UScellular CEO Laurent Therivel met with FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and agency staff to make the case for T-Mobile’s proposed buy of “substantially all” of his company’s wireless operations, including some spectrum (see 2405280047), a deal announced in May. Therivel and others company officials also met with Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington, aides to Commissioner Geoffrey Starks and top officials in the Wireless Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics, said a filing posted Friday in docket 24-286. By total handset connections nationwide, UScellular is “the seventh-largest wireless provider and accounts for approximately one percent of connections,” the filing said. Competitive pressures are ramping up in its markets, and it’s losing subscribers “despite deploying a variety of strategies to attempt to arrest that decline,” the carrier said: “Subscriber losses accelerated in 2022, a year that UScellular invested heavily on promotions. UScellular anticipates that it will continue to lose subscribers going forward.” It assumed “significant debt to purchase the mid-band spectrum needed to compete in 5G,” it said. “While UScellular has been pulling back on its network investments, its competitors have been spending more to expand their networks and enhance their network quality and customer experience in UScellular’s footprint.”

SpaceX representatives met with aides to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioner Anna Gomez as they made the rounds at the FCC about company concerns over interference from high-power terrestrial operations in the lower and upper 12 GHz band (see 2409260036). “SpaceX’s studies of interference in the upper and lower 12 GHz bands demonstrate that a high-power terrestrial service -- either mobile or fixed -- would devastate the next generation satellite service of Americans who rely on the 10.7-12.7 GHz band for high speed, low latency broadband connectivity,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 22-352. EchoStar disputes those arguments (see 2409050040).

Before the launch of early 5G networks, the consensus was that business-to-business (B2B) communications would be a “big opportunity,” Pablo Iacopino, GSMA Intelligence head-research and commercial content, said during a Mobile World Live webcast on Friday. For consumers, 5G adoption has been “very, very fast” compared to the roll-out of 3G and 4G, he said. When carriers think about providing business customers with 5G, they consider connectivity a first step only, he said. “Really, the incremental value comes from services beyond connectivity,” including cloud and edge services and serving IoT networks, he said. Based on a GSMA survey, businesses say they are willing to spend about 9% of their revenue on average globally on digital transformation, he said. That’s “a big number, and it means there are opportunities for many players to catch a piece of this 9%,” he said: “Enterprises are willing to spend on 5G in order to drive digital transformation.” Different businesses have varying needs and providers must “customize” what they offer. After a slow start, there’s growing momentum behind 5G standalone, “which is the real 5G.” In most places, said David Markland, chief product officer at Inseego, 5G began on 4G core networks, “reusing 4G spectrum with a little bit of efficiency gain, and then it built from there, having more and more spectrum.” Inseego provides wireless gear. A lot of people had a 5G icon on their phones years ago but weren’t seeing changes over 4G, and “personal experience, some days it was worse,” Markland said. That has changed as major carriers deploy “a lot more spectrum” on their networks. “We have 10 times more bandwidth now than … back in the 4G era.”

The FCC Wireless Bureau on Friday granted five licenses in the 900 MHz broadband segment to PDV Spectrum. All the licenses are in Texas. The FCC approved an order in 2020 reallocating a 6 MHz swath in the band for broadband, while maintaining 4 MHz for narrowband operations (see 2005130057).

The American Library Association said the FCC is probably premature in seeking comments in a Further NPRM on rules that would allow schools and libraries to use E-rate support for off-premises Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless internet services. Comments on the FNPRM, which was approved 3-2 as part of the hot spot item in July (see 2407180024), were due Friday in docket 21-31. Replies are due Nov. 4. “We question whether releasing the Further Notice at the same time as the hotspot Order is premature,” ALA said. A better plan would “monitor the program in its first year to collect usage and cost data,” ALA said: “This information can then be used to better craft changes to the program in future years.”

Verizon’s Tracfone is doubling the amount of data available on its Unlimited Talk & Text plans. The prepaid $20 plan now offers 4 GB of monthly data, up from 2 GB, the $40 plan 20 GB, up from 10. Plans now also support hot spot functionality. “These changes are part of Tracfone’s ongoing commitment to providing affordable, reliable wireless service that meets the evolving needs of their customers,” Tracfone said Thursday: “Tracfone believes everyone deserves access to high-quality wireless service, with plans designed to minimize unexpected costs and data overages.” T-Mobile announced Tuesday it’s eliminating data caps for its Ultra Mobile prepaid offering (see 2410010007).

The top reason businesses switch wireless providers is the perceived value of service, according to J.D. Power’s "2024 U.S. Business Wireless Satisfaction Study," released Thursday. The average score for cost of service satisfaction was 686, on a 1,000-point scale, “and, for customers who strongly agree their plan has improved in value, satisfaction is 829, highlighting the room for improvement with value perception.” Customer satisfaction is based on more than price, said Carl Lepper, director-technology, media & telecom at J.D. Power: “Ease of understanding not only their bill, but also the contract, features, and flexibility is imperative to increasing value. Not only do providers need to build trust and have the products and services customers are looking for, but they also need to spend the time educating them.” J.D. Power said T-Mobile received top scores for large (753) and small (678) businesses, Verizon Wireless led the pack (714) among medium-size enterprises.

The FCC Wireless Bureau on Thursday tentatively approved Virginia-based SDF's application to serve as a contraband interdiction system (CIS) operator, helping address contraband phones in correctional facilities. Approval lets SDF “market and sell its CIS as described in its application, and begin phase two testing,” the bureau said. The FCC required two phases of testing in a 2021 order (see 2107130029).

Spirent Communications on Thursday launched 5G fixed wireless access testing services. Spirent offers lab-based 5G/Wi-Fi gateway testing “and live network competitive benchmarking to enable communications service providers (CSPs) and device manufacturers to better optimize quality of experience and differentiate their offerings in an increasingly competitive market,” Spirent said. FWA has emerged in the view of some industry observers as 5G’s first, and so far only, “killer app” (see 2308160046), “5G FWA represents a growing trend and significant opportunity for CSPs to expand their revenue streams,” said Stephen Douglas, head-market strategy at Spirent.

Verizon urged the FCC to move forward on a handset unlocking mandate, the focus of an NPRM commissioners approved 5-0 in July (see 2407180037). Some commenters question whether the FCC has legal authority to impose rules (see 2409240038). A 60-day locking period for postpaid phones “is the minimum necessary to help providers combat handset fraud and theft, but a longer, 180-day locking period for prepaid is necessary to enable wireless providers to continue offering subsidies that make phones affordable for prepaid customers,” Verizon said in a filing this week in docket 24-186. Regardless of the time period commissioners agree to, “a uniform unlocking policy that applies to all providers is paramount; the record is replete with evidence that uniformity will benefit both consumers and competition,” the carrier said. Verizon met with staff from the Wireless Bureau and the Office of Economics and Analytics.