AT&T Outlines FWA Plans

By Martha DeGrasse, Inside Towers Contributing Analyst

With Charter and Comcast together adding just shy of a million new mobile lines in Q4, the competition between wireless network operators and broadband providers continues to intensify. While cablecos muscle into mobile, telcos are building their fiber and fixed wireless access businesses and taking market share from traditional ISPs. Fixed wireless access has gotten a lot of attention from analysts since it enables mobile network operators to use existing tower leases and radio assets to offer broadband internet service. T-Mobile and Verizon have been updating Wall Street on their quarterly progress with FWA for residential customers, while AT&T has continually endorsed fiber to the home (FTTH) as its preferred home broadband bet. Continue Reading

Lumen Feels the Need for Speed

By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor

Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN), based in Monroe, LA, has stepped up its optical transport game with its nationwide 400 Gbps (400G) wavelength network rollout. This comes after a significant dark fiber network expansion in the U.S. At the end of 2022, Lumen reported it upgraded over 24,000 fiber route-miles across its U.S. intercity network. This expansion bolsters network performance and supports the deployment of its next-generation optical platform that is specifically designed to deliver customer wavelength services up to 400G now and higher speeds in the future. Lumen is building scalable networks in data centers and the public cloud, designed to follow where customer data and applications reside so Enterprises can gain faster connections to the big cloud service providers. The company says that its wavelength services will help modernize customers' core digital network with required resiliency, scalability, and ultra-low latency to help businesses grow. Wavelengths are private, dedicated fiber connections with optical encryption that protects data as it is transported. Enterprise customers can customize network services to support their digital needs using a Lumen-furnished app called Topology Viewer. Continue Reading

Nokia Global Sales on the Rise

By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor

Nokia (NYSE: NOK), headquartered in Espoo, Finland, bolstered its position as a leading global communications equipment supplier with double digit top line growth in 2022. Consolidated sales grew 12 percent year-over-year to $27 billion, and operating profit grew 9 percent to $2.5 billion. During 2022, Nokia invested $4.9 billion or 18 percent of sales in research and development. For 2023, the company is projecting sales of $27-29 billion with operating margins in the 11.5-14 percent range. Pekka Lundmark, Nokia President and CEO comments, “As we look into 2023, even as some developed markets, like North America, mature, other markets, like India, are just starting to ramp up. So, we see the addressable markets for Mobile Networks continuing to grow. With the recent deals won, we believe we are in a strong position to outperform the market.” Continue Reading

AT&T Reports on 5G and Fiber Buildout Goals

By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor

AT&T (NYSE: T) is executing on its two strategic initiatives – the buildout of its nationwide 5G network, and expansion of its fiber network both within and outside its operating footprint. Its year-end 2022 results reflect that progress. The company expanded its retail wireless customer base to 104 million postpaid and prepaid subscribers, up over 3 percent on a year over year basis. Including connected devices and reseller lines, AT&T’s wireless network supported over 217 million connections on December 31.  It is ahead of schedule with its C-band 5G spectrum rollout objective, now reaching 150 million mid-band 5G POPs, more than double its initial 2022 year-end target. Where mid-band 5G is deployed, 25 percent of the traffic already utilizes that spectrum. The company expects to cover more than 200 million people with mid-band 5G by the end of 2023. Continue Reading

Verizon Closes Out 2022 On a High Note

By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor

Not to be outdone by its wireless and cable company rivals, Verizon (NYSE: VZ) reported strong 4Q22 results and offered a positive outlook for its 2023 operations. Despite some quarterly gyrations during 2022, one of the more closely watched performance metrics is subscriber net additions. In Verizon’s case, this metric applies to wireless retail comprising postpaid and prepaid subs, fixed wireless access, and wireline broadband under the company’s FiOS-branded fiber-to-the-home service. For the year, the company had 2.2 million postpaid and prepaid wireless net adds, 1.2 million in 4Q alone, bringing its industry-leading total to 143.3 million wireless retail subscribers. Wireless service revenues for 2022 grew nearly 9 percent year-over-year to over $74 billion, accounting for 54 percent of the company’s total revenues. Continue Reading

American Tower Considers Takeover Bid of Cellnex

By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor

American Tower Corporation (NYSE: AMT) and Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. are considering a takeover bid for Barcelona-based tower company Cellnex Telecom, including taking it off the stock market, Spanish news outlet Okdiario reported last Friday. Cellnex’ stock rose based on the news, while American Tower’s fell.  The report of a possible deal came on the heels of a shake up in management at Cellnex. The tower company appointed Alfonso Álvarez as chief executive of its subsidiary in the United Kingdom, replacing David Crawford, according to Okdiario. Last week, Inside Towers reported that Tobias Martinez resigned as CEO and Director of Cellnex, effective June 1, 2023. Continue Reading

