Tag: Verizon

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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Verizon and Amazon Team Up to Deliver High Speed Data Services to the U.S.

Providing high speed Internet to everyone in the U.S. has seemed to be a nationwide goal for decades. Until recently, that goal hasn’t been anywhere near achieved. Much like the current space race, Amazon is battling Elon Musk’s satellite project with their project Kuiper to make this goal a reality. 

Project Kuiper is what runs Amazon’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network. Teamed with the folks at Verizon, the project has been funded at around $10 billion. Eventually, this will provide more than 3,000 satellites, which would offer reduced latency by operating closer to the Earth. 

Target sectors for the satellite-enhanced Verizon Business network include manufacturing, agriculture, energy and transportation.

“Smart farms, bringing technology to agriculture, and connecting the last mile of rural America will be at the forefront of helping our industry to provide food for billions around the globe.” said Betsy Huber, president of agriculture promotion body National Grange, “Ensuring connectivity in rural areas will be key to making these endeavors a success.”

To read more about this subject, check out the full article at IoT World Today. 

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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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How to Create a Schedule for Your OneTalk Phones

With the holiday season coming up, you may need to adjust your phones, since let’s face it, no one wants to answer a phone while eating turkey, visiting with family and watching football.  Fortunately, One Talk makes it quick and easy to change the schedules and allow you to enjoy your time off.  While everyone’s call flow may be a little different, here are some general steps you’ll need to follow to set up your holiday schedule.  Go ahead and log into your Verizon Business account and open up the One Talk portal, and you’ll be able to update your schedule in no time.

Creating the Schedule

  1. In the One Talk portal, select the Manage Schedules link under the “I want to” box on the right hand side of the page.
  2. Click on the Create Schedule button in the top right corner.
  3. Select the type of schedule you want to use.  In this case, we will choose a Holiday schedule to temporarily adjust the phones.
  4. Set your schedule.  Choose the days you want to alter.  You can un-check the “All Day” box to set specific times as well.  Once the schedule is set, click Save.

Apply the Schedule to your Automated Receptionist

  1. From the home page in the One Talk portal, click on View Details in the automated receptionist box.
  2. Click on the phone number for the AR you want to apply the schedule to.
  3. Click on the “After Hours and Holidays” section at the top.  From there, you can select the Holiday Schedule you just created.  You can also change your greeting there too, but you will want to change it back after the holiday.  Click on Save at the top once everything has been updated.

This last step may or may not need to be taken.  If your automated receptionist is the same number that customers are calling, then you are all set.  If your automated receptionist does not have the same number that customers are calling, you’ll need to make sure forwarding is set as well.

Apply the Schedule to your Forwarding

  1. From the home page in the One Talk portal, select the Manage Features link under the “I want to” box on the right hand side of the page.
  2. Click on User Features at the top of the page, and then select Call Forwarding.
  3. Click on Selective at the top of the page.
  4. In the list, you will need to locate your main number that the forwarding is normally set on.  Click on the “+” next to the number to open the forwarding rules.  Choose the holiday schedule you just created.  Then click apply at the bottom.

As you can see, updating your schedules can be a breeze with One Talk.  If there are any questions on the process, 5Gstore is always here to help.  You can email us at onetalk@5gstore.com or give us a call at 833-663-8255.  We are available 9am-5pm Monday through Friday, CST.  

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5G Service Paves the Way for New Gadgets

5G service is clearing the way for the next generation of electronics. We’re seeing that it is so much more than having the Internet on your smartphone. It gives us everything from enhanced virtual-reality video games, to remote surgery. While it has been a slower rollout, we’re continuing to see waves of 5G-enabled gadgets.

Samsung Electronics Co. has teamed up with Verizon Communications Inc. to offer wireless 5G routers – ones that have the ability to match performance of wired broadband. There’s also 5G-compatible laptops from several makers. Among the latest: Lenovo Group Ltd. in August teamed up with AT&T Inc. to release a 5G laptop, the ThinkPad X13 5G. Samsung in June also introduced a new laptop offering a 5G chip – the Galaxy Book Go 5G.

If you want a 5G connection on your yacht, miles offshore? Check out the Meridian 5G, a Monaco-based provider of internet services for superyachts advertises what it calls a 5G Dome Router (much like Pepwave’s HD Dome routers). It provides a combination of antennas and modems that allows yachts sailing within about 60 miles of the coast to access 5G connectivity. 

New drone technology unveiled in August by Qualcomm Inc. with 5G and artificial-intelligence capabilities. The technology, called the Qualcomm Flight RB5 5G Platform, enables higher-quality photo and video collection, the company says. Drones equipped with the 5G technology can be used across a range of industries, among them movie making, mapping and emergency services like firefighting, Qualcomm notes.

Additional hardware will include Internet of Things type devices like our smart speakers and doorbell cameras. This can of course apply not only to home and office appliances, but industrial equipment, hospital equipment, vehicles, etc. So as the coverage of 5G service slowly expands, so does the market of new technology to harness its power.

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The Big 3 Achieve 5G Coverage for 230 Million Americans

As the two-year rollout of 5G cellular service continues, separate announcements from the big three phone carriers show that each is reaching at least 230 million Americans.

According to an AT&T and Frontier Communications announcement Wednesday (Oct. 6), the two have struck a network deal that will support deployment of AT&T’s 5G mobility network.

For its part, Verizon reported expansion of 5G to parts of five new cities, while T-Mobile said it now covers over 90% of Americans with 5G.

AT&T = 250 Million

AT&T’s coverage map reports its 5G service reaches more than 14,000 cities and towns in the U.S. 

Verizon = 230 Million

Verizon reports that its 5G Nationwide low-band 5G network is now available in more than 2,700 cities across the U.S., and its coverage area includes more than 230 million people. Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network is available in parts of 70 cities. 5G Ultra Wideband mobility will be available later in the month, increasing that number to 87 cities.

T-Mobile = 305 Million

T-Mobile reports its 5G network now covers over 90% of Americans, and in just a few years, it will provide 5G to 99% of Americans. It also covers 92% of interstate miles. Its Extended Range 5G network covers 305 million people, and its Ultra Capacity 5G network covers 165 million.

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Verizon to start 5G mobile service in 2 U.S. cities starting in April

Want to be able to use Verizon’s fifth generation wireless network in Chicago and Minneapolis starting in April? Verizon announced this week you can on April 11 by paying $10 per month with any of its unlimited mobile plans. The Motorola Z3 mobile and a device called 5G moto are the devices that you will need to connect to the 5G network.

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