Following ongoing issues with its decision to include Huawei in part of its 5G network, Britain is now interested in creating a 5G alliance to counter China.
The US has banned Huawei over allegations it serves as part of Beijing’s spying apparatus. US officials have gone on to wage an intense campaign to convince its allies to do the same.
The US’ closest ally, the UK, attempted to work out a compromise solution wherein Huawei would be allowed to participate in the country’s 5G network in a limited role. That move has caused the US to reevaluate military and intelligence assets in the UK. It’s the US’ latest move, however, to cut off Huawei’s chip supplies that may have forced the UK to reconsider its decision.
According to the Times of London, British officials may be prepared to go farther, “seeking to forge an alliance of ten democracies to create alternative suppliers of 5G equipment and other technologies to avoid relying on China.
“New concerns about Huawei, the Chinese telecoms giant, have increased the urgency of the plan after security officials began a review into its involvement in the mobile network upgrade.”
It’s probably a safe bet the UK will be able to drum up the necessary support for a proposed alliance.
Following a decision to allow Huawei to participate in Britain’s next-gen networks, it seems as though the government is reevaluating its stance.
Huawei has been accused of being a part of Beijing’s spying apparatus, essentially giving the Chinese government a backdoor into any entity using Huawei’s equipment. As a result, the US has engaged in an extensive campaign to limit Huawei’s growth, trying to convince its allies to ban the firm as the US has done. Most recently, the US has moved to cut off Huawei’s supply of semiconductors, using a rule that puts restrictions on who foreign companies that use US technology can sell to.
In spite of its efforts, the US was dealt a setback when its closest ally opted to allow Huawei to participate in its 5G rollout. Bloomberg is reporting, however, that the UK may be reconsidering that decision.
“The security and resilience of our networks is of paramount importance,” a British government spokesperson said in an email. “Following the U.S. announcement of additional sanctions against Huawei, the NCSC is looking carefully at any impact they could have to the U.K.’s networks.”
It will be interesting to see what the NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre) finds, but it won’t be surprising if the UK reverses its decision, at least to some degree. The move to allow Huawei to participate in British networks was unpopular among a large portion of the government, and that will likely add even further impetus toward a potential mulligan.
Verizon has announced it has activated uploads on its Ultra Wideband 5G network.
San Diego is the 35th city where Verizon has rolled out Ultra Wideband 5G. Ultra Wideband uses mmWave spectrum, the fastest flavor of 5G. mmWave provides speeds measured in gigabits, rather than megabits. Until now, however, Verizon has only offered its Ultra Wideband for downloads.
“Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network is synonymous with fast download speeds, but one of the biggest requests we’ve had since launching our 5G network is when uplink for 5G uploads will be available on Verizon,” writes Kevin King, on the company site. “Starting today, customers can upload content using Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network. This makes it easier to upload high-def videos to social networks, back-up work and school projects to the cloud and play massive multiplayer games.
“Initially, customers should see upload speeds on 5G about 30 percent faster than 4G LTE. 5G upload is available in all 35 Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband cities, in our Chicago 5G Home market and in any stadium or arena with Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband service.”
This is good news for Verizon’s customers who have access to the company’s fastest 5G network.
T-Mobile has launched ‘Connecting Heroes,’ a program to deliver free iPhones and 5G to first responders.
The company is making an effort to support first responders that often have to choose between buying phones and devices, vs life-saving equipment. To help ease their financial burdens, T-Mobile has committed to providing them a free iPhone SE, or half the cost of a flagship phone, as well as free service with 5G access for 10 years.
“When we’re at our most vulnerable, first responders are there for us … and they are under more pressure today than ever before. Connecting Heroes is one way we’re saying ‘thank you’ in this critical time,” said Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile. “People who save lives shouldn’t have to choose between life-saving equipment and wireless service. And with Connecting Heroes, they won’t have to. We’re not limiting this program to a few months or a year … first responders can get free service including 5G access, for a full decade. THIS is the kind of impact the new T-Mobile can have in the world. THIS is the kind of difference we can make.”
The company’s commitment is a substantial one. It’s estimated that if all first responder agencies take advantage of T-Mobile’s offer, it will save them some $7.7 billion.
