Wireless Telecommunications

T-Mobile and EQT, a purpose-driven global investment organization, have entered into a joint venture (JV) with EQT’s Infrastructure VI fund (EQT) that will acquire fiber-to-the-home platform Lumos from EQT’s predecessor fund EQT Infrastructure III. The J

Comcast Corporation reported results for the quarter ended March 31, 2024. Highlights included: 

AT&T reported first-quarter results that highlighted consistent 5G and fiber customer additions and showcased profitable growth driven by increased Mobility service and broadband revenues. Revenues for the first quarter totaled $30.0 billion versus $30.1 billion in the year-ago quarter, down 0.4%. Mobility revenues were up 0.1% year over year, driven by service revenue growth of 3.3% from subscriber and postpaid ARPU growth, offset by lower equipment revenues due to lower sales volumes. Consumer wireline revenues were up 3.4% year over year, driven by growth in broadband revenues

T-Mobile introduced two new plans to tackle broadband pain points—1) Home Internet Plus, the all-in-one plan with expanded home Wi-Fi coverage and 24/7 support for smart devices, and 2) Away, the flexible Wi-Fi solution for travelers to stay connected nationwide on T-Mobile’s network. Home Internet Plus expands the Wi-Fi signal across the home and in hard-to-reach places, with up to 2,200 square feet of additional coverage.

Verizon reported first-quarter 2024 results with strong wireless service revenue, solid cash flow, adjusted EBITDA expansion and fixed wireless subscriber base growth. Highlights included: 

Life Wireless, the Lifeline Assistance Program’s provider for Telrite Holdings, has vowed to continue accepting applications for their Lifeline Assistance Program after the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) runs out of funding in May. Life Wireless offers free service, data usage, and smartphones to low-income Americans. Subscribers are eligible for Lifeline Assistance Program help if they receive government assistance or if their income level is at or exceeds 135 percent below the federal poverty level.

The CHIPS and Science Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in August 2022, is supposed to promote investment in chip manufacturing plants, help ease supply chain woes and bring skilled manufacturing jobs back to the United States. 5G wireless chips will be part of that wider picture. Doug Kirkpatrick, former chief scientist at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), said, “There has been a general concern that the United States is falling behind in terms of chip production and technology.

This report quantifies the size of the nation’s wireless infrastructure sector, including purpose-built cellular towers, indoor and outdoor small cells, macrocell sectors, annual infrastructure spending, and the American jobs that sustain this resource. Key statistics include:

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is set to vote on April 25 to restore its authority over the companies we pay to get online, and reinstate federal net neutrality protections that were jettisoned by the Trump administration in 2017.  Net neutrality protections are supposed to ensure that we, not the internet service providers (ISPs) we pay to get online, get to decide what we do online.

Alabama-based Dragonfly Internet was created in 2023 when ITC Holding Company bought a local fixed wireless provider and opted to change the name. Since then, Dragonfly has been upgrading the fixed wireless equipment that the previous company had deployed and expanding to unserved and underserved areas using a mixture of fixed wireless and fiber. “Our preference is to use fiber where we can,” CEO David Hartin said. “But there will be communities where fixed wireless will make a lot of sense to do.