Author: Maureen

More UScellular customers in western North Carolina and parts of Tennesse can now access 5G. The new coverage includes much of Haywood County, which joins 50+ other areas in the region that already had 5G, including Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, and Yancey counties.

The multi-year network expansion for 5G in western North Carolina is a result of previous network investments to modernize equipment and software. US Cellular has a growing portfolio of 5G smartphones from Apple, LG, and Samsung, connected devices and IoT solutions with a range of price points for 5G customers.

“UScellular customers in western North Carolina will have access to even faster data connection speeds for a better experience on city streets, country roads and in their homes,” said Nathan Waddell, director of sales for UScellular in western North Carolina. “We encourage our new and current customers to check out the growing number of 5G smartphones and connected devices in our portfolio, so they can benefit as we expand our 5G network.”

The latest Speedtest Global Index from Ookla report shows AT&T as the winner in 5G speeds. Per the report, average mobile download speeds overall improved significantly at the end of 2020, going from an average of about 47.13 Mbps in September to 67.33 Mbps in December. AT&T dominated in both 4G and 5G, with an Ookla Speedtest Speed Score of 50.27 – about three points higher than T-Mobile and nearly 10 points higher than fourth-place Verizon. Sprint placed third, a point ahead of Verizon (Sprint and T-Mobile are still being reported separately until the merger is fully complete).

After dramatic expansions by all the major carriers in 2020, 5G covered three quarters of the U.S. population as of January 1, 2021, with about 8% of mobile devices being 5G-capable. These numbers are expected to grow to 80% and 12%, respectively, by summer of this year.

Samsung has announced its new Galaxy S21 family of Android phones, all of which support 5G: the Galaxy S21, the Galaxy S21+ and the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

The Galaxy S21 will start at $799.99, the Galaxy S21+ starts at $999.99, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra starts at $1,199.99. All of the S21 family is available for preorder now, with the official release date set for January 29.

In addition to supporting 5G, the S21 family are the first devices powered by Qualcomm’s new flagship Snapdragon 888 processor. Samsung is also promoting the S21 series’ superior screens, improved battery life and better cameras versus last year’s Galaxy S20 phones.

The Federal Communications Commission’s auction for spectrum licenses on the C-Band, a mid-band spectrum between 3.7 and 4GHz, is reaching its end, and AT&T is looking to borrow $14 billion to finance its desired spectrum acquisitions. Bloomerg reports that Bank of America is leading the transaction, which is likely to be a 364-day delayed-draw term loan, with commitments due on January 2.

Experts agree that mid-band frequencies are critical for 5G usability, since they can provide both improved speeds vs 4G LTE while also providing better coverage than the superfast but extremely limited millimeter wave bands used by Verizon and AT&T. As of round 83 of the auction today, gross proceeds reached $80.86 billion, not including accelerated clearing payments and relocation costs to be paid by winners, which are estimated at $9.7 billion and $3.3 billion.

The winners of the auction won’t be known until later, but last week equity research firm Cowen estimated Verizon’s auction spend at $35 billion, AT&T at $20 billion and T-Mobile between $10-$15 billion. AT&T and Verizon are considered to be in the greatest need for this spectrum to allow them to better compete with T-Mobile.

“If T-Mobile spends less than we expect, Verizon or AT&T will likely account for the shortfall,” wrote New Street analyst Jonathan Chaplin in a note to investors Monday. “Neither company has the cash on hand to cover what we expect them to spend in the auction at present; we would expect more debt issuance for the group in coming weeks.”

Verizon today announced expansions of their 5G service in several big cities. Beginning January 14, customers in parts of Arlington, TX; Miami, FL; Anaheim, CA; San Francisco, CA and St. Louis, MO can sign up for Verizon’s 5G Home Internet, with Phoenix, AZ to follow on January 28. Additionally, later this month, Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband service will become available in parts of Colorado Springs, CO; Columbia, SC and Knoxville, TN.

“We ended 2020 with 2,700 cities with Nationwide 5G service serving 230 million people, 61 cities with Ultra Wideband service, and 12 cities with access to our 5G Home service; and we’re not slowing down,” said Kyle Malady, Chief Technology Officer for Verizon. “We’re rolling out new services to more customers continuing the digital transformation Verizon has been driving.”

Verizon 5G Home Internet requires equipment specific to that service, while the 5G Ultra Wideband service will work on any of the 28 5G-capable phones and devices offered by Verizon.

T-Mobile and OnePlus have teamed up to launch a $300 5G phone, the Nord N10 5G. T-Mobile will be the exclusive US carrier for the N10, and it will be available to Metro prepaid users as well. At $300 with no promos or trade-ins needed, the N10 is T-Mobile’s most affordable 5G phone, even cheaper than the $400 Revvel 5G that debuted last year.

