Tag: AT&T

AT&T and Dish Network win big in latest 5G spectrum auction

As wireless carriers in the U.S. look to build out their 5G networks, they’ve partly looked to acquire mid-band spectrum through auctions held by the FCC. Most talked about has been the C-Band. This was acquired by AT&T and Verizon and has experienced serious delays due to possible interference with aircraft tools. However, another major auction just took place. This time for licenses of wireless spectrum that sits between the 2.5 gigahertz and 3.5 gigahertz range of radio frequencies. In comparison, it was smaller than the previous C-Band auction. 

This auction, for the 3.45 GHz spectrum, started back in October. It has finally come to an end with AT&T and Dish network as its big winners. AT&T spent $9.1 billion and Dish spent $7.3 billion. T-Mobile was the third-highest bidder in the auction, spending $2.9 billion. Verizon Communications did not participate in the auction, likely because of the millions (together with AT&T) already spent on the C-Band.  

Per the FCC this past Friday, the auction brought in more than $22.5 billion in total proceeds for the 5G wireless spectrum. Congress required a portion of the proceeds, which are going to be used to pay for new equipment. This is meant to ensure that existing military equipment can coexist with cell towers and other gear used by wireless carriers when they deploy 5G service. All other money from the auction will go to the US Treasury. 

Overall, AT&T is still coming in at the bottom when compared to T-Mobile and Verizon in 5G coverage, though that could change with the addition of this mid-band spectrum. These airwaves were once reserved for the military, but will soon be used for 5G wireless service, hopefully without any delays! The mid-band spectrum has the ability to connect more devices and offer real-time feedback, which is helping to advance things like self-driving cars and advanced augmented reality experiences. Mid-band spectrum provides more-balanced coverage and capacity due to its ability to cover a several-mile radius with 5G, despite needing more cell sites than lower-tiered spectrum bands. 

Even after all the mid-band coverage, there is still demand for more mobile services. Wireless carriers have all been asking for more airwaves to be made available. In response, the FCC has been working to repurpose spectrum from other industries, including TV and satellite broadcasters. They’ve also looked to commercial entities for spectrum and are coordinating with certain government agencies like the Defense Department, to provide commercial providers with more access to spectrum. 

In recent years, the wireless industry has dedicated more than $100 billion into acquiring these airwave licenses. The FCC is planning for even more auctions in the future.

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Verizon finally offering a truly unlimited mobile plan

Verizon is finally hopping on the bandwagon and competing more evenly with AT&T and T-Mobile’s truly unlimited plans. This is partly in effort to make the upcoming, new 5G service more attractive. The cost will remain the same for basic plans, but customers can pay a little more for the “Get More” plan, which includes unlimited monthly “premium data.” 

The plans previously known as Start, Play More, Do More, and Get More Unlimited are now adding 5G to their name. The Get More plan ($90/ month for one line with autopay) previously included 50GB of premium data each month. Once customers reached that limit, they’d be subject to throttled speeds during times of network congestion. The new 5G Get More plan does away with that monthly cap.

The new 5G Get More plan also includes a boost in premium mobile hotspot data: 50GB, up from 30GB. The Play More and Do More plans now offer 30GB compared to 15GB. The only thing not changing is for customers on the basic Start Unlimited plan – they won’t have access to the faster Ultra Wideband network at all, just slower Nationwide 5G. That shouldn’t be noticeable now, but when C-band is finally in use, it could be a significant difference!

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Verizon and AT&T agree to additional C-Band delay

In early 2021, an FCC auction sold Verizon and AT&T rights to use “C-band” frequencies at a price of almost $70 billion. The carriers are certainly eager to roll out the service, not only to catch up to T-Mobile, but because the new spectrum will provide in-between performance over much wider coverage areas. T-Mobile is unaffected currently since it uses mid-band spectrum that isn’t in the C-band.

Since our update on C-Band delays yesterday, we understand that both carriers have agreed to the additional 2 week delay.

Verizon:

“We’ve agreed to a two-week delay which promises the certainty of bringing this nation our game-changing 5G network in January, delivered over America’s best and most reliable network.”

