Ericsson petitioned the FCC for a waiver to manufacture and market multiband radios that wireless providers can use on 3.45 and 3.7 GHz bands. “The multiband radio will serve the public interest by allowing Ericsson to introduce an innovative radio design, including more flexibility to operate in mid-band frequencies, with smaller, more energy-efficient, and more economical base stations, and with no adverse effects on nearby band operations,” said a filing posted Monday at the FCC: “With this radio, wireless providers that hold licenses in both bands will be able to deploy … in a cost- and energy-efficient manner.” The waiver would allow 3.45 GHz out-of-band emission levels at 3.7-4.0 GHz “at the 3.7 GHz Service OOBE levels,” Ericsson said.

CableLabs said the Commerce Department selected it as the host lab for the NTIA’s Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) 5G Challenge. ITS “will leverage CableLabs’ state-of-the-art lab deployment of fully virtualized 5G networks, including multiple cores, multiple radio access network and new network emulation equipment,” said a news release last week: “CableLabs is providing the standalone 5G network with the essential engineering capability to integrate multiple vendors simultaneously while testing and measuring technical performance metrics -- enabling innovators to compete in testing and validation on site.”

More than 175 million people are expected to have Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband coverage by year-end, said the carrier Thursday. “This new fast tracked timeline is made possible by the incredible pace of deployment achieved by Verizon’s network engineering team,” said Verizon.

Harman’s Digital Transformation Solutions (DTS) business will collaborate with Microsoft Azure private multi-access edge compute to combine network functions, applications and edge-optimized services for enterprise customers, the companies said Monday. Advances in 5G can accelerate innovation across industries, said David Owens, DTS general manager. Transportation hubs are adopting emerging edge compute capabilities and private 5G connectivity, said Tad Brockway, corporate vice president-Azure for Operators. The companies' collaboration is being used at a large U.S. airport to manage cargo handling, they said, without giving details.

Ericsson North America CEO Niklas Heuveldop answered questions from FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks on supply chain and other issues in a recent call, said a filing posted Monday in docket 21-63. Starks asked “how Ericsson has been managing supply chain issues such as silicon chip shortages brought about by the COVID pandemic,” the company said: Heuveldop responded “that global component shortages are still a challenge," but Ericsson "continues to effectively mitigate the impact in close collaboration with our U.S. customers and component suppliers. Ericsson also benefits from the new USA 5G Smart Factory in Lewisville, Texas.” Starks also asked about the FCC’s rip-and-replace program for insecure network equipment and the future of open radio access network standards and products, the filing said.

U.S. carriers are falling behind much of the world on open radio access networks, said John Baker, Mavenir senior vice president-business development, in an interview. “The train has left the station,” he said: “Pretty much all of Europe,” parts of Africa and the Middle East are embracing ORAN. “The sad part of it is the U.S. has still made no more progress.” Dish Network is the only major U.S. carrier deploying ORAN, he said. “We’re waiting for the rip-and-replace monies issue to get sorted out because ORAN can save the U.S. taxpayer a lot of money,” he said. The FCC plans to announce cuts on a $1.9 billion program for removing Huawei and ZTE from carrier network in June, including proposals using ORAN (see 2202090031). Mavenir announced last year it’s working with Montana’s Triangle Communications to upgrade its network. Mavenir last week unveiled OpenBeam, a new suite of ORAN compliant radios. The company invested in “high performance areas” for radios and is working with others on radio designs, Baker said. “At the end of the day, Mavenir is a software company,” he said. “We’ve invested some of our dollars to seed the open RAN ecosystem to get this radio design, development and manufacturing going,” he said. “Hopefully this is the start of a bring-back-to-America approach of radios that can then be sold in the open-RAN community to operators on a global basis,” he said: “The U.S. has the skill set to do this, and we’ve demonstrated that.” One of the greatest needs for ORAN is radios with open interfaces that are 3rd Generation Partnership Project approved, Baker said. “The global market potentially needs tens to hundreds” of radio models, he said. Nokia and Ericsson offer an alternative to the Chinese providers, but their radios “aren’t open RAN, and they’re not willing to share, at this point, their radios with others in terms of ensuring a diverse supply chain,” Baker said.

More than 90% of retailers surveyed expect an increase in in-store use of consumer mobile devices by 2025, and 83% anticipate more technology will be deployed in stores, said a Tuesday Incisiv study, sponsored by Verizon. Real-time inventory tracking and employees' access to Wi-Fi were ranked as the highest priority deployments for store personnel in the next two years. “As more mobile and IoT technology is deployed in stores, it will drive the need for more robust network connectivity,” said Jerri Traflet, Verizon managing partner-global solutions.

AT&T is the first U.S.-based carrier to join Ericsson’s global “Startup 5G” program, aimed at speeding the commercialization and monetization of future 5G innovations by leveraging “years of research on consumer behavior and trends,” said Ericsson Monday. Ericsson estimates there’s a global $3.7 trillion business opportunity “within the 5G consumer market by 2030,” it said. Communications service providers that collaborate with Startup 5G are “bolstered” by Ericsson's consumer research and analytical data, plus “exclusive access” to a global network of 5G startups, numbering more than 40 companies, it said.

Ericsson released seven new radio access network products, with an emphasis on lower power consumption. The updated gear includes dual-band Radio 4490, which consumes 25% less power than the current product, and a high-power version, 4490 HP. “The portfolio additions will deliver sizable energy savings and up to ten-fold capacity increases -- with minimal or no added footprint,” the company said Wednesday. They use passive cooling “reducing power consumption further, as fans are not needed.”

House Transportation Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., said Thursday he wants President Joe Biden to pick a successor to retiring FAA Administrator Steve Dickson who’s “committed to the highest standards of aviation safety,” which in part “means someone who will … ensure the safe coexistence of 5G wireless service and aviation.” Some House Transportation members criticized Dickson and FCC officials during a hearing this month for the interagency spat over the aviation safety implications of rolling out 5G service on the C band (see 2202030081). Dickson told FAA staff Wednesday he will resign March 31; he still had two years left in the term he began in 2019. “After sometimes long and unavoidable periods of separation from my loved ones during the pandemic, it is time to devote my full time and attention to them,” Dickson said. Dickson “has led FAA through a difficult three years, & I have appreciated working with him" to “address serious concerns about 5G deployment near the nation’s airports,” tweeted Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Rick Larsen, D-Wash.