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Tag: 5G

  • Norwegian Carrier Telenor Drops Huawei In Favor of Ericsson

    Norwegian Carrier Telenor Drops Huawei In Favor of Ericsson

    Reuters is reporting that Norwegian wireless carrier Telenor has decided to use Ericsson equipment for its 5G network, phasing out existing Huawei equipment.

    According to Sigve Brekke, Telenor’s chief executive, the company “had carried out an ‘extensive’ security evaluation as well as considering factors such as technical quality, innovation and modernisation of the network.”

    “Based on the comprehensive and holistic evaluation, we have decided to introduce a new partner for this important technology shift in Norway,” he said.

    Amid a campaign by the U.S. government to pressure allies to blacklist Huawei over concerns its equipment could give Beijing a way to spy on other countries, the is a big setback for the telecommunications company the same week it had previously scored a big win. Wednesday it was reported that Telefonica Germany had selected Huawei to build out its 5G rollout.

    According to Reuters, Telenor plan to completely phase out Huawei’s equipment within the next 4 to 5 years.

  • T-Mobile May Raise Prices If the Sprint Merger Falls Through

    T-Mobile May Raise Prices If the Sprint Merger Falls Through

    Not many companies need to take measures to slow customer growth but—if the T-Mobile/Sprint merger is blocked—T-Mobile may raise prices to do just that, according to CEO John Legere.

    T-Mobile has added at least one million subscribers every quarter for the last 26 quarters. While that represents an enviable rate of growth, it has put a strain on the number three carrier’s network. The merger would give T-Mobile access to Sprint’s large spectrum portfolio, which it plans on using to help shore up its 5G network.

    With 13 states and the District of Columbia fighting to block T-Mobile’s acquisition of Sprint, the Associated Press (AP) is reporting that Legere testified yesterday about the repercussions of a failed merger. Calling it his “worst nightmare,” Legere said the company would have to raises prices in an effort to slow user growth and easy strain on the network.

    Sprint is obviously not the only option for T-Mobile to gain the needed spectrum. It previously tried merging with Dish Network, a company that also has a great deal of available spectrum. Sprint, however, offers one of the best options, as it also gives T-Mobile a larger subscriber base, giving it the ability to more directly match and compete with Verizon and AT&T.

  • AT&T’s True 5G Network Goes Live: Now Available in 10 Markets

    AT&T’s True 5G Network Goes Live: Now Available in 10 Markets

    AT&T announced its true 5G network has gone live for consumers in 10 markets across the country today.

    AT&T made headlines nearly a year ago with the release of 5G Evolution (5GE), a fancy marketing term designed to help it beat its competitors in the rush to 5G. As Tom’s Guide’s investigation and testing showed, 5GE was nothing more than a slightly upgraded version of 4G LTE. Verizon and T-Mobile had the same tech for years, referring to it by the far less deceptive name “LTE Advanced.” In fact, OpenSignal’s testing showed AT&T’s 5GE was actually slower than either Verizon or T-Mobile.

    Now, roughly a year after 5GE, AT&T has turned on its true 5G network for consumers in 10 markets. Like T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G network that went live earlier this month, AT&T’s 5G network uses low-band spectrum rather than the fast millimeter wave (mmWave) variety. This means that speeds will be slower, although range and building penetration will be better.

    According to the company’s announcement, “millions of consumers and businesses across Birmingham, Ala., Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Providence, R.I., Rochester, N.Y., San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose, Calif. market areas can now access AT&T’s 5G network using the Samsung Galaxy Note10+ 5G.”

    “We believe 5G technology will be game-changing, and we continue to help drive this next wave of innovation,” said Scott Mair, President of AT&T Technology Operations. “We were the first in the U.S. to offer commercial mobile 5G, and this is the next step as we build to nationwide service in the first half of 2020.”

  • Analyst Cuts Odds For a Successful Merger Between T-Mobile and Sprint

    Analyst Cuts Odds For a Successful Merger Between T-Mobile and Sprint

    As the trial to prevent the T-Mobile/Sprint merger entered its third day, at least one analyst cut the odds for a successful merger.