AT&T:

“At Secretary Buttigieg’s request, we have voluntarily agreed to one additional two-week delay of our deployment of C-Band 5G services. We also remain committed to the six-month protection zone mitigations we outlined in our letter. We know aviation safety and 5G can co-exist and we are confident further collaboration and technical assessment will allay any issues.”

We’ve also learned that FAA Communications deputy assistant administrator Jeannie Shiffer provided a statement to The Verge saying, “Safety is the core of our mission and this guides all of our decisions. The FAA thanks AT&T and Verizon for agreeing to a voluntary delay and for their proposed mitigations. We look forward to using the additional time and space to reduce flight disruptions associated with this 5G deployment.”

Per the agreement, she adds that companies will use mitigations similar to those already in place in European countries. The deal will see those mitigations put in place around 50 airports for six months. The FAA says, “While U.S. standards and operating environments are unique, we believe this could substantially reduce the disruptions to air operations.”

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AT&T and Verizon reject U.S. request to delay 5G deployment

January 5th is fast approaching. This is the date in which carriers, AT&T and Verizon, were instructed to delay 5G rollout on the C-Band spectrum. If you’re not already aware, this is because of possible interference on these frequencies with aircraft safety tools. 

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Federal Aviation Administration chief Steve Dickson sent out a request to delay 5G rollout, again, this time for another 2 weeks. This request was sent to the CEOs from AT&T and Verizon, who have responded in a joint letter as of yesterday. 

“Commercial C-band service would begin as planned in January with certain exceptions around priority airports,” states the request. 

The request comes two days after the trade group Airlines for America (A4A) asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to stop the wireless industry from turning on C-band spectrum for commercial deployment on January 5. The airline group has said it may go to court today if the FCC does not act.

Per the FAA, they need the additional two weeks to “identify the priority airports.” The FAA also needs the extra time to approve certain high-performing radio altimeters to operate at those airports.

“This will allow for 5G C-band to deploy around these priority airports on a rolling basis, such that C-Band planned locations will be activated by the end of March 2022, barring unforeseen technical challenges or new safety concerns,” said the request.

The previous delay request was to limit coverage around airports for at least 6 months. The carriers agreed to this, but in their response, denied any broader limitation on using C-Band spectrum. They said the Transportation Department proposal would be “an irresponsible abdication of the operating control required to deploy world-class and globally competitive communications networks.”

AT&T and Verizon also proposed a new exclusion zone in their response. The exclusion zone is currently in use in France, the carriers said, “with slight adaption” reflecting “modest technical differences in how C-band is being deployed.” Per FAA officials, France uses spectrum for 5G that sits further away from spectrum used for radio altimeters and uses lower power levels for 5G than those authorized in the United States.

“The laws of physics are the same in the United States and France,” the CEOs wrote. “If U.S. airlines are permitted to operate flights every day in France, then the same operating conditions should allow them to do so in the United States.” 

Verizon states they will only use spectrum in the same range as used in France, but they plan to use additional spectrum in the coming years. The larger U.S. exclusion zone around U.S. airports is “to make up for the slight difference in power levels between the two nations,” Verizon added. 

Regarding the new exclusion zones, government and industry officials say it is not as large as what the FAA had suggested earlier.

The FAA and Buttigieg on Friday proposed identifying priority airports “where a buffer zone would permit aviation operations to continue safely while the FAA completes its assessments of the interference potential.”

An FCC spokesperson said Sunday the agency is “optimistic that by working together we can both advance the wireless economy and ensure aviation safety.”

Wireless industry group CTIA said 5G is safe and spectrum is being used in about 40 other countries.

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5G C-Band Effects in 2021 & 2022

It’s almost 2022 and the C-Band spectrum for 5G is still a hot topic. Amongst large sums of money AT&T and Verizon have spent on obtaining C-Band, and delays due to FAA concerns, the carriers are pressing on to continue rollout on January 5th. 

Agreements were made to limit the amount of signal broadcasted on these frequencies around airports. These limitations will last for at least six months. The FAA also recently posted newly published documents, which provide further information about steps that will be required in areas potentially affected by 5G C-band interference.

