The citizens broadband radio service band appears to be off to a strong start, FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said during a ConnectX webinar Tuesday. O’Rielly expects July 23’s priority access license auction to take place as planned, though he said that’s a decision to be made by Chairman Ajit Pai. Other speakers said CBRS will get wide use.

A fiber outage caused nationwide problems on T-Mobile’s network Monday, but only about 20% of customers were affected, said President-Technology Neville Ray at a Wells Fargo virtual conference Thursday. “We’re very sorry for the occurrence,” he said: “We have to do better.” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai also spoke, but that wasn't streamed (see 2006160058).

T-Mobile and Dish Network appear to be struggling to work out a deal on the sale of Boost, a step required as part of government’s approval of T-Mobile buying Sprint. Dish is supposed to buy Boost for $1.4 billion. T-Mobile has until July 1 to close the sale under an April 1 consent decree (see 2004010069). They are also still negotiating lease terms for T-Mobile’s use of Dish’s 600 MHz spectrum. “We believe that both parties remain focused on getting the deal done,” Citi’s Michal Rollins told investors last week: “There are pre-conditions that New T-Mobile has to satisfy before the transaction could be completed.” The analyst noted Dish disclosed the use of a mediator for the negotiations. “While we hear reports of T-Mobile potentially selling Boost to others, we don’t see that contemplated by the DOJ or FCC documents and we think such a sale would undermine the arguments the federal government entities made to the courts and the public about creating a fourth competitor,” New Street’s Blair Levin said Friday. “DISH likely believes it will have to buy Boost to get the extension and will act accordingly,” Levin said: “While we think it could litigate the issue, the risk of losing is sufficiently high, and the potential cost of being denied the extension would be far greater than the cost of buying Boost.” Dish and T-Mobile declined comment.

Uncertainty remains about what COVID-19 will mean for AT&T and the wireless industry, Chief Financial Officer John Stephens said at a MoffettNathanson conference Tuesday. Speakers on a small-cells webinar said COVID-19 is adding to data growth and to the demand on carriers to densify their networks.

T-Mobile said it had the most postpaid net adds of any of U.S. carrier in Q1, reporting for the first time since completing the buy of Sprint. Front-line employees “stepped up big” during COVID-19, but the company is feeling financial effects, new CEO Mike Sievert told analysts Wednesday. “As the nation starts to emerge” after COVID-19, the company expects customers to be looking for better value in a weakened economy and T-Mobile will benefit, he said. Temporary closing of many company stores meant lower subscriber adds, service and equipment revenue “in the very short term,” he said. Chief Financial Officer Braxton Carter said profit took a $117 million hit due to the cost of closing the Sprint deal, with an $86 million hit from the pandemic. T-Mobile will have a better view of pandemic effects as Q2 continues, he said. The company plans to provide full-year guidance on the Q2 call, Carter said. “What a crazy quarter this was,” Sievert said: “The crisis has highlighted how crucial connectivity has become to our daily lives.” The carrier is deploying 5G on 2.5 GHz spectrum from Sprint in New York and Philadelphia and 5G on 600 MHz now covers 215 million customers, T-Mobile said. Chief Technology Officer Neville Ray said T-Mobile will soon deploy on the 2.5 GHz band across the Northeast. Revenue was $8.7 billion, up 5% over last year, and profit $951 million, also up 5%. T-Mobile reported record low postpaid churn of 0.86% and free cash flow of $732 million headed into the first of two big spectrum auctions this year.

Broadcasters, public safety groups and wireless mic makers raised concerns about proposals to allow TV white spaces (TVWS) devices to operate with higher power in less-congested areas, in comments on an FCC NPRM. Commissioners approved the notice 5-0 in February (see 2002280055). CTA, public interest groups and Microsoft urged the FCC to approve the proposal. Initial comments were due Monday in docket 20-36.

T-Mobile begins selling its cheapest 5G phone Tuesday for up to half off with a trade-in or added line, it said Monday. Price is $699. The Android smartphone operates on T-Mobile's 600 MHz network and is ready to go on 2.5 GHz spectrum as those markets ramp up, said the company: The OnePlus 8 has a 6.5-inch Full HD Plus display, a 4,300 mAh battery, triple camera and charges halfway in 22 minutes.

The FCC approach to a proposed 900 MHz realignment relies on negotiations between licensees to make 6 MHz available for broadband services and technologies, according to the May meeting item draft released Wednesday. The draft order and NPRM on regulatory fees meantime said foreign-licensed satellite operators argued a "parade of horribles" if the FCC begins charging them regulatory fees, but they were unconvincing. Also released were orders on ending the requirement broadcasters publish application notices in local newspapers and allow for online notice though links to actual FCC databases, and expanding use of earth stations in motion (ESIM).

T-Mobile signed a three-year agreement to lease 600 MHz spectrum from entities controlled by Columbia Capital, and a similar deal is likely to follow with Dish Network, LightShed’s Walter Piecyk wrote investors Friday. Leasing is preferable because of T-Mobile’s “current leverage” ahead of the citizens broadband radio service and C-band auctions, the analyst said. Leasing spectrum means it can be “deployed in a matter of days,” he said. T-Mobile didn't comment Monday.

Meetings continued on sharing the 6 GHz band with Wi-Fi, a week before a commissioner vote on an order and Further NPRM. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai spoke with National Spectrum Management Association officials this week about their concerns, said a filing posted in docket 18-295. The filing was among more than a dozen that popped up Thursday as parties made closing arguments.