There is a lot going on during these early days of 2021.  Broadband companies that did not bid on the FirstNet Request for Proposal are seeing how successful FirstNet is and want to change the rules late in the game; initial MegaRange™ drive tests are underway and a webinar is in the making; z-axis location technology is available; and now public-safety agencies are able to own or lease their own mini-emergency Band-14 cell sites.

Network Interoperability – Yet Again?

It seems every time FirstNet (Built with AT&T) releases updates or announces advances, other networks once again bring up broadband interoperability.  Recently, FirstNet announced more network growth, new agencies, new subscribers, more Band-14 cell sites, and the addition of z-axis location that enables public-safety personnel to be located to within feet on the exact floor of a building.

FirstNet announced MegaRange for Band 14, which increases transmit power for mobile devices operating on Band 14 to deliver increased Band-14 range and data capacity.  Then it announced that agencies can now purchase, rent, or lease their own mini-deployables to extend network coverage, increase capacity, and serve as emergency FirstNet cells when service is disrupted.  Every time we see announcements such as these, Verizon raises its hand and talks about broadband network interoperability as though it is a magic sauce to "fix" public-safety communications, which, of course are not broken.

Verizon's current set of articles is based on the following statement:

"The time is now, once and for all, for an industry-led approach, leveraging advances in technology to deliver this critical functionality to all public safety agencies and the communities they serve across the nation."

When a Nationwide Public-Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) was first discussed with Congress, the Executive Branch, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Verizon was one of two network operators that supported the concept while both T-Mobile and Sprint fought from the beginning to auction the D-Block spectrum (10 MHz of spectrum adjacent to spectrum already licensed to the Public Safety Spectrum Trust (PSST)).  However, once approved, the folks at Verizon who had been supporting the NPSBN disappeared.  After The FirstNet Authority began developing its request for proposal, Verizon simply disappeared.

Read the Entire Column Here

Below are the news stories selected for this week with the assistance of discoverypatterns.com

Infrastructure: Supporting Inland Waterways, Ports, and Rural Broadband
GrainNet Feb 11 05:10
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Press Releases : Joyce Urges Biden to Include Rural Broadband in ... – Congressman David Joyce
David Joyce Feb 9 14:50 WASHINGTON, D.C. This week, Congressman Dave Joyce (OH-14) urged President Biden to include rural broadband in the infrastructure prop ...
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Survey Says Americans Don't Know Much About 5G | Allconnect.com
Allconnect.com Feb 9 14:15 57% of respondents don't expect, or aren't sure whether, their next phone will be 5G capable, although most devices produced this year are expected ...
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Brewing Spectrum Tug of War in the 12 GHz Band Has Major Implications for 5G, Fixed Wireless
Telecompetitor Feb 9 10:20 Some bidders won rural broadband funding under the assumption that they would use gigabit fixed wireless for their buildouts, but whether the ...
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Huawei Files U.S. Lawsuit Disputing It Is a Security Threat
Wall Street Journal Feb 9 10:00 The Chinese telecom giant challenged its designation as a national security threat by the Federal Communications Commission, stepping up legal challenges in the U.S. despite a change of administration in Washington.
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Volkswagen taps Microsoft's cloud to develop self-driving software
ETCIO.com Feb 11 08:55 Samsung's Bengaluru R&D centre to explore multi-device intelligence, beyond 5G.  Over the years, it has grown into an advanced R&D centre for ...
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What is reduced capability (RedCap) NR and what will it achieve?
Ericsson Feb 11 08:45 Gain a broader view of Ericsson's role in shaping future telecom standards.  Read our previous 3GPP posts to find out how we have been setting new ...
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How 5G Could Replace Your Home Broadband Connection
Gizmodo Feb 11 08:45 5G networks are slowly but steadily blanketing the world, and though the lightning-fast speeds we've been promised are a little tough to find, you can expect to see some changes.  One of those changes could be serious disruptions to your home internet.  Could 5G one day replace your home broadband connection and keep...
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DDoS attacks intensify Driven in part by COVID-19 and 5G
Security Magazine Feb 11 07:35 At the same time, the ongoing rollout of 5G technologies has accelerated the proliferation of IoT and smart devices around the world, making ...
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AT&T says it delivered MVP caliber 5G speeds during Super Bowl 55
PhoneArena Feb 11 06:45 This testing took place in and around Raymond James Stadium on Super Sunday and was nearly three times faster than the average 5G data speeds ...
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Oracle introduces new 5G charging system
Light Reading Feb 11 06:30 Oracle said its new charging system for 5G networks supports real-time communications for services ranging from VR cloud gaming to telehealth.
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Aruba Multicast
nrgzone.it Feb 11 02:10 1 Overview 1 The Aruba Networks Mobility Controller is a network device that serves as a gateway between wired and wireless networks and provides ...
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Elon Musk's Starlink in South Africa – How it compares with fibre and 5G
MyBroadband Feb 11 00:40 We compared Starlink with existing broadband offerings that offer similar speeds and uncapped data in South Africa.
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Bartholomew County sees some interest in rural broadband providers – WKKG
WKKG Feb 9 14:50 Jackson County REMC is making plans to begin providing high speed internet to some Bartholomew County customers, according to county ...
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5G testing center for rapid connectivity to launch at Purdue's Discovery Park District – Electrical and ...
Purdue University Feb 9 14:20 An innovative 5G living lab center called NineTwelve Convergence features state-of-the-art 5G networking and wireless connectivity where ...
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Qualcomm Announces World's First 10 Gigabit 5G Modem-RF System
Qualcomm Feb 9 14:20 ... senior vice president and general manager, 4G/5G, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.  Our fourth-generation 5G modem-RF system is designed for 5G ...
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iPhone 12 models lead the way for 5G-capable devices
Kantar Feb 9 14:15 Over half of smartphones were sold online in the latest quarter, across all report markets.  Online smartphone sales were up in EU5 (+8.7% points), USA ...
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Qualcomm targets markets beyond phones with new 5G chip
Reuters Feb 9 13:50 The newest chip, called the X65 modem, is Qualcomm's fourth generation of 5G modem but the first capable of hitting peak download speeds of up to 10 ...
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Russia's neighbours object to use of 4.8-4.99 GHz band for 5G
Telecompaper Feb 9 13:45 Latvia, Estonia and Finland have objected to Russia's proposed use of the 4.8-4.99 GHz spectrum band for 5G services around St Petersburg, reports ...
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Former Google chief warns 'massive sums' paid for C-Band will stall 5G
Light Reading Feb 9 13:45 For Schmidt, who now heads Schmidt Futures, the financial pain endured by successful bidders in the "clock phase" of Auction 107, when blocks of 5G- ...
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NIST testing automated delivery of new security controls
Government Computer News Feb 9 09:01 Starting this summer, the National Institute of Standards and Technology will begin to automate delivery of revisions to Special Publication 800-53.
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Radio Over Ip Gateway
ceasalento.it Feb 9 08:25 Motorola M8620 Radio over IP (RoIP) Demonstration using AddPac LMR Gateway LMR M8620 The ...
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