It’s nice to see T-Mobile continuing its Un-carrier culture following its merger with Sprint. With the added size, subscriber base, revenue and resources the merger provided, we can’t wait to see what the magenta carrier does next.
T-Mobile achieved a significant milestone in New York, passing the gigabit speed threshold with mid-band 5G.
This is significant because, generally, high-band mmWave is viewed as the flavor of 5G that offers the best speeds. Unfortunately, mmWave has notoriously short range, requiring towers, repeaters or base stations every couple of hundred meters. This makes it logistically impossible to widely deploy it across the country.
In contrast, low-band 5G has the best range and penetration, even better than 4G LTE in some cases, but offers only modest speed improvements over the older technology.
Mid-band spectrum, in the 2.5GHz range, is generally considered the sweet spot for 5G, offering the best blend of range, penetration and speed. According to Ookla Speedtest’s Milan Milanovic, however, T-Mobile’s mid-band may be giving mmWave a run for its money.
Well that was unexpected… Just two weeks after the 2.5GHz NYC launch, @TMobile upgrades the NR bandwidth from 40 to 60MHz!
NR spectral efficiency further improves… 1.2Gbps. 😳
The mid-band spectrum was one of the primary reasons T-Mobile worked so hard to merge with Sprint. Sprint had been sitting on a wealth of the spectrum for years, but had never been able to deploy it to maximum benefit.
It appears T-Mobile’s investment is paying off for the company and customers alike.
AT&T will stop using its “5G Evolution” branding after the National Advertising Review Board (NARB) found it misleading.
The NARB and the National Advertising Division (NAD) are divisions of the BBB National Programs. T-Mobile had challenged AT&T’s marketing claims, bringing its complaint to the NAD.
At the heart of the issue was AT&T’s use of the label “5G Evolution” to describe souped up 4G LTE. The company tried to further clarify/muddy the issue by calling it “The First Step in 5G.” In fact a blog post in 2018 by Andre Fuetsch, president of AT&T Labs and Chief Technology Officer, is filled with back-and-forth marketing speak to give the impression that “5G Evolution” is 5G, without actually crossing the line and saying something that would be a blatant lie.
For example, Fuetsch writes: “We’re laying the 5G network foundation with 5G Evolution and LTE-LAA. In technology terms, that means we’re upgrading cell towers with LTE Advanced features like 256 QAM, 4×4 MIMO, and 3-way carrier aggregation. These technologies serve as the runway to 5G by boosting the existing LTE network and priming it for the future of connectivity. We can enable faster speeds now, and upgrade to 5G when it’s ready.”
As can be seen by that paragraph, Fuetsch practically writes himself into the verbal equivalent of a pretzel in an effort to tout “5G Evolution” as 5G; all the while technically acknowledging it’s really 4G LTE; all while, at the same time, pointing out it’s the runway to 5G.
Unfortunately, this kind of semantic gymnastics is nothing new for AT&T. In 2019, the company agreed to a $60 million settlement over misleading claims it made about its unlimited data plans. Similarly, in 2014, the company settled to the tune of $105 million for deceptive billing practices.
In this latest instance, the NAD had recommended AT&T stop using the branding, a decision that the wireless carrier appealed to the NARB. In its decision the NARB has upheld the NAB’s previous decision:
Agreeing with NAD’s findings and recommendations, the NARB panel determined that both claims will mislead reasonable consumers into believing that AT&T is offering a 5G network and recommended that the claims be discontinued. At NAD and on appeal, it was not disputed that the AT&T network is not a 5G network. The NARB Panel agreed with NAD’s analysis and concluded that the term “Evolution” is not likely to alert consumers to the fact that the service is not 5G. The Panel noted that the current prevalent technology in wireless is 4G LTE, and LTE stands for “evolution.” Thus, consumers may well interpret “Evolution” in the challenged claims as signifying that AT&T’s technology has already evolved into 5G.
