Policy

Swedish telecom equipment vendor Ericsson has signed onto the GMSA Humanitarian Connectivity Charter, which aims to use technology to bolster crisis response in afflicted areas. The GSMA established the program in March. According to the trade group, the goal is …

Dropped calls are a big problem in India due to economics and sheer geography presenting hindrances to robust mobile network deployments. Now, national regulator Trai is considering penalizing operators for each dropped call. The Times of India reports Trai is …

WASHINGTON – The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a massive free trade agreement among the U.S. and 11 other Pacific Rim nations, including Australia, Japan and Singapore. If ratified, the TPP could create the largest free trade zone in the world. However, concerns …

ARCEP said the auction process will start Nov. 16 France telecom regulator ARCEP confirmed the process to award 30 megahertz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band to support LTE services will kick off Nov. 16. The regulator previously confirmed the firms …

The FCC is overhauling RF rules for first time since 1998 WASHINGTON – The federal government is adapting policies to change with the times. Among those polices being updated are those designed to benefit the “Internet of Things” economy. Over …

Deal intended to create larger, contiguous blocks of spectrum in select markets Carriers T-Mobile US and AT&T, in notifications to the Federal Communications Commission, swapped spectrum blocks in some markets in an effort to boost wireless capacity. Based on details …

Predictions for the spectrum auction haul top $80B, though process could take 9 months FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Federal Communications Commission’s planned 600 MHz incentive auction may not have been the focus of all of the events at this …

WASHINGTON – The Federal Communications Commission has granted carrier AT&T Mobility a waiver related to voice-over-Wi-Fi calling as it applies to people with hearing problems.  The waiver is valid until Dec. 31, 2017. This comes following a complaint lodged last week …

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a full hearing that examined “removing barriers to wireless broadband deployment,” against the backdrop of lawmakers considering policies to encourage investment in more broadband. Among the bills currently …

A draft of the “Spectrum Pipeline Act of 2015″ is currently circulating the House Communications Subcommittee in hopes of creating a framework for the Federal Communications Commission’s reclaimed wireless broadband spectrum auction. The proposed bill would ask the FCC to …

Former Rep. Rick Boucher of Virginia’s 9th and the Internet Innovation Alliance talks policy WASHINGTON – The federal government’s policy regarding the telecom industry is very much in flux. A plethora of issues regarding telecom policies – first raised in an …

The European Court of Justice, the E.U. equivalent of the U.S. Supreme Court, today ruled the Safe Harbor data transfer agreement void, presenting a challenge to tech companies like Amazon or Facebook that use the deal to move personal data …

Edward Snowden says intelligence agencies in the U.S. and UK have the ability to hack into citizen’s phones and take control of their devices. The famous U.S. whistleblower says the agencies could use an encrypted text message to take pictures …

Commissioner Pai calls out talking policy behind ‘closed doors’ WASHINGTON – Recent rumors have circulated on blogs and from Cablefax.com that the Federal Communications Commission will conduct a “goodwill tour” of Wall Street in an effort to improve relationships with …

Letter from AT&T to FCC says competitor Wi-Fi calling service not in line with disability requirements In a letter sent to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler on Oct. 1, AT&T alleges that competitors Sprint and T-Mobile US are offering …

Consortium of trade groups, carriers and device makers updating anti-theft guidelines WASHINGTON – CTIA – The Wireless Association, along with several major carriers and smartphone manufacturers including Apple, AT&T, BlackBerry, Google and Huawei, announced a new effort to update the …

Wheeler circulates NPRM looking at flexible use plans for bands above 24 GHz Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler circulated a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that looks to provide “flexible spectrum use rules for bands above 24 GHz, including for …

WASHINGTON – The Competitive Carriers Association, which represents the smaller and rural American carriers as well as counts Sprint and T-Mobile US among its members, has been lobbying the Federal Communications Commission in regard to the 600 megahertz auction since it was first …

ARCEP confirms the auction will take place in November France’s four mobile operators have filed applications to participate in an auction through which telecom regulator ARCEP will award spectrum in the 700 MHz band to support LTE services. The regulator …

The Federal Communication Commission and the Ministry of Information and Technology of Colombia announced a memorandum of understanding aimed at cracking down on mobile device theft in the South American country. Colombia has long been a hot bed of violent …

FCC balancing historic preservation with need for small cells, DAS CTIA filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission urging the agency to ease rules under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, which could slow deployment of towers, distributed antenna …

Small cells deployment would be key part of potential new mobile network Singapore-based Internet service provider MyRepublic has completed a funding round for a total of SG$23 million ($16.1 million) in a move to finance the launch of mobile services …

FCC commissioner Ajit Pai links Sprint decision to folly of FCC auction plans Sprint’s decision to sit out the Federal Communications Commission’s upcoming 600 MHz incentive auction proceedings drew the attention of Republican Commissioner Ajit Pai, who used the move …

WASHINGTON – Sprint’s decision to bow out of the 600 MHz auction came as a surprise to some. The Competitive Carriers Association reacted to the move by reiterating its position that the spectrum reserve isn’t only about the big four U.S. …

Both parties will promote global standardization for 5G technology The European Union and China have signed an agreement for the future development of “5G” networks. The deal was inked during the EU-China High Level Economic and Trade Dialogue in Beijing. …