telecompetitor

Secretary Sonny Perdue didn’t have many new details to share about the upcoming $600 million US Department of Agriculture rural broadband pilot when he addressed stakeholders at a USTelecom event. But his comments suggested that could change soon. “I’ve challenged my people to have a solid plan in place by the end of the year,” said Sec Perdue. He also noted that “we are close to determining the rules but we’re not there just yet.” He noted that USDA received more than 250 comments from stakeholders in response to the agency’s request for input on the pilot program.

The power of 5G won’t be cheap, Strategy Analytics points out in a new report about 5G smartphone costs. The phones are expected to sell for more than $1,000 ($750 wholesale) when they are introduced -- and 5G device prices will decline at a much slower pace compared to 3G and 4G handsets. At those prices, subsidies will need to return for acceptance of these devices by the mass market, the firm adds.

The Competitive Carriers Association report “Assessment of the Economic Impact of The Airwaves Act" estimates that at least $1.5 billion could be raised for rural wireless in upcoming auctions of spectrum in the 24 GHz and 28 GHz bands, with additional funding to come from other auctions. The bill, sponsored by Sen Cory Gardner (R-CO), would require the Federal Communications Commission to complete auctions during each of the next three calendar years and to dedicate 10% of auction proceeds toward rural wireless. According to them, the issue is that the 28 GHz spectrum auction will not cove

Three of the nation’s four largest wireless carriers are poised to bid in the upcoming Federal Communications Commission auctions of millimeter wave spectrum, according to a new FCC public notice. Millimeter wave spectrum is expected to support 5G wireless services offering speeds as high as a gigabit per second or more. And although some people have argued that millimeter wave 5G is unlikely to be deployed in rural areas, several small rural carriers also are on the list of potential millimeter wave auction bidders released by the commission.

The average fixed wireless speed used in the US and Canada is 3.5 Mbps downstream, according to new research conducted by Preseem, a company that focuses on quality of experience monitoring and optimization for wireless internet service providers (WISPs). It’s important to note that 3.5 Mbps is not the average download speed offered by the WISPs, which is probably higher. Average fixed wireless speed was only slightly higher at peak times than it was overall, according to Preseem.