BROWSING: Policy

TNS: Robocalls down 8%

Spam texts are on the rise, TNS says Broader implementation of the STIR/SHAKEN call authentication framework, coupled with enforcement efforts, have put a dent in robocall volumes compared to last year, according to a new report by TNS. It's a small dent, to the tune...

FCC to examine 12.7 GHz as potential 5G/6G band

New FCC proceeding looks at opening up to 550 megahertz of spectrum The Federal Communications Commission is forging ahead with identifying potential new spectrum to repurpose for cellular systems and has launched a new inquiry into the use of up to 550 megahertz of spectrum...

FAA to FCC: Mandate 5G C-band restrictions around airports

AT&T and Verizon are already on board, but the FAA is worried about smaller operators and spectrum holders When it comes to rolling out 5G C-band services, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wants the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to mandate that smaller Communication Service...

Justice Department: Chinese spies tried to obstruct its Huawei investigation

The U.S. Department of Justice announced charges and arrests this week in regards to Chinese clandestine activity in the United States that ranged from targeting Chinese residents in the U.S. with harassment and intimidation to get them to return to China, posing as university...

Truphone to pay $600K fine, divest Russian ownership

A U.S. subsidiary of global mobile virtual network operator and eSIM development company Truphone is paying a $600,000 penalty and divesting ownership by three Russian billionaires as part of a settlement with the Federal Communications Commission over inaccurate disclosures of its ownership and transfer...

What is the status of federal spectrum transitions?

A newly released progress report goes over the state of federal users' transitions out of auctioned bands ranging from AWS-1 to CBRS and additional midband spectrum at 3.45-3.55 GHz. The annual Commercial Spectrum Enhancement Act report for 2021 was released earlier this month...

Mavenir supports Triangle Communications’ rip-and-replace efforts

Mavenir replaced the Chinese-provided components on Triangle's network with its own open infrastructure Mavenir said today that is has turned on a fully cloud-native converged packet core, Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) and O-RAN compliant Radio Units (O-RUs) for Triangle Communications. Triangle Communications is...

‘All eyes were on Germany; now they’re now on the US’ – a picture of private 5G at large

Note, this is a revised version of the intro/outro statements at Private Networks European Forum earlier this month, presented then as a way to invite conversation about the state of ‘things’ in Europe, and re-presented now as a think-piece for the same. It considers...

French regulator Arcep awards 13 private 5G licences in 3.8-4.0 GHz band

French regulator Arcep has awarded three new trial spectrum licences for enterprises to deploy private 5G networks in the 3.8-4.0 GHz band, taking its total roster of enterprise trialists in France to 13. The band is being liberated for French enterprises, in line with...

One in five US households don’t have broadband. Most say they don’t want it.

NTIA survey finds 60% of unconnected households report that they have no need/interest in using the internet at home Over the past several decades, the U.S. Census Bureau or other agencies have been asking Americans about their use of computers and the internet. Broadband access...

‘Human glue’ and ‘humility to learn’ – 10 lessons in private 5G (#1-3, on people)

This is a fairly straight writeup of a summary report / blog from UK5G, the government-backed innovation network dedicated to industrial 5G in the UK, from a couple of weeks back, about findings from the UK’s grand £200 million trials and testbeds (5GTT) scheme...

Operators upended by hard graft of private 5G – a classic IoT tale, stuck on repeat

A new summary report / blog from UK5G, the government-backed innovation network dedicated to industrial 5G in the UK, makes for good reading. It concludes, ultimately, that industrial 5G is the same as industrial IoT – that it is a discipline that is massive...

European telcos brace for power outages: ‘They don’t understand the consequences’

Europe battles skyrocketing energy costs as the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues European service providers are preparing for the worst as power cuts threaten to down networks in the coming months. Telecom leaders, particularly in France and Italy, have been asking their respective governments to consider helping...

What does the future of spectrum look like?

'There are not a lot of easy bands left' says NTIA senior advisor With both mmWave and midband 5G auctions concluded and development and/or deployment underway for existing spectrum releases, one of the biggest spectrum question now is: What’s next? Conversations on spectrum policy are shifting...

Middle-mile funding applications top $5.5 billion

The federal government plans to spend $1 billion to expand so-called "middle-mile" connections between networks, as part of a $65 billion effort to build out broadband infrastructure and connect all Americans. In response, more than 235 applicants for funding asked for more than $5.5 billion...

Bogdan-Martin elected to lead ITU

First woman to lead ITU pledges to work toward "meaningful connectivity" The International Telecommunications Union has elected Doreen Bogdan-Martin as secretary-general, the first woman to lead the organization in its 157-year history. Bogdan-Martin currently serves as director of the ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau, a position...

10 spectrum policy ideas: Aspen Institute

Amid renewed conversations around the re-authorization of the Federal Communications Commission's auction authority for spectrum and what a new spectrum pipeline might look like, the Aspen Institute brought together government and private-sector stakeholders to work on a framework and action plan for a national...

More Starlink users mean slower speeds: Ookla

"Some speeds have shown signs of slowing down from their initial launches," Ookla says of Starlink service Starlink's commercial success is causing network slowdowns, benchmarking company Ookla concludes in new analysis, as new customers result in a heavier network load and slower speeds for the...

Ofcom launches probe into cloud market competition

AWS, Microsoft and Google combined generate about 81% of revenues in the U.K. public cloud infrastructure services market British media regulator Ofcom has initiated an investigation into whether Amazon, Microsoft and Google’s cloud computing dominance is a threat to market competition. In a statement that acknowledged...

Ligado cancels trial network plans

Ligado Networks has cancelled plans to begin a 5G trial network that would have operated in northern Virginia and was expected to begin operations shortly. Ligado had planned to begin operations in airwaves at 1526–1536 MHz by September 30, according to a status update...

Federal spectrum policy: Getting beyond ‘Go Fish’

Spectrum reallocation is only getting more complicated, as the airwaves get more crowded. There are certainly recent examples—the C-Band deployment delays and the ongoing dispute over Ligado's spectrum use potentially impacting Department of Defense operations—where better and earlier collaboration between federal agencies might have...

FCC focuses on the ‘second space age’

There are three areas of focus for the FCC's space efforts As space-based communications become ever more important and begin to converge with terrestrial wireless, the Federal Communications Commission is focusing on bolstering its staffing and updating regulations in order to support U.S. technology leadership...

Steve Berry to retire from CCA leadership

Tim Donovan, Lucy Hodas will take new CCA leadership positions in January 2023 The Competitive Carriers Association is seeing a shift in leadership: Longtime President and CEO Steve Berry is retiring from his role, with deputies Tim Donovan and Lucy Hodas stepping into new leadership...

Starlink appeals RDOF denial

FCC had denied Starlink nearly $900 million in government funds Starlink is appealing the Federal Communications Commission's decision to deny the company nearly $900 million in funding that it won through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund to connect unserved areas across the United States. In...