T‑Mobile Reports Database Hack

By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor

For the second time in as many years, T-Mobile has been hacked. The carrier suffered a database breach that began last November affecting the personal information of 37 million subscribers, according to a filing with the Securities Exchange Commission last week. The hacker obtained access to limited types of information, including name, billing address, email, phone number, date of birth, and the T-Mobile account number of current postpaid and prepaid accounts. On January 5, 2023, T-Mobile identified that someone had obtained data on November 25, 2022, through an Application Programming Interface, commenced an investigation and shut down the malicious activity. “As soon as our teams identified the issue, we shut it down within 24 hours,” the carrier said in a statement. “Our systems and policies prevented the most sensitive types of customer information from being accessed, and as a result, customer accounts and finances should not be put at risk directly by this event.” Continue Reading

FCC Reworks 4.9 GHz, Keeps Public Safety as Primary Use

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

The FCC agreed this week to revamp the 4.9 GHz band to create a new leasing model for unused parts of the spectrum. But it will keep the band’s primary purpose for public safety use. In a Seventh Report and Order and Ninth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the Commission established what it calls a “comprehensive and coordinated” approach to managing the 4940-4990 MHz band while retaining its locally controlled, public safety nature. “In doing so, we solidify the band’s status as public safety spectrum, while also allowing secondary, non-public safety use as agreed to by public safety licensees through a new leasing model,” says the agency. Continue Reading

FCC Proposes $62M Fine Against Q Link Wireless

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

The FCC proposed a $62 million fine against Q Link Wireless LLC for apparently violating the agency’s rules governing Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program reimbursements. In a Notice of Apparent Liability, the Enforcement Bureau alleges the carrier incorrectly claimed hundreds of thousands of dollars in EBB support through the EBB reimbursement program. Q Link Wireless is a limited liability company organized in Delaware and based in Dania Beach, FL. Q Link is a telecommunications carrier that has provided wireless Lifeline service on a resale basis since 2012, operating in 31 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Continue Reading

Bureau of Land Management Gets Industry Backing For Streamlining

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposed to amend its existing regulations to streamline processes for applications and grants under its communications uses program. The changes would affect easements, leases, licenses, and permits. The Wireless Infrastructure Association supports BLM’s efforts. More than 35 percent of rural Americans lack access to broadband services with minimally acceptable speeds, according to BLM. WIA said in filed comments it agrees with BLM that “by making it easier for industry to collocate in and on existing communications facilities or build out new communications infrastructure on public lands, the BLM can play a strong role in increasing connectivity throughout the United States.” Continue Reading

Carriers Head to Alabama and Georgia Following Powerful Tornadoes

T-Mobile announced it sent out its Community Support teams yesterday deploying them to Selma, AL and Griffin, GA with emergency response vehicles that will offer a range of services and supplies including free WiFi, charging stations, charging banks, charging cables and more.

The carrier issued a statement saying its network has been minimally impacted in the hardest hit area of Selma, AL and a small number of sites down in the Griffin, GA area. “We have engineers continuing to assess and closely monitor equipment, and they'll work to restore impacted sites as conditions safely allow,” the statement said. Continue Reading

OTAMs Get More Notice, but for Bad Reason

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

Telecoms and broadcasters know what a NOTAM is. They need to file what is now called a Notice to Air Missions with the FAA to alert pilots to tower light outages and tower construction. Others file NOTAMs to alert pilots to additional potential real-time problems along a flight's path, such as runway closures.   Now, many more people have become familiar with the acronym too, after the FAA’s NOTAM system failed on Wednesday. That spurred the FAA to issue a nationwide ground stop of more than 1,300 flights and delay nearly 10,000 more, according to flight tracker FlightAware.com. Continue Reading

Crown Castle Shares Upbeat 2023 Outlook

By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor

Dan Schlanger, Crown Castle (NYSE: CCI) CFO, at the recent Citi Communications, Media & Entertainment Conference, shared CCI’s 2023 strategic and operating priorities, commenting, “We have a pretty consistent set of priorities. We want to lease up the assets we already own, and we want to build assets that we think we can lease-up over time.” With mobile data demand escalating, CCI is helping MNO tenants identify where additional infrastructure will be needed to meet that demand in 2023 and beyond. Portfolio synergy advantage At the end of 3Q22, CCI reported a diverse portfolio of 40,114 towers, 85,000 fiber route-miles and 115,000 small cells on-air and under contract; all in the U.S. CCI’s mix of towers and fiber was instrumental in landing a 15-year agreement with DISH Network. DISH wanted one provider for both towers and fiber so that it could rapidly deploy new cell sites utilizing CCI’s towers and fiber predominantly in urban areas. With the MLA in place and access to 20,000 towers, DISH has incentives to go on as many CCI sites as they can. Once DISH is on a tower, CCI expects long term amendment growth from that site. Continue Reading

$26M Stands Between Telecoms and Full Use of 5G on C-Band

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

The FAA believes it will cost about $26 million to fix or replace radio or radar altimeters that it says could be susceptible to 5G interference on C-band. That figure is part of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking the FAA issued this week that would apply to transport and commuter planes equipped with such gear. Inside Towers reported the FAA is suggesting that airlines be given another year (to February 2024) to make repairs — delaying when AT&T and Verizon can transmit 5G on C-band frequencies near certain airports. Out of nearly 8,000 airplanes in the U.S. registry, the FAA believes “about 180 airplanes would require radio altimeter replacement and 820 airplanes would require the addition of radio altimeter filters to comply with the proposed modification requirement.” It estimates the filters cost at $5,020 per unit and radio altimeter replacement at “up to $80,000 per airplane.” The exact total estimate given in the NPRM is $26,049,810. Continue Reading

