5G

AT&T and Verizon Communications said late Monday (Jan. 3) that the companies will delay their planned Jan. 5 rollout of 5G wireless service in the C-band, at least briefly, at the request of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (above). The secretary had asked for a two-week delay to try and resolve issues of possible interference with radio altimeters that use the adjacent ban.

The airline industry has filed an emergency petition at the FCC asking that the commission stop implementation of rules for the rollout of 5G in the band and suggesting not to do so could cost the airline industry a billion dollars and delay shipments of COVID-19 vaccines and tests. It is just the latest battle line in the air war between the FCC and aviation over what the latter says is the potential for dangerous interference to critical aviation systems like altimeters.

The Federal Aviation Administration said on Tuesday it is in direct talks with the telecom industry about its aviation safety concerns involving the planned use of spectrum for 5G wireless communications.

AT&T and Verizon will delay the launch of 5G on key frequencies amid concern that it might interfere with airplane safety systems, federal officials said Thursday. The companies will “further assess any impact on aviation safety technologies,” the FCC and Federal Aviation Administration said in a joint statement. Both companies confirmed they will delay their rollouts for about a month, to Jan. 5.

The court says the FCC’s arbitrary and capricious’ move failed to consider potential health effects beyond cancer.

The Senate has passed the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) (formerly the Endless Frontier Act), which, among many other things, attempts to diversify and better secure the 5G supply chain by backing alternatives to Chinese tech suppliers Huawei and ZTE. It now heads to the House. Among those other things would be investment in the telecommunications workforce, improve STEM education and promote agency coordination on R&D.

The FCC has voted unanimously on how to open up a swath of high-value midband spectrum in the 3.45 GHz band — currently used by DOD for key radar applications — for commercial wireless broadband (5G) and, separately, approved proposed application and bidding processes for the auction (auction 110) of that 100 MHz. It is seeking comment on those auction processes.

For broadcasters, 5G represents both a potentially helpful new tool and a competitive threat. The reality of either prospect hinges on how quickly and deeply the technology gets rolled out.

Faster speeds will enable new levels of video, AR, VR, and other _Rs that haven’t even been invented yet. But news products are unlikely to benefit as much as all the other apps competing for audiences’ attention.

The online event this week underscored 2020’s biggest TV tech trend — moving on-premise broadcast workflows and vendor products to the cloud — while anticipating 5G’s potential use in remote production. Above, a 5G-enabled camera used in a BBC-led trial exploring multi-camera synchronization.

In moving to free up Wi-Fi and bolster superfast service, Ajit Pai has alienated some industries, congressional committees and Trump Cabinet leaders.

As part of Dish Network’s $1.4 billion agreement last week to purchase around 9 million Boost-branded mobile customers from T-Mobile, the company also quietly said it would purchase billions of dollars of additional spectrum. The deal underscores the fact that Charlie Ergen — the chairman of Dish Network and a key architect of the company’s 5G strategy — ostensibly has an utterly inexhaustible desire for spectrum.

Satellite TV company Dish Network says it has closed on its acquisition of the prepaid service Boost Mobile from T-Mobile, effectively making the pay-TV company the country’s fourth major mobile provider alongside Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. Dish is now focusing its new investments on building out a 5G network as the satellite TV business continues to shrink.

The Trump administration has discussed a range of strategies to counter Huawei’s growth and put more American muscle into the competition against the Chinese telecom giant, including by prodding large U.S. technology companies to acquire Ericsson or Nokia.

As the wireless business heads into the perilously capex-intensive 5G future, though, it’s actually the so-called New T-Mobile, fresh off its $30 billion purchase of Sprint, that might have the inside track to the video business.

The surge of Americans working, learning and socializing online is helping make the wireless industry’s case for building superfast internet connections.

The FCC today adopted new rules to auction and make available quickly and efficiently 280 megahertz of mid-band spectrum for flexible use, including 5G. “Making this critical spectrum available represents another […]

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has laid out his plan for how the C-band will be used to spur 5G development, announcing his plans to conduct a public auction of 280 MHz of the spectrum with a potential launch date of Dec. 8.

After years of hype, carriers like AT&T and Verizon are giving consumers clarity on what their next-generation cellular networks will realistically do.

The annual consumer electronics bazaar offered an important stage for fledgling NextGen TV this week, while also allowing varied glimpses at 5G, anticipatory technology and acres of beautiful new screens including the Samsung Sero that shifts from a horizontal to vertical perspective.

The annual consumer tech showcase will be awash in shiny gadgets, but it’s what those products tell us about the future that matters most.

Next week’s CES in Las Vegas will once again take over the Strip with a sprawling, frenetic glimpse into tomorrow’s consumer technology. This time, NextGen TV will make its show floor debut, and hopes are high consumers will notice.

Dish’s Charlie Ergen said he has letters from three banks prepared to offer $10 billion to fund the company’s new wireless network as he appeared in federal court to testify in support of T-Mobile US’s purchase of rival Sprint.

Next year should see broadcasters making advances in the continuing move to IP, greater use of cloud platforms and significant progress for two new wireless technologies: ATSC 3.0 and the various 5G services being rolled out by wireless carriers. Above, a Sony camcorder and prototype 5G transmitter were used to test camera backhauls over Verizon’s 5G network during a recent NBC NFL broadcast.

He takes on responsibility for overseeing Sinclair’s participation in the global ecosystem development of NextGen broadcasting’s direct-to-mobile broadcast-5G convergence. He will also support the company’s international strategic vision for spectrum utilization.