The Federal Communications Commission a number of actions at its monthly meeting, covering streamlined 5G deployment, rural broadband deployment, advanced broadcasting using the ATSC 3.0 standard and potentially expanded use of spectrum at 70/80/90 GHz.
The agency approved of the anticipated 5G upgrade order by a...
US Cellular exec: 'Open RAN will enhance the way wireless networks are built and operated'
US Cellular has become the latest company to join the Open RAN movement, with its official announcement that it is now a part of the Open RAN Policy Coalition, a...
Proposed fine of $225 million for men accused of placing at least a billion robocalls
In its ongoing battle against unwanted and scam robocalls, the Federal Communications Commission has proposed the largest fine in its history: $225 million, levied against two men in Texas and...
What's going on in rural broadband policy? There are a lot of moving pieces right now: the Rural Digital Opportunities Fund and the proposed Rural 5G Fund, for example, which together will account for nearly $30 billion in spending cover the coming decade to...
Tech companies have come under fire for allowing the 5G, coronavirus conspiracy to flourish
Twitter has announced that it will be adding fact-checking labels to tweets that suggest a link between 5G mobile networks and the coronavirus, after a rash of conspiracy theories that tie...
The 5G Upgrade Order clarifies the FCC’s 2014 tower upgrade rules
On June 9, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote on a long-awaited “5G Upgrade Order” that will clarify siting rules for wireless deployment. After the FCC’s 2014 rules regarding cell tower modifications proved...
Open RAN movement latest front in larger geopolitical conflict
With the benefit of hindsight, the 5G New Radio standard was collaboratively developed by organizations like 3GPP with a broad goal of creating a single standard rather than rehashing GSM vs. CMDA or LTE and WiMax....
A group of American tech trade organizations and think tanks is pushing the Federal Communications Commission to open up additional satellite spectrum for 5G use -- and it's not the C Band. In a recent letter to the FCC, the organizations, which include the...
As Ansel Adams put it, "There's nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept
The story of open RAN is nuanced. Beyond the formidable technology piece, geopolitics inform how the ecosystem of open RAN proponents are framing the issue, which is becoming increasingly...
NTIA asks for stay, reconsideration of L-Band license changes
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has asked the Federal Communications Commission to rethink its recent decision to modify Ligado Networks' spectrum licenses, warning that the changes "threaten to harm federal government users of the Global...
Nokia collaborated with other vendors in Rakuten Mobile's network build
Earlier this month the Open RAN Policy Coalition launched with a number of open RAN vendors, naturally, and operator members, including AT&T, DISH, NTT, Telefonica, Verizon and Vodafone. None of the big three RAN vendors--Ericsson,...
The Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission gave three gateway companies 48 hours to cut off robocalls peddling COVID-19-related scams, or else the FCC will authorize U.S. telecom companies not to accept calls which originate from those gateway providers.
The calls include a scam...
In April, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai put forward a proposal for a $9 billion Rural 5G Fund that aims to “help ensure that rural Americans enjoy the same benefits from our increasingly digital economy as their urban counterparts—more than 200 million of...
What is the Rural 5G Fund?
The Federal Communications Commission doesn't want rural areas to have to wait for 5G. To that end, in April, Chairman Ajit Pai put forward a proposal for a $9 billion Rural 5G Fund that aims to "help ensure that...
Challenging as it may be, network densification is a must
Network densification is proving to be a key driver for enabling successful 5G networks and in delivering the consistent, reliable and speedy service that carriers have been promising users as they switch over to next-generation...
Fiber network deployment is the "rural electrification of our generation", according to Conexon's Jonathan Chambers
As the Federal Communications Commission mulls exactly how it will distribute the proposed $20.4 billion Rural Digital Opportunity Fund over a decade to expand rural broadband deployments and narrow the...
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has voted to approve usage of six megahertz of 900 MHz spectrum for private networking by utility companies in the US, declaring the ‘juice is worth the squeeze’ despite its diminutive spread.
The six-megahertz is split between two five-megahertz holdings...
The joint document states that suppliers should be assessed for "undue foreign influence"
This week, the Czech Republic and the United States signed a joint declaration pledging cooperation on 5G network security and establishing a strict framework for assessing foreign equipment providers. Signed by Czech...
Open RAN Policy Coalition launched this week with key operator members
In examining the long arc of open radio access networks, the focus of groups like the O-RAN Alliance and Telecom Infra Project has been on developing open standards and interfaces, then proving that technology...
Open RAN group ties COVID-19 pandemic to RAN vendor choice, security and performance
A new group of operators and telecom network hardware and software vendors announced today the formation of the Open RAN Policy Coalition. As 5G deployments continue around the world, open RAN has...
The Federal Communications Commission has been doling out special access to spectrum as part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, to help operators deal with the strains on wireless networks as a result of increased network traffic due to telework, remote learning and...
Wi-Fi Alliance exec: 'Think about what we can accomplish with what we’ve just been given with Wi-Fi 6E'
Wi-Fi Alliance’s Senior Vice President of Marketing Kevin Robinson told RCR Wireless News that the Alliance is thrilled about the FCC’s decision to open 6 GHz for unlicensed...
CCA CEO: 'Mobile broadband is an essential component of everyday life”
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) yesterday moved forward with a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would establish a 5G Fund for Rural America, which proposes to distribute up to $9 billion through the Universal...
Wireless Broadband Alliance CEO: 'Wi-Fi 6E will rewrite the rules of what is possible'
While the FCC’s decision to open up the 6 GHz frequency band for use by Wi-Fi 6 technology may not have been particularly surprising, the fact that something like this hasn’t...
