Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes all in for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the top headlines from the past. Fire up the time machine, put on the sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories!
ZTE gets back to business after export ban
Chinese vendor ZTE’s production activities have returned to normal, following a U.S. import ban which severely impacted the firm’s business, international press reported. The vendor also said its carrier network business is on track for growth next year. Newly elected Chairman Li Zixue revealed that the vendor’s operating business has resumed completely, during a presentation at the company’s annual shareholder meeting. The executive also highlighted that ZTE’s production targets for August had normalized and activities in the research and development segment are resuming rapidly. ZTE CEO Xu Ziyang also said that despite the import ban, which had affected the firm’s performance and business, the company “is still in the front line” in the communications industry. “Our orders have been great and are in line with that of July and August last year,” he said, adding that ZTE’s network operating business will resume a normal growth during next year. Xu also said that the vendor will increase efforts in R&D, mainly in the chip segment, and strengthen ties with additional chip makers. … Read more
India works on 5G spectrum policy
A high-level 5G panel in India has suggested the local government to announce a 5G spectrum allocation policy by the end of this year, Indian press reported. The panel also recommended earmarking additional airwave bands for supporting 5G technology in the country. The 5G Forum, which had been set up by the Indian government, also recommended the temporary assignment of 5G frequencies for carriers willing to carry out trials in the coming months. “Given a six-month active trials period, spectrum license may be provided for 12 months. Further, after the trials are completed, if the operator wishes to convert the trials deployment into a commercial deployment, they may be provided favourable terms to purchase spectrum under the auction regime,” the panel said in its report, which was submitted to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The report also urged the government to promulgate guidelines on regulatory matters for the auction of 5G frequencies by March 2019 to facilitate early 5G deployments in the country. … Read more
Verizon takes heat for throttling firefighters’ data during CA wildfires
While responding to the largest wildfire in California’s history, Santa Clara County firefighters ran up against the fact that “unlimited” wireless plans don’t usually mean unlimited LTE speeds, leaving them with a coordination outpost that was functionally useless without LTE access, according to a court filing. Anthony Bowden is fire chief of the Santa Clara County Fire Department and also serves as fire marshal for the county. In comments to the FCC, Bowden said that as his department responded to and helped coordinate the massive public safety response to the Mendocino fire complex, “throttling has had a significant impact on our ability to provide emergency services. Verizon imposed these limitations despite being informed that throttling was actively impeding County Fire’s ability to provide crisis-response and essential emergency services.” Bowden’s comments were filed as part of a petition for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. circuit to review the Federal Communications Commission’s repeal of net neutrality rules. … Read More
Wishful thinking on CBRS commercial deployments
[Editor’s note: Initial commercial deployments for CBRS are now expected within weeks.)
After years of discussion and technological development, the CBRS Alliance is expecting commercial deployments in the 3.5 GHZ Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band by the fourth quarter of this year. Ahead of that, the trade association is stepping on the gas with a new working group dedicated to deployment and operations and an interoperability testing event later this month. The new working group, co-chaired by American Tower’s Piyush Raj, is focused on “identifying, defining and implementing end-to-end deployment models and operational best practices for OnGo connectivity, including the interconnections between networks, network operators and roaming hubs,” according to the group. OnGo is the commercial name for CBRS. Raj said the working group’s goal, in part, is “fostering an active conversation between end users, service providers and the technical working groups to ensure all needs are met as the technology continues to evolve to best meet industry demands.” In addition to Raj, Boingo Wireless Chief Technology Officer Derek Peterson serves as co-chair of the new working group. Boingo in July announced what it called a first-of-its-kind CBRS deployment at Dallas Love Field. The company is supporting around 20 users from Love’s IT department who are equipped with compatible smartphones and dongles for laptops. Ruckus provided the five radio nodes deployed in the airport and Federated Wireless provided the spectrum access system. … Read more
Australia bans Huawei 5G equipment
The Australian government confirmed that Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE have been banned from supplying equipment for 5G networks in the country. “Government has expectations of the application of the Telecommunications Sector Security Reforms (TSSR) obligations with respect to the involvement of third-party vendors in 5G networks, including evolution of networks leading to mature 5G networks,” a joint statement by Communications Minister Mitch Fifield and acting Home Affairs Minister Scott Morrison said. “The government considers that the involvement of vendors who are likely to be subject to extrajudicial directions from a foreign government that conflict with Australian law, may risk failure by the carrier to adequately protect a 5G network from unauthorized access or interference,” the release adds. The Government’s TSSR, which will enter into force on September 18, places obligations on telecommunications companies to protect Australian networks from unauthorized interference or access that might threaten national security. “This new architecture [5G] provides a way to circumvent traditional security controls by exploiting equipment in the edge of the network — exploitation which may affect overall network integrity and availability, as well as the confidentiality of customer data. A long history of cyber incidents shows cyber actors target Australia and Australians,” the statement says. … Read more
China Unicom plans 300 5G base stations in Beijing
Chinese telecom giant China Unicom’s Beijing subsidiary has launched its 5G initiative with the aim of paving the way for the deployment of 5G networks, Chinese press reported. Under this initiative, dubbed ‘NEXT 5G’, the telco will build 300 5G base stations in the city of Beijing this year. China Unicom also announced plans to pilot 5G technology in Tianjin, Qingdao, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan, Guiyang, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Fuzhou, Zhengzhou, and Shenyang. China Unicom’s Beijing subsidiary Vice General Manager Wang Chuanbao said that the company will pilot the commercialization of 5G technology and test the 5G networks in China’s capital in 2018. Beijing will apply 5G technology in major projects and events in the next five years, such as the capital’s new international airport, the International Horticultural Exhibition 2019 and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, said Jiang Guangzhi, an inspector from the Beijing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology. … Read more
5G in space!
Startup The Elefante Group wants to provide wide area 5G coverage from “airships” located 65,000 feet above earth. The firm, which is working Lockheed Martin on the project, has asked the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to consider opening up spectrum in the 22 GHz, 23 GHz, 26 GHz, 70 GHz and 80 GHz bands. And now Facebook, which has itself dabbled in delivering broadband from airborne delivery systems, is throwing its support behind the novel concept, according to an Aug. 15 filing with the FCC. A priority for the social media giant is “connecting the unconnected and under-connected,” according to the reply comment submitted by Christopher Weasler, Facebook’s director of global connectivity. “As such, Facebook has supported research and development efforts in a range of technologies, including terrestrial, mobile, satellite, and high altitude platform stations [HAPS].” Facebook lent its support to Elefante’s request the FCC consider rule changes “to enable the deployment of stratospheric services including HAPS.” Elefante CEO Chris DeMarche and legal reps, in a separate Aug. 15 communication to the FCC, laid out the company’s vision for 5G: Stratospheric-Based Communications Services (SBCS) “is a fixed service because it will provide communications paths between fixed points on the ground, namely two (or more) user terminals…or between [user terminals and gateway stations, switched through overhead stratospheric platform stations [STRAPS]…stationed at nominally fixed points.” … Read more
Check out the RCR Wireless News Archives for more stories from the past.
