Demand for in-building networks was increasing before the start of COVID-19, and that trend continues, Volker Jungnickel, Technical University of Berlin engineering professor, said during an IEEE Future Networks webinar Wednesday. Jungnickel highlighted the promise of new technologies like distributed multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) and light fidelity (Li-Fi). The IoT will mostly use in-building networks, he said. There will likely be a “gap” between how 5G turns out and expectations, and “in-building networks can help close that gap,” he said. Wi-Fi connections can be as fast as 10 Gbps with Wi-Fi 6, but access points “are shared among multiple users,” he said: “There can be interference from other access points if it’s not very well coordinated. … All these wireless problems are typically managed through the listen-before-talk protocols and that is not very efficient.” With 5G “the issue is the limited coverage,” he said. 802.11, part of the IEEE 802 set of local area network technical standards, offers a network with “low complexity and low costs” and “increasingly introduces similar features” as those offered on carrier networks, Jungnickel said. Some wireless LANs are being built using a technology known as distributed MIMO, he said. “This architecture is known for provision of seamless mobility; it can do advanced interference control,” he said. “It can provide very reliable links because of the redundancy. It can transmit from multiple sites. The latency is low.” The technology is “really promising,” he said. Jungnickel also sees promise in new Li-Fi networks, which transmit data via LED or infrared light. Unlike Wi-Fi, which uses RF, Li-Fi technology needs only a light source with a chip to transmit an internet signal via light waves. “It provides much higher area capacity in small hot spots,” 100 Mbps per square meter “and easily more,” he said: “Light is quite a clean channel, so you can … guarantee the delivery of data at very low latency. It’s robust against jamming because it doesn’t interfere with radio, and it also provides enhanced privacy.”
Howard Buskirk
Howard Buskirk, Executive Senior Editor, joined Warren Communications News in 2004, after covering Capitol Hill for Telecommunications Reports. He has covered Washington since 1993 and was formerly executive editor at Energy Business Watch, editor at Gas Daily and managing editor at Natural Gas Week. Previous to that, he was a staff reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Greenville News. Follow Buskirk on Twitter: @hbuskirk
Wireless carriers supported a December waiver request by proponents of cellular-vehicle-to-everything use of the 5.9 GHz band asking to be able to deploy now (see 2112140070). Most initial comments supported approval of that, and other subsequent waiver requests, though NCTA and a few other commenters had reservations (see 207290032). Other commenters raised patent concerns. Replies were due Monday in docket 19-138.
The FCC Consumer Advisory Committee approved a report on robotexts Tuesday, during what is scheduled to be the last meeting of the group's current iteration. The vote was unanimous with only AARP abstaining. AARP didn’t comment on why it abstained. The committee turned down an Incompas amendment on the difficulty some public interest groups are reporting gaining access to 10-digit long codes (10DLCs) (see 2208160054). CAC meetings have been virtual since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The FCC Public Safety Bureau granted 42 alert originator waivers Tuesday to do tests of the wireless emergency alert system. The tests will be Sept. 12 and 13, with alternate dates of Sept. 19 and 20. “Promoting the effectiveness of the nation’s emergency alerting systems is an important priority for the Commission and granting this waiver will enable” the bureau “in partnership with 42 alert originators, to gather critical data regarding WEA performance from geographically targeted areas across the United States.” This information collected “will help address a gap in alert originators’ understanding of WEA’s end-to-end performance,” the order said: The bureau “received reports that emergency management agencies are declining to use WEA in situations where it could save lives because they lack information about, and confidence in, how WEA works in practice.” The system wasn't used during the Marshall fire in Boulder “due to ‘concerns about its reliability and delivery,’” the bureau said. “The alert will sound and appear on compatible mobile devices using participating wireless networks in that area,” the FCC said in a news release: “The alert message will make clear that it is only a test and contain a link for the recipient to complete a survey about their receipt of the alert. Each agency will have a control group of volunteers in the targeted geographic area complete the survey, and members of the public may also do so. The tests are intended to assess the geographic accuracy of the alerts in addition to other performance factors, including reliability and speed.” The FCC also sent letters to AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon with questions they're asked to answer as the FCC does a broader assessment of the tests. WEAs “are a life-saving tool, but emergency managers tell us that they need more information on the geographic accuracy of these alerts in order to use them with confidence,” said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.
On one of the big spectrum inquiries of the summer, most commenters agreed the FCC can do more to address spectrum offshore needs, though there was little consensus on what the agency should do. One big area of disagreement is the role unlicensed should have. Replies were due Friday on a notice of inquiry commissioners approved 4-0 in June (see 2206080055) and most were posted Monday in docket 22-204. In initial comments, carriers urged caution (see 2207280032).
The FCC’s 2.5 GHz auction ended Monday, after 73 rounds, hitting net proceeds of $427.8 million. The FCC found winning bidders for 7,872 of the 8,017 licenses offered. The FCC holds the remaining 145 licenses. “After some extended bidding in Guam today, Auction 108 finally came to an end,” emailed Sasha Javid, BitPath chief operating officer. “While the end of this auction should not be a surprise for those following activity on Friday, it certainly ended faster than I expected just a week ago.” With no assignment phase, Javid predicted the FCC will issue a closing public notice in about a week, with details on where each bidder won licenses. T-Mobile was expected to be the dominant bidder as it fills in gaps in the 2.5 GHz coverage it’s using to offer 5G (see 2207290045). AT&T, Verizon and Dish Network qualified to bid but weren’t expected to make a play for many licenses. New Street significantly downgraded projections for the auction as it unfolded, from $3.4 billion, to less than $452 million in its latest projection. New Street’s Phillip Burnett told investors Sunday Guam Telephone Authority was likely the company making a push for the license there. The authority owns citizens broadband radio service and high-band licenses “but lacks a powerful mid-band license” since “no C-Band or 3.45GHz licenses were offered for Guam,” he said. “We still assume T-Mobile won essentially all the licenses,” Burnett said in a Monday note. The auction translated to just 2 cents/MHz POP, 8 cents excluding the areas where T-Mobile is already operating, he said: “This will make it the cheapest of the 5G upper mid-band auctions at the FCC to date, both in terms of unit and aggregate prices. However, given how odd these licenses were, we wouldn't expect to see the auction used as a marker for mid-band values going forward.”
The FCC published wireless carrier responses to July letters asking about their data retention and data privacy policies. Privacy advocates said this week they hope the letters lead to a renewed focus by the FCC on data privacy issues (see 2208220054).
Ericsson got support from carriers, and other gear-makers, for its request for a waiver allowing the company to offer a multiband radio across the 3.45 GHz and C bands, both auctioned by the FCC for 5G. The waiver would allow 3.45 GHz emissions within the 3.7-4.0 GHz block to comply with C-band out-of-band emissions (OOBE) levels. Commenters said the change could mean faster deployment of 5G. Comments were posted Wednesday in docket 22-298.
A new report by the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) says the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency should require all federal agencies to maintain real-time inventories of all operational technology (OT) devices, software systems and other assets they use. NSTAC approved the recommendation as part of a report on “Information Technology and Operational Technology Convergence” during a meeting by telephone Tuesday. DOD already is required to maintain a similar inventory.
Industry experts say it’s not clear what will come next as a result of FCC letters asking wireless providers about their data collection practices. The letters, which Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel sent to providers last month, delve into data sharing and retention practices of providers (see 2207200064). They ask that responses be emailed directly to Rosenworcel. Industry lobbyists said the letters also could tie back to a broader Biden administration focus on data privacy in light of the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, which overturned Roe v. Wade.