Further, the Panel agreed with NAD’s conclusion that the addition of “The First Step in 5G” does not cure the concern that consumers could reasonably take away the message that beginning 5G technology is delivered. The Panel noted that a reasonable consumer could conclude that the reference to “The First Step to 5G” was the advertiser’s way of promoting a 5G network, while promising an even more robust 5G network at a later time, especially since the slogan is being used in conjunction with “5G Evolution.”
To no one’s surprise, AT&T disagreed with the findings, but has indicated it will comply with them.
Verizon is downplaying 5G, when compared to 4G, saying customers will only see “some improvements” initially.
Verizon and T-Mobile have been locked in a battle over 5G, with the two carriers taking swipes at the other’s speed and coverage. T-Mobile has repeatedly emphasized the coverage of its nationwide 5G network, while Verizon has ran ads pointing out its 5G is faster and is “5G built right.”
Now, however, Verizon is downplaying the initial performance of its 5G, with CEO Hans Vestberg saying at the J.P. Morgan investors conference that, “in the beginning, you’re going to see some improvements. Over time, dramatic improvements,”
As we have covered repeatedly in previous articles, much of Verizon’s 5G issues stem from its focus on the high-band mmWave 5G. While offering speeds measured in gigabits, mmWave is notoriously short-range, requiring towers, repeaters and base stations every couple hundred meters. While this may be feasible in densely populated urban areas, mmWave is not practical for rural regions. As a result, while also unveiling mmWave in cities, T-Mobile has focused heavily on low-band 5G for its nationwide network. Low-band has far better range and building penetration, but provides only marginally better speeds than 4G.
In Verizon’s case, however, the carrier is at a disadvantage when it comes to low-band spectrum, especially compared to T-Mobile. Verizon’s 4G LTE network is primarily based on 700 MHz spectrum, which is largely responsible for Verizon’s legendary coverage. T-Mobile similarly uses 700 MHz spectrum for its 4G network, but deployed 600 MHz spectrum for its nationwide 5G, spectrum that theoretically has even better range and building penetration than either carrier’s 700 MHz 4G.
Verizon, however, does not have a wealth of 600 MHz low-band spectrum like T-Mobile. As a result, it has to rely on Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) technology to share its spectrum between 4G and 5G users for its low-band network. T-Mobile’s Neville Ray has warned about technical issues with DSS, and pointed out that the magenta carrier’s wealth of low-band spectrum means it is not dependent on DSS.
When asked during the conference about Verizon’s DSS plans, Vestberg simply said: “Our technology team are progressing on that.” Needless to say, that response is not reassuring given the issues that have come up with DSS.
Based on the investor conference, Verizon appears to finally be acknowledging, however indirectly, the challenges in providing a true, nationwide 5G network. In contrast, with T-Mobile’s abundance of low-band spectrum, and the absolute wealth of mid-range spectrum it acquired in the Sprint merger, T-Mobile continues to establish itself as THE carrier to beat in the 5G race.
The US is reviewing its military and intelligence assets in the UK and may pull them out following the UK’s decision to use Huawei.
The US has banned Huawei and engaged in a campaign to pressure its allies to do the same, especially those allies that, along with the US, constitute the Five Eyes. Comprised of the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US, the Five Eyes work closely on the international scene and share intelligence. The UK, in particular, shares a very close relationship with the US, a relationship that has been strained with the UK’s decision to include Huawei in its 5G network.
According to The Telegraph, the UK’s decision may soon result in action on the part of the US. The Telegraph says that half a dozen sources have confirmed that a review is underway to determine what military and intelligence assets in the UK may need to be pulled out.
“This was not a bluff. You cannot mitigate the danger Boris Johnson is exposing the UK to by letting Huawei into the network,” said one of the sources.
“This review is not a punishment. This is the White House saying ‘okay, if they’re going to go down this path and put themselves at risk then how do we protect ourselves.’”
The coming weeks and months will no doubt be pivotal, in terms of the US and UK’s relationship. It’s also possible that such a review could put more pressure on Johnson to reverse the decision, something many in the British government already want to do.
T-Mobile has announced several important milestones in its standalone (SA) 5G rollout.
5G networks are currently built on non-standalone (NSA) technology, meaning that the backbone is based on the 4G LTE core, giving compatible devices the ability to connect to with 5G and LTE simultaneously. While still faster than straight LTE, NSA 5G can’t match the potential of an SA 5G network, where all the components are based on the newer tech.
