Cellular data usage among consumers with unlimited data plans is 67 percent higher than among those with limited plans, who tend to rely more on Wi-Fi access for their streaming-video and other needs, said NPD in a Wednesday report. Over the past three months, limited plan users consumed 8 percent more Wi-Fi than their unlimited plan counterparts, with a spike of 18 percent more usage in October, it said. “When looking at data and Wi-Fi consumption as it relates to a user’s smartphone operating system, iOS users tend to consume more cellular data, while Android users look to Wi-Fi,” it said. The average U.S. smartphone user consumes 31.4 GB of Wi-Fi and cellular data monthly, a 25 percent increase from 2016, it said. Streaming video “remains the number one driver” of cellular and Wi-Fi data consumption on mobile and fixed networks, accounting for 83 percent of the total data used by smartphone owners, said NPD. In Q3, two-thirds of all smartphone users reported accessing video content via an app at least once a month, up from 57 percent sequentially in Q2, it said.

The Google Pixel 2 and 2XL smartphones had the largest gain in new activations over Christmas weekend compared with the prior three holiday shopping weekends, said Localytics Wednesday. Pixel 2 activations jumped 38.6 percent, Pixel 2XL signups grew 31.4 percent and iPhone X activations increased 28.7 percent during the period, while iPhone 8 and 8 Plus activations advanced 17.7 and 13.9 percent, it said. There are far fewer active Pixel devices in the market than iPhones, it noted. Samsung Galaxy device activations slipped from a 44 percent jump in new activations during Thanksgiving for the Note 8 to a 9.5 percent lift during Christmas weekend, said the analytics firm, noting the “highly competitive holiday season” for handset makers. In iPhone market share, the iPhone X held 5.3 percent share on Wednesday, compared with 19.3 percent for the 7, which led the pack. The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus combined for a total of 7.4 percent share, it said.

"Incorporating device-based solutions to enhance [Wireless Emergency Alerts] geo-targeting represents a fundamental shift in the design and use of WEA -- from a network-based approach that disseminates emergency information across a wide area with minimal network impact, to device-based technologies that confine receipt of the alerts to a more focused geographic area that will likely have network impacts,” CTIA said it told the FCC Public Safety Bureau: This “fundamental” change will require new or modified wireless networks “and device standards and solutions, as well as new or modified technologies and practices for alert originators.” CTIA in docket 15-91 urged an “aggressive, yet achievable, timeline to implement enhanced geo-targeting.” CTIA said some member companies, APCO representatives, emergency managers from New York City and Harris County, Texas, and officials from the National Weather Service attended. APCO said there's no consensus on “timing of improvements and how they should be implemented.” APCO said the FCC should establish “straightforward minimum requirements” for geotargeting effective by May 1, 2019. It suggested a requirement that alerts not extend beyond 1/10 mile of a specified area’s boundary. “APCO agreed with concern over proposals to improve geo-targeting by sacrificing characters in the WEA message to specify the target area,” the group said. “APCO would prefer that methods to improve geo-targeting not entail a trade-off with other improvements to WEA.” The New York City Emergency Management Department said “existing level of geo-targeting is not sufficient as clearly demonstrated by the City’s use of WEA following the Chelsea Bombing in 2016.” The department "continues to strongly support these enhancements and encourages the Commission to adopt an implementation timeline consistent with other WEA improvements that are expected to come online in 2019.”

CTIA released best practices to help keep wireless service up during natural disasters. The recommendations build on the wireless network resiliency cooperative framework proposed by carriers and agreed to by the FCC last year (see 1612210008), CTIA said Wednesday. “The initiative will enhance coordination between wireless carriers and local governments in preparing for a natural disaster or emergency and speed the restoration of wireless services,” said a news release. Among best practices: “Wireless providers, local governments, and states should develop and maintain an index of the zoning and related local ordinances that could affect service restoration efforts and, where permitted by law, identify an accessible, available, and expedited process for obtaining a waiver.” The guidelines urge carriers to work with local governments to develop recovery plans.

