dkyeager

Mike. I sent in more diags for wi-fi 6e yesterday where SCP shows channel = 0. Thanks.

Dave Yeager S4GRU/T5GRU Friday, September 23, 2022 - 3:20 PM PDT Source: www.sashajavid.com/Auction108_TMobile_Final_Demand_Round73.png Click for interactive map covering all auction areas. (May take a few minutes to fully load, PC or tablet recommended) The very favorable FCC Auction 108 for 2.5GHz ED results shown above should allow T-Mobile to immensely expand its rural market share, currently around 13%. The merger alone dramatically increased the number of T-Mobile customers traveling through rural areas. The number of macro cell tower sites has increased from 66,000 on 12/31/2019 to a rough estimate of 88,000 sites by the end of 2022. (102,000 on 12/31/2021 minus the remaining 22,000 planned Sprint cell site decommissions by 9/30/2022 plus 10,000 sites for rural and small cities. This does not factor in co-locations, any other new sites added in 2022, or sites that have been decommissioned where T-Mobile still holds an interest -- the true number may not be available until the 2022 annual report.) T-Mobile 5G Home Internet Service should definitely attract new rural customers, which will help make rural sites more viable. n71 lowband 5G has already made T-Mobile's rural service much more usable. n41 will offload much of that 5G traffic given its much higher capacity. Having more bandwidth will also extend the usable area of n41, which can be further extended by utilizing n71 CA to increase the upload range and performance. Combining this with T-Mobile's long announced increased rural and small town focus could be a very winning strategy that allows them to fulfill their merger promise to the FCC concerning nationwide 5G coverage of at least 50Mbps. Drilling down into the auction results, T-Mobile recently won 7,156 2.5GHz ED licenses in 2,724 counties in FCC auction 108. That is roughly 87% of all the U.S. counties (3,143 counties or equivalents exist in the United States.) Each county license has 53% white space on average (area without existing ED licenses by frequency). Note that white space varies by smaller frequency ranges and/or can cover just a portion of the county. According to ALLnet measurements, 2,490 licenses have 90% or better white space in this latest auction. These ED licenses typically reside in rural areas, but do include a few metro areas. Metro area counties with 25% or more white space include these metro areas: Atlanta, GA, Chicago, IL, Dallas, TX, Kansas City, MO, Los Angeles, CA, New York, NY. These counties are typically at the outside edges of these metros. The auction timing, auction rules, and complexity of the ED band favored T-Mobile. This auction occurred after the 2021 C-Band and 3.45GHz auctions which both offered the possibility of nationwide coverage. Not much money appeared to be left for auction 108. Verizon's small bid in this auction has even been questioned as unwise. $ in Millions rounded. C-Band (Auction 107 - 280MHz) 3.45GHz (Auction 110 - 100MHz) ED 2.5GHz (Auction 108 - up to 117.5MHz) AT&T $ 23,407 $ 9,079 $ 0 Verizon $ 45,455 $ 0 $ 2 Dish $ 0 $ 7,328 $ 0 T-Mobile $ 9,336 $ 2,898 $ 304 For this auction, the FCC tried to simplify ED with C1= 49.5 MHz contiguous, C2 = 50.5 MHz contiguous, and C3 = 17.5 MHz (16.5 MHz contiguous plus 1 MHz inside BRS). C3 was most attractive to T-Mobile given their BRS holdings. In addition to ED, BRS makes up the rest of 2.5GHz band 41. Source: www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/bandplan_for_fact_sheet.png Prior to the auction the FCC setup a special window for tribes to obtain ED licenses. They also eliminated the educational purpose requirement of ED, but preserved the role of non-profit groups like Mobile Citizen and Mobile Beacon. They also allowed existing ED licenses to be sold rather than just leased. T-Mobile has been quite busy securing available licenses since then. It also fought for its lease details to remain secret, which other carriers opposed, but the FCC supported. The FCC sided with the smaller carriers and T-Mobile over lease size being the smaller county size rather that PEAs which are typically multi-county partial economic areas. The original aspects of the ED and BRS licenses also discourage other carriers. They both started as radius, but then most but not all of the BRS converted to counties, while ED primarily remained radius. Where two intersect on the same frequencies, they "split the football". Some shifted frequencies, but others remained the same. The frequencies in ED are also quite small by today's standards and often not contiguous. BRS also has some licenses that appear to basically be duplicates. Band 41 also uses TD rather than FD, thus favors downloads. Basically no where near as clean as bands like PCS band 2 where all the other carriers are more comfortable. It should be noted that not all licenses were sold, typically in Alaska and places with almost no whitespace. Note that there is also a scattering of BRS licenses that were never sold plus licenses in other auctions. Maybe the FCC should have an odds and ends auction once congress extends its auction authority which expires on September 23. It is also possible that T-Mobile may choose to lease spectrum for some of the other winners, such as the North American Catholic Education Programming Foundation, who already leases 2.5GHz spectrum to T-Mobile. Final payments are due by September 30, 2022 (October 17th with 5% penalty.) T-Mobile upgrading existing n41 sites is a no-brainer, likely immediately after FCC release. More bandwidth first followed by greater fiber backhaul later. What avenues T-Mobile pursues after that is the question. Here are the FCC Auction 108 2.5GHz results by license: https://auctiondata.fcc.gov/public/projects/auction108/reports/results_by_license. If you are curious about the other winning bidders: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-22-910A2.pdf. Further overall analysis by bidder is available here: https://www.sashajavid.com/FCC_Auction108.php#county_details_table_overlay.

