WebProNews

Tag: C-band

  • Aviation Advocates and Wireless Carriers Gear Up for Next 5G Fight

    Aviation Advocates and Wireless Carriers Gear Up for Next 5G Fight

    After a bruising fight between carriers and the aviation industry over 5G, an aviation coalition has laid the groundwork for the next round.

    Verizon and AT&T spent billions to purchase C-band spectrum at Federal Communications Commission (FCC) auctions. C-band is considered among the best spectrum for 5G, providing a good balance of speed, range, and building penetration.

    The Federal Aviation Administration and the airline industry objected to Verizon and AT&T deploying C-band around airports, sparking a major debate about the safety of 5G and the airlines. The concern revolved around potential interference with airplane altimeters, which operate on spectrum very close to C-band.

    The parties eventually agreed to limit C-band deployment around airports until July 2023, but aviation advocates want to make that ban permanent, especially for C-band in the 4,200-4,400MHz range. The advocates also want 5G transmitters restricted from pointing 90 degrees above the horizon.

    The aviation coalition outlined their wishes in a letter to the FCC:

    These concepts, such as preventing antennas pointing 90 degrees above the horizon and maintaining the wireless spurious emissions in the 4200-4400 MHz band consistent with current mitigations, would appear to not compromise wireless operators’ actual use cases while further assuring aviation safety and providing a workable RF environment against which future radio altimeters can be designed and built.

    Only time will tell if the aviation advocates will prevail, although Verizon and AT&T will likely strongly oppose any extension of the C-band limits. Whatever the outcome, all parties no doubt want to avoid the fallout they experienced from Round One.

  • Google Is Crippling Recent Pixels, Refusing to Enable C-Band 5G

    Google Is Crippling Recent Pixels, Refusing to Enable C-Band 5G

    Google is refusing to update recent Pixel smartphones with C-band 5G, despite the fact the hardware can support it.

    The current generation of Google smartphone is the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. Nonetheless, the Pixel 5a is still a very popular device, especially since Google still sells it unlocked for $449. Unfortunately, Google has said it will not activate C-band 5G on the Pixel 5a, 5, or 4a 5G, according to The Verge. All three devices have the hardware to support C-band, with the 5 even having FCC approval, and just need a software update for activation.

    The news is especially unfortunate since both Verizon and AT&T are investing heavily in C-band spectrum, considered the ideal option to provide the best combination of speed, range, and building penetration.

    Leaving recent Pixels out of the C-band upgrade is a low blow to the company’s customers, especially those that purchased brand-new 5a devices barely six months ago. Google already struggles to match Apple’s reputation for supporting iPhones six and seven years after release. Refusing to activate a critical feature a mere six months later, however, is a new low.

  • Verizon Strikes Deal With Satellite Companies for Early C-Band Access

    Verizon Strikes Deal With Satellite Companies for Early C-Band Access

    Verizon has struck a deal with satellite companies to gain early access to the C-band spectrum it won in a recent FCC auction.

    C-band is critical to the successful rollout of 5G, providing the perfect blend of range, speed, and building penetration. A large portion of applicable spectrum is tied up by satellite providers, scheduled to be released in December 2023.

    Verizon says it has negotiated with the satellite companies to release the spectrum earlier than expected, which will allow the company to cover 175 million with its C-band spectrum by the end of 2022.

    “This early spectrum clearance is just the latest development that allows us to bring 5G Ultra Wideband to our customers faster,” said Kyle Malady, EVP and President of Global Network and Technology. “We’ve been able to accelerate deployment because we’re driving more efficiency and coverage from the C-band spectrum, leveraging opportunities like the one we are announcing today, and leveraging our already in place infrastructure. In my career with Verizon, I have never experienced a network deployment move so quickly.”

  • Air Traffic Concerns Delay Verizon and AT&T 5G, T-Mobile Unaffected

    Air Traffic Concerns Delay Verizon and AT&T 5G, T-Mobile Unaffected

    Concerns over possible interference between mid-band 5G and aviation altimeters has caused Verizon and AT&T to delay their 5G deployment.

    Verizon and AT&T recently spent billions to acquire mid-band spectrum, specifically the C-Band, in the 3.7 to 3.98 GHz range. The spectrum is considered the sweet spot for 5G, offering a combination of speed, range and building penetration. Unfortunately, radar altimeters run in the 4.2-4.4 GHz range, making them dangerously close to the C-Band spectrum.

    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has voiced concern over whether a nearby cell tower could negatively impact altimeters, potentially causing major safety issues for the airline industry.

    As a result of the concerns, both Verizon and AT&T have pushed back deployment of their C-Band spectrum by a month, to allow time to address the concerns.

    The big winner in the entire situation is T-Mobile. While the second-largest carrier bought some C-Band spectrum at the latest auction, the bulk of its 5G spectrum is in the 2.5 GHz range, far enough for there to be no concerns about interfering with altimeters.