According to T-Mobile, the company has successfully completed a number of significant steps involving SA 5G testing, including the first data session using multi-vendor modems, the first “voice call using Evolved Packet System (EPS) fallback to VoLTE,” and the first low-band voice calls (VoNR) and video calls (ViNR) over production networks. ViNR is particularly significant, as it allows native, high-quality video calls without an app.
“Powerful and reliable wireless networks are more important than ever, and these milestones mark a huge step forward for the entire wireless ecosystem,” said Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile. “Standalone 5G, paired with the broad and deep network we’re building by combining the assets of T-Mobile and Sprint, will accelerate 5G adoption and services and transform wireless!”
T-Mobile is wasting no time moving forward in their 5G rollout following their merger with Sprint. These latest announcements will pave the way for significant improvements for customers of the magenta network.
Ericsson has scored a big win, beating out Nokia for contracts with the world’s largest telecoms company, China Mobile.
Ericsson, Nokia and Huawei are locked in a three-way battle for dominance in the 5G equipment market. Huawei is widely thought of as the market leader, although Ericsson has taken issue with that, touting its long history of being first with new technology and specifically 5G rollouts.
In its latest win, Ericsson has scored a contract with China Mobile to provide 5G core (5GC) and radio access network (RAN) components.
“Under the terms of this new deal, China Mobile extends its 5G RAN partnership with Ericsson to 17 provinces, with the deployment of Ericsson Radio System products and solutions, as it seeks to further roll out 5G services across the country,” reads the company’s announcement.
“In addition, Ericsson will provide 5G core network equipment in two major regions, covering five provinces. The 5G Core network will be deployed on NFVI along with Ericsson Dynamic Orchestration. As part of a previous agreement, Ericsson is also providing Cloud VoLTE, Cloud Unified Data Management (UDM) and Policy.”
The China Mobile contract is another feather in Ericsson’s cap, and will lend weight to the company’s assertion that it can compete with Huawei anywhere—including on the Chinese company’s home turf.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently voted unanimously to allow Ligado to deploy a low-power 5G network, and lawmakers are not happy.
In its initial ruling, the FCC authorized “Ligado to deploy a low-power terrestrial nationwide network in the 1526-1536 MHz, 1627.5- 1637.5 MHz, and 1646.5-1656.5 MHz bands that will primarily support Internet of Things (IoT) services.”
There was only one problem with the FCC’s decision: It was opposed by numerous organizations and agencies, including major airlines, the Departments of Commerce, Defense and Justice. The reason for the objection is the potential for Ligado’s network to interfere with commercial and military GPS equipment.
In an op-ed published in C4ISRNET, Sen. Jim Inhofe, Sen. Jack Reed, Rep. Adam Smith and Rep. Mac Thornberry lay out the case for why they believe the FCC made a mistake:
“The problem here is that Ligado’s planned usage is not in the prime mid-band spectrum being considered for 5G — and it will have a significant risk of interference with GPS reception, according to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA),” the lawmakers write. “The signals interference Ligado’s plan would create could cost taxpayers and consumers billions of dollars and require the replacement of current GPS equipment just as we are trying to get our economy back on its feet quickly — and the FCC has just allowed this to happen.”
The lawmakers go on to highlight that no fewer than nine federal agencies and departments did extensive testing and came to the conclusion that Ligado’s network would interfere with existing GPS equipment.
“Considering the risks, it’s clear the FCC commissioners made the wrong decision regarding Ligado’s plan, which will set a disastrous precedent while impeding ongoing work on spectrum sharing,” the lawmakers continue. “The vulnerabilities to our national and economic security are not worth the risk, particularly for a band of spectrum that isn’t necessary to secure a robust 5G network.
“We encourage the FCC to withdraw its approval of Ligado’s application and take this opportunity to work with the NTIA and other federal agencies, including the Departments of Defense and Transportation, to find a solution that will both support commercial broadband expansion and protect national security assets. Moreover, we expect the FCC to resolve Department of Defense concerns before moving forward, as required by law.
