Bevin Fletcher

Verizon’s deployment of mid-band spectrum for 5G is delivering boosts to download speeds for users connected to C-band, according to new analysis from Opensignal –  getting the carrier closer as it works to catch up to speed leader T-Mobile. Verizon and AT&T both started activating C-band spectrum in the 3.7 GHz range on January 19.

Boost Mobile appears happy with an earlier go selling Cox prepaid home internet service at its retail stores in a few markets, as distribution has expanded more broadly to all Boost store locations within the cable operator’s footprint. In December 2021, Boost Mobile, the Dish-owned prepaid brand, started selling Cox’s Straight Up Internet service in select stores in Las Vegas (NV) and Phoenix (AZ) while mulling a wider push.

T-Mobile struck out again in its effort to claim America’s most reliable 5G network after an unsuccessful appeal to an advertising industry review board. T-Mobile said it will follow recommendations from the National Advertising Review Board (NARB) to stop all express and implied claims of having the most reliable 5G network based on data from network testing company umlaut.

Fresh off the heels of a partnership announcement, Samsung and Amdocs disclosed the deployment of a private CBRS network for Howard University in Washington (DC). The installation is providing connectivity for more than 6,000 students on campus. It marks the first deployment highlighting Samsung and Amdocs' new collaboration for private 4G/5G networks, including for CBRS and fixed wireless applications.

AT&T CEO John Stankey revealed the operator is conducting market tests of a multi-gig fiber service and plans to capitalize on an industry shift to bundled connectivity. Stankey stated rising bandwidth demand for use cases like video will require a robust fixed connection and highlighted a positive consumer response to a multi-gig fiber pilot it is running.

Boost Mobile said it’s going after the big three carriers head-on with a new annual unlimited plan that costs $25 per month. It’s the latest in what the Dish-owned prepaid brand is calling “Carrier Crusher” plans. The first launched in November 2021 offering wireless service with talk text and 1GB of data for an annual price of $100. That targeted customers who use less than 10GB of data per month, while the new focus is on unlimited. Both new and existing customers can get the latest no-frills unlimited plan that includes talk, text and data.

Despite Americans using significantly more data over fixed networks than mobile, a new Mobile Experts report quantifies how consumers put a premium on the value they ascribe to mobile service. "Fixed Mobile Convergence 2021," the report from Mobile Experts, puts figures to the idea of this so-called “mobility premium” and forecasts the trend of fixed mobile convergence. It found that the average US household consumes over 11 times more data over fixed networks versus mobile access.

Stepping customers up into unlimited plans is a focus of many carrier promotions, but ahead of the holidays Boost Mobile is going in the opposite direction with a new wireless plan that costs $100 for a year of service and allots 1GB of monthly high-speed data. Dish-owned Boost Mobile is dubbing it a “Carrier Crusher” plan, which also includes unlimited talk and text for what comes out to about $8.33 per month. According to Boost, it’s going after people who use less than 10GB of data per month but are paying for pricier unlimited plans.

The Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) says more money needs to be allocated to ensure 5G makes its way into rural areas that likely wouldn’t get the new technology without support. Specifically, it has eyes on $11 billion more for the Federal Communications Commission’s 5G Fund. CCA released a new analysis that pegs the total initial cost of investment – from both private and federal funds – at $36 billion to reach ubiquitous nationwide 5G coverage in areas where carriers are unlikely to deploy without support.

T-Mobile is claiming a new first for standalone (SA) 5G. The operator used a combo of 2.5 GHz and mmWave spectrum to reach nearly 5 Gbps on its commercial SA 5G network. T-Mobile said it’s the world’s first New Radio Dual Connectivity (NR DC) data call on a commercial standalone 5G network, which resulted in download speeds of 4.95 Gbps.