    Some experts are already predicting the month-long delay on the part of Verizon and AT&T will only serve to help T-Mobile grow its 5G lead even more.

  • Nokia Signs Five-Year Deal With AT&T For C-Band 5G Equipment

    Nokia Signs Five-Year Deal With AT&T For C-Band 5G Equipment

    Nokia has scored a big win, signing a five-year deal with AT&T to provide 5G equipment for the carrier’s C-Band spectrum rollout.

    AT&T recently spent $23,406,860,839 at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) auction for C-Band spectrum. C-Band is mid-band spectrum, ideal for 5G. The company has turned to Nokia for the equipment necessary to deploy its spectrum, signing a five-year deal.

    “AT&T is committed to bringing the power of 5G to businesses and communities across the nation, and our C-Band deployments with Nokia will help add 5G capacity where it’s needed,” said Igal Elbaz, Senior Vice President of Wireless and Access Technology AT&T. “Nokia has been our trusted collaborator for more than 20 years as we’ve rolled out each generation of wireless technology, and its C-Band portfolio brings the right capabilities to help enable AT&T to deliver an exciting and powerful 5G experience that our subscribers have come to expect from us.”

    “Nokia is ready to support the launch of 5G services into this valuable new spectrum on our customers’ timelines by leveraging our powerful portfolio of C-Band solutions and by being the first to demonstrate a live C-Band network in the U.S. in 2020,” said Ed Cholerton, President of Nokia North America. “Our flexible and comprehensive portfolio will enable AT&T to enhance its 5G services in areas across the nation.”

    Last year Nokia was considering a merger or asset sale, and more recently indicated it was facing “meaningful headwinds” in 2021. Earlier this week, the company announced it is cutting 10,000 jobs. The AT&T contract is a welcome win for Nokia, at a time when its needed most.

  • T-Mobile CEO: Our Competitors Spent $80 Billion To Catch Up and They Fell Short

    T-Mobile CEO: Our Competitors Spent $80 Billion To Catch Up and They Fell Short

    “Our competitors just spent a combined $80 billion trying to catch up and match us and they fell short,” says T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert. “We didn’t just leave this auction with the most mid-band spectrum, we left the auction with the best mid-band spectrum. Our two and a half gigahertz spectrum is more than 50 percent better in most use cases and we have more of it than anybody else. It’s going to make us famous for network in the 5G era.”

    Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile, says that despite AT&T and Verizon spending $80 billion in the c-band auction trying to catch up and match them, they fell short:

    Our Competitors Spent $80 Billion To Catch Up and They Fell Short

    What the c-band auction shows is the extraordinary value of what T-Mobile has. Our competitors just spent a combined $80 billion trying to catch up and match us and they fell short. They spent $80 billion dollars and are still falling short. We didn’t just leave this auction with the most mid-band spectrum, we left the auction with the best mid-band spectrum. Our two and a half gigahertz spectrum is more than 50 percent better in most use cases. Yet we have more of it than anybody else. It’s really terrific because we’ve taken it and run ahead by about two years with the best asset base in the industry. It’s going to make us famous for network in the 5G era.

    As we sit here today we’re more than a million square miles ahead of AT&T and Verizon on deployment. We have more 5G geographic coverage out there than AT&T and Verizon combined. We’re also adding coverage at a record pace, at a pace no one company in this industry has ever done. We started ramping up this engine two years ago and now it’s running at pace. While our competitors just seized some assets, they didn’t catch up, but they just seized some assets that they’re going to get after, but they’re way behind.

    We Will Unlock Massive Cashflow From This Business

    Yesterday we announced a business plan where we demonstrated massive cash flow potential from this business with very reasonable assumptions. These are assumptions that don’t require us to catch any unicorns. We just have to go do what we’ve already demonstrated we know how to do and we’ll unlock massive cash flow potential in this business. We have everything we need to deliver that business plan right now.

    Last week we announced our Work From Home solution. We just started our rollout of home broadband for business home office workers. That’s across more than 50 million of the US population and it will rapidly expand to nationwide. It’s such an exciting thing. Now, work from home workers no longer have to share the WiFiwith their kids. That’s so important.

    They also don’t have to worry about security if they are enterprises, they can get their home office workers a secure connection. Later this month, as we unveiled yesterday, we’ll be announcing our consumer launch plans across a wide swath of this country with rate plans, go to market plans. etc. We’re really excited about what’s ahead in home broadband. From a timing standpoint, we’re way ahead of the other new entrants.

    Starlink Is Not A Broadband Competitor

    SpaceX Starlink Constellation (and other satellite broadband provider) could be a compliment or a future collaborator. Ultimately, for the core mainstream broadband connection, it’s going to come down to capacity. Those emerging technologies won’t be able to match on capacity but they’ll be really great augments for places that macro networks don’t reach. Capacity will be the game. Nobody has the ability to deliver more capacity to more places than T-Mobile.

