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FCC will require phone carriers to authenticate calls by June 2021
The FCC announced today all carriers and phone companies must adopt the STIR/SHAKEN protocol by June 30th, 2021. The regulatory requirement is designed to combat robocalls, specifically those that try to hide their phone numbers by allowing carriers to authenticate caller IDs.
Saudi Arabia may be spying on its citizens via US mobile networks
Data shared by a whistleblower suggests Saudi Arabia may be using a weakness in mobile telecom networks to track its citizens in the US, The Guardian reports. The data shows that over a four-month period, Saudi Arabia's three biggest mobile phone companies sent 2.3 million requests for Provider Subscriber Information (PSI). Normally, that data is used to help foreign operators register roaming charges, but the high volume of requests could also give the Saudi telecoms enough info to track users within hundreds of meters of accuracy.
European mobile carriers will share location data to track COVID-19 spread
More governments are relying on phone location tracking in a bid to track and contain the spread of COVID-19. Eight European carriers, including Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile), Orange and Vodafone, have agreed to share phone location data with the European Commission to help measure the coronavirus' reach. That immediately raises privacy issues, but an official talking to Reuters stressed that the EC would protect users.
T-Mobile launches its $15 5G plan ahead of the Sprint merger
To help people stay connected during the coronavirus pandemic, T-Mobile is launching its new $15-per-month 5G plan ahead of schedule. Originally, T-Mobile said it would launch the plan, called T-Mobile Connect, after its merger with Sprint finalized. Last we heard, that deal could close on April 1st, but now, T-Mobile Connect will be available on Wednesday.
FCC gives Verizon extra mobile capacity to manage emergency demand
Earlier this week the FCC granted T-Mobile access to additional spectrum to cope with extra demand fuelled by the coronavirus outbreak -- now it's done the same for Verizon. The STA (special temporary authority) will allow the carrier to operate for 60 days in spectrum licensed to Northstar and SNR, in order to provide extra capacity to Verizon customers across the US.
Mint Mobile is giving out free data for the next month amid COVID-19
Ryan Reynolds' wireless carrier of choice is giving out free data to help people in the US cope with the coronavirus epidemic. Until April 14th, you can get free 3GB data packages from Mint Mobile, even if you've never been a customer before.
How did we get to 5G? The history of mobile networks
Last time on our explainer show Upscaled, we took a look at 5G, the new high-speed mobile technology starting to roll out in 2020. But 5G isn't entirely new technology, it builds on the mobile networks already in place around the world. This has been the pattern for mobile networks, incremental upgrades that added more capacity and speed bit by bit. This approach has yielded incredible results; as much as we might gripe about coverage or speeds today, the first real cell networks could only support about a dozen calls per tower, had no data capacity, and used unencrypted analog signals that were easy to intercept.
FCC gives T-Mobile extra spectrum to cope with demand during coronavirus
T-Mobile pledged to keep people online during the coronavirus outbreak, and it's getting some help from the government to make that happen. The FCC is granting T-Mobile access to more 600MHz spectrum for the next 60 days to help it cope with customer demand for internet access while the pandemic continues. The carrier had asked for the additional airwaves for remote work, education and health care, not to mention the basics of staying in touch while isolated.
Sprint, T-Mobile pledge to keep subscribers connected amid outbreak
Like AT&T and Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile have also vowed to support their customers in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In an announcement posted on its website, Sprint said it won't be terminating service for residential and small business customers if they're unable to pay their bill because of the outbreak, ad it's waiving late fees "incurred because of economic circumstances related to the pandemic."
US wireless carriers pledge to suspend cancellations amid outbreak
One day after Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel called on the FCC to take aggressive action in response to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, the federal agency has announced the Keep Americans Connected Pledge. For the next 60 days, the agreement calls on telecom companies to maintain service and waive late fees for any residential and small business customers who can't pay their bills due to the pandemic. It also calls on those companies to open their WiFi hotspots.
California ends opposition to T-Mobile and Sprint merger
New York isn't the only big state dropping its fight against T-Mobile's merger with Sprint. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has dropped the state's challenge against the merger after reaching a settlement that theoretically addresses objections to the carrier buyout. The expanded T-Mobile will have to guarantee affordable plans in California for a minimum of five years, including a plan with 2GB of data for $25 per month. The network will also have to hold to plans from February 2019 for five years (two year longer than the FCC asked for) and give 10 million low-income households access to 100GB of free broadband per year, including a free mobile hotspot.
