The Communications Workers of America (CWA) has submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) expressing opposition to the proposed merger between T-Mobile and Sprint as currently structured, citing that the merger will result in the loss of more than 28,000 jobs. As the filing notes: “The Commission should not approve the merger without verifiable and enforceable commitments by the …
CTIA’s tower tech shout out leads dozens of Fast-Forward Friday articles
Fast-Forward Friday is Wireless Estimator’s latest news offering that provides an overview of relevant industry news stories presented during the week by other media that were not covered by our staff, along with a link to the article to go upstream and read it in its entirety. After all, the articles’ authors did all the heavy lifting, and capsuling their content and …
Verizon’s ‘Bubba’ remark angering community is first in dozens of Fast-Forward Friday articles
Fast-Forward Friday is Wireless Estimator’s latest news offering that provides an overview of relevant industry news stories presented during the week by other media that were not covered by our staff, along with a link to the article to go upstream and read it in its entirety. After all, the articles’ authors did all the heavy lifting, and capsuling their content and …
Nation takes a deep dive into contractor obstacles threatening 5G with industry supported survey
Wireless contractors have recently raised the distinct possibility that due to what they identify as ‘onerous’ payment terms and other issues created by carriers and tower owners, the industry could see a shakeout, and all of the recent successful legislative moves to speed up the implementation of 5G in America could be stymied as cash flow problems keep contractors from …
T-Mobile and Nokia ink $3.5 billion, multi-year 5G network agreement in world’s largest 5G deal
T-Mobile and Nokia announced a landmark $3.5 billion agreement to accelerate the deployment of a nationwide 5G network. Nokia will provide T-Mobile with its complete end-to-end 5G technology, software and services portfolio, assisting the Un-carrier in its efforts to bring its 5G network to market for customers in the critical first years of the 5G cycle. “We are all in …
Tower workers and families are major benefactors of T-Mobile’s 5th golf tournament
The ‘uncarrier’ yesterday clearly showed that it is the caring carrier when T-Mobile donated $360,000 to two non-profit industry organizations that assist tower workers and their families. At T-Mobile’s 5th Annual National Development Golf Tournament held Wednesday in Newcastle, Wash., the carrier continued their generous track record of philanthropy by donating $180,000 to the Tower Family Foundation which provides financial assistance and scholarships to family …
T-Mobile’s A-Team seeking assurances Sprint deal won’t block spectrum bidding
T-Mobile is petitioning the FCC for confirmation that its proposed merger with Sprint won’t prevent the carrier from bidding in wireless spectrum auctions under FCC rules prohibiting joint-bidding arrangements between companies, according to an ex parte filing this week. Kathleen Ham, Senior VP, Government Affairs for T-Mobile and Steve Sharkey, the carrier’s Government Affairs, Technology and Engineering Policy chief, and …
AT&T and T-Mobile rumble in the 5G buildout PR jungle over city choices
AT&T said Friday that it plans to begin introducing mobile 5G to customers in a dozen cities this year, and they’re adding Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C. and Oklahoma City as the next three identified cities for their buildout, the carrier said in a press statement. These cities will join their previously announced cities of Dallas, Atlanta, and Waco Earlier this year, T-Mobile said it plans to …
Massachusetts town stands on five feet as its prime too-close T-Mobile lawsuit defense
A Massachusetts town north of Boston yesterday asked a federal judge to end a Feb. 2017 lawsuit accusing its zoning board of appeals of wrongly denying T-Mobile and another company the right to build a 120-foot monopole, arguing that officials’ determination that the project was too close to residential neighborhoods was evidence-based. Lawyers for the town of Wilmington told the …
T-Mobile and CBS-owned WLNY-TV complete early NYC spectrum repack
T-Mobile and CBS Television Stations, a division of CBS Corporation, completed the accelerated repack of WLNY-TV’s 600 MHz spectrum on portions of Long Island and the surrounding area that extends into Brooklyn and Queens. WLNY moved to its new spectrum frequency earlier this month, more than a year sooner than the August 2019 FCC deadline. This agreement enables T-Mobile to …