The threat to airline safety remains the subject of debate. Aviation officials have even said that turning on C-band spectrum could lead to delays in air travel for passengers and cargo. A question of why it took this long to issue warnings is also something of debate now. After all, there were folks who voiced concerns over the 3.7GHz C-Band back in 2018. At that time they said radio altimeters operating in the adjacent 4.2-4.4 GHz radio frequency could be compromised.

In the FCC’s written decision about repurposing the C-band for 5G, the commission noted that a 220-megahertz guard band would protect radio altimeters in the 4.2-4.4 GHz band – this is double the minimum guard band requirement initially discussed by Boeing and other aviation officials.  

In response to this, CTIA, the wireless industry trade group, pointed out that nearly 40 countries already are safely using these and similar radio waves for 5G. That is, at similar power levels, and with no evidence of harmful interference with aviation equipment.

Last week, CTIA issued a joint statement with the Aerospace Industries Association and Airlines for America about their “ongoing collaboration to find a data-driven solution” to deploy 5G while ensuring aviation safety. CTIA reiterated the wireless industry’s plan to launch 5G in the C-band on January 5, 2022.

“We are pleased that after productive discussions we will be working together to share the available data from all parties to identify the specific areas of concern for aviation. The best technical experts from across both industries will be working collectively to identify a path forward, in coordination with the FAA and FCC,” the groups stated. “Our belief is that by working collaboratively in good faith on a data-driven solution, we can achieve our shared goal of deploying 5G while preserving aviation safety.”

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US Aviation Restrictions and 5G C-Band Interference

Concerns over the 5G C-Band (3.7-3.98 GHz) and aviation safety are still a hot topic. While there have been no reports of any issues, these concerns are quite valid. If you’re not already familiar with this story, the FAA alerts say that 5G can interfere with radar or radio altimeter signals. These tools measure the distance between the aircraft and the ground. Data from these devices are then fed to the cockpit safety system. This helps pilots gauge the air safety metrics and prevent mid-air collision, avoid crashes and ensure a safe landing.

In order to avert any potential disruption in essential safety sensors, the FAA issued flight restrictions that would prevent pilots from operating the automatic landing option and other cockpit systems during inclement weather conditions. These directives are primarily intended to make 5G expansion and aviation coexist without compromising passenger safety. However, some airline industry groups have voiced concern because this can impact flights when they need these tools and systems the most.

Along with the FCC, the FAA has been conducting safety studies to help move things forward, as the telecom industry continues to argue the concerns are invalid. Specifically in the spotlight, Verizon and AT&T have cited data from several countries where the C-Band has been safely coexisting with the aviation industry. Despite these arguments, the two telecom companies have voluntarily suspended the rollout of the C-Band until January 2022. The carriers have also agreed to minimize the power consumption of C-Band base stations around airports till July 6, 2022. In the meantime, they continue to work together to resolve the issue. 

Both Verizon and AT&T have a lot in stake with C-Band. The C-Band offers significant bandwidth with better propagation characteristics for optimum coverage in both rural and urban areas than mmWave, which has a short range and requires a high density of sites to achieve coverage. Consequently, it is deemed a prized asset for carriers like Verizon and AT&T that lack considerable mid-band spectrum holdings. Verizon was the largest bidder with $45.5 billion worth of bids in the FCC-led C-Band auction for mid-band airwaves that generated about $81.2 billion in gross proceeds, followed by AT&T at $23.4 billion. The auction offered 280 MHz of spectrum for potential 5G deployments over the next few years. While Verizon secured 3,511 of the 5,684 licenses up for grabs, AT&T claimed 1,621.

On the other side, leading U.S. House Democrats have urged the FCC to consider the gravity of the issue raised by the FAA. They’ve sought an immediate restraining order for the deployment of the C-Band for wireless use until a thorough risk assessment is conducted. Although the FCC did not comment, a coalition of industry trade groups has pointed out that further delay in the rollout of 5G technology would likely hamper the country’s economic growth.

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5G C-Band Updates: Limiting Service

Continuing reports on the 5G C-Band service from AT&T and Verizon, new information comes about the agreement each made with the FAA. The agreement is to limit transmissions over the spectrum, rather than prolonging the delay of its use altogether.  