“If they do not, and unless President Trump intervenes to stop this from moving forward, it will be up to Congress to clean up this mess.”
We will continue to monitor the story for the FCC’s response and whatever action is taken by either side.
Huawei is focusing on its home turf in the race to rollout 5G, while its worldwide growth slows as a result of U.S. pressure.
The U.S. and Huawei have been at war for months, with the former accusing the latter of being a conduit for Beijing to spy on governments and companies around the globe. Huawei has vehemently denied the allegations, but that has not stopped the U.S. from banning the company from participating in its 5G network and putting pressure on allies to do the same. U.S. officials have also considered measures to cut off the company from its supply of chips, by altering the Foreign Direct Product Rule, which gives the government the ability to restrict foreign goods based on U.S. tech.
According to Bloomberg, Huawei is focusing its efforts on building out China’s 5G network. With global growth slowing, the domestic contracts are helping the company, which is seen as the clear leader in China’s 5G efforts. With $170 billion on the line, China’s rollout should be sufficient to keep the company’s coffers well-supplied and help it remain competitive.
It remains to be seen how the conflict between the U.S. and Huawei will play out, as many countries are undecided on whether to use the company and, if so, to what extent.
Twitter has announced it will start blocking unverified claims, specifically those involving 5G conspiracy theories.
In one of the strangest side-effects of the coronavirus pandemic, conspiracy theories have been spreading claiming that 5G cell towers are somehow responsible for the virus. To make matters worse, as the theories have been making their rounds on social media, people have started destroying the towers.
Phone and internet connectivity has been one of the bright spots during the coronavirus pandemic, providing a way for people to stay connected to their work, friends and family. As a result, when people buy into these conspiracy theories, they end up doing far more harm than just destruction of equipment.
Thankfully, Twitter is taking action to try to stop this kind of irresponsible behavior.
We have broadened our guidance on unverified claims that incite people to engage in harmful activity, could lead to the destruction or damage of critical 5G infrastructure, or could lead to widespread panic, social unrest, or large-scale disorder.
AT&T has announced its 5G network now covers 120 million people in 190 markets, up from 100 markets in its March 16 update.
The 90 additional markets are covered with the company’s low-band 5G. While the slowest variety, low-band offers the best coverage, range and building penetration compared to faster varieties.
“At a time when technology is proving to be even more essential for communication, AT&T customers can rest assured that our company is continuing to invest in our network and new technologies to make connection easier,” said Chris Sambar, EVP of Technology Operations. “We remain focused on launching AT&T 5G in more markets and to more customers across the country – building on the nation’s best and fastest wireless network – and plan to reach nationwide coverage this summer.”
The announcement is good news for AT&T customers, especially during a time when so many people are depending on wireless communication.
On the heels of its merger with Sprint, T-Mobile is wasting no time putting the former company’s spectrum to use improving its own network.
With carriers around the world pushing to deploy 5G networks, T-Mobile’s acquisition of Sprint puts it in an enviable spot moving forward. 5G comes in three flavors: low-band, mid-band and high-band, or mmWave. mmWave offers gigabit speeds, but has extremely limited range and penetration, while low-band offers excellent range and penetration, but only marginally better speeds than 4G LTE.
Mid-range spectrum is considered the sweet spot, offering a compromise between fast speeds and good coverage. Sprint had a wealth of mid-range spectrum, and T-Mobile is already putting it to good use. The company had previously announced the rollout of 2.5Ghz 5G in Philadelphia, using Sprint’s spectrum, and now it is going even further.
According to the company’s website, T-Mobile is bringing low, mid and high-band 5G to New York City. It is also bringing its low-band 5G to Detroit, St. Louis and Columbus. At the same time, Sprint customers are now able to roam on T-Mobile’s network, doubling the amount of LTE sites Sprint customers can access.
The announcements are welcome news to T-Mobile and Sprint subscribers and reaffirm that the New T-Mobile is the carrier to beat.
“We’ve had 5G here for over a year and not only has it not unveiled anything that caused us concern but as this pandemic has happened it’s actually shown its importance to the nation even more so than before,” says Peachtree Corners, GA. City Manager Brian Johnson. “The need for greater speed, lower latency, and greater capacity or bandwidth has (been apparent) as we’ve been forced to distance ourselves from each other and needed to communicate.”