Sent in diags for latest beta not correctly reporting channel number for Wi-Fi 6E. It was reported as zero when it was 5, frequency 5975 MHz with 160MHz width or had it at channel 21 6055 MHz (the same results). I could not do Samsung diags since it was using a Verizon network sim. Will put in a T-Mobile sim next time to get those details. Given that the Wi-Fi icon on many phones reports this as 6e or when in 5GHz as 6, perhaps the Wi-Fi subheading should change to Wi-Fi 6 / Wi-Fi 6E, especially since the low end of 6E starts at 5955 MHz.

The auction 108 winnings should more than offset this change, except the north east quadrant of Cuming County (population 9,000 roughly). Looking further at the Nebraska counties: In the 2.5Ghz ED auction, it looks like T-Mobile picked up C2 and C3 in Burt, Cuming, Wayne and all 3 (C1, C2, C3) in Antelope, Madison, Pierce, Staton. Now of course this is just white space. Looking further at Cuming County, one license for 22.5MHz clips the extreme NE corner of the county https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/licenseMap.jsp?licKey=2586636 (change the map to show 2010 county boundaries). About the same for Wayne. The second of two licenses is more interesting and basically seems to follow the boundaries of the Winnebago and Omaha Reservations. It strongly affects the NE quadrant of the county with over 116Mhz. https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/licenseMap.jsp?licKey=4511340 For those not familiar, C1 = 49.5 MHz, C2 = 50.5 MHz, and C3 = 17.5 MHz which is next to BR thus typically valuable to T-Mobile. BR did not change in this case thus did not matter. Also note that T-Mobile has been aggressive about buying up ED licenses typically within the year before they expire.

My thoughts are two fold. 1) I would start with looking at their ED auction winnings in those areas. 2) I did try to see if they had any similar deals with AT&T and or US Cellular. None so far. Overall they are preparing for new radio in these bands by increasing contiguous spectrum.

Unlocked has had n25 for a while (at least the s21 ultra)

https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsEntry/attachments/attachmentViewRD.jsp?applType=search&fileKey=829925382&attachmentKey=21467589&attachmentInd=applAttach Interesting opposition to FCC filing. IMO this is likely on of the entities that Dish setup to get a special discount.

Spectrum Trade with Verizon in AWS and PCS Likely makes more spectrum contiguous for future 5g. Affected areas include Cedar Rapids, IA, Traverse City/Appleton, Rapid City, Anniston, AL, Pittsfield, MA, Hobbes, MN, Casper, WY, Fresno CA, Reading CA, Omaha, Portsmouth, OH, Lake County, CA Of course these numbers do not factor in T-Mobile ED 2.5GHz winnings. T-Mobile winner counties: Idaho: Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, KooTenal, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, Shoshone +10 AWS Colorado: Pueblo +10 PCS New Mexico: Lea +5 PCS Oklahoma: Alfalfa, Garfield, Grant, Major, Woods +10 PCS Tennessee: Bedford, Benton, Cannon, Chatham, Clay, Coffee, Davidson, Dekalb, Diskson, Franklin, Giles, Henry, Hickman, Humpreyes, Lawrence, Lewis, Macon, Marshall, Maury, Moore, Perry, Roberston, Rutherford, Smith, Summer, Trousdale, Van Buren, Warren, Williamson, Wilson +5 PCS T-Mobile loser counties: California: Fresno, Lake, Shasta, Tehama -10 AWS Iowa: Audoban, Cass, Harrison, Shelby -10 AWS Kentucky: Lewis -10 Nebraska: Antelope, Burt, Cuming, Madison, Pierce, Stanton, Wayne -10 AWS Ohio, Scioto -10 PCS Wyoming: Campbell, Carbon, Converse, Johnson, Natrona, Niobrara, Platte -10 PCS Notes Some of this may be inaccurate by me else filed documents have inconsistencies. https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsEntry/attachments/attachmentViewRD.jsp?applType=search&fileKey=1746584486&attachmentKey=21558545&attachmentInd=applAttach https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsEntry/attachments/attachmentViewRD.jsp?applType=search&fileKey=1528869184&attachmentKey=21558565&attachmentInd=applAttach edit: additional link:https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/ApplicationSearch/applAdmin.jsp?applID=13590742#attachments amended in some fashion to this, thus first is inactive: https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsEntry/attachments/attachmentViewRD.jsp?applType=search&fileKey=2025412929&attachmentKey=21566016&attachmentInd=applAttach

https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsEntry/attachments/attachmentViewRD.jsp?applType=search&fileKey=24100040&attachmentKey=21294054&attachmentInd=applAttach https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsEntry/attachments/attachmentViewRD.jsp?applType=search&fileKey=1860619928&attachmentKey=21294054&attachmentInd=applAttach A change in spectrum plans?

