Tag: 5G

Merkel Resists Calls to Ban Huawei, But Advocates For Higher 5G Security

Huawei dodged another bullet in its efforts to become the dominant 5G equipment provider, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel refusing to call for an outright ban on the company.

Reuters reports that Merkel did call for a higher threshold of security for 5G, as opposed to previous wireless technologies, but believes it can be achieved without singling out any one company.

“I tend to trust ourselves to define high security standards, higher than with 4G, 3G and 2G, but not to shut out vendors from the beginning….We have always stood for fair and free competition, and also fact-based competition, and not simply qualified it based on differing political systems,” Merkel said.

The news follows a similar stand by the French government. According to Reuters, Junior Economy Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher told BFM Business television: “We do not target one equipment maker. There is no exclusion.”

The French government will, however, reserve the right to vet all 5G equipment providers and make sure they pass national security checks.

The two countries are taking a much different stand than the U.S., where the Trump administration has already implemented a ban on Huawei. U.S. officials have been trying to pressure European allies to follow suit although, obviously, they are not meeting with much success.

November 29, 2019
Apple Expects to Sell 100 Million 5G iPhones in 2020

According to a report in DigiTimes, Apple expects to sell over 100 million 5G iPhones in 2020.

Earlier reports said Apple was expecting to sell 80 million 5G iPhones, but DigiTimes quotes sources within the Taiwanese supply line who say Apple expects to ship 100 million. Of course, as AppleInsider highlights, DigiTimes’ track record for accurately predicting Apple’s hardware moves is decidedly mixed.

AppleInsider also points out that Apple has not yet confirmed whether the 2020 iPhone will even have 5G, although there have been multiple rumors and peripheral data points to indicate that it likely will.

If the rumors are true and the 2020 iPhone does include 5G, it will likely be one of the biggest upgrades of any iPhone model in years. 5G promises to be such a transformative, revolutionary step in wireless technology that customers will no doubt want to experience it on their favorite iOS device.

November 29, 2019
Colorado Pulls Out of Lawsuit Attempting to Block T-Mobile/Sprint Merger

Reuters is reporting that Colorado has become the second state to pull out of a lawsuit seeking to stop T-Mobile and Sprint’s proposed merger.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted last week to approve the merger, following the Department of Justice signing off on the deal in July. Despite the government’s approval, nearly 20 states had joined in a lawsuit aimed at stopping the merger.

T-Mobile has been working overtime to try to win over the opposing states. Mississippi was the first to change position, following T-Mobile’s commitment to deploy a 5G network in the state. The company had already made considerable concessions in its efforts to win over the FCC and DOJ, but these commitments were specific to Mississippi. The new 5G network will cover at least 62 percent of the state’s population within three years, and within six years will reach 88 percent of the state’s rural population and 92% of the general population.

Now T-Mobile has been successful using a similar approach to persuade Colorado to pull out of the suit. As part of its agreement with the FCC and DOJ, the combined company would be divesting some of Sprint’s prepaid assets to DISH Network, as the latter company works to become a fourth, alternative carrier. In the agreement with Colorado, T-Mobile agreed to build out its 5G network across much of the state, while DISH pledged to bring in 2,000 jobs.

With Colorado and Mississippi now supporting the merger, it remains to be seen if the company’s efforts will be successful in winning over other opponents.

November 28, 2019
Microsoft and AT&T Partner to Integrate 5G and Microsoft’s Edge Computing Services

Microsoft and AT&T announced a partnership in July and the first fruits of that are coming into view. A press release issued by Microsoft outlines the first step of the two companies’ partnership.

“The companies are opening select preview availability for Network Edge Compute (NEC) technology, which weaves Microsoft Azure cloud services into AT&T network edge locations closer to customers. This means AT&T’s software-defined and virtualized 5G core – what the company calls the Network Cloud – is now capable of delivering Azure services. NEC will initially be available for a limited set of select customers in Dallas. Next year, Los Angeles and Atlanta are targeted for select customer availability.”

Edge computing is a process whereby data is processed onsite or near the point of collection, rather than routed to a data center for processing. It is becoming far more important in the age of the Internet of Things (IoT) where a myriad of connected devices collect data. The partnership between AT&T and Microsoft will help take that a step further, using 5G and edge computing to deliver much smaller devices that offload their data processing.

