Verizon inked deals with Crown Castle and SBA Communications, two vertical realtors already hosting Verizon infrastructure equipment, to speed deployment of C-band equipment in preparation for the launch of 5G Ultra Wideband and fixed wireless broadband service on this newly acquired spectrum. Verizon secured an average of 161 MHz of C-band spectrum nationwide in the recent FCC auction, which will allow Verizon to …
Pittsburgh is ‘illegally’ pocketing $580 on street light small cell fees says AT&T in a lawsuit
AT&T is suing the City of Pittsburgh for allegedly failing to meet the FCC’s shot clock requirements and for asking excessive fees for new cell structures in the city’s rights-of-way. The carrier states that the fees and delays for installing small-cell network equipment along city roadways have prevented AT&T from providing service to the area and violates the federal Telecommunications …
Contractors say rip and replace funding is profitable, but will be shaved at their level
The Federal Communications Commission has released a new report with an in-depth look at the costs for telecoms to rip and replace eligible Huawei and ZTE equipment, which will aid in the development of a new reimbursement program and its administration. The agency commissioned consulting firm Widelity to “produce a report detailing the anticipated steps in removing, replacing, and disposing …
American Tower shocks industry analysts with its planned acquisition of China Tower for $17.4 billion
Boston-based American Tower Corp. (ATC) is close to inking an agreement to buy China Tower Corp. Ltd. for $17.4 billion, a huge deal that will see ATC acquiring China Tower’s 2.2 million towers, expanding ATC’s 186,000 worldwide towers by 1,100 percent, according to a Forbes report today. The well-kept secret took the industry by surprise, and analysts are still trying …
From monopoles to barber poles, NWSA adds a new certification to buoy lack of broadband funding
President Joe Biden unveiled a $2 trillion plan yesterday to rebuild the nation’s aging infrastructure dubbed the American Jobs Plan, with $100 billion earmarked to build universal high-speed broadband infrastructure. However, the White House did not say how they plan to move the package through congress, nor provide a timeline on when they want it passed. Earlier this month, 30 …
Colocations unknown as a sealed deal with American Tower provides DISH with it final site selections
American Tower Corporation and DISH Network Corporation announced today that they have entered into a master lease agreement through which DISH may lease space on up to 20,000 American Tower communications sites. Through the agreement, DISH will secure access to American Tower’s extensive U.S. portfolio of communications sites as it deploys its new nationwide 5G network, and American Tower will …
U.S. trails China in 5G rollout that now has 1,336 cities globally: VIAVI
Viavi Solutions Inc. today released new industry data revealing that the number of cities with 5G networks is now 1,336 globally, a 350 percent increase during the past year despite an ongoing global pandemic. As of January 2021, more than 30 percent of the world’s countries now have 5G availability, according to the new VIAVI report “The State of 5G,” …
Crown Castle sues after it’s told that its landlords have to agree to not build a competitive structure
Crown Castle Towers, AT&T, and Sprint have brought a federal lawsuit against the Town of Riverhead, N.Y., the Town Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Planning Board and the Town’s building administrator for alleged “unreasonable delays” and “unsupportable effective denials” of their application to erect a 120-foot monopole. The template nature of the complaint, in part, is similar to the many …
SBA inks a master lease agreement with DISH for its 5G network
DISH and SBA Communications Corporation today announced a new long-term master lease agreement providing DISH access to SBA’s extensive nationwide portfolio of wireless communication sites. The announcement builds upon DISH’s continued progress in acquiring access to the essential infrastructure needed to deploy its greenfield 5G network coast to coast. As part of the agreement, DISH will lease towers from SBA, …
Twenty-eight broadband-related bills to close digital divide introduced by Republicans
Today, House Energy & Commerce Committee Republicans introduced 28 broadband-related bills to help close the digital divide, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, through their Boosting Broadband Connectivity Agenda. The group said this legislative package aims to promote new infrastructure deployment; promote competition and consumer choice; modernize environmental or historical preservation reviews or barriers; and promote the deployment of broadband on federal lands. …
Legislation reintroduced to address the telecommunications workforce shortage