Mike, Samsung A10e, android 11 latest patch. SignalCheck Pro fails to launch after install unless you go to settings | apps | app permissions and give it location (for all the time). In the setup it did ask for location permission, which I gave it. This has happened on two identical phones. Just did a third identical phone with no problems. I installed SignalCheck Pro first on this one, I think it was second install on the other phones. Both apps used location data. Likely this issue can be documented away.

I would hope they would try to get lower night-time rates first. Could complicate signal hunting for some people (obviously not a factor). Depending on which bands they choose, some phones may not function well.

https://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/apple-iphone-14-support-band-70-big-win-dish-analysts I would also expect this in the s23 in February, given the x70 modem is supposed to support all commercial frequencies.

Got interrupted in in my prior answer. If there already are sites n41 sites in the area, it should be relatively quick since theses site would just need to adjust the bandwidth (performance at the cell edge would especially improve). Increased fiber throughput would also be needed, which could occur quickly (settings change for more bandwidth) or take a while (several months for new fiber to be run). Ideally you could update like sites at the same time, at least per market. Areas that require site upgrades will have to go through T-Mobile's usual planning process, permitting, purchasing, contracting, testing, etc. Rural permits tend to be far easier to get and much planning should already be done. Don't forget when you look at the maps that they are displaying the entire county rather than just the ED white space. BR tends to be T-Mobile dominated, but not always. Contiguous blocks of spectrum are what matters.

It has to go through FCC processes: payment, recording, etc. Being posted in the database may occur after we actually see the first sites use it. Some of the purchasers also likely hope to lease their spectrum to T-Mobile. T-Mobile also keeps buying or signing new long-term leases on existing licenses.

T-Mobile "sells" Sprint Long lines: https://www.cogentco.com/files/docs/about_cogent/investor_relations/presentation/tmus-wireline-deck.pdf

If your states are like Ohio and West Virginia, T-Mobile has bought or leased about everything possible in 2.5. Only a few outliers remain. Go to https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/searchAdvanced.jsp to lookup your state. Put in EDS/BRS as your service group, under license detail check active, set the results display to 100, and then do a geosearch and and put in your state. Leases have two entries. Once for the frequency license, which will have and L next to if if leased, and starts with an L for the Leasee. under the administrative tab check the license if in doubt. Typically if it is Bellevue, WA it is T-Mobile.

return to here for maps by bidder, etc.: https://www.sashajavid.com/FCC_Auction108.php#county_details_table_overlay

It will be interesting as to how T-Mobile chooses to deploy this. Do they go with expanding capacity the most by doing areas where they got it all first or do they upgrade the areas with the greatest need first? I predict the first because it may yield the greatest cashflow with expanding the home internet areas. They could leave the decision up to each market or activate as many as possible with an automated process going back for the ones that need special tuning later.

I have started to look over the data. The following states are only T-Mobile (excluding prior licenses): CT, DE, HI, MA, ME, MN, NJ, RI. Ohio went 88% to T-Mobile. North American Catholic Educational FD won many licenses. Wonder if they will be looking for the same type of deal with T-Mobile: use of licenses in exchange for discount use by non-profit virtual wisps. Cellco Partnership (Verizon) picked up a dozen, often C1 and C2. US Cellular picked up 31 in its service area, all C1. Many smaller entities and regional carriers. States that appear to be chopped up are KS and CO. I did not see Dish (Carbonate Wireless) or AT&T.

i agree. Makes sense if they are selling through their existing agents who are generally burnt out from all their sim/carrier changes.Would also reduce the cost of marketing and could raise stock price. However, it may being going after a different market in the better off suburbs.

If you could group phones for a set time period (with the phones named), then a script/program could possibly do the work. One possible issue is walking around sites with a subset of those phones to pickup all sector's data.

The ability of my vehicle to get navigation signal has sometimes dramatically changed after software updates. I can only assume they reprogrammed the modem in some fashion.

I favor identifying SCP data with phone in addition to user for this reason. Combine this with some phones having less accurate GPS, GPS hardware issues, and Google getting confused by Wi-Fi location changes (give a Wi-Fi router to a relative and then see where your Google Map says where you are. [Disclaimer - last did this many years ago.]) If you have a small herd of phones, and the clocks are synced, you could replace the bad GPS data from your hunting trips with GPS info from other phones. Cell site GPS errors would still exist but are rare.

About 8 hours ago I sent in two diags for s21 ultra with n7 issue. Hard to capture the n41 fully active as defined by *#0011# but I think I got it in the second diag. This was at a third nearby site (UA) Thanks.

https://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/t-mobile-lays-some-network-engineers-week Feel sorry for these guys, but unfortunately predictable. It would be nice if companies were more professional in how these matters are approached. Perhaps some will want to guide us in understanding wireless networking better.