“This innovation points to a future where high-end augmented reality glasses are as thin and stylish as a standard pair of eyeglasses, lightweight drones can track themselves and thousands of nearby companions in near-real time, and autonomous cars have access to nearly-instant data processing capabilities without having to install a mini data center in the trunk.”

The companies promise this is just the beginning, with much more to come.

“AT&T and Microsoft will have more to share over the coming months and years as this unique alliance continues to evolve and expand. The two companies will both create and adopt new technologies to develop tools, commercial services and consumer applications that benefit everyone.”

November 27, 2019
MediaTek and Intel Partner to Bring 5G to PCs

While 5G is just beginning to roll out and is only supported by a handful of phones, MediaTek and Intel have announced a partnership to bring the new technology to PCs.

5G promises to be a revolutionary upgrade to the wireless experience, offering speeds measured in gigabits per second rather than megabits. Latency is also significantly better with the specification calling for ping between 1 and 4 milliseconds (ms), verses the 20 ms of 4G.

It’s easy to understand why 5G would make an appealing addition to a PC as, in many cases, it would be substantially faster than a cable or DSL connection.

“Our 5G modem for PCs, developed in partnership with Intel, is integral to making 5G accessible and available across home and mobile platforms,” said MediaTek President Joe Chen. “5G will usher in the next era of PC experiences, and working with Intel, an industry leader in computing, highlights MediaTek’s expertise in designing 5G technology for global markets. With this partnership, consumers will be able to browse, stream and game faster on their PCs, but we also expect them to innovate with 5G in ways we have not yet imagined.”

“5G is poised to unleash a new level of computing and connectivity that will transform the way we interact with the world,” said Gregory Bryant, Intel executive vice president and general manager of the Client Computing Group. “Intel’s partnership with MediaTek brings together industry leaders with deep engineering, system integration and connectivity expertise to deliver 5G experiences on the next generation of the world’s best PCs.”

Dell and HP are the first manufacturers expected to release computers offering Intel and MediaTek’s 5G connectivity, with the first devices expected in early 2021.

November 27, 2019
Ericsson Predicting 2.6 Billion 5G Customers by 2025

The vast majority of wireless customers have yet to experience 5G but, according to a report by Ericsson (PDF), that is about to change in a big way.

In the Ericsson Mobility Report, the company is predicting that 2.6 billion individuals will have 5G plans by 2025.

“With the continued momentum for 5G, we predict 13 million 5G subscriptions by the end of this year. A big share of these subscriptions is expected to be in China. All three of the main service providers launched commercial 5G services in Q4 2019. Sign-up of customers started even before launch, with more than 10 million 5G users registered in October 2019.

“In 2025 we forecast 2.6 billion 5G subscriptions globally, accounting for 29 percent of all mobile subscriptions at that time.

“LTE will remain the dominant mobile access technology by subscription during the forecast period. It is projected to peak in 2022 at 5.4 billion subscriptions and decline to around 4.8 billion subscriptions by the end of 2025 as LTE subscriptions migrate to 5G.”

Experts, such as Jim Cramer, have been saying that 5G is greatly misunderstood and offers exponentially more than a simple generational improvement. The speeds offered by 5G will create a world of new opportunities for a wide range of industries. Given the promise of the new technology, it’s a good sign that so many customers are expected to have access so quickly.

November 26, 2019
Texas and Nevada Pull Out of Lawsuit to Stop T-Mobile/Sprint Merger

International Business Times is reporting that Texas and Nevada have both pulled out of the lawsuit seeking to stop T-Mobile’s acquisition of Sprint, leaving just 13 states and the District of Columbia still opposing it. That’s a far cry from the nearly 20 states that were initially opposed.

The deal already has the support of the DOJ and FCC, but a coalition of states sued to prevent the merger from going through. T-Mobile has been hard at work trying to address concerns, promising not to raise prices, guaranteeing 5G rollout milestones and divesting assets, such as Boost Mobile.

T-Mobile and Sprint assured Texas there will be no price increases for at least five years, while at the same time promising to accelerate 5G rollout once the deal closes. The two companies promised Nevada that the New T-Mobile would cover 83 percent of rural communities with 5G service at a lower price point.

“Beyond these benefits, the New T-Mobile will make a significant investment to enhance service to our Native American Tribal communities, contribute to programs that enhance opportunities for minorities, women and small businesses,” said Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford.