FCC Says Space Bureau is “Go For Launch”

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

UPDATE The FCC voted this week to create a Space Bureau to better support the growing space economy and evolving global telecom market. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel proposed the change last November. At the time, she said the growth of satellite broadband internet plays a big part in the reorganization. Ninety-eight percent of all satellite launches in 2021 were deployed into low-earth orbit to provide internet connectivity on earth, according to the agency. Continue Reading

FAA Directs Airlines to Implement 5G Safeguards by 2024

UPDATE FAA regulations continue to stack up over 5G C-band-tolerant devices on passenger and cargo aircraft that the agency says can help thwart interference. Reuters reported the agency has proposed requiring approved radio altimeters or filters to be installed on planes by early 2024.

This directive comes after a previous one took effect in December 2021, “prohibiting passenger and cargo flight operations in the vicinity of 5G C-band wireless transmitters unless the FAA specifically approved them.” The administration is also proposing that airlines revise airplane flight manuals to prohibit low-visibility landings after June 30 unless the retrofits have been completed on that airplane, according to Reuters. 

To give airlines time to upgrade equipment, both Verizon and AT&T have voluntarily agreed to delay some C-band 5G use until July 2023, Inside Towers reported. According to FAA officials, some international airlines have expressed reluctance to install filters unless required. 

Cox Announces Completion of Nationwide Mobile Launch

Cox Communications announced last week the national launch of Cox Mobile, the company's new mobile phone service available to Cox Internet customers in Cox markets nationwide. Cowen analyst Gregory Williams commented that mobile has become an increasingly crowded space as cable launches competitive bundles, but noted that “Cox Mobile’s footprint will be relatively small” compared to Comcast and Charter.

With unlimited talk and text and no term agreements, Cox Mobile customers will have access to two data plans similar to those offered by Comcast and Charter entitled Pay As You Gig and Gig Unlimited. The company said customers will have access to more than four million of Cox's WiFi hotspots.The MVNO, again similar to Charter and Comcast, uses Verizon’s network. Continue Reading

T-Mobile Seeing “Fabulous” Demand for Fixed Wireless

By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor

T-Mobile finished 2022 strong in terms of adding fixed wireless access (FWA) subscribers and it expects that to continue into 2023, said Peter Osvaldik, T-Mobile US’ EVP/CFO, on Wednesday at Citi’s 2023 Communications, Media & Entertainment Conference in Scottsdale, AZ. Although a majority of the FWA growth is from consumers, businesses continue to increase their use of the high-speed internet product. “The demand is fabulous for the high-speed internet product. We're seeing [FWA] spread across rural and urban areas,” Osvaldik said. “I would suspect the mix will shift a little bit more to the rural and suburban portions of smaller markets as the network build continues to progress there.” Continue Reading

Cell Phone Signal Allows Ukrainians to Bomb Russian Outpost

By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor

Russia has admitted that the use of cell phones by Russian soldiers, detected by the Ukrainian military, led to a rocket attack, which killed 89, the Associated Press reported. There are a number of ways the location of that cell phone could have been pinpointed. The emissions of a cell phone include metadata that may have given away its location, Kevin Kennedy, Major General, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), President and CEO, Warriors4Wireless, told Inside Towers. “The analogy is as simple as driving down the road with your phone on. The network knows where your phone is at. Your mapping function won't work if you won't share your geolocation,” Kennedy said. Continue Reading

End of an Era as Carriers Turn Off the Last of 3G

By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor

At the beginning of this year, Verizon and UScellular threw the final switch, turning off the last of the major 3G networks. The move follows the denouement of the 3G networks of AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile in February, May and July, respectively. The 3G network shutdowns free up spectrum between 850 MHz and 2 GHz, which will be “refarmed” and used for 5G. Shutting down a network can be messy, leaving customers with useless devices. To that end, Verizon pushed back its original date in 2019 to minimize disruptions and allow users to move to newer technologies. Along with handsets, 3G-connected alarm systems were some of the victims. Verizon said that 99 percent of its customers have moved to 4G LTE or 5G, with less than one percent still accessing the 3G network. Continue Reading

What Are the Top 3,000 Stories Going to Be For 2023?

By Jim Fryer, Inside Towers Managing Editor

Scrolling down the list of the roughly 3,000 stories we covered in 2022, yes, folks, 3,000, I was struck by the mix of subjects we covered. Not only did the nuclear family of our focused interest, towers and the people that use them, continue its frantic pace in ‘22, but a bevy of acronyms kept cropping up like never before: ORAN, VRAN and LEO.  Our coverage of the satellite industry doubled from the prior year forcing us to admit it as a category that we entitled “Spacing Out.” Not only did we expand reports on what’s happening in the cosmos but the progress of undersea cabling was a frequent visitor to our pages. All connected by what? Data centers, another perpetual weekly subject and one of the more actively bought, built or bartered items on the Inside Towers menu. Continue Reading