    A coalition of 13 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit to prevent the third and fourth-place carriers from merging, despite both the FCC and DOJ signing off on the deal. In the first day of the trial, documents came to light highlighting a Sprint executive’s belief that the merger would result in higher prices for consumers—one of the main reasons the states are objecting to the merger.

    According to Barron’s, after the first couple of days of testimony, Raymond James analyst Ric Prentiss has lowered the odds of the wireless carriers winning their case from 85 percent to a mere 55 percent. One of the biggest factors is the challenge of propping up Dish Network as a viable 5G competitor. Critics of the deal have made the case that going from four major carriers to three would stifle competition and hurt the market. As a result, T-Mobile and Sprint agreed to sell assets, including Sprint’s prepaid business, to Dish Network in an effort to help it move beyond satellite TV service and become a viable wireless competitor. So far, however, that has been a more difficult sell than anticipated, leading Prentiss to issue his report.

    As Barron’s goes on to highlight, Sprint will be the big loser in the event the merger fails, as it has not demonstrated an ability to profitably continue on its own. T-Mobile, on the other hand, is leading the industry in earnings and subscriber growth, and will likely continue just fine on its own. It will, however, need to acquire additional 5G spectrum if the deal should fall through, as it was planning on using Sprint’s ample spectrum to build out the mid-range portion of its 5G network. T-Mobile activated its low-band, long-range 5G network on December 2. Meanwhile, it continues to build out its mmWave, high-speed, short-range network in multiple cities. Sprint’s spectrum would have been ideal as the mid-range bridge. If the deal is blocked, T-Mobile will need to acquire replacement spectrum to bridge the gap between its low-band and mmWave networks.

    With so much at stake, industry analysts, executives, experts and consumers are eagerly watching to see if T-Mobile and Sprint can win their case. In the meantime, we will continue to provide updates as the case develops.

  • Telefonica Germany Has Selected Huawei to Help Build Its 5G Network

    Telefonica Germany Has Selected Huawei to Help Build Its 5G Network

    CNN Business is reporting that Telefonica Germany has decided to use Huawei equipment to build its 5G network.

    Huawei has been fighting allegations that its equipment can be used by the Chinese government to spy on companies or governments using Huawei’s equipment. The U.S. has already blacklisted Huawei and has been campaigning allies to do the same.

    Germany has been something of a battleground for the telecommunications company, as conservative elements within the German government have called on Chancellor Merkel to ban Huawei. So far, Merkel has refused those calls, instead saying the government would outline security measures all telecommunications vendors must meet.

    In the midst of the back-and-forth over Huawei’s role, Telefonica Germany has announced they plan on using the company’s equipment in their 5G rollout, although they told CNN Business they “will only go ahead with the partnership once Huawei receives a security certification from Berlin.”

    Nonetheless, the news is a big win for Huawei, and adds weight to the claims of network operators that it will be difficult to roll out 5G without access to Huawei’s equipment.

  • Move Over Self-Driving Cars: Self-Sailing Ships Are Here

    Move Over Self-Driving Cars: Self-Sailing Ships Are Here

    ZDNet is reporting that Samsung Heavy Industries and SK Telecom “have developed a 5G-based autonomous navigation platform that will allow ships to move to set destinations on their own.”

    The first trial involved a 3.3 meter long ship outfitted with a Samsung lidar sensor connected to SK Telecom’s 5G network. A destination was set 250 kilometers away.

    “The ship safely sailed to the destination and avoided obstacles, SK Telecom said. They were also able to control and monitor the ship from the centre through using the telco’s 5G network.”

    According to ZDNet’s report, this is just the beginning for the two companies. They plan on developing 5G smart yards that can be used to help pilot ships close to shore, reducing the risk of human error. They also plan on expanding the technology to be able to remotely monitor and operate heavy equipment. The two companies are also working on augmented reality (AR) equipment that will provide a way of monitoring the inside of shipping containers.

    Samsung and SK Telecom are providing yet another example of the possibilities 5G are opening across a range of industries.

  • Sprint Executive Expected Merger to Raise Prices, Undercutting T-Mobile Argument

    Sprint Executive Expected Merger to Raise Prices, Undercutting T-Mobile Argument

    As the trial to stop the T-Mobile/Sprint merger got underway today, Bloomberg is reporting that at least one Sprint executive suspected the merger would result in higher prices for consumers.

