Safe Connections Act

European Commission proposals for addressing the continent's digital infrastructure needs include some worrying aspects and have kept alive the long-running "fair share" dispute, some commenters said. While no plan forces content providers to pay telcos for use of their networks, most U.S. entities that responded to an EU white paper focused on that issue, telecom consultant Innocenzo Genna said in an email. The white paper, which prompted more than 350 responses (available at the link), also unnerved EU telecom and spectrum regulators.

Officials with the 12 GHz for 5G Coalition remain hopeful that FCC action in coming months will allow use of the lower 12 GHz band for fixed-wireless deployments, they said in interviews. In addition, should the FCC act soon, the band could still play a part in some state proposals under the broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program, the officials said. The coalition had hoped for action early in 2024 (see 2312270045).

BT Group is the first European provider to achieve 5G carrier aggregation using five spectrum blocks, boosting its 5G stand-alone (SA) performance ahead of a network launch later this year, a Friday news release said. The technology “will significantly boost the data rates available to customers in areas of high demand by combining all mid-band radio spectrum when the 5G SA device requires a high-speed connection,” BT said. Tests were conducted at BT Group’s headquarters in Adastral Park, U.K., using Nokia’s 5G AirScale portfolio and a device that a Qualcomm Snapdragon 5G modem powered. The “promise” of 5G SA “is the opportunity to stay connected at the busiest of times in the most crowded of places,” said Greg McCall, BT Group chief networks officer. “5G SA isn’t just about what’s on offer at launch, it’s also about creating a platform for advancements down the line in terms of the new services and capabilities it will deliver to consumers and businesses alike,” he said.

The EU isn't on track to meet its 2030 digital transformation targets, the European Commission said in its second report on the state of the digital decade. It found gaps in investment at EU and national levels in digital skills, high-quality connectivity, AI take-up and data analytics by enterprises, semiconductor production and startups. The report pressed EU governments to "be more ambitious," saying reaching digital decade goals is critical for the bloc's continuing prosperity and social cohesion. In addition, the report found 5G networks reach just 50% of the EU's territory and don't perform well enough to deliver advanced 5G services. Other concerns include European companies' uptake of AI, cloud and/or big data are well below the target of 75%, and that the spread of digital technologies is limited outside big cities. Moreover, the report noted, digital skills targets "are still far from being achieved, with only 55.6% of the EU population having at least basic digital skills." EU members have until Dec. 2 to adjust policies to align with the targets of the digital decade program.

In a first for Canada, Rogers Communications trialed 5G Cloud-Radio Access Network technology during a live event on Monday. Held during a Toronto Blue Jays baseball game at Rogers Centre, the trial highlighted the telecom's network partner Ericsson's Cloud RAN solution. “Cloud-native technology is a critical component in the next generation of wireless networks,” and builds on Rogers’ stand-alone 5G network, said Ron McKenzie, the company's chief technology officer.

The FCC’s rechartered Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council on Friday held the first meeting of its cycle at FCC headquarters. The meeting was organizational and offered little substance. CSRIC will focus on AI and 6G with three working groups (see 2406100047). And it will consider “how can we harness AI for good … while also preventing and mitigating harms associated with the use of AI,” Public Safety Bureau Chief Debra Jordan said. Another focus is next-generation 911, Jordan said. “In the future, consumers will have an increasingly wide range of wireless devices that can transmit 911 calls over a variety of networks -- you will examine how to best ensure people can call for help across these expanding platforms and options and in the next-generation 911 environment,” she said. Moreover, CSRIC will develop a plan “for more secure and reliable 6G networks and services that minimize risks,” she said. It feels like 5G is just getting started, “but we want to be forward-looking,” Jordan added. Sanford Williams, an aide to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, said, AI “has swiftly transitioned from a futuristic concept to an integral part of our daily lives, from voice assistance … to advanced machine learning algorithms predicting consumer behavior.” Williams added, “AI is literally everywhere.” He played for CSRIC members the deepfake President Joe Biden political robocall that was featured during the FCC’s Consumer Advisory Committee Wednesday (see 2406260041). Williams noted that Biden’s executive order on AI (see 2310300056) delegated several tasks to the FCC, including examining the potential for AI “to improve spectrum management, increase the efficiency of non-Federal spectrum usage and expand opportunities for the sharing of non-Federal spectrum.” The order instructed the FCC to consider use of AI for improving network security, resiliency, and interoperability through next-generation technologies including self-healing networks, 6G, and open radio access networks, Williams said. FCC staff need help from industry experts in all CSRIC's areas of study, he said. In brief remarks, Rosenworcel thanked members for agreeing to serve on CSRIC. "It will be hard to surpass the last CSRIC’s work on 5G network security and mitigating the vulnerabilities of software in cloud services, but I think you’re up to the challenge,” Rosenworcel said. CSRIC co-Chair Billy Bob Brown from the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said the world has never faced greater cyber risks. “I believe we face the greatest challenge of our generation -- an existential challenge -- but I also have hope.” CSRIC is expected to next meet Sept. 27.

CTIA weighed in on the broadband data collection (BDC) process (see 2402200073), seeking tweaks to a proposed order, declaratory ruling and Further NPRM, in calls with staff for all five FCC commissioners. Expand the FNPRM “to encourage more robust stakeholder engagement on the processes and evidence used to restore fixed broadband locations to the map,” CTIA urged in a filing posted Thursday in docket 19-195. The group “encouraged the Commission not to adopt changes to the BDC process that could unnecessarily and disproportionately burden all fixed wireless providers, undermining the goal of technology neutrality.” There is “no basis in the record for imposing additional requirements that target one technology,” CTIA said. While not a focus of the item on circulation, CTIA "has suggested improvements to the mobile challenge process to help prepare for an expected increase in challenges related to the 5G Fund," the filing said.

5G fixed wireless access will experience continuing growth in the U.S. and expand globally, panelists said during an Opensignal webinar Thursday. While FWA took off in the U.S. first, led by T-Mobile and Verizon, it’s spreading worldwide.

Ericsson increased by about 300 million its projections for 5G subscribers in 2029, to 5.6 billion, based in part on a revised outlook for Africa. “We continue to see a robust uptake of 5G subscriptions worldwide, anticipating the addition of nearly 600 million new 5G subscriptions in 2024,” the report said. But Ericsson warned of the need for continued deployments of 5G stand-alone networks, beyond deployments by about 50 providers so far, and “additional densification of mid-band sites.” The report said mid-band so far has been driven by “extensive deployments” in India and North America. “Although 5G population coverage is growing, 5G mid-band is only deployed in around 25 percent of all sites globally outside of mainland China,” the report said: 5G mid-band offers “a sweet spot between both coverage and capacity, while improving user experience.”

Smart city applications are joining the list of factors driving the need for more licensed and unlicensed spectrum, spectrum and smart city experts said Wednesday during a Broadband Breakfast panel discussion. Beyond more spectrum, smart cities will require a lot of spectrum sharing and maximized use of existing allocations, they said. There isn't one route to smart cities, and the spectrum isn't needed for a single purpose, said Richard Bernhardt, Wireless ISP Association vice president-spectrum and industry. Cities rely particularly heavily on unlicensed spectrum for smart city applications, said Ryan Johnston, Next Century Cities senior policy counsel. He said municipal governments are often left out of spectrum strategy and policy discussions, even though they are becoming big consumers of spectrum. He said they should be at the table for spectrum sharing and allocation discussions.