Unlocked versions of the N10 5G and the N100 LTE-only version will be available from OnePlus directly as well as at Best Buy, Amazon and B&H Photo Video, but Nord N10 5G will only support 5G on T-Mobile’s network.

The Nord N10 5G features a 6.49-inch 90Hz display at full HD Plus resolution and a 4,300-mAh battery. It runs on a Snapdragon 690 processor and supports 5G connectivity on T-Mobile’s low-band and midband network, which the carrier calls “Extended Range 5G” and “Ultra Capacity 5G.”

After complaints from Verizon about a T-Mobile ad featuring Bill Nye in which T-Mobile 5G reliability is purported to be better than other carriers’, the National Advertising Review Board (NARB) asked them to stop advertising along those lines.

The ad features Nye explaining that Verizon’s 5G coverage, because it’s based on mmWave technology, has such poor range it can’t cover anything beyond the range the size of a bus stop. “Other carriers have 5G signals that drop if you move two feet. That’s because their 5G is based around millimeter wave, otherwise known as high band. For instance this is how far 5G reaches with our carriers,” Nye says in the ad, showing a small circle around a bus stop.

The NARB says T-Mobile should “discontinue claims and an accompanying demonstration that imply that other carriers’ 5G coverage is so limited in any area as to cover only the space taken up by a single bench.” The board also recommended T-Mobile “discontinue claims that imply that its 5G service is generally available in locations that have traditionally been challenging for cellular service,” and that they cannot imply that their 5G coverage is more reliable than 4G coverage.

The NARB’s recommendations are not requirements – they are a self-regulatory body with no governmental regulatory power. T-Mobile’s compliance is notable because carriers can opt to ignore the recommendations. AT&T went this route when requested to stop using its misleading “5G E” indicator added to customers’ phones earlier this year, which actually refers to their upgraded 4G network and is not 5G service.

LG’s popular mid-range Stylo series, which boasts a stylus and classic design, is rumored to soon see a 5G model added to its lineup. @OnLeaks revealed the first leak of the LG Stylo 7, including details that point to two versions being available: one with LTE-only and one with 5G.

Per the rumors, the Stylo 7 will look similar to the OnePlus Nord, with a vertical rear camera module and 6.8″ display. It is assumed that the two versions – LTE and 5G – will be essentially comparable, aside from a more powerful processor in the 5G phone. And of course, it’s almost certain there will be a premium to pay for the 5G version while the LTE model will likely be priced similarly to other Stylos.

iPhone 12 users in New York City have reported that, counter-intuitively, speeds when their phone indicates they’re using 5G are often slower than 4G LTE. The reason for this is because in order to provide more “5G” coverage, Verizon uses a method called dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) which reuses parts of 4G channels for 5G. That allows 5G devices to connect in more places, but the performance is typically no better – and often it’s worse – than 4G LTE alone.

Verizon spokespeople have confirmed that using DSS provides no real advantages over LTE: “For most customers, performance on our 5G nationwide network will be similar to 4G. [DSS] is new technology and we’re continuing to modify it as we go. We expect performance improvement through 2021 and beyond,”

Since the iPhone 12 prioritizes 5G over 4G, if it detects a 5G signal – even if it’s really just DSS – it will automatically use that network, even though in the real world users would often be better off sticking with LTE.

If you’re in an area where 5G doesn’t seem to be any faster than LTE, you can test by turning 5G off/on and comparing speedtests. If LTE is better, you can leave 5G off until the network improves.

How to turn 5G on/off on iPhone 12:

• Go to settings
• Tap Cellular, then Cellular Data Options, then Voice & Data
• 5G Auto is the default. Choose 5G On to use it anytime it’s available, or LTE to turn off 5G.

The Federal Communications Commission’s auction for spectrum licenses on the C-Band, a mid-band spectrum between 3.7 and 4GHz, has been going on for three weeks now, and bidding as reached a record $66.4 billion. Experts agree that mid-band frequencies are critical for 5G usability, since they can provide both improved speeds vs 4G LTE while also providing better coverage than the superfast but extremely limited millimeter wave bands used by Verizon and AT&T.

The recent bids have far exceeded even the experts’ highest forecasts. The 5G is on hold now through the holidays, but will resume Jan. 4. The bidders and their bids are secret until the auction completes, but it is almost certain that AT&T and Verizon are among the top bidders.

“Mid-band spectrum will be where 5G lives,” said Walt Piecyk, a telecom analyst for research firm LightShed Partners, adding that T-Mobile’s merger with Sprint “clearly put pressure on Verizon and AT&T” to increase their frequency holdings to better compete.