Nokia, DISH to Deploy 5G Standalone Core in Public Cloud

 By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor Nokia has said it will deploy a 5G Standalone (SA) Core for DISH Network using Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) public cloud, supporting DISH's cloud-native, OpenRAN-based 5G network.

Nokia is providing voice core, cloud packet core, subscriber data management, device management, as well as professional end-to-end security services, which will allow cost-effective management of the 5G network, according to DISH. The 5G SA Core on AWS will also enable automation required to meet evolving customer needs, allowing DISH to support new enterprise and consumer 5G use cases, including network slicing, quickly and securely across multiple cloud stacks at end-customer premises. Continue Reading

SpaceX Targets September for Starlink Debut

 SpaceX says its low-earth orbit Starlink satellite broadband service could be operational in September. That’s according to President/COO Gwynne Shotwell.
 
"We've successfully deployed 1,800 or so satellites, and once all those satellites reach their operational orbit we will have continuous global coverage so that should be [in the] September timeframe," Shotwell told the virtual Macquarie Technology Summit.
 
The company still needs regulatory approval from any given country to be able to provide telecom services, she said, according to ZDNet. Continue Reading

3GPP Greenlights Ligado’s L-Band Spectrum for 5G

 By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the wireless industry’s global standard-setting body, has approved the new technical specification that will allow mobile communications company Ligado Networks to deploy 5G networks in its L-band spectrum.

The approval marks the next step in Ligado’s efforts to deploy a mobile private network solution designed to bring next-generation networks to the energy, manufacturing, health care, transportation, and other critical infrastructure sectors.

In April 2020, the FCC authorized Ligado to deploy a low-power terrestrial nationwide network on 35 megahertz of spectrum bands that will primarily support Internet of Things (IoT) services in the 1526-1536 MHz, 1627.5-1637.5 MHz, and 1646.5-1656.5 MHz bands, known as Band 24. Continue Reading

NTIA’s New Broadband Map Shows Digital Gaps

  The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released a new publicly available digital map that displays key indicators of broadband needs across the country. NTIA says this is the first interactive, public map that enables users to explore different datasets about where people do not have quality internet access.  
 
The public “Indicators of Broadband Need” tool also puts data from both public and private sources on one map, which NTIA claims is also a first. It contains data aggregated at the county, census tract, and census block level from the U.S. Census Bureau, the FCC, M-Lab, Ookla and Microsoft. Speed-test data provided by M-Lab and Ookla help to illustrate the reality that communities experience when going online, with many parts of the country reporting speeds that fall below the FCC’s current benchmark for fixed broadband service of 25 Mbps download, 3 Mbps upload. This is also the first map that allows users to graphically compare and contrast these different data sources, according to NTIA. Continue Reading

FCC Votes to Tighten Net Against Suspect Telecom Gear

 By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief The FCC on Thursday voted to widen the ban against telecom equipment deemed to pose a threat to American national security. Under proposed rules that won initial approval, the Commission could revoke prior equipment authorizations issued to such companies.

To date, the FCC has prohibited the use of support from the Universal Service Fund to buy equipment that could pose a national security threat to the United States. Under the law, this includes communications gear and services from Chinese manufacturers Huawei and ZTE. 

Yet despite identifying security concerns with this telecom equipment, the agency continues to approve such gear through its equipment certification process. During the 4-0 vote, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said the Commission has okayed more than 3,000 applications from Huawei alone since 2018. “Once an entity lands on our [banned] list, there does not appear to be any reason why the FCC should continue to review that gear and offer the FCC seal of approval,” he said. Continue Reading

5G Subs Growing at Record Pace: Ericsson Mobility Report

 By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor DISH’s 5G network is in its early days, AT&T and Verizon won’t have mid-band spectrum built out until 2023, T-Mobile is going great guns at low-band and mid-band but its millimeter wave coverage -- the icing on the spectrum layer cake -- is thin. Still, Ericsson projects that 5G mobile subscriptions are growing at a record pace and will exceed 580 million globally by the end of 2021, driven by an estimated one million new 5G mobile subscriptions every day.