While the lawsuit will continue—led by New York and California—the two companies are definitely making progress in breaking down opposition to the deal.

November 26, 2019
Ericsson Investing Over $230 Million in Brazil 5G Assembly Line

Reuters is reporting that Ericsson is on the verge of investing $238.30 million in an assembly line in Brazil dedicated to 5G technology.

Latin America is a competitive market for 5G suppliers, with China recently expressing confidence Huawei would be selected to help build out Brazil’s network, following Huawei’s announced intention of investing $800 million in a new Brazilian factory. Ericsson doesn’t seem to be willing to concede the market, however, if the news is any indication.

“We already export 40% of all equipment assembled in Brazil to Latin American countries, and it will be no different with 5G,” Eduardo Ricotta, president of Ericsson Latam South, told Reuters. “We expect this new assembly line to be operating as of the third-quarter of 2020, but the schedule will also depend on the 5G auction.”

Ricotta pointed out that Ericsson is the only 5G manufacturer to have operating networks on all continents, with all of them being large networks.

According to MarketWatch, the Latin American market is expected to expand at an “overall compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 121% and will be worth of 6.37 Bn by 2025.”

With so much on the line, it’s little wonder that two of the three major 5G manufacturers are investing so heavily in Brazil. Ericsson’s commitment will likely be a welcome alternative for companies hesitant to partner with Huawei.

November 25, 2019
KT Links 5G Network and Satellite, Transferring Data Between Them

ZDNet is reporting that KT, South Korea’s largest telephone company, has announced the successful transfer of data between their 5G network and a satellite 36,000 kilometers away.

The news has huge implications for wireless carriers around the world, as many struggle to deploy 5G networks in rural areas.

According to ZDNet, “KT will also be able to use the satellite as a back-haul when transferring media files to multiple devices simultaneously, and will also allow the carrier to provide more stable 5G services by grouping its network with the satellite.

“KT said it has developed a hybrid router for the test, and performed HD streaming from its 5G network and satellite to multiple 5G handsets for the test.”

KT plans on submitting the test results to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) sometime next year. 3GPP is the organization that develops protocol standards for wireless technology and KT hopes their results will contribute to the 5G-satellite standard.

Should it become widely adopted, the technology will assist countries with limited infrastructure to successfully roll out 5G. Even countries with large scale rollouts could still use the technology to cover remote areas where millimeter wave (mmWave) 5G is not feasible, due to its limited range.

November 25, 2019
Verizon and Snap Partner to Deliver Augmented Reality Tools

According to a press release, Verizon and Snap, Inc., the creator of Snapchat, have teamed up to create new augmented reality (AR) tools and experiences.

The deal gives Snap access to 5G test equipment in Verizon’s labs, which the company can use to create and test boundary-pushing AR experiences that take full advantage of 5G speeds. Snap will also have its software preloaded on some Verizon 5G phones. This will likely lead to a large influx of new customers for Snap, and help it cement its spot in the AR race. Verizon, in turn, will have premium sponsorship placements in Snap Originals.

“5G will change the way people live, work and play and we’re partnering with leading companies like Snap Inc. to create unique experiences and new offerings,” said Frank Boulben, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Products, Verizon Consumer Group. “Our strategy is to partner with the best brands to ensure our customers have exclusive access to cutting edge technology and services. Our 5G Ultra Wideband technology should change the way mobile users forever experience places and events, evolving the way they see the world.”

“Major advances in high-bandwidth experiences are fueling the future of augmented reality,” said Jared Grusd, Chief Strategy Officer, Snap Inc. “We are thrilled to partner with Verizon to move the industry forward through the development of creative and innovative 5G experiences on Snapchat.”

Snap will also benefit from the many live events Verizon sponsors and hosts, providing AR experiences and introducing countless event-goers to the benefits of AR. Verizon alluded to the possibility by highlighting the potential “opportunities to experience live events in new ways through Snapchat.”

This new partnership highlights the importance of the technology to old and new companies alike.

November 25, 2019
SAP and Verizon Partnering to Develop Next-Gen IoT Analytics Solution

SAP and Verizon have announced a collaboration to help applications process data where it is generated, thanks to Verizon’s network and SAP’s edge computing platform.

Edge computing allows companies to reduce data processing time by processing the data collected by Internet of Things (IoT) devices at or near the data collection point, rather than sending it to a data center.