    As a coalition of 13 states and the District of Columbia try to prevent the two wireless companies from merging, T-Mobile has maintained that the merger will ultimately benefit customers. Part of the rationale is that T-Mobile and Sprint need to combine to have the size and resources necessary to compete with Verizon and AT&T. Without the merger, the two smaller companies have indicated they would not be able to compete as effectively in the 5G market, leaving Verizon and AT&T little competition or incentive to keep prices low.

    The states, on the other hand, have said that going from four major carriers to three would eliminate competition, resulting in higher prices. According to documents that have come to light on the first day of the trial, it seems that a Sprint executive agreed with that sentiment.

    “Roger Sole, Sprint’s chief marketing officer, said in a text message in 2017 to Marcelo Claure, the carrier’s chief executive officer at the time, that the deal could mean an increase of $5 a month in average revenue per subscriber. Industry leaders AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. would also benefit with fewer players in the market, he said.”

    We’ve already reported on the stakes in this trial, impacting how much states have a say in antitrust matters the federal government is not interested in pursuing. If more documents or testimony comes to light supporting Sole’s belief, the states may be able to make their case after all.

  • 5G Penetration Is Rapidly Gaining Momentum, Says Ericsson CEO

    5G Penetration Is Rapidly Gaining Momentum, Says Ericsson CEO

    “What we see is the 5G penetration is rapidly gaining momentum,” says Ericsson CEO Borje Ekholm. “Just over the last two years, it’s been accelerated by more than a year. We see a very drastic acceleration of the demand for 5G. So far it’s primarily driven by North America where all the operators have the worst 5G as well as Korea where you see also all the operators. Those two markets are really driving the 5G demand right now.”

    Borje Ekholm, CEO of Ericsson, discusses the dramatic acceleration in the growth of 5G and how that is positively impacting their business in an interview on Bloomberg:

    5G Penetration Is Rapidly Gaining Momentum

    What we see is the 5G penetration is rapidly gaining momentum. Just over the last two years, it’s been accelerated by more than a year. We see a very drastic acceleration of the demand for 5G. So far it’s primarily driven by North America where all the operators have the worst 5G as well as Korea where you see also all the operators. Those two markets are really driving the 5G demand right now.

    We have upgraded our guidance today for a couple of reasons. One is the increased pace of 5G take up in the world. We’re of course seeing big demand in the early launch markets. But we’re also seeing 5G demand developing in other parts of the world as well. We are talking the Middle East and other parts of Asia. We see a slow pickup in Europe but we expect that to pick up as well. We’ve been quite bullish on the 5G development and see a number of opportunities for us there. Then we have also made an acquisition of Kathrein which adds sales to us. We see a tailwind from the currency as well.

    Focused On Continued Investment In Market Share

    We cannot see any impact on our order books as of today (due to concern about Huawei). If anything the geopolitical situation has caused more uncertainty. I would be honest to say more uncertainty normally leads to lower investments. That’s more what we’re seeing than actually anything else. We are we’re not seeing any positive news from this.

    As part of our strategy we laid out in 2017, an important part was to gain market share and gain footprint. We are already investing in taking contracts and new market share. That’s quite clearly the case. What we try to do is to be disciplined and actually take contracts where we have a clear competitive advantage and clear technological advantage. We’ve seen that we continue to gain contracts. They are margin dilutive in the short term but very positive in the long term. They have impacted the third quarter. It’s a very marginal impact but nevertheless it, of course, impacts us. Going forward, we see no dramatic changes compared to the third quarter but we will continue to take those contracts.

    5G Penetration Is Rapidly Gaining Momentum, Says Ericsson CEO Borje Ekholm
  • FCC Votes Against Changing Cell Phone Safety Rules; No Evidence of 5G Health Risks

    FCC Votes Against Changing Cell Phone Safety Rules; No Evidence of 5G Health Risks

    With all four of the major U.S. carriers rolling out some form of 5G, there have been widespread concerns about potential health risks, especially regarding the millimeter wave (mmWave) variety.

    Because mmWave has limited range, base stations and repeaters must be placed every couple to few hundred yards apart, blanketing areas with 5G signal and radio frequency (RF) emissions. Physicians, consumer groups and governments around the world have expressed concern, with some jurisdictions even putting a hold on further deployment until more research can be done.