The forecast in the latest Ericsson Mobility Report projects 5G will be the fastest adopted mobile generation in history with 3.5 billion subscriptions and 60 percent population coverage by the end of 2026. That said, the pace of adoption varies widely by region, with China, North America and the Middle East leading the way. Europe is lagging. Northeast Asia is expected to account for the largest share of 5G subscriptions by 2026, with an estimated 1.4 billion 5G subscriptions.

“5G is expected to surpass a billion subscriptions two years ahead of the 4G LTE timeline for the same milestone,” the report said. “Key factors behind that include China’s earlier commitment to 5G and the earlier availability and increasing affordability of commercial 5G devices.” The number of 5G smartphones currently tops 300. Continue Reading

State's Attempt to Cap Broadband Prices Loses in Court

 A move that was designed to force providers to offer lower rates has been found to be punitive to some telecoms, according to The Register. New York lawmakers had attempted to mandate a low cost $15 per month fee for qualified households, but United States District Judge Denis R. Hurley on Friday ruled in favor of the trade associations who brought the suit. Industry trade groups CTIA, the New York State Telecommunications Association and USTelecom took the state to court in April, contending they lacked the authority to determine broadband prices.
 
"While a telecommunications giant like Verizon may be able to absorb such a loss, others may not: the Champlain Telephone Company, for example, estimates that nearly half [approximately 48 percent] of [its] existing broadband customers will qualify for ‘discounted rates, with each such customer’ caus[ing] a ‘monetary loss,’" states the legal action presented by the telcos. If compelled to accept minimal fees, the providers would "suffer unrecoverable losses increasing with time" and the "bulk of these losses will stem from lost income," the argument read. Continue Reading

From Inside Towers Intelligence: “Rip & Replace” Is Easier Said Than Done

 

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

Telecom equipment manufacturers and wireless service providers (WSPs) want the FCC’s “Rip & Replace” program to begin. At the same time, they are requesting that the reimbursement process be settled as soon as possible. The program is meant to compensate smaller carriers for removing so-called untrusted gear from their networks. Public comments were due in late April on the initial “Supply Chain Reimbursement Program Report,” a catalog of eligible expenses and estimated costs with a list of categories of suggested replacement equipment and services. The report was produced for the FCC by Widelity, the same company that developed a replacement cost catalog for the television repack expense reimbursement program. The nearly $2 billion Rip & Replace program is intended for WSPs with 10 million or fewer subscribers. Widelity focused on the removal, replacement, and disposal of communications equipment and services produced or provided by Chinese manufacturers, Huawei and ZTE... The full version of this article can be found in Inside Towers’ Intelligence, a new, quarterly market report and subscription service that deep dives into the wireless infrastructure ecosystem. For details, click here.

Intelsat Meets Important Deadline for Accelerated C-Band Exit

 A year after then-FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced the acceleration of the repurposing of C-band spectrum for 5G services, a satellite operator in the band has met a key metric toward leaving the band by December 5, according to Space News.

The publication obtained an internal memo from Intelsat that stated all C-band (3.7 GHz band) customers on the company’s satellites have been moved from the lower 120 megahertz. Filters will now be installed on ground antennas to eliminate interference between the satellites and the wireless communications users. 

The prize for leaving the C-band early is billions of dollars for satellite firms licensed for the spectrum. All five eligible satellite operators—Eutelsat, Intelsat, SES, Star One, and Telesat — elected for accelerated relocation, according to the FCC. Continue Reading

5G Auction of Mid-Band Spectrum Set for This October

 By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief The FCC established the application and bidding procedures for Auction 110, the auction of spectrum in the 3.45 GHz band. Bidding is scheduled to start on October 5.

FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel called the auction a critical step toward delivering on the promise of 5G. “This auction will bring us closer to 5G service that is fast, secure, resilient, and most importantly, available across the country.”