Verizon’s 5G network, paired with SAP’s Leonardo Internet of Things and Edge Services and analytics, will give customers in the supply chain, field service management, assembly line and retail industries real-time data processing.

“We are unleashing the next generation of cloud capabilities through global data centers, across the edge of the network,” said Eric Stine, Chief Customer Innovation Officer, SAP North America. “With data volumes growing exponentially and the capabilities of new wireless technologies like 5G to further expand the reach of IoT and enterprise computing, SAP and Verizon are uniquely positioned to drive a new class of data analytics, management and services at scale to help the world’s great companies create amazing customer
experiences, and unlock new business models and monetization strategies.”

“Our ability to integrate our ThingSpace platform into the SAP Cloud portfolio provides a secure and agile way to deliver instantaneous, end-to-end operational analytics at the edge while lowering the cost of IoT management,” said George Fischer, president, Global Enterprise, Verizon Business Group. “This combined solution is not just about massive IoT. We are also enabling computer vision, augmented reality, blockchain and machine learning using Verizon’s network. These are a truly comprehensive set of capabilities to help our customers better manage critical functions including asset lifecycles, supply chains, customer experiences, human capital and plant operations.”

November 25, 2019
Citing National Security, FCC Blocks Huawei and ZTE From Federal Subsidies

The Verge is reporting that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has voted unanimously to block telecom companies from using federal funds to purchase equipment from Huawei or ZTE.

The Universal Service Fund (USF) provides $8.5 billion a year in subsidies for carriers to provide wireless services throughout the United States, especially in rural areas. Under the new ruling, carriers would not be able to use money from the USF to purchase equipment from the two companies, both whom have been deemed a threat to national security.

Huawei and ZTE have both been blacklisted by the U.S. government. In ZTE’s case, the company ran afoul by selling to North Korea and Iran, in violation of sanctions. The restrictions on ZTE were eventually eased in exchange for a $1 billion fine. Huawei, on the other hand, has been accused of being a possible conduit for spying by the Chinese government. Under Chinese law, all companies are required to help the government when prompted. Huawei, however, has been accused of much closer ties to the government and intelligence agencies than the average Chinese corporation.

Rural carriers may be hit especially hard by the FCC’s decision, as Huawei is widely considered to be one of the most cost-effective solutions, saving companies millions of dollars. The FCC may go even further, however, having voted to consider requiring rural carriers to remove installed Huawei equipment for alternatives.

At the hearing, FCC commissioner Brendan Carr said: “After all, if equipment poses a threat, it is not enough to stop subsidizing it. It must come out of the network.”

Huawei continues to deny it is a threat and has denounced the FCC’s ruling.

“Huawei believes this order is unlawful as the FCC has singled out Huawei based on national security, but it provides no evidence that Huawei poses a security risk,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.

November 24, 2019
An Unlikely Casualty of the 5G Revolution: Weather Forecasting

Science journal Nature is reporting that accurate weather forecasting may be an unintentional casualty of 5G deployment.

At the heart of the issue is the frequencies that have been approved for use in 5G networks, specifically frequencies around 23.8 GHz. Evidently, “water vapour in the atmosphere naturally produces a weak signal at this frequency, which satellites use to measure humidity. Those data feed into weather forecasts. But if a 5G station is transmitting a signal near the 23.8-gigahertz frequency, a weather satellite might pick it up and interpret it as water vapour. And that bad data could degrade forecasts.

“Meteorologists say that the problem is manageable, but only if there is enough of a noise buffer between the 5G transmissions and water-vapour signal. The buffer is measured in units of decibel watts, and is akin to a measure of how much you might turn down your stereo volume so as not to bother your neighbours.”

Currently, there is debate about how much buffer is required. Understandably, the World Meteorological Organization is calling for the largest buffer at -55 decibel watts. On the other end of the spectrum, the United States is calling for just -20 decibel watts. The European Union is in the middle, having settled on a buffer of -42 decibel watts, 150 times less noise than the U.S. is allowing.

The agreement reached by the various entities stipulates a -33 decibel watt buffer till September 1, 2027. After that, it increases to -39 decibel watts. The goal with the two-stage regulation is to give companies time and opportunity to roll out 5G without burdening them unnecessarily. Once 5G is established and more widespread, then regulation will become stricter to make sure the denser 5G transmissions don’t cause more interference.

