Bipartisan Senators Agree on $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Bill

 After weeks of negotiating, a bipartisan group of senators reached a deal on "the major issues" in their $1.2 trillion infrastructure package, GOP senators involved in the talks announced Wednesday. Broadband deployment spending remains a major part of the legislation. While it could be days before they finish writing the measure, the deal means the Senate can now begin debating the legislation in earnest, according to Axios.

“We now have an agreement on the major issues," Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), the lead GOP negotiator, said Wednesday afternoon. "There is a CBO [Congressional Budget Office] official score that covers much of the bill," Portman said, something many GOP senators deemed necessary before voting on the measure. Continue Reading

CTIA: U.S. Wireless Investment Hits Five Year High

The wireless industry invested $30 billion in 2020 to power America’s wireless networks, according to CTIA’s 2021 Annual Wireless Industry Survey. The association says this represents a five-year high, and the third straight year of increasing capital expenditures, pushing cumulative industry investment over $600 billion.

The investment means mobile speeds jumped 50 percent in the past year and 5G networks nationwide now cover over 300 million people. Investment has also sparked  5G for home broadband services. Such services — capable of over 100 Mbps downstream — are deployed in communities across the country. Survey results also showed increases in wireless data use, cell sites and data-only devices — indicators of the ongoing shift to the 5G economy. Continue Reading

FCC Cleans Up RDOF; Makes $311M Available for Broadband

 The FCC on Monday took its first steps to move forward with funding new broadband deployments nationwide through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF). The agency said it’s ready to authorize over $311 million in broadband funding across 36 states. At the same time, the Commission took steps to clean up issues with the RDOF program’s design, originating from its adoption in 2020. 

FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel called the actions “a significant down payment on broadband deployment.” She said help is on the way “for hundreds of thousands of Americans without access to broadband.” Continue Reading

Will AT&T Keep Fighting for 12 GHz Spectrum?

 Throughout this spring and summer, AT&T has been selling assets to raise money to pay down debt and fund its network. Planned asset sales include the spinoff of WarnerMedia to Discovery, the sale of a 30 percent interest in DirecTV, and the purchase of Vrio by Grupo Werthein. In addition, AT&T is selling CNN Center in Atlanta, game studio Playdemic, a Pittsburgh office building, and a stake in the San Antonio Spurs basketball team. 

Last week, AT&T sold something different: access to its network. AT&T is replacing T-Mobile US as DISH’s primary network services partner in a deal that will net AT&T at least $5 billion over 10 years.

The deal has positive and negative aspects for the tower industry. It absolves DISH of the obligation to deploy its spectrum in costly rural markets, meaning there may be less demand for tower assets there. But it also gives AT&T an “avenue” to use DISH’s spectrum in select markets, according to an 8K filed by the companies. Continue Reading

All Apple iPhones to Go 5G in 2022

 All of the iPhones sold by Apple next year will be 5G-capable, including its budget handset, according to a Nikkei Asia report. Apple’s commitment to 5G comes with the elimination of new 4G phones, sources told Nikkei Asia. Even the OEM’s cheapest handset, the iPhone SE, will go 5G and sport Apple’s premium A15 processor and Qualcomm's X60 modem chip, the Asian publication added.

There will be no more iPhone Mini next year, after the premium smartphone failed to catch on, according to media reports. Apple’s first 5G iPhone entered the market in 2020, preceded by Samsung Electronics, Oppo, Xiaomi and Huawei Technologies, which introduced 5G-capable phones in 2019.

Nonetheless, Apple’s complete commitment to 5G will be good news for the carriers, which are pushing 5G phones as a way to get more customers on their networks. The more 5G phones the carriers can offer, the better, it appears. Continue Reading

Verizon Picks Up Its Network Build Pace

By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor Declaring that its operations are “quickly resuming pre-pandemic norms” compared to a year ago, Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Chairman and CEO Hans Vestburg comments in the company’s 2Q21 earnings call, “We are executing on our multipurpose network strategy and producing positive results in each of our five growth vectors, recording strong second quarter results. We are also expanding our 5G Ultra Wideband and 5G Home markets.” In that call, the company reported 2Q21 consolidated service revenues of $28.2 billion, up nearly 6 percent over the $26.7 billion in 2Q20. Adjusted EBITDA increased by the same rate to $12.2 billion. For 1H21, free cash flow amounted to $11.7 billion, down nearly 15 percent on a year-over-year basis. The company ended the quarter with 117.3 million retail postpaid connections and close to 4.1 million retail prepaid connections. The total 121.3 million total retail connections were up over 1 percent YoY. VZ leads all U.S.-based mobile network operators in retail connections; its Consumer markets account for 78 percent of that total. Continue Reading

AT&T, Developer Plan to Bring Smart City to D.C. Development

By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor  

AT&T and JBG Smith, a mixed-use property developer, have entered into a letter of intent to provide smart city amenities to the neighborhoods of Crystal City, Pentagon City, and Potomac Yard, known collectively as National Landing, near the center of the Washington, D.C., metro area, according to a press release.
 
The first network infrastructure deployments are planned for the first half of 2022, and will expand with development of the community.

The AT&T agreement is the next step for JBG Smith, which spent $25.3 million on four Priority Access Licenses (PAL) totaling 40 megahertz in Arlington and three PALs (30 megahertz) in Alexandria in the FCC Citizens Broadband Radio Service last fall. The licenses span more than 16.2 million square feet in National Landing and Potomac Yard, where JBG Smith is the largest holder of existing and developable real estate. Continue Reading