    In a recent report by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), however, the body voted unanimously not to make changes to the guidelines governing wireless safety, believing the current standards are sufficient.

    “After reviewing the extensive record submitted in response to that inquiry, we find no appropriate basis for and thus decline to propose amendments to our existing limits at this time” the report reads. “We take to heart the findings of the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), an expert agency regarding the health impacts of consumer products, that ‘[t]he weight of scientific evidence has not linked cell phones with any health problems.’ Despite requests from some to increase and others to decrease the existing limits, we believe they reflect the best available information concerning safe levels of RF exposure for workers and members of the general public, including inputs from our sister federal agencies charged with regulating safety and health and from well- established international standards.”

    The FCC’s findings echo those by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA). According to ZDNet, Nathan Wahl, ARPANSA government international relations assistant director, told the Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts: “Our assessment of 5G is that it is safe.”

  • T-Mobile’s Low-Band 5G Two to Four Times Faster Than 4G

    T-Mobile’s Low-Band 5G Two to Four Times Faster Than 4G

    T-Mobile recently announced the nationwide availablility of their low-band, 600MHz 5G, expected to be 20 percent faster than 4G. If VentureBeat’s testing is any indication, T-Mobile subscribers should be very happy with real-world speeds.

    With 5G rollout dominating the news, one thing that has quickly become obvious is not all 5G is created equal. Most carriers around the world are focusing on low-band 5G, offering relatively modest speed boosts in exchange for wider coverage. In the U.S., however, carriers are focusing heavily on millimeter wave (mmWave) 5G.

    mmWave refers to the spectrum between 24 and 100GHz. Because very little of this spectrum is used for anything else, it offers carriers a tremendous amount of unused bandwidth. The short wavelength also offers transfer speeds much faster than older 4G, with speed measured in gigabits rather than megabits. Unfortunately, that speed comes at the expense of range and penetration, with mmWave base stations having effective ranges in the hundreds of yards. Similarly, buildings, trees, windows, even a hand, can negatively impact the quality of the signal.

    T-Mobile, therefore, decided to focus on 600MHz low-band 5G for its nationwide rollout while it continues to slowly build out its mmWave service. Initial estimates predicted a modest 20 percent speed increase over existing 4G, which VentureBeat reporter Jeremy Horwitz decided to put to the test.

    “Thankfully, my initial testing of T-Mobile’s low-band 5G network revealed a more complex reality than the company’s conservative figure,” Horwitz wrote. “The good news is that low-band 5G downloads peaked at 227Mbps, 2-4 times faster than T-Mobile’s LTE service at the same locations, and far higher than the aforementioned 20% estimate. But the bad news is that you won’t always achieve the peak speeds, and — surprise — early T-Mobile 5G phone adopters can’t actually use 5G for tethering, only smartphone service.”

    T-Mobile is taking a three-tier approach, with 600MHz for the low-band and mmWave for the high-speed, short-range portions. If the merger with Sprint goes through, T-Mobile will use Sprint’s 2.5GHz spectrum to bridge the gap as faster, medium-range service.

    The fact that T-Mobile’s low-band 5G is already beating expectations is a good sign for the company and its subscribers moving forward.

  • FCC Announces $9 Billion 5G Fund For Rural America

    FCC Announces $9 Billion 5G Fund For Rural America

    Rural America has traditionally lagged behind the rest of the country when it comes to wireless access. Get far enough off the beaten track and wireless coverage pales in comparison to urban environments.

    According to an announcement by the Federal Communications Commission, however, the 5G rollout may finally help close that gap. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai plans on establishing the 5G Fund to provide $9 billion to help carriers deploy 5G in rural areas, especially “areas with sparse populations and/or rugged terrain.” The fund will also use at least $1 billion for precision agricultural needs.

    “5G has the potential to bring many benefits to American consumers and businesses, including wireless networks that are more responsive, more secure, and up to 100 times faster than today’s 4G LTE networks,” said Chairman Pai. “We want to make sure that rural Americans enjoy these benefits, just as residents of large urban areas will. In order to do that, the Universal Service Fund must be forward-looking and support the networks of tomorrow. Moreover, America’s farms and ranches have unique wireless connectivity needs, as I’ve seen across the country. That’s why I will move forward as quickly as possible to establish a 5G Fund that would bring next-generation 5G services to rural areas and would reserve some of that funding for 5G networks that promote precision agriculture. We must ensure that 5G narrows rather than widens the digital divide and that rural Americans receive the benefits that come from wireless innovation.”