Auction 110 will offer up to 4,060 new flexible-use licenses in the 3.45 to 3.55 GHz band divided into ten, 10-megahertz blocks licensed by Partial Economic Areas. In the first phase of the auction, the clock phase, bidders will bid on generic blocks in each geographic area. In the second phase, the assignment phase, they will bid on frequency-specific license assignments. Continue Reading

Senate OK’s Billions for U.S. Chip Manufacturing

 After months of political jockeying and procedural hurdles, the Senate on Tuesday approved a roughly $190 billion science and technology bill to boost U.S. competitiveness with China. The bill invests several billion into U.S. semiconductor production and emerging technology industries like artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

The bill — titled the US Innovation and Competition Act or USICA — builds off a previous proposal from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called the Endless Frontier Act. Endless Frontier was one of the first big bipartisan bills to come from the Biden administration. But over the last few months, the bill grew and much of the original funding was watered down as it moved through the Senate, reported The Verge. Continue Reading

ntelsat Meets Important Deadline for Accelerated C-Band Exit

 A year after then-FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced the acceleration of the repurposing of C-band spectrum for 5G services, a satellite operator in the band has met a key metric toward leaving the band by December 5, according to Space News.

The publication obtained an internal memo from Intelsat that stated all C-band (3.7 GHz band) customers on the company’s satellites have been moved from the lower 120 megahertz. Filters will now be installed on ground antennas to eliminate interference between the satellites and the wireless communications users. 

The prize for leaving the C-band early is billions of dollars for satellite firms licensed for the spectrum. All five eligible satellite operators—Eutelsat, Intelsat, SES, Star One, and Telesat — elected for accelerated relocation, according to the FCC. Continue Reading

Blackstone Set to Buy QTS Realty Trust for $10 Billion

 QTS Realty Trust (NYSE: QTS) and Blackstone (NYSE: BX), yesterday announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Blackstone Infrastructure Partners will acquire all outstanding shares of common stock of QTS Realty Trust. Blackstone will pay $78.00 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $10 billion, including the assumption of debt.
 
The transaction was unanimously approved by the QTS Board of Directors and is expected to close in the second half of 2021. Upon completion of the transaction, the parties expect that QTS will continue to be led by its senior management team and maintain its corporate headquarters in Overland Park, KS. QTS operates data centers in North America and Europe occupying over seven million square feet of space. Continue Reading

Chip Shortage Will Take Time to Recover

 Across the globe, across industries, companies cannot obtain enough computer chips to meet their orders.  

The global computer chip shortage is the result of a perfect storm caused by pandemic-fueled supply chain problems and the soaring use of silicon for everything from laptops, cell phones and wireless networks to automobiles, washing machines, refrigerators and even toothbrushes. And when the chips are down…there are only a few companies the world looks to for help.

Intel is one of them, and it had perhaps the bleakest assessment of the situation. While semiconductor companies can take short-term action to ease the global semiconductor shortage, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger told the Computex trade show in Taipei that it will take several years for the situation to be resolved, according to Reuters. He told the Washington Post of Intel’s plans on boosting automotive chip production within six to nine months, but, he said, it will take much longer to increase capacity. 

“We do believe we have the ability to help,” Gelsinger told the Post. “But, I think this is a couple of years until you are totally able to address it.” Continue Reading

Public Safety Alliance Gets FCC to Hold Off on 4.9 GHz Changes

 By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief The FCC voted to stay, or pause, changes to its 4.9 GHz rules. It did so because of a request from the Public Safety Spectrum Alliance (PSSA). The group sought the pause pending resolution of its request for the Commission to reconsider the changes. The FCC majority said last week they found good cause to stay the implementation of a new leasing framework in the 4940-4990 MHz band.

In September 2020, the prior FCC voted to revise the rules governing the band, saying it was underused. The shared band required licensees to provide public safety services as defined under Part 90 rules. Continue Reading