Network management

Several people have asked me recently if cellular companies will be pursuing Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) grants. Until recently, cellular companies didn’t have a product that would have qualified for broadband grants. BEAD and other grants are awarded to internet service providers (ISP) that serve homes and businesses, not cell phones.

The Federal Communications Commission proposed rules to more precisely route wireless 911 calls and texts to 911 call centers, which can result in faster response times during emergencies. Wireless 911 calls have historically been routed to 911 call centers based on the location of the cell tower that handles the call. But in some cases—for example, if a 911 call is made near a county or a city border—the nearest cell tower may be in a neighboring jurisdiction.

Verizon is telling customers that if they’re still using a 3G CDMA or 4G (non-VoLTE) phone that does not support its newer network technologies, “your line will be suspended without billing and will lose the ability to call, text, or use data.” Verizon is the last of the Big 3 wireless carriers in the US to shut down a 3G network and repurpose the spectrum for newer technology. Verizon has been working with customers – both consumers and businesses – since 2016 to ensure customers have “every opportunity” to get a device that uses either 4G or 5G, including direct outreach to customers and

T-Mobile has the fastest-growing home internet solution in America right now, with its 5G fixed wireless service taking on 578,000 customers in the third quarter alone and quickly amassing a base of over 2.1 million users in just over a year. According to T-Mobile CEO Neville Ray, the entire enterprise is based on "fallow capacity"—network wherewithal that's not already being tapped by the wireless company's mobile users. “The incremental cost of serving those customers is de minimis," said Ray. "And why would you sit on your hands on all of that capacity that you have no utilization for or

Tarana is releasing its next-generation fixed wireless access (ngFWA), representing a significant evolution of the company’s heralded G1 broadband solution. Tarana’s G1 ngFWA platform has been embraced by more than 190 broadband providers in 8 countries in its first year of commercial shipments. G1 base nodes sold to date are expected to cover 20 million households and will have the capacity to serve as many as 1 million subscribers when fully deployed in the coming months. Tarana’s next G1 releases will take two new directions.

Charter's Spectrum Mobile service only uses geolocation information to optimize its service and does not sell to or share it with third parties, including advertisers, the company told the Federal Communications Commission. Charter assured Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel that the company has been, and will continue to be, completely transparent about its privacy practices, and explicitly requests permission to collect customer geolocation data—which Charter limits to data that will "optimize service." 

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel shared the responses from the nation’s 15 top mobile carriers following a request for information about their data retention and data privacy policies and practices. Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said:

The Federal Communications Commission is requiring changes that it hopes will improve the reliability and resiliency of cellular networks to be better prepared for and respond better to emergencies. The FCC's order cites recent emergencies like Hurricane Ida, the earthquakes in Puerto Rico, severe winter storms in Texas, and worsening hurricane and wildfire seasons. This makes me wonder if we might someday see similar requirements for internet service providers (ISPs) and broadband networks.

AT&T and Verizon – two of the nation's biggest 5G mobile network operators – own extensive fiber holdings around the country, and both argue that such ownership is critical to their long-term success. T-Mobile and Dish Network, on the other hand, are building extensive 5G mobile networks (though Dish hasn't yet switched on commercial services) without owning any fiber whatsoever. And, according to both Dish and T-Mobile, that's just fine. So, which side is right?

"As we develop the roadmap to 6G, we must remember several considerations," said Federal Communications Commissioner Geoffrey Starks at ATIS' "Next G Alliance: The Roadmap to 6G" event. "First, many of the technical characteristics that will contribute to 6G’s performance could also produce security vulnerabilities...Industry and policymakers must ensure that security standards are baked into 6G, rather than bolted on.