    If the FCC succeeds in narrowing the digital divide, it would be a boon for rural communities and households, where even wired high-speed internet lags behind. Widespread 5G access could open a world of economic possibilities for these areas.

  • Motorola Returning to Premium Phones: Razr Just the Beginning

    Motorola Returning to Premium Phones: Razr Just the Beginning

    CNET is reporting that Motorola is recommitting to the premium phone market, after years of making budget and midrange phones.

    Motorola made headlines in November with an updated version of its iconic Razr phone. The new model keeps the old-style, flip-phone form factor, but reimagined as a folding touchscreen smartphone. The new design has the advantage of a relatively small footprint, while still being able to unfold into a full-size 6.2-inch smartphone.

    At Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Tech Summit in Maui, Hawaii, the company made it clear the new Razr is just the beginning. According to CNET, Sergio Buniac, Motorola Mobility president, credited advancement in new technologies as part of the reason for the brand’s return to the premium market.

    “Thanks to the new technologies announced today, we’ll have new premium products to announce in early 2020,” Buniac said.

    The move is perfectly timed, as the mobile company has finally turned a profit after years of struggling, being sold to Google and finally Lenovo. In addition, with the cell phone market in a transformative stage—with 5G and foldable devices being the two hottest trends—companies that focus exclusively on entry-level phones risk becoming marginalized as the industry continues to evolve.

    If Motorola can bring back the sense of quality and style it was once known for, it should be a welcome readdition to the premium phone market.

  • Verizon CEO Hopes There Is No 5G Cold War Between U.S. and China

    Verizon CEO Hopes There Is No 5G Cold War Between U.S. and China

    “I hope not, because one of the beauties of this industry is that we’ve done standardization, which means that you can bring your phone from whichever country you’re in and go to another country and it works.”

    Verizon Chairman & CEO Hans Vestberg when asked if the 5G industry is headed for a ‘cold war’ between Chinese and American 5G standards.

    Mr. Vestberg was being interviewed in the wake of a recent tear down of Huawei’s latest 5G phone. The tear down revealed no components within in the phone that were compatible with 5G technology and spectrum being used in the U.S.

    “That has been the most accessible sort of technology in the world. And in today’s world, with so many challenges, the platform of 4G and 5G is the most important.

    “Hopefully people understand that this is an industry that actually share their patents, they share their innovations, in order to get so many people as possible on this Earth to use this technology. Some things we’re combating in the world—education, healthcare, etc.—can be enabled on mobile phones.”

  • Verizon and AWS Announce 5G Cloud Computing Partnership

    Verizon and AWS Announce 5G Cloud Computing Partnership

    At AWS re:Invent, Verizon and AWS announced a 5G cloud partnership combining the benefits of 5G edge computing and AWS Wavelength.

    AWS Wavelength helps developers create applications with single-digit millisecond latency.

    “AWS developers can deploy their applications to Wavelength Zones, AWS infrastructure deployments that embed AWS compute and storage services within the telecommunications providers’ datacenters at the edge of the 5G networks, and seamlessly access the breadth of AWS services in the region.”

    Now, Verizon becomes the first company to provide 5G edge computing with AWS Wavelength.

    “By utilizing AWS Wavelength and Verizon 5G Edge, developers will be able to deliver a wide range of transformative, latency-sensitive use cases like machine learning inference at the edge, autonomous industrial equipment, smart cars and cities, Internet of Things (IoT), and augmented and virtual reality. To accomplish this, Verizon 5G Edge provides mobile edge computing and an efficient high-volume connection between users, devices, and applications. AWS Wavelength lets customers deploy the parts of an application that require ultra-low latency to the edge of the network and then seamlessly connect back to the full range of cloud services running in AWS.

