Boeing told the FCC unlicensed use of the 6 GHz on aircraft likely poses no risk to geostationary satellites. FCC staff asked for the analysis, Boeing said in a docket 18-295 posting Friday. “Boeing’s analysis indicates that the aggregate emissions from 6 GHz unlicensed devices on aircraft is unlikely to exceed -186.72 dBW/1 MHz toward GSO satellites,” Boeing said. The data is based on projections of 5,400 aircraft in flight over the continental U.S. during periods of peak operation: “This total invariably includes air freight and general aviation aircraft that usually do not operate wireless access points onboard. Further, as many as half of these flights are traveling in a North/South direction, making it highly unlikely that emissions emanating from the sides and windows of those aircraft would radiate toward the GSO arc.”

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is to testify during a planned Thursday Senate Financial Services Subcommittee hearing on the commission's spectrum auctions program, a committee aide said in a notice we obtained. Citizens Against Government Waste President Tom Schatz and Taxpayers Protection Alliance President David Williams are also to be witnesses. The session will begin at 10 a.m. in 138 Dirksen. Senate Appropriations and the FCC didn't comment. The testimony comes amid a bid by subcommittee Chairman John Kennedy, R-La., to retain Senate Appropriations-backed language on the chamber's version of the FY 2020 FCC-FTC budget bill (S-2524) on pro-public C-band auction and 6 GHz band spectrum policy (see 1909190079). Kennedy's facing off against Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Communications Subcommittee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., who want to nix the spectrum text on jurisdictional grounds (see 1909230065 and 1909270024). Pai is believed to be on the cusp of proposing a private auction of the C band, along the lines of what was proposed by the C-Band Alliance, for a vote at the Dec. 12 commissioners’ meeting (see 1910100052).

TP-Link 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) routers go on sale at Walmart next week. They use 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz channels, the vendor said Thursday.

Broadcom bowed a 3x3 Wi-Fi 6 chip for WLAN applications including Wi-Fi routers, residential gateways, wireless range extenders and set-top boxes. The BCM6710 has integrated RF power amplifiers, giving OEMs a cost-effective, high-performance chip for mass-market products, said the company Thursday, and it’s the first 3x3 Wi-Fi 6 solution supporting three transmit and three receive streams in 2.4-GHz, 5-GHz and future 6-GHz bands. The 6-GHz Wi-Fi capability paves the way for high-bandwidth, low-latency applications such as 4K video streaming, real-time immersive gaming, and augmented reality, it said.

The Enterprise Wireless Alliance told the FCC concerns remain about opening the 6 GHz band to sharing with unlicensed devices. EWA “represents many licensees of 6 GHz microwave systems that are concerned about the possibility of interference to their operations from unlicensed devices,” said a Wednesday filing in docket 18-295. “Some of those operations involve ‘public safety’ concerns as these 6 GHz microwave systems may be essential to the safe operations of refineries, mines, factories, and other locations with inherently hazardous conditions. Many others are used by licensees engaged in the broad array of enterprise activities.”

Ericsson officials are optimistic about the eventual success of their lobbying Congress on the vendor's proposal for legislation that would require the FCC clear and auction the upper part of the 6 GHz band for exclusive-use licenses, while allocating the lower portion for unlicensed. Other participants in the debate believe such a bill has little chance of passing (see 1910090051). Such legislation would diverge from the direction of the FCC's current 6 GHz NPRM, which looks at opening 1,200 MHz of spectrum in the band for Wi-Fi and other unlicensed use (see 1810230038). Ericsson’s proposed legislation appears to mirror proposals to the FCC by other wireless industry stakeholders (see 1902190005), though the company is pursuing legislation alone.

CTIA supports unlicensed operations in part of the 6 GHz band, “but only with a rigorous interference protection framework” that guards against harmful interference from Wi-Fi devices, it filed, posted Wednesday in docket 18-295, Automatic frequency coordination (AFC) must be a requirement for all users, the group said. CTIA met with Chief Julius Knapp and others from Office of Engineering and Technology. High-tech companies (see 1910080036) pushing for sharing “have not shown that low power indoor devices or very low power indoor/outdoor devices will operate without interfering with incumbent primary 6 GHz licensed operations absent AFC control,” the association said. Some lobbyists hope Congress will take up 6 GHz legislation (see 1910090051).

Some wireless industry stakeholders in the debate over allocating the 6 GHz band have been lobbying to convince lawmakers to file and advance legislation requiring the FCC move forward with a plan that allows for licensed and unlicensed use of those frequencies, lobbyists told us. Such legislation would diverge from the direction of the FCC's current 6 GHz NPRM, which looks at opening 1,200 megahertz of spectrum in the band for Wi-Fi and other unlicensed use (see 1810230038).

Tech companies met staff from the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology on the 6 GHz band, making their ongoing case (see 1907220026) the agency should authorize use of the band indoors without automated frequency control. The issue loomed large when the regulator took comment earlier this year (see 1903180047). New information “supplements the proceeding’s already deep record demonstrating that the introduction of [radio local access network] devices into the 6 GHz band will not cause harmful interference to FS [fixed service] links,” the companies filed, posted Tuesday in docket 18-295: “The effect of RLAN devices on fixed-service receivers, even accounting for rare deep-fade events, is minimal and does not rise to the level of harmful interference.” Apple, Broadcom, Charter Communications, Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Marvell Semiconductor, Qualcomm and the Wireless ISP Association sent representatives.

LAUREL, Md. -- Researchers told IEEE Monday the move to 5G has big implications for first responders, and challenges. “The conversation now is not what is 5G but what can we do with 5G,” said Sanyogita Shamsunder, Verizon vice president-5G labs and innovation. A top DOD speaker said the military wants to speed its adoption of 5G.