Brian Johnson, City Manager of Peachtree Corners, Georgia, says that the coronavirus pandemic illustrates the importance of 5G to the United States in an interview on OAN:
No Indication of Any 5G Health Risk
We are a metro Atlanta municipality and we were one of the first cities in the country to have 5G unveiled here. We launched 5G as part of not just a network for our citizens to use but our city has opened itself up to be a smart city living laboratory for technology in general. As part of the unveiling of our laboratory was the 5G rollout which we’ve had for a little over a year.
When it comes to any indication of there being any negative effects of 5G, as city manager of this municipality, there’s nothing more important to me than the health and welfare of the city’s residents. My staff, the mayor, and the city council are always reading and monitoring the agencies out there in the world whose job it is to study this kind of stuff. Whether it’s the World Health Organization or US Department of Health none of them have indicated that there’s any health risk.
5G Shows Importance To Nation During Pandemic
We’ve had 5G here for over a year and not only has it not unveiled anything that caused us concern but as this pandemic has happened it’s actually shown its importance to the nation even more so than before. The need for greater speed, lower latency, and greater capacity or bandwidth has (been apparent) as we’ve been forced to distance ourselves from each other and needed to communicate.
This is especially true within the healthcare community with 5G where we’re seeing companies continuing to test their cutting-edge technology here in our city. We’re seeing a greater need for 5G as we move forward into this new normal than before.
5G Shows Its Importance To Nation During Pandemic: GA. City Manager
“Digital changes the game entirely,” says Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian. “The big thing you’re going to see us do is to bring the technologies, not just into the hands of the customers going mobile in terms of controlling your experience with Delta, but into the hands of our employees. This is so that our flight attendants, our pilots, our gate agents, our people in reservations and in maintenance, can actually start to interact more efficiently with each other and with customers to continue to run an even better operation.”
The data is already there. Yes, the new variants are throwing off more data. The problem we have with a lot of the aircraft and the engine data that’s being produced is trying to figure out what you do with it, what’s relevant, what’s the real meaning behind it? We’ve got amazing predictive maintenance technologies that we’ve already at Delta deployed. We run the best maintenance operation in the world.
Ten years ago we bought Northwest Airlines and we had a really difficult year in our first year of integration. We had 6,000 cancellations due to maintenance alone in that year. In one year, in 2010. This past year we had 60 the entire year, a 99 percent reduction in maintenance cancels. No airline the world can talk to those types of numbers. It tells you that it’s predictive technology and engine technology. We’re using the data. I don’t know what more data we’re going to get to. You’re not going to get better than 60 in a year. We’re already pretty skilled in that knowledge set.
Digital Changes the Game Entirely
There’s a lot we can improve (with the consumer experience). I’ll tell you that we are within our peer set doing a great job as we’re innovating. The thing we had to do as a 95-year-old company is that we had to build the foundation. We’d spent several years building the infrastructure, the architecture, and being able to get at the data. It was truly an incredible maze of spaghetti thrown all around the company with all the legacy systems. We’re bringing the digital technologies almost on a weekly basis now into the market.
Our Fly Delta app is one of the best-rated airline apps out there and will get better. There’s more we can do. The big thing you’re going to see us do is to bring the technologies, not just into the hands of the customers going mobile in terms of controlling your experience with Delta, but into the hands of our employees. This is so that our flight attendants, our pilots, our gate agents, our people in reservations and in maintenance, can actually start to interact more efficiently with each other and with customers to continue to run an even better operation. Digital changes the game entirely.
We Are Not a Technology Company At Its Core
As we continue to expand our technology with digital and being able to let our consumers know more about us so we can know more about them and be able to engage in a deeper relationship, we have to maintain that same level of trust and care that we have with putting you in the sky as compared to protecting your private identity and your data.
We have a lot of people looking at all the technologies that we’re thinking about rolling out making certain that they comply with all privacy laws. We’re not a technology company at its core. We’re not ever marketing the data or selling the data but we still want to make certain that we’re adhering to those same privacy standards.