    “Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband technology enables a wide range of new capabilities and diverse use cases with download speeds many times faster than typical 4G networks. 5G will also dramatically increase the number of devices that can be supported within the same geographic areas and greatly reduce network latency to mobile devices. Mobile edge compute (MEC) technology further reduces latency. Currently, application data has to travel from the device, to the mobile network, to networking devices at the mobile edge, and then to the Internet to get to the application servers in remote locations, which can result in longer latency. This prevents developers from realizing the full potential of 5G in addressing lower latency use-cases. For example, game streaming requires less than 20 millisecond latency for a truly immersive experience.

    “In placing AWS compute and storage services at the edge of Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network with AWS Wavelength, AWS and Verizon bring processing power and storage physically closer to 5G mobile users and wireless devices, and enable developers to build applications that can deliver enhanced user experiences like near real-time analytics for instant decision-making, immersive game streaming, and automated robotic systems in manufacturing facilities.”

    This new partnership underscores the importance of 5G technology and the transformative impact it will have on a variety of industries.

  • Apple Could Move to Two iPhone Releases a Year; Four iPhones Expected in 2020

    Apple Could Move to Two iPhone Releases a Year; Four iPhones Expected in 2020

    According to CNBC, analysts at J.P. Morgan believe Apple could be switching up its iPhone release schedule, releasing new models twice a year instead of once.

    Since 2011, Apple has traditionally released iPhones either in September or October. As the market has become increasingly more competitive, however, an entire year between major releases has allowed competitors to leapfrog the iPhone’s features.

    In a note to investors, J.P. Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee cites supply chain checks as the basis for their prediction.

    “Based on our supply chain checks, we are expecting a strategic change in the launch cadence with the release of two new iPhone models in 1H21 followed by another two in 2H21, which will serve to smooth seasonality around the launch.”

    In the short-term, the analysts also believe there will be a total of four iPhones released in 2020, instead of the normal three. Even more significant, they believe that all four of the devices next year will have both OLED screens and 5G support, according to Chatterjee’s note.

    “The 2H20 lineup will include all OLED phones, with screen sizes of 5.4″ (one model), 6.1″ (two), and 6.7″ (one), broadening the screen size range from 5.8″ to 6.5″ in 2019. We expect the two higher end models (one 6.1″, one 6.7″) to include mmWave support, triple camera and World facing 3D sensing, while the lower-end models (one 6.1″, one 5.4″) will include support for only sub-6 GHz and dual camera (no World-facing 3D sensing).”

    J.P. Morgan has raised its 12-month price target for Apple to $296 from $290.

  • T-Mobile Delivers 5G Network Days Ahead of Schedule

    T-Mobile Delivers 5G Network Days Ahead of Schedule

    T-Mobile originally announced it was unveiling its nationwide 5G network on December 6. It seems the carrier has beat expectations, unveiling 5G today, four days ahead of schedule.

    According to Engadget, the network T-Mobile has turned on is its 600 MHz low-band spectrum. Unlike millimeter wave (mmWave) 5G, which offers speeds measured in gigabits instead of megabits, low-band spectrum offers speeds similar to 4G LTE.

    The benefit of low-band spectrum is that it has far better range and building penetration. In contrast, mmWave 5G has extremely limited range and doesn’t penetrate windows or buildings very well. While T-Mobile’s new network doesn’t offer the speeds of Verizon’s, it will have far better coverage.

    Coinciding with the network’s launch, TechCrunch is reporting T-Mobile has opened pre-orders on two 5G-capable phones.

    “The OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren Edition, at least, is a T-Mobile exclusive here in the States.

    “It’s a premium as far as OnePlus goes, but still arrives at the (relatively) low price of $900. Compare that to the $1,300 Galaxy Note 10 Plus 5G. Both are officially going on sale on Friday, and should be able to connect to the new network at launch.”

    As the 5G battle heats up, it will be interesting to see what advantages—speed vs coverage—customers prefer.

  • Huawei Receives A 90-Day License Extension

    Huawei Receives A 90-Day License Extension

    Reuters is reporting that Huawei has received a 90-day license extension from the Trump administration today, allowing U.S. companies to continue doing business with the telecom equipment provider.

    After being blacklisted by the Trump administration in May, Huawei has been granted extensions that have allowed it to continue doing business with American companies. The move is especially important to rural networks, as many of them depend on Huawei equipment to operate.

