber expansion marches on in Huntsville, TX
Vexus Fiber kicked off the new year by launching service to its first customers in Huntsville (TX) after beginning construction in late 2023. Nearly 500 Huntsville homes and businesses are now connected to Vexus Fiber, with first active service areas located south and southwest of Interstate 45.
Archtop closes WVT acquisition, expands to New Jersey
Archtop Fiber closed its acquisition of New York-based Warwick Valley Telephone (WVT), marking the provider’s third acquisition in five months as it continues expanding in the northeast US. With WVT under its belt, Archtop will serve customers in New York’s Orange County, the Mid-Hudson Valley and northwestern New Jersey with an XGS-PON network. Archtop will overlash fiber onto WVT’s existing lines and rebrand the company to WVT Fiber. The acquisition came via a stock purchase agreement with Momentum Telecom, WVT’s previous owner and a provider of managed cloud communications services.
Lack of auction authority stymied FCC in 2023
Although the Federal Communications Commission did not have its auction authority for most of 2023, some important events came to pass. The wireless industry lobbied much of the year for reallocation of spectrum in the 3.1-3.45 GHz band, which didn’t happen. The Biden Administration delivered a plan for a National Spectrum Strategy, which includes further study of the 3.1-3.45 GHz band.
2023's fiber achievements: AT&T, Google Fiber and more
As the curtain begins to rise on the prospect of $42.5 billion in Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) deployments, many are looking ahead to see what the historic investment will mean for broadband expansion. But before we turn our gaze toward the future, let's pause and reflect on the fiber milestones achieved thus far. A November 2023 analysis from New Street Research revealed that the telecommunications industry collectively increased fiber locations by 1.8 million in the third quarter of this year, with “most of the increase driven by AT&T.”