The carriers will also abide by even more limitations near regional airports. This agreement seems to have satisfied FAA concerns. 

The carriers will resume their 5G expansion, beginning January 5, 2022. As for the limited service, this will last for 6 months, which they expect will provide regulators time to evaluate what effect, if any, the cellular transmitters may have on aviation electronics. After that, they’ll re-evaluate whether the power can be turned up.

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AT&T and Verizon agree to Limit 5G C-Band Spectrum for 6 Months due to FAA Concerns

For the past few weeks, we’ve reported about the delay on Verizon and AT&T’s rollout of 5G service on the C-band spectrum. Originally planned for only 1 month, the delay is due to concerns about interference with aircraft sensors. 

While the FAA still investigates this, there have yet to be any reports of incidents with actual interference. This is known because this particular section of frequency spectrum is already used in almost 40 other countries. All of which have never reported issues. 

The FCC has been involved and even approved use of the C-Band spectrum from 3.7 to 3.98 GHz. This came only after analyzing the aviation industry’s interference claims and finding no evidence to support the claims. The FCC also required a 220 MHz guard band that will remain unused to protect altimeters from interference. That guard band is more than twice as big as the 100 MHz buffer initially suggested by Boeing, the FCC has said.

As detailed in a proposal posted on Wednesday, the carriers (AT&T and Verizon), have agreed  to lower the signals’ cell-tower power levels nationwide and impose stricter power caps near airports and helipads, according to a copy reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. This implementation will last for at least 6 months while the FAA continues to monitor the situation.

“While we remain confident that 5G poses no risk to air safety, we are also sensitive to the Federal Aviation Administration’s desire for additional analysis of this issue,” the companies said in the letter to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. Wireless industry officials have held frequent talks with FCC and FAA experts to discuss the interference claims and potential fixes, according to people familiar with the matter.

The FAA welcomed the proposal, but has not yet indicated whether it will agree to it.

The paper also notes that 5G users shouldn’t be significantly affected as carriers already use directional antennas near airports to limit the power of the signals reaching aircraft, and within terminal buildings most people use WiFi.

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Verizon’s CFO Discusses Progress with C-Band & Fixed Wireless

At the beginning of November, we reported about the stop AT&T and Verizon had to put on rolling out their respective 5G C-band services due to FAA regulations. As the FAA continues to work with the FCC on this, Verizon’s CFO Matt Ellis is confident that the delay won’t linger more than 30 days. Ellis, who spoke during Morgan Stanley’s European Technology, Media & Telecom investor conference, added that the parties are going through a bit of a process to get everyone aligned. Both carriers have voluntarily pushed things back from December 5th to January 5th.

Ellis also talked about how this delay hasn’t kept Verizon from staying on track with their other goals. This includes reaching 100 million PoPs with C-band coverage in the first quarter of 2022. This seems it may hold true based on how the company was tracking in 5G coverage at the end of October. 

While on the topic of C-band, Ellis talked up progress on the fixed wireless (FWA) front for both 4G LTE and 5G mmWave (aka 5G Home). When asked if he thought fixed wireless would be a key 5G killer app, he replied, “Yes, it is. We absolutely believe that to be the case.”

In the third quarter Verizon disclosed figures, adding 55,000 fixed wireless customers for a total of 150,000 as of the end of September. Coverage with 4G and 5G FWA stands at 11.6 million homes, and plans to reach 15 million by the end of the year. That number aims to hit 50 million by the end of 2025. Combined with what Ellis described as high-teen millions on the Fios side, it will be close to 70 million premises passed with home broadband in the next few years.

For the mmWave service, Ellis said that Verizon will have over 30,000 sites by the end of 2021 compared to just 2,000 sites two years ago.

Unlike 5G fixed wireless, which was quickly put into play along with its network rollout, LTE fixed wireless services have been more recently determined on a site-by-site basis – and is only available where Verizon has enough excess capacity. Initially launching last year, LTE coverage first focused largely on rural areas. Over the past year, it has grown to include more suburban and urban locations. It’s “seeing good traction,” Ellis noted.