    “There are enough problems with telephone service in the rural communities – we don’t want to knock them out. So, one of the main purposes of the temporary general licenses is to let those rural guys continue to operate,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Fox Business Network.

    The U.S. has long maintained that Huawei’s ties to the Chinese government make it a threat to national security. All Chinese companies can be impressed into service, assisting the Chinese government in intelligence gathering. Huawei, however, seems to have much closer ties to the government than many other companies. The U.S., and its allies, believe Huawei’s equipment has backdoors that are being used to assist the Chinese government. The company has also faced multiple allegations of intellectual property theft.

    In spite of its reputation, there’s no denying that Huawei is the world leader in 5G telecom equipment. Network operators around the world have warned governments that banning Huawei would result in years of delay and billions in additional cost to 5G rollouts.

    Today’s extension for Huawei is another reminder just how hard it will be to completely replace the company.

  • 50 Percent of US Will Have 5G Capability In 2020, Says Verizon CEO

    50 Percent of US Will Have 5G Capability In 2020, Says Verizon CEO

    “I think we will have (functional phones running on 5G in 50% of the country) by next year,” says Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg. “It is a functionality called DSS, dynamic spectrum sharing, where basically it’s agnostic to what type of phone you have. It won’t matter whether it’s a 4G or 5G and that’s best for the customer. I think that it’s going to be next year. That’s what I said before. And remember, the prediction is that by 2024 50 percent of the US population will own a 5G phone.”

    Hans Vestberg, CEO of Verizon, discusses when 5G will be available and his prediction on when most people will actually own 5G phones, in an interview on CNBC:

    50 Percent of US Will Have 5G Capability By Next Year

    We have severed 5G phones that are not getting too hot. But of course, at the beginning of technology, you can find those type of things. That’s why we when we launched we launched in one or two markets to see that it’s really working. Now we’re actually deploying in all markets with all our vendors on infrastructure and with four different devices. It is actually starting to work very well. 

    Remember, in the beginning, we had 600 megabits per second on the phones. Just for comparison, we have 50-100 megabits on 4G. Right now on 5G, we’re at 2 gigs. So only in the six to eight weeks since we have been launching we learn and we do improvements on the software constantly. As I was around when 4G came, I think that 4G took a much longer time to actually reach those improvements. I see a good track record and the whole industries behind it.

    I think we will have (functional phones running on 5G in 50% of the country) by next year. It is a functionality called DSS, dynamic spectrum sharing, where basically it’s agnostic to what type of phone you have. It won’t matter whether it’s a 4G or 5G and that’s best for the customer. I think that it’s going to be next year. That’s what I said before. And remember, the prediction is that by 2024 50 percent of the US population will own a 5G phone. Don’t forget that 4G is an extremely powerful technology as well and we need to cater to all our customers with the best network that we have.

    50 Percent of US Will Have 5G Capability In 2020, Says Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg
  • Deutsche Telekom Continuing With Multi-Vendor Equipment Approach

    Deutsche Telekom Continuing With Multi-Vendor Equipment Approach

    According to Reuters, Deutsche Telekom is not wavering in its approach to purchasing telecom equipment, continuing to a favor a multi-vendor approach.

    This is in direct contradiction to a report in magazine Wirtschaftswoche, whereby the publication claimed that Deutsche Telekom would be gradually phasing out equipment made by Huawei. While the company refused to directly comment on the Wirtschaftswoche article, a spokesman did say in an email to Reuters that “fundamentally, we are pursuing a multi-vendor strategy and source network components from several vendors. Security comes first.”

    Germany has proven to be a hotly contested battleground for Huawei, as the U.S. has increasingly put pressure on the German government to ban the telecom equipment provider. Even members of Merkel’s own party have joined the calls for ban. Merkel herself, however, has ruled out a ban, believing security can be achieved without singling out any one vendor.

    Deutsche Telekom’s decision is another win for Huawei as it struggles to maintain its dominance in the 5G arena.

  • Intel Supports FTC in Qualcomm Antitrust Appeal

    Intel Supports FTC in Qualcomm Antitrust Appeal

    Intel filed a brief supporting the Federal Trade Commission and in opposition to Qualcomm’s appeal of a judgement finding it violated antitrust laws.