FCC proposes token fines for carriers that sold phone location data
The rumors were true: the FCC wants to fine major carriers for their approach to selling phone location data. The regulator has proposed a total of $208 million in fines against the top four US carriers for reportedly selling access to location info without "reasonable measures" to prevent unauthorized access. T-Mobile would face the (relatively) stiffest penalty with over $91 million, while AT&T could be fined over $57 million. Verizon (Engadget's parent company) could be hit with a roughly $48 million fine, while Sprint would 'only' have to contend with a $12 million fine.
FCC may fine carriers for failing to protect phone location data
The FCC has warned phone carriers that they broke the law by selling location data, and it might soon make those companies pay the price. Wall Street Journal sources say the FCC hopes to levy "hundreds of millions of dollars" against AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon (Engadget's parent company) after determining that they failed to protect real-time location info. The regulator reportedly sent notices of liability that, while not final, indicate that a penalty is on the way.
How exactly does 5G work?
We've been hearing about 5G for ages, and 2020 is the year it'll finally become a reality for some people. Until this point there have been a few sparse 5G networks available in cities, but with only a handful of phones supporting 5G, even if you lived in an area with coverage odds are you couldn't connect. That's all set to change with a host of new 5G phones expected to be announced through 2020, and providers all around the world starting to switch on additional 5G towers. Even so, it's hard to know what to expect from 5G. Depending on your provider and your network, you may get blazing fast speeds but only in certain places, a bump in reliability without much speed, or anything in between. It turns out 5G isn't really one thing, it's a collection of technology and new frequency bands, and different carriers are focusing on different aspects of the network.
Sony’s first 5G smartphone is the Xperia 1 II
Sony's big MWC shindig may have been cancelled over virus fears, but the company still has a bunch of new phones to show off. The first, and most notable, is the Xperia 1 II -- dubbed the Xperia 1 Mark II -- which made its debut on the company's not-MWC livestream today. The new flagship is packing a 21:9 6.5-inch 4K OLED HDR display, Dolby Atmos and, most importantly, a 5G modem.
Alphabet's Loon, telecoms unite to boost high-altitude internet
Alphabet's Loon just got a big boost from telecoms in its bid to provide high-altitude internet to the world. The company has partnered with several industry giants to form the HAPS Alliance, a group devoted to promoting the use of stratospheric vehicles for internet access. Most of the allies are telecoms like Deutsche Telekom, SoftBank, Bharti Airtel, China Telecom and Telefonica, although the group also includes a diverse range of equipment makers like Airbus, AeroVironment, Ericsson, Intelsat and Nokia.
T-Mobile, Sprint merger could close by April 1st
With most of the regulatory and legal hurdles out of the way -- approval from the California Public Utilities Commission is still needed -- T-Mobile and Sprint announced an amended version of their agreement to merge. CNBC explains that the updated deal will give Deutsche Telekom a slightly higher stake in the combined company ("New T-Mobile"), without requiring a new shareholder vote that would delay a deal that has already been pending for almost two years. Deutsche Telekom will own 43 percent of the new company, while Sprint investor Softbank will have 24 percent, and the remaining 33 percent owned by public shareholders. T-Mobile apparently thinks this could all be wrapped up by April 1st, the last month before John Legere steps aside for incoming CEO Mike Sievert.
New York AG won't keep fighting T-Mobile merger with Sprint
Now that a federal judge has removed one of the few remaining obstacles to T-Mobile's merger with Sprint, resistance to the move appears to be fading. New York Attorney General Letitia James has signalled that the state won't appeal the ruling declaring the carrier merger lawful. Instead, New York will make the best of the merger if (and more likely when) it's finalized, including efforts to get the "best pricing and service possible," boost coverage and create jobs like those T-Mobile as promised for Rochester.
Recommended Reading: The CIA-owned company that helped it spy on the world
The intelligence coup of the century Greg Miller, The Washington Post This in-depth report tells the story of Crypto AG, a Switzerland-based company that achieved success for its code-making machines during World War II. The company eventually became a popular manufacturer of encryption machines for countries around the world in the decades that followed. Governments trusted that communications between diplomats, military and spies were being kept secret. What those nations didn't know was that Crypto AG as actually owned by the CIA -- originally in partnership with West German intelligence. What's more, the access allowed the two countries to to rig the tech so they could easily crack any code.
T-Mobile and Sprint merger approved by federal judge
T-Mobile and Sprint's $26.5 billion merger is almost complete. Following months of delays and push back from high-profile authorities, a US district judge has ruled in the companies' favor, allowing them to move within one step of concluding a deal that promises to deploy 5G service to 97 percent of Americans within three years.