Some experts are not convinced that will be enough, however.

“The race for 5G is going to go fast,” says Renee Leduc, Founder and Principal of Narayan Strategy in Washington DC. “In the early to mid-2020s we’re going to see a very quick uptick.” Despite the stricter regulations in 2027, Leduc says: “I’m still really concerned about the time period between now and then.”

Nature says increased cooperation between meteorologists and the wireless industry may be necessary. Turning off or redirecting 5G transmissions while a satellite is taking measurements may be a compromise solution.

Whatever the case, whatever solutions and regulations are put in place, only time will tell how much 5G interferes with accurate weather forecasting.

November 23, 2019
AT&T Launching 5G Network In Conjunction With Galaxy S10 Plus 5G

The Verge is reporting that AT&T is finally ready to launch its 5G network next month. Coinciding with the launch, the company will start selling the Galaxy S10 Plus 5G for $1,300.

The service will initially only be available in five cities: Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Providence, Rochester and San Diego. Soon after, 10 more cities are slated to be added, including Boston, New York and San Francisco.

According to The Verge, AT&T’s 5G network will not be the ultra-fast, millimeter wave (mmWave) variety. Instead, AT&T will be using existing, low-band spectrum to deliver 5G at approximately the same speed as LTE-Advanced. The company only says that speeds will be “rapidly evolving from there.” The company is working on fast mmWave 5G, although it is currently only available in parts of 21 cities, with plans to have it in 30 by early 2020.

The Verge reports that “customers will need to subscribe to either AT&T’s Unlimited Extra or Unlimited Elite plans ($75 or $85 per month for a single line) in order to get 5G. AT&T says it will be offered at no additional charge. 5G data will count toward the unlimited plans’ throttling caps (50GB and 100GB of total data usage) the same way all other data does.”

With AT&T being the fourth carrier to roll out 5G to customers, it will need to do better than rehashed LTE speeds to remain competitive.

November 22, 2019
Nokia Defends Its 5G Position: ‘We Don’t Have a 5G Problem’

Nokia has faced criticism that it is falling behind competitors Huawei and Ericsson in the 5G market. In an interview with Reuters, Nokia’s software business head Bhaskar Gorti, defended the Finnish company.

“I don’t think we have a 5G problem,” Gorti told Reuters in the interview. In spite of that optimism, Nokia does indeed appear to have a problem. The company recently cut its outlook for this year and next due to its need to invest more heavily in 5G.

As Reuters reports, Nokia’s current situation is in part due to a miscalculation by the company in its choice to wait on 5G standards rather than adopting early and modifying on-the-go, as Ericsson and Huawei have chosen to do.

According to Reuters, Amit Hirchandani, sector analyst at Citi in London, says Nokia is a “show me” story. In other words, the company must prove it has the ability to deliver on the 5G front. This is especially necessary given high-profile delays that have impacted partners. Sprint recently missed its 5G rollout goals due to Nokia.

While Gorti may be trying to reassure investors, customers and partners that Nokia doesn’t have a ‘5G problem,’ it will take more than words for Nokia to regain the standing it once had.

November 21, 2019
5G Dramatically Accelerates Industrial Digitization, Says Qualcomm CEO

“The total amount of economic impact of 5G in 2035 is going to be $13.2 trillion,” says Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf. “You can think of (the growth of 5G) in two phases. One is a handset phase and the second one is a phase related to industries using 5G to accelerate digitization. They’re requiring the second rev of 5G. This is really about all the features to make high reliable factories. There are special features that we have put into the standard which will come out in a second, third, and fourth-wave over the next decade.

Steve Mollenkopf, CEO of Qualcomm, discusses the massive economic and transformational impact that 5G will have on consumers, industry, and Qualcomm over the next 15 years in an interview with CNBC:

Total Economic Impact of 5G To Be $13.2 Trillion by 2035

The serviceable available opportunity for 5G is going from $65 billion in 2019 to $100 billion in 2022. In really just three years, it grows a dramatic amount. It just gives you a sense of how important 5G will be to Qualcomm’s business. I also gave a number (at the company’s analyst day) that said the total amount of economic impact of 5G in 2035 is going to be $13.2 trillion. So 5G is going to be an important thing. Qualcomm really at this point does not have an opportunity problem.