Towerco financial support of wireless workers accelerates with a ‘buck a tower’ sponsors
The Tower Family Foundation (TTF), a 501c-3 non-profit, today recognized the updated support of tower owner/vertical solutions provider companies who are donors to the organization’s “$1 Per Tower” fundraising campaign with towercos Cellcom, Performance Development Group, Ltd. and Vogue Towers joining the inaugural list of donor firms participating in the capital campaign. The “$1 Per Tower” effort involves firms who …
T-Mobile/Sprint say they’re giving a wedding gift to the U.S. of $40 billion
T-Mobile has taken the next step in their merger with Sprint by filing their Public Interest Statement with the FCC emphasizing to regulators that the public will benefit from the merger. In making the announcement, CEO John Legere echoed the ever-popular need to be first with 5G, stating, “If we don’t take decisive, positive action, we risk ceding global leadership …
D.C. Judge’s AT&T-Time Warner merger approval could bode well for T-Mobile-Sprint deal
AT&T is expected to complete its $85 billion purchase of Time Warner in eight days or less as the nation sees a major transformation of the pay-TV landscape after D.C. federal judge Richard Leon ruled this afternoon rejecting the U.S. Department of Justice’s efforts to block the merger. Within minutes of today’s announcement, AT&T General Counsel David McAtee applauded the …
‘Un-towerco’ says there will be some pain with a T-Mobile/Sprint merger
If the marriage of Sprint and T-Mobile is approved by regulators, the majority opinion of towerco executives at Connect (X) in Charlotte, N.C. last week was that business would still be robust. Jay Brown, President and CEO of Crown Castle, said during the View From the Top presentation, “It will almost be irrelevant how many carriers we have.” He said …
FCC’s 2020 repack deadline is questionable following first year’s bleak build
After assessing the progress of the first 12 months of the broadband repack, and the immense pressure put upon the small cadre of contractors that specialize in tall tower broadcast work, the NAB is again championing the need for the FCC to address what the trade group and tower companies believe is an “unrealistic schedule” and the organization is urging …
Bet on the Sprint/T-Mobile mega merger wounding towercos
If the proposed T-Mobile and Sprint merger announced Sunday is approved by federal regulators, both companies said that they expect the marriage creating the nation’s second largest carrier would be sometime in July 2019. However, it’s been identified by the carriers that fully combining the companies is another three to four years, possibly longer. Displaying their lack of fundamental industry …
T-Mobile slapped with a $40 million FCC fine for false network coverage ringtones
T-Mobile has agreed to cough up $40 million to the FCC after the agency accused the company of trying to cover up poor rural cell service with false rings. The settlement also requires the carrier to implement a “compliance plan” to address the issues. It was alleged that T-Mobile was using false ringtones to make it seem like someone just isn’t answering …
Sprint and T-Mobile might believe the third time will be a charm
Sprint Corp has resumed talks to merge with T-Mobile US, according to Reuters, The Wall Street Journal and other news outlets who quoted unnamed sources. The third and fourth largest U.S. wireless carriers, with a combined subscriber base of almost 130 million customers, reportedly restarted talks, in part, to reduce operating network costs as well as share expansion costs. Shares …
AT&T’s small cell ‘rat’s nest’ of cables is needlessly messy says former FCC senior exec
Dr. Michael Marcus, a former forceful proponent of new technology at the FCC for 20 years, who is recognized for getting the FCC to adopt rules for the 60 GHz mmWave bands in 1995, has taken AT&T to task for using a photograph of a small cell in Indianapolis in a Feb. 23 presentation to the FCC that he believes …
Foundation launches ‘$1 Per Tower’ campaign and highlights donors
The Tower Family Foundation today recognized the tower owner/vertical solutions provider companies who are the inaugural donors to the organization’s “$1 Per Tower” fundraising campaign. The “$1 Per Tower” effort involves firms who own and manage vertical communications infrastructure sites and commit to donating $1 for every tower the company owns directly to the Tower Family Foundation. The foundation made …
