Martha DeGrasse

The Federal Communications Commission wants to prohibit US companies from using its Universal Service Fund (USF) to buy equipment that could pose "a national security threat to the integrity of communications networks or the communications supply chain." That's broadly understood to mean network infrastructure made by China's Huawei and ZTE, two companies that the largest American carriers stopped working with in the US almost six years ago due to pressure from Congress. Nonetheless, US carriers are pushing back against the FCC's latest proposal.

AT&T said it has agreed to purchase FiberTower and its millimeter wave spectrum rights for an undisclosed amount. FiberTower owns licenses in the 24GHz and 39GHz bands, and provides wireless services to carriers, enterprises and government entities. Carriers typically use FiberTower’s services for wireless backhaul. The FiberTower acquisition will help AT&T realize its vision for 5G and centralized radio access networks, the carrier said.

In urban areas, AT&T plans to deploy remote radio heads linked to central baseband processing units. These links can be accomplished with fiber when it is available, but installing new fiber for every C-RAN deployment would be expensive and often impractical because of zoning and permitting issues. FiberTower says its 24GHz and 39GHz spectrum can provide more than 200 high capacity links per square kilometer, and the company has been actively marketing this solution to carriers. The company holds licenses in most states and in several major metropolitan areas, including Washington, D.C., Boston, Baltimore and Detroit.