    That’s just so great. This is a company that used to be a scrappy upstart and now we’re the number two provider but with demonstrably the best asset base in this industry.

    T-Mobile CEO: Our Competitors Spent $80 Billion To Catch Up and They Fell Short
  • T-Mobile Touts Its 5G Following FCC Auction

    T-Mobile Touts Its 5G Following FCC Auction

    T-Mobile is touting the strength of its 5G network following a record-breaking FCC auction of coveted mid-range spectrum.

    Experts expected the FCC auction to fetch as much as $47 billion. Instead, it topped a whopping $81 billion. The spectrum auctioned was mid-range C-band, desperately needed by both Verizon and AT&T to help roll out their 5G networks. Both companies spent appropriately, with Verizon coming in at more than $45 billion and AT&T spending more than $23 billion.

    In contrast, T-Mobile only spent a little more than $9 billion, largely thanks to its strong spectrum portfolio. Thanks to its merger with Sprint, T-Mobile aready had a wealth of mid-band spectrum — considered the ideal spectrum for 5G — which it has been rapidly deploying. Providing a good blend of range and building penetration, T-Mobile has already achieved speeds in excess of 1 Gbps using its mid-band spectrum. Thanks to its position, T-Mobile only bought spectrum in top urban and suburban markets to help round out its existing holdings.

    In its latest post, however, T-Mobile also highlighted the advantage its mid-band spectrum has over the C-band spectrum the FCC was auctioning. With wireless spectrum, the lower the frequency, the longer the range it provides and the better it penetrates obstacles, such as buildings.

    T-Mobile’s current mid-band spectrum is primarily in the 2.5 Ghz range. In contrast, the C-band spectrum just auctioned is in the 3.7 Ghz to 4.2 Ghz range. In other words, the spectrum Verizon and AT&T spent more than $68 billion on is more than a full gigahertz higher than T-Mobile’s primary mid-band, meaning it will offer less range and worse penetration. This will, in turn, result in higher deployment costs for those companies, as T-Mobile points out:

    In the mid-band range, C-Band offers a great mix of coverage and speed, but there are some key differences from 2.5 GHz, the mid-band spectrum T-Mobile is primarily using to roll out Ultra Capacity 5G. Most notably, it doesn’t travel as far. T-Mobile engineers estimate it will require 50% more cell sites for meaningful and continuous coverage, and in some areas, for example in-building, the required densification can be 4x higher than 2.5 GHz. That’s why T-Mobile strategically invested in C-Band to supplement its much broader 2.5 GHz footprint in select urban and suburban areas where it already has a dense network. This will allow for the spectrum to quickly be deployed and provide a more meaningful performance boost for customers.

    C-Band vs 2.5GHz Comparison
    C-Band vs 2.5GHz Comparison

    The company promises it will continue with its 5G deployment, covering 200 million with its high-speed Ultra Capacity 5G this year.

    “T-Mobile customers are the clear winners in this auction. Our already industry-leading 5G network enabled us to be highly selective and strategic, concentrating our wins in top markets nationwide,” said Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile. “As I predicted last fall, the other guys spent an unbelievable amount — because they had to. And even then, the truth is that C-Band is best for urban areas because it doesn’t propagate as well as T-Mobile’s substantial existing mid-band frequencies. For us, C-Band makes a great story even better, and we are incredibly pleased with our clear success in this auction. Our competitors had no choice but to go all in with a break-the-bank attempt to remain relevant in the 5G era.”

  • Senators Want Spectrum Auction to Fund Rural Broadband

    Senators Want Spectrum Auction to Fund Rural Broadband

    According to GeekWire, a group of senators led by Senator Maria Cantwell are pushing to use proceeds from an upcoming 5G spectrum auction to boost rural broadband.

    According to the Pew Research Center, despite improvements in recent years, there is still a significant gap in broadband service between urban/suburban and rural Americans. While 79% of suburban residents enjoy home broadband and 75% of urban residents do, that number drops to only 63% for rural Americans. Some 83% of urban and suburban Americans enjoy broadband access on their smartphones, compared to only 71% of those who live in rural areas.

    Senator Cantwell hopes the upcoming 5G spectrum auction may provide the funds to help close that divide. According to GeekWire, “Cantwell introduced legislation this week that would ensure some of the proceeds from a public auction of C-Band airwaves would be invested in rural broadband deployment and next-generation 9-1-1 networks.”

    The C-band spectrum is currently used by satellite companies for video and radio programming, but the FCC plans to free it up for 5G wireless. If Senator Cantwell and her colleagues get their way, rural Americans may gain better access to broadband options.