When it comes to LTE, he pointed out that customer premises equipment (CPE) was upgraded over the summer to add support for the C-band, when available. “So those customers who are in those first 46 markets that the C-band will get turned on, will have the opportunity to step up from the 4G Home to the C-band version of that as well.”

Like with Fios, fixed wireless is not limited to residential customers. For example, Verizon is delivering 5G fixed wireless to certain Walgreens locations under a network-as-a-service deal in late 2020 covering 9,000 retail stores. 5G Business Internet FWA service expanded to 57 U.S. cities last month, while 5G Home was available in 60.

During Wednesday’s event Morgan Stanley analysts pointed out that Verizon has been highlighting the idea of being the go-to provider for broadband nationwide and asked Ellis about the potential to bundle home and mobile service thanks to fixed wireless access. He said it expands where Verizon can offer broadband, which right now is mainly restricted to the carrier’s Fios footprint.

“We get to take the ability to provide broadband from being a regional play to a nationwide play, and that’s tremendously exciting when we think of what we can do with that,” Ellis said. “Across the different technologies getting up towards 70 million homes by the end of 2025 we think that gives us the opportunity to play in this space in a way that nobody does so far.” He added, “How we market to our customer base in terms of offering those products together is a significant part of the growth opportunity.”

On a related note, T-Mobile has also gotten into the FWA game, and is targeting service to rural areas with LTE and 5G. In September T-Mobile’s FWA tally stood around 600 locations in the U.S., while its mid-band 2.5 GHz 5G footprint now covers 200 million Americans.

In terms of home broadband getting attention, Ellis referenced the recently signed $1 trillion infrastructure bill that includes $65 billion for broadband. Verizon expects to benefit from this via their fixed wireless services. “What I think it shows obviously is the importance of broadband in people’s lives and access to every aspect of the digital economy,” he said. Verizon’s been building out Fios as part of that “fixed wireless access gives us the opportunity to also be part of the solution there.”

Ellis emphasized that he believes the bill shouldn’t favor a specific technology.

“Let’s let the marketplace determine the right solution in each geographic location,” he said, noting that aside from fiber to the home, fiber to a cell site with FWA service provides a compelling product at a great price for customers as well.

Also top of mind is Verizon’s pending $6.9 billion acquisition of TracFone, which Ellis said is set up to close before the end of the year. There are still two hurdles outstanding, including a vote by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) that’s on the agenda for a review vote Thursday, as well as FCC approval.

With the Tracfone deal Verizon is aiming to compete more directly in the prepaid space, where its current presence is tiny compared to main competitors but would jump to the leading position in terms of subscriber figures. Tracfone would bring roughly 20 million customers under the Verizon umbrella, a good portion that are already riding on the carrier’s network under a wholesale deal. For the roughly one third of TracFone subscribers that aren’t already on the Verizon network, Ellis said consumers will get an upgrade while Verizon benefits from cost savings as well.

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Can T-Mobile Profit Off Its Competitors’ Delay?

As we had originally reported last week, AT&T and Verizon have delayed 5G rollout on the C-Band spectrum for a month. We’ve now learned that T-Mobile could be capitalizing on this moment to gain a larger lead on 5G service availability over its competitors. You see, unlike AT&T and Verizon, T-Mobile is not broadcasting over any frequencies that are suspected of causing interference (including Sprint’s repurposed 2.5GHz/ 2500Mhz WiMax band). 

The delay helps T-Mobile lock in 5G customers before Verizon and AT&T have improved their coverage, Blair Levin, an analyst with New Street Research, said in a note. “A one-month delay will not have a material impact,” Levin wrote. “But the question remains whether the delay will continue to a point at which it will hurt Verizon and AT&T while benefiting T-Mobile.” 

Despite the delay however, Verizon appears to remain optimistic about providing C-band coverage to millions of Americans by early 2022 (according to Rich Young, a spokesperson from Verizon). Mobile carriers have permission to use the C-Band beginning Dec. 5. The FCC awarded wireless network providers access to the radio bands in a February auction. Verizon spent $45 billion on the airwaves in question, and AT&T devoted $23 billion in an FCC auction. With this data, and news according to an article by Forbes recently, it seems that T-Mobile is on track to likely profit from this delay.

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