You should think of 5G (and how it impacts Qualcomm) in two phases. The first phase is essentially we make more money out of the existing cellular business just because it’s going to 5G. It’s going to go to 5G over the next decade. We will sell more expensive products and we get a bigger portion of the phone BOM in the products that we sell. Then, in addition, the technology that’s required in order to be successful in that market is also very important in other markets that are now taking on 5G.

Auto is the best first example of that. But there are many others behind it. We essentially have the ability to take the R&D that we’re producing in the smartphone space and leverage it multiple times for the benefit of the shareholders.

Industries Using 5G To Accelerate Digitization

Investors are really going to see it over the next two quarters for us and actually through the next year. If you look at our last earnings call we essentially gave I think a strong guide for our licensing business, which sits as a proxy for the Christmas season selling. Then we said we’re going to give a soft indication of what we thought the March quarter would be. We essentially said you’re going to see 5G start impacting our product business at that time. It’ll come in two phases during the calendar year. One at the beginning of the year and then another one in the second half of the year when some flagship launches launch in both places.

You can think of (the growth of 5G) in two phases. One is a handset phase and the second one is a phase related to industries using 5G to accelerate digitization. Lucky for us, the handset phase, which is the first one, is probably the largest market and it’ll instantly happen. It will happen over the next decade starting next calendar year. In a month you’ll start to see that in the results of our business. You’re going to see that kind of play out over a long period of time as the handset market does now.

Then you go into these adjacent markets, the digitization and industrial. They’re requiring the second rev of 5G. There are multiple revs of the standard. The first one is based on handsets. The second one is really about all the features to make high reliable factories. We talked a little bit in the past about healthcare, gaming, and those things. There are special features that we have put into the standard which will come out in a second, third, and fourth-wave over the next decade. It’s that second wave which is really about the other industries besides the handset.

5G Dramatically Accelerates Industrial Digitization, Says Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf

November 20, 2019
Apple Predicted To Take 5G Crown With iPhone In 2020

Strategy Analytics is predicting that Apple will take the top spot among 5G smartphone manufacturers in 2020.

Despite being late to the 5G field, Strategy Analytics believes Apple will leap-frog the competition, chiefly in the form of Samsung and Huawei. Apple is widely believed to be releasing multiple 5G iPhones in 2020 and Strategy Analytics believes that, as long as Apple maintains the current upgrade price, those new iPhones will quickly take the lead.

“Currently Samsung is the undisputed market leader in 5G smartphones,” said Ville-Petteri Ukonaho, Associate Director at Strategy Analytics. “But with the two largest 5G markets in 2020, China and the USA, dominated by Huawei and Apple respectively, these two vendors are set to lead in 5G next year.”

Ultimately, as 5G matures and becomes more widespread, Samsung is expected to retake the crown.

“Despite the strong showing that is expected for Apple in 5G in 2020,” adds Ken Hyers, Director at Strategy Analytics. “In the longer term Samsung will regain the 5G crown. As more markets cut over to 5G, Samsung will capture the majority of that share by virtue of its dominance of the overall smartphone market and a broader portfolio of 5G devices across more price-bands.”

Meanwhile, while Huawei will likely remain a dominant force in China, the bans and restrictions it faces in other parts of the world will limit its ability to compete effectively on the global market.

As a result, in the short-term at least, “2020 will be Apple’s time to grab bragging rights in 5G.”

November 18, 2019
John Legere Not Leaving T-Mobile For WeWork

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that WeWork was in talks with T-Mobile CEO John Legere to take over at the office space company. Now, according to Alex Sherman at CNBC, Legere is not taking the job.

In many ways, Legere was a natural choice for a WeWork CEO. WeWork is being taken over by SoftBank, the parent company of Sprint. T-Mobile and Sprint are nearing the end of a merger deal years in the marking. With FCC and DOJ approval, the merger only has to survive a lawsuit from a handful of states. In the meantime, however, Legere is a known factor for SoftBank leadership, as they have worked with him throughout the merger process. That first-hand experience no doubt made him a top candidate for the job.

Sources familiar with the situation, however, said that Legere has no plans on leaving T-Mobile. The news is no doubt a welcome relief to T-Mobile investors. During his time with the company, Legere has taken it from a distant fourth place among U.S. carriers to a solid third place and growing at a record rate. Legere was also instrumental in helping get approval for the merger, and will be a steadying influence as the two companies combine.