    In a blog post on the company’s site, Intel’s general counsel Steven Rodgers outlined the Intel’s position:

    “Qualcomm would have you believe that its position in the market today — as the last surviving U.S. supplier of premium modem chips — is due to its ‘ingenuity and business acumen,’ and that its rivals in the market failed simply because ‘they did not offer good enough chips at low enough prices.’ This is simply not true.

    “Instead, as detailed in the District Court’s opinion and in our brief, Qualcomm maintained its monopoly through a brazen scheme carefully crafted and implemented over many years. This scheme consists of a web of anticompetitive conduct designed to allow Qualcomm to coerce customers, tilt the competitive playing field and exclude competitors, all the while shielding itself from legal scrutiny and capturing billions in unlawful gains.”

    Mr. Rodgers then goes on to describe the amount of effort Intel put behind their efforts to break into the modem business.

    “We invested billions, hired thousands, acquired two companies and built innovative world-class products that eventually made their way into Apple’s industry-leading iPhones, including the most recently released iPhone 11. But when all was said and done, Intel could not overcome the artificial and insurmountable barriers to fair competition created by Qualcomm’s scheme and was forced to exit the market this year.”

    This is not the first time Qualcomm has been accused of antitrust behavior, having “been fined nearly $1 billion in China, $850 million in Korea, $1.2 billion by the European Commission and $773 million in Taiwan (later reduced in settlement).”

    Qualcomm’s practices have managed to make bitter enemies of the very companies it does business with, including Apple and Intel. Apple and Qualcomm were involved in multiple legal actions over a two-year period, with Apple repeatedly making the claim that Qualcomm was abusing its position in the industry. Although the two companies arrived at a settlement, Apple ultimately purchased Intel’s modem business, with experts believing they intend to use their own modems by 2022.

    With so much evidence against Qualcomm, not to mention such powerful companies standing against it, it seems unlikely the company will be able to get the judgement reversed.

  • 5G Safety Concerns Overblown According to Australian Telcos

    5G Safety Concerns Overblown According to Australian Telcos

    ZDNet is reporting that Australia’s two largest telcos, Optus and Telstra, are downplaying the danger of 5G, indicating it is generally safer than common household items.

    Australia has an electromagnetic energy (EME) safety limit that devices must fall under in order to be used. Household items are usually far below that limit, with microwaves coming in 100 times below the maximum. Responding to concerned citizens and various groups, Australia’s House of Representatives Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts launched an inquiry into 5G deployment.

    The two telco giants have cooperated with the inquiry, attempting to ease the committee’s concerns about the new technology.

    “EME in the home from mobile networks is typically below those emitted by standard household devices such as a microwave oven or baby monitor,” Optus wrote in a statement to the committee.

    “Some of these concerns are being fuelled by false and alarmist claims from unreliable sources. Both industry and government need to work harder to counter any misinformation and ensure that the community is armed with the facts to enable it to embrace the technology that will bring so many benefits to people’s lives.”

    In testimony before the committee, Telstra principal of 5G EME strategy Mike Wood echoed those sentiments:

    “Leading up to the public launch of 5G with the 3.5GHz network…. What we found again was that they were getting a much faster response time, because the network was quicker and you could deliver the signal quicker. That meant that the signal was lower and the EME levels were lower — in fact, they were very similar to 3G, 4G and WiFi.

    “What we find is that because 5G’s very efficient, it typically runs at a lower level than an everyday device in your house like a baby monitor or a microwave oven.

    “When we’ve done our tests on our 5G network, they’re typically 1,000 to 10,000 times less than what we get from other devices. So when you add all of that up together, it’s all very low in terms of total emission. But you’re finding that 5G is in fact a lot lower than many other devices we use in our everyday lives.”

    If the two companies’ findings are correct, they should go a long way toward easing people’s minds. One of the biggest challenges to 5G deployment has been the belief that it would expose people to far more radiation and EME than earlier wireless technology.

    One such example is Switzerland, where a number of the cantons have called for a halt on 5G deployment until further studies can be done, in what has been one of the biggest backlashes to the fledgling technology.

    While further studies—especially independent studies by non-telco entities—will need to be done, it’s still reassuring that both Optus and Telstra found no basis for concern.