U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today reintroduced the Telecommunications Skilled Workforce Act, legislation to address the shortage of trained workers necessary to fill next-generation jobs in the telecommunications industry in communities throughout the country. NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors …
‘Painless’ process results in a Dish/Vertical Bridge access deal
Dish Network Corporation and Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC announced a long-term agreement granting Dish immediate access to Vertical Bridge’s extensive portfolio of towers, rooftops, utility transmission structures, billboards, convenience stores and other sites used for wireless infrastructure deployment. Vertical Bridge is the nation’s largest private owner and operator of communications infrastructure with a portfolio of over 300,000 sites spread across all 50 …
Verizon to double the number of its mmWave sites this year
To take over more of the country’s competitive landscape, Verizon said it will be making investment in mobile networks for the expansion of 5G Ultra Wideband in new and existing markets, the densification of the wireless network to manage impending traffic demands, and the continuous installation of the carrier’s fiber infrastructure across the US. During its Q4 earnings report, Verizon …
Telecom industry unites behind call for broadband workforce development to White House, Congress
A coalition of ten leading organizations representing a broad cross-section of the telecommunications industry today sent a joint letter to the White House and Congress urging support for broadband-related job skills development as part of any infrastructure legislation. The associations included the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA), the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA), INCOMPAS, NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association, NTCA-The Rural …
DC Judge questions the existence of FDA working groups cited in FCC’s RF exposure order
A D.C. Circuit panel judge yesterday, during oral arguments, appeared unconvinced of the Federal Communications Commission’s support of their findings that cell phones and other connected devices pose no risks to human health. The Environmental Health Trust, Children’s Health Defense, Consumers for Safe Cell Phones and ten individuals filed a lawsuit against the FCC for review of the Commission’s order. …
American Tower enters Europe in $9.4 Billion Telefonica deal
American Tower Corporation today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements with Telefónica, S.A. (“Telefónica”), under which it will acquire Telxius Towers, comprising approximately 31,000 existing communications sites in Germany, Spain, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Argentina. The total consideration for the transaction is approximately €7.7 billion (approximately $9.4 billion at current foreign exchange rates), subject to customary closing adjustments. …
Will it be Senator or President Legere or just more social media chatter while it’s allowed?
The day after the 2016 presidential election that put Donald Trump in office, T-Mobile CEO John Legere Tweeted: “Congrats to the new POTUS. Let’s see what an out of the box, non-typical, non-politician can do for America.” Last Thursday, reacting to the mob that attacked the Capitol, he wasn’t happy with what he saw and requested: “POTUS, please step down …
Colony Capital’s Los Angeles roots replanted in Boca Raton as part of its corporate realignment
Colony Capital, Inc. announced the relocation of its corporate headquarters from Los Angeles, California to Boca Raton, Florida, effective as of January 1, 2021. In addition, Colony announced the appointment of select corporate officers to new roles as part of its ongoing digital transformation. Digital Colony, the company’s digital infrastructure investment management business has been based in Boca Raton for …
NATE’s free 5G small cell deployment training courses open for registration
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced today that the registration process is open for the first, five 5G-Small Cell Deployment Training sessions that will be facilitated by the Association in 2021. Overall, 12 5G-Small Cell Deployment Training Courses will be hosted nationwide in 2021 and will be offered free of charge to industry employees and employers due to a Susan …
Cord cutter Cooper’s memoir is a stunning tale of cell phone history and the next chapter – artificial intelligence
One of Time Magazine’s Top 100 Inventors in History, Martin Cooper, shares an insider’s story of the cell phone, how it changed the world—and a view of where it’s headed in his new book released today, Cutting the Cord: The Cell Phone Has Transformed Humanity. While at Motorola in the 1970s, wireless communications pioneer Cooper invented the first handheld mobile …