It should be interesting to see how much T-Mobile can grow with the combined revenue, subscribers and spectrum of the two companies, not to mention Legere’s continuing leadership.

November 16, 2019
China Confident Brazil Will Choose Huawei For Its 5G Mobile Network

Huawei has come under fire from countries throughout the West, with allegations the telecommunications equipment company engages in spying for the Chinese government. The United States, Britain, Australia and Germany have expressed concern in some cases, and gone as far as to ban the company in others.

In spite of Huawei’s reputation, at least one major country is undeterred: Brazil. Bloomberg is reporting that the Chinese government is confident Huawei will be chosen to build out Brazil’s 5G mobile network.

“I am confident in terms of the cooperation between China and Brazil over 5G technology”, China’s Ambassador to Brasilia Yang Wanming told Bloomberg in response to emailed questions. He added that Brazil “will take into account its own development interest” when analyzing Huawei’s bid.

Yang also indicated that Brazil has remained objective and had not been moved by what he described as the United States’ campaign of “bad faith and defamation.”

Nonetheless, if China’s assessment is correct, and Huawei is chosen, it could ratchet up tension between the U.S. and Brazil. The U.S. has been warning allies of the dangers of relying on Huawei and has already informed Brazil it may downgrade security cooperation if Huawei is chosen.

Telecom companies in other countries have already been sounding the warning regarding the added cost and time that will be incurred building 5G networks without Huawei’s equipment. Countries, especially ones with limited options, will no doubt be watching closely to see who blinks in this game of 5G brinksmanship.

November 13, 2019
New 5G Security Flaws Discovered, Threatening Privacy and Security

Companies around the world are working to roll out 5G networks, facing regulatory, logistic, economic and technical hurdles along the way. Now, according to WIRED, researchers have discovered a number of new flaws in the specification, adding yet another challenge to successful deployment.

Researchers from Purdue University and the University of Iowa have discovered 11 new flaws in 5G protocols. Alarmingly, these flaws are all part of the 5G specification itself, rather than any one carrier’s implementation. The vulnerabilities can “expose your location, downgrade your service to old mobile data networks, run up your wireless bills, or even track when you make calls, text, or browse the web. They also found five additional 5G vulnerabilities that carried over from 3G and 4G. They identified all of those flaws with a new custom tool called 5GReasoner.”

Although one of the benefits of 5G is supposed to be greater protection of phone identifiers, such as the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI), so-called downgrade attacks bypass that security by forcing a device to operate in 4G mode, or a limited service mode. Once the service is downgraded, the device can be forced to send its IMSI. Even the safeguards that are in place, such as Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (TMSI), can be overridden.

The researchers also discovered “issues with the part of the 5G standard that governs things like initial device registration, deregistration, and paging, which notifies your phone about incoming calls and texts.”

The flaws have all been reported to the GSM Association, which downplayed the severity of the issue.

“These scenarios have been judged as nil or low-impact in practice, but we appreciate the authors’ work to identify where the standard is written ambiguously, which may lead to clarifications in the future,” the GSMA told WIRED. “We are grateful to the researchers for affording industry the opportunity to consider their findings and welcome any research that enhances the security and user confidence of mobile services.”

November 13, 2019
T-Mobile Will Turn On Nationwide 5G December 6

T-Mobile has rolled out 5G in six cities but, according to CNET, the company is about to unveil nationwide 5G on December 6.

Many 5G deployments fall into two types: low-band and high-frequency. High-frequency 5G offers the highest speeds, but at the cost of range and ability to penetrate obstacles, such as trees and buildings. Low-band 5G, in contrast, is not as fast but offers far superior range and penetration, while still be significantly faster than 4G.

T-Mobile’s deployment-to-date has used high-frequency, millimeter-wave spectrum, the same kind of 5G that Verizon and AT&T are deploying. On December 6, however, the network T-Mobile will be activating will rely on their low-band spectrum. That difference will allow the company to provide service to upwards of 5,000 cities and towns throughout the country. It will also give T-Mobile an edge when it comes to building penetration in those cities.

T-Mobile has assured customers that existing plans will automatically have access to the new 5G service—with compatible phones—without any additional fees or plan changes.

Initially, the only two phones supporting the new spectrum are the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus 5G and the OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren, but it’s a safe bet that other manufacturers will be quick to incorporate support in their next models.

November 11, 2019