The front-facing camera is the major driver of positive ratings for the iPhone X, said a Tuesday Strategy Analytics report. The camera enables Face ID, the phone’s security feature that replaced the fingerprint sensor used for security in recent iPhone models. Consumer sentiment about the TrueDepth camera, which also enables augmented reality features with Face ID and Animojis, is “extremely positive,” said SA. The iPhone X’s display and battery also got high marks, with 80 percent positive reviews, it said. Brand equity contributes to the X’s positive reception, as brand reputation, along with features, have helped the phone become a “standout product” in the U.S. market, said analyst Adam Thorwart. Apple upgraded almost every core device in the iPhone X, but the camera improvements are most noteworthy, said analyst Kevin Nolan.

Top national agencies found no known health risks from exposure to cellphone radio frequencies, CTIA said Thursday, responding to California Department of Public Health guidelines on how to reduce exposure to RF emissions. “Although the science is still evolving, there are concerns among some public health professionals and members of the public regarding long-term, high use exposure to the energy emitted by cell phones,” said CDPH Director Karen Smith in a Wednesday news release. “We know that simple steps, such as not keeping your phone in your pocket and moving it away from your bed at night, can help reduce exposure for both children and adults." Children’s developing brains may be more affected, she said. CTIA urged consumers to consult the FCC, Food and Drug Administration, World Health Organization and the American Cancer Society, which it said have found no problems. The CDPH report is "not a warning" that RF emissions are harmful but rather provides information for people who are concerned, Smith said in an interview. "We can't say definitively" whether there's a risk, but the department gets daily requests for information about cellphone radiation from Californians, she said. The CDPH released previously unpublished draft guidelines in March in response to a ruling by a Sacramento Superior Court judge. The department had been reviewing RF emissions for several years, but in 2014 when the Center for Disease Control and Prevention released a report, CDPH decided its guidance was redundant and didn't release it, Smith said. Later, after CDPH rejected a Public Release Act request to release the guidelines because it was a draft, a court forced the document's release, she said. But Smith said Wednesday's release was separate from the court case, happening now because CDPH noted cellphone usage is increasing dramatically, including among children. The new release includes the same guidelines as before, but more background on usage, she said.

“Innovation complacency” will cause OEMs like Apple, Huawei, Microsoft and Samsung to “lag” behind other tech companies in the “post-smartphone era,” said ABI Research in a Wednesday report. ABI sees Google and Amazon taking the “lead” and driving innovation for “smartphones and related ecosystems” over the next five-six years, it said. Their “apparent strength in major growth sectors, notably computer science, allows for a more flexible approach to next-generation user experiences that are essential for creating immersive experiences and brand-new ways of human-to-machine interactions,” said the company. “Without having the heavy burden of legacy systems and hardware, these web-scale companies are in a good position to lead the market into the post-smartphone era.” By comparison, Apple, Huawei, Microsoft and Samsung “are not currently as well set up to drive future innovation in the market,” said ABI. “These players are also burdened with legacy establishments in the smartphone business, which give them little flexibility to innovate outside the box. Those in this classification, however, should not be dismissed so easily from leadership contention in the future, as they currently have a major influence on the market, mainly through brand strength and market share.”

AT&T said it launched real-time text service as an alternative to the text technology long used by the deaf and hard of hearing to communicate. FCC members approved an order a year ago on a common standard for the transition from TTY to RTT (see 1612150048). The service works on Apple or Android smartphones with updated operating systems. RTT alleviates many of TTY’s shortcomings, blogged Linda Vandeloop, AT&T assistant vice president-federal regulatory. “Each text character is transmitted and received in near real time, allowing for a conversational flow of communication, simultaneously with voice. This allows for a two-way conversation without requiring turn taking.”

A software issue led to a Verizon Wireless outage Monday affecting customers throughout Michigan, a spokesman said. The disruption started at 10 a.m.; engineers resolved the issue and restored all cellsites by 2:15 p.m. EST, the spokesman said.

Virgin Mobile is offering a bundle deal for certified used (“Pre-Loved”) iPhones through Thursday. Buyers get a one-year Apple warranty and earphones, $100 Amazon gift card and six months of unlimited wireless service for $1 a month, said the carrier. The deal replaces one that offered a $75 Amazon card.