Wireless Telecommunications

Communication at a distance, especially the electronic transmission of signals via cell phones

How fixed wireless access emerged a killer app in 5G

We at Mobile Experts have been tracking the fixed wireless access (FWA) market for many years. In 2017, we predicted that 5G FWA would be a success.

Charter, Starlink, and Verizon Introduce Hurricane Helene Relief

Charter Communications, SpaceX’s Starlink, and Verizon announced how they are providing free internet and wireless phone communications—and financial and other resources—to residents in areas affected by Hurricane Helene. Charter announced that last week it had opened close to 90,000 Spectrum out-of-home Wi-Fi access points in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and bordering areas.

Is More Unlicensed Spectrum the Best Path Forward?

The best approach to the future of W-Fi is better use of existing spectrum, not adding more unlicensed spectrum, according to Richard Bennett, a network engineer who contributed to the original Wi-Fi specification, 802.11n, and ultra-wideband standards. Bennett’s study, “Lessons from the History of Wi-Fi,” found that larger channels offer only “incremental improvements only at very close range”. Newer versions of Wi-Fi using existing unlicensed spectrum near the router are capable of avoiding bottlenecks in the home.

AM Radio’s Day Has Passed

The Federal Communications Commission concluded in 2009 that AM radio was dying: Listeners under 35 were “almost non-existent.” Responding to lagging consumer interest, vehicle manufacturers began leaving AM tuners out of cars—especially in electric vehicles, where the tuners are subject to electromagnetic interference. So why, weeks ago, did the House Commerce Committee overwhelmingly pass a measure requiring manufacturers to include AM radios in all new vehicles?

Federated Wireless’s Adaptive Network Planner Aims to Ease BEAD Deployments

The Adaptive Network Planner—announced by Federated Wireless—aims to help fixed wireless access (FWA) and private networks efficiently and effectively leverage Citizens Band Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum for Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) projects. Federated Wireless says that the CBRS is better suited for BEAD deployments than 5 GHz, 6 GHz or satellite approaches. However, its use requires advanced dynamic planning and related capabilities.

Here’s how operators are recovering from Hurricane Helene's destruction

More than a million residents in the southeastern U.S. started the week without fixed broadband and plenty more without cell phone service after Hurricane Helene brought never-before-seen levels of flooding to the valleys of Appalachia. Some operators on the extent of the damage and anticipated timelines for recovery:

Verizon Strikes $3.3 Billion Tower Deal With Vertical Bridge

Verizon Communications reached a $3.3 billion deal that gives Vertical Bridge the exclusive rights to lease, operate and manage thousands of wireless communications towers over at least 10 years. The two companies said the agreement is structured as a prepaid lease, with upfront payments of about $2.8 billion in cash.

DirecTV Agrees to Merge With Satellite Rival Dish

DirecTV agreed to buy Dish from owner EchoStar for a nominal $1, plus the assumption of roughly $9.8 billion in debt. That merger depends on an agreement with bondholders to write off about $1.6 billion of the Dish obligations as well as approval from multiple federal regulators. Merging Dish with DirecTV would bolster both brands’ profits as their customer bases erode. The deal would create the largest U.S.

Cell service is still out in Western North Carolina

The effects of Hurricane Helene are still impacting the southeastern U.S., with widespread cell service outages in Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, days after the Category 4 storm made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region.

Assessing the substitutability of mobile and fixed internet: The impact of 5G services on consumer valuation and price elasticity

In this study, we explore the dynamics of consumer choices in the Polish telecommunications market, focusing on preferences and valuations for home fixed, home mobile, and purely mobile Internet connections. Key attributes such as speed, latency, data limits, and cost are examined. Central to our research is the investigation of how the integration of 5G technology might influence demand elasticity.