Communication at a distance, especially the electronic transmission of signals via cell phones
Wireless Telecommunications
T-Mobile gains cred in smaller markets as ‘the 5G company’
T-Mobile President and CEO Mike Sievert said his company is focused on rural areas not because that’s where it promised to build out 5G, but because “it’s the size of the prize.” Big wireless carriers tend to be pretty low-key in smaller and more rural areas because the economics don’t pencil out – they represent large geographic areas to cover and fewer people to pay for service.
Facebook partners with Appalachian Power and GigaBeam Networks to provide internet in Virginia
Facebook is partnering with Appalachian Power, a utility that serves the southeastern region of the US, and Virginia-based internet service provider GigaBeam Networks to bring fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and wireless internet service to approximately 6,000 unserved households in Grayson County (VA). In Virginia, Facebook is building new long-haul fiber routes that will connect its Virginia, Ohio, and North Carolina data centers.
T-Mobile talks up its rural broadband ambitions
T-Mobile unveiled plans to expand into rural markets with 5G for mobile and home internet service. The company no longer comes from the position of being a scrappy upstart, or the fourth-largest national carrier. It’s now the second-largest operator in the US, and is leveraging its acquisition of Sprint to set its sights on smaller and rural markets as part of its expansion.
Chairwoman Rosenworcel Remarks to NTIA Spectrum Policy Symposium
At the Federal Communications Commission, we are focusing on five key principles to help guide our 5G future.
WISPA to States: Ignore the Feds on ARPA Wired Broadband Requirement
The Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) has sent a letter to the governors of all 50 states asking them to ignore a prohibition against using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) broadband funding for fixed wireless deployments. The prohibition is included in the interim rules issued by the US Treasury for $350 billion in ARPA funding directed to state and local governments.
Comcast aims to fortify broadband position with devices and services
Comcast hasn’t been shy about touting its network investments on the road to DOCSIS 4.0, but CEO Brian Roberts argued its efforts to innovate around devices and services are also a key part of its plan to fend off broadband competition. Roberts observed that the way consumers use broadband today is “virtually unrecognizable” from ten years ago and said the pace of change is likely to accelerate.
Small wireless carriers feel squeezed on multiple fronts
Small wireless carriers expressed dissatisfaction and concern about several aspects of their business at the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) Annual Convention. They’re concerned that digital-divide money will all go toward fiber, that Universal Service Funds (USF) are drying up, that their spectrum needs are being ignored, and that they’ve missed the boat on private wireless.
Spectrum screen unlikely to happen anytime soon, says Tom Wheeler
Although he’d be all for it, former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler is doubtful that a new spectrum screen would be implemented anytime soon, including before upcoming 5G mid-band spectrum auctions. AT&T filed a petition in September 2021 asking the FCC to establish a mid-band spectrum screen, pointing to T-Mobile’s vast 2.5 GHz mid-band spectrum holdings thanks in large part to its merger with Sprint.
Verizon CEO sees fixed wireless access as 'the next generation of broadband'
Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg highlighted continued momentum in its Fios business but pointed to fixed wireless access as a key tool in its quest to expand its broadband reach further and faster.
Are We Messing Up 5G on Our Way to 6G?
Spectrum policy leadership and planning are critical to complete the US 5G ecosystem while planning for the next-generation wireless technology, 6G. It’s also essential to shed some mistakes of the past. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has indicated that a “whole of government” effort is critical to 5G leadership, and she’s right.