The Flight Experience Continues To Get Better
The flight experience continues to get better. Our operational performance has been incredible. We just ended this past weekend a run where we had over 40 days in a row without a cancellation around the world. These are running levels of excellence and performance that we’ve never seen. The flying experience is getting to a point where value for money is also significant because consumers today are paying 40 percent in real dollars less than they did 20 years ago for the price of tickets.
The deregulation of our industry back in the 1980s has worked and democratized travel and it has brought people out. I never stepped foot on a plane before I was 25 years old. How I ever got this job I’m still not quite sure. Flying wasn’t affordable. It wasn’t something I did when we grew up now. Our kids think you are a dinosaur if you don’t fly.
The Big Change Is Going To Be In The Airports
I think the big change is going to be in the airports going forward. The airport’s going to look significantly different. We’re going to try to take the stress out of the airports. One of the things about airports, we’ve got to remember, these were built 50, 60, or 70 years ago, for an era that has long past us. So volumes, security apparatus, even the physical layouts. Back then people would come to the airports to look at the marvel of the front head house we call it, the front door, or the artwork.
When did you ever spend time in the front of an airport? You never go there. Now you just go directly to security. You don’t even stop at the counter, you’ve got your mobile. But all of our physical layout is up front. We’ve got to flip it around and put our physical layout back by the gates where people want to get to. We need to make that front almost the security, getting into the property, to begin with.
You’re Going To See a Very Different Boarding Process
You’re going to see a very different boarding process. That’s the other tremendous stress. This is where you see people looking to line up and everyone wants to get on at the same time and most of their earthly belongings. Why does anyone want to sit in an airline seat longer than they have to? People don’t, but they want to get on board and they want to make sure their property gets on board with them. If you have confidence (with RFID technology, which we’ve now rolled out) that your bag will be there waiting for you when you get to the baggage area at the end of the flight, would you really try to carry that bag on?
We’re looking at even taking the boarding cues out, taking the podiums out. With podiums it just gives people reason to line. What if there are no podiums? We will have chairs so people can sit down and agents with technology in their hands. With the digital technology that I’m talking about, they can serve as a host or hostess rather than a ticket taker. That’s how you build relationships. That’s what we’re designing.
5G Is Going To Be a Big Deal For Us In The Airports
We’re experimenting with it but it’s knowing that the agents are out there with the technology in their hand and that’s who you need to talk to. These people will be trained to try to scoop up bags if there are bags that can be checked, but again it’s going to take some time. There has to be confidence that the technology works and it’s being delivered on. We put the technology in and there are still teething pains. A lot of it is going to be around network bandwidth. 5G is going to be a big deal for us in the airports. We actually will have the Wi-Fi capabilities to actually implement this at the level of fidelity that we’re looking to create.
With the RFID technology that we have today, we have scanners out there, we have sensors. They’ll pick up the bags that will be going on to the belt loader. The belt loader is trained that if a bag is going to the wrong destination it will stop the belt loader. It will cause the gate agent or the ramp agent to go look at it and figure out where that tag is and get it onto the right plane. It will also be able to track it. You can track your bag on the Fly Delta app, you’ll know where it is. You’ll see it get to the baggage claim before you do. It will tell you what baggage area you need to go to. That what we’re creating for the future and technology is going to be critical in getting there.
Digital Changes the Game Entirely, Says Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian
The FCC is preparing to vote on making 1,200 megahertz of spectrum available for unlicensed use in the 6GHz band.
In a blog post on the FCC’s site, Chairman Ajit Pai laid out his plan:
“Specifically, I have proposed a set of rules to make 1,200 megahertz of spectrum available for unlicensed use in four segments of the 6 GHz band (5.925–7.125 GHz). This band is currently populated by, among others, microwave services that are used to support utilities, public safety, and wireless backhaul. So unlicensed devices will share this spectrum with incumbent licensed services under rules that are carefully crafted to protect those licensed services and to enable both unlicensed and licensed operations to thrive throughout the band. Ultimately, I expect that 6 GHz unlicensed devices will become a part of consumers’ everyday lives. For the rules we will vote on would play a major role in the growth of the Internet of Things, connecting appliances, machines, meters, wearables, and other consumer electronics, as well as industrial sensors for manufacturing.”
The newly available spectrum will be a boon for numerous industries, not the least of which is 5G. With the FCC voting in April, it shouldn’t be long before devices using the 6 GHz band start showing up.
T-Mobile has already begun rolling out 2.5GHz 5G in Philadelphia, using the spectrum it gained in the Sprint merger.
2.5GHz spectrum sits squarely in the mid-range—between the slower but far-reaching low-band and the faster but short-range mmWave—and is considered the sweet spot for 5G. Mid-range spectrum offers substantially better speeds than 4G LTE, while at the same time providing good range and building penetration.
Even more than the subscriber base, gaining access to Sprint’s wealth of mid-range spectrum was the real benefit of the merger between the third and fourth carriers. Sprint’s mid-range spectrum puts T-Mobile in the lead, in terms of how much spectrum it has available, and gives it the most comprehensive 5G portfolio.
The company is wasting no time deploying the new spectrum, rolling it out in Philadelphia the very same day the deal closed, according to a tweet by Neville Ray, T-Mobile President of Technology.
We’ll move FAST to bring the @TMobile and @Sprint networks together and build #5GforAll. How fast? New T-Mobile is already deploying midband 5G spectrum in Philly. And we’re just getting started.
It’s official: T-Mobile and Sprint have merged to create the New T-Mobile.
After years of trying to merge, T-Mobile and Sprint have finally sealed the deal, completing their long-awaited merger on April 1. The two companies went through an arduous process of gaining approval from the FCC and DOJ, only to face a lawsuit from a coalition of states intent on stopping the merger. Ultimately, the companies were successful in court, with the judge ruling in favor of the merger.
With the merger complete, the U.S. wireless landscape is entering new territory. Rather than two strong competitors, followed by a distant third and fourth, there are now three strong competitors. The New T-Mobile is particularly well-positioned to compete with Verizon and AT&T, thanks to the spectrum it now has as a result of the deal. The carrier already had ample low-band spectrum, which it is using to power its nationwide 5G network. It also has quite a bit of high-band, mmWave spectrum that is used to power the fastest type of 5G. The merger with Sprint now gives T-Mobile a plethora of mid-range spectrum, which offers the coveted middle ground between low-band’s range and penetration vs mmWave’s high speeds. As a result, it’s safe to say the 5G wars are T-Mobile’s to lose.
Simultaneously, T-Mobile also announced the completion of its long-planned transition from John Legere to Mike Sievert as CEO.
“During this extraordinary time, it has become abundantly clear how vital a strong and reliable network is to the world we live in. The New T-Mobile’s commitment to delivering a transformative broad and deep nationwide 5G network is more important and more needed than ever and what we are building is mission-critical for consumers,” said Mike Sievert, president and CEO of T-Mobile. “With this powerful network, the New T-Mobile will deliver real choice and value to wireless and home broadband customers and double down on all the things customers have always loved about the Un-carrier. T-Mobile has been changing wireless for good — and now we are going to do it on a whole new level!”
Huawei is warning that Pandora’s box would be opened if the U.S. proceeds with its plans to cut the company off from its chip supplies.
U.S. officials decided last week to move forward with alterations to the Foreign Direct Product Rule in an effort to keep Huawei from purchasing chips from companies such as Taiwanese firm TSMC. Under the rule, some foreign goods that are based, at least in part, on U.S. technology can be subjected to U.S. regulations and export rules. Officials hope to use the rule to enforce a stranglehold on Huawei.
Huawei, however, is warning that such a move would have disastrous and far-reaching consequences. According to Bloomberg, Chairman Eric Xu told reporters:
“If the Pandora’s box were to be opened, we’ll probably see catastrophic damage to the global supply chain — and it won’t just be one company, Huawei, destroyed. I don’t think the Chinese government will just watch and let Huawei be slaughtered on a chopping board. I believe the Chinese government will also take some countermeasures.”
Given the number of companies that rely on China as a source of manufacturing, as well as their largest growing market, such a retaliation could have devastating consequences for many American firms.
