AT&T claims satellite-direct-to-phone deal with AST SpaceMobile in FCC waiver filing

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May 11, 2023 | By Donny Jackson | IWCE Urgent Communications |

AT&T told the FCC that it has agreed to have satellite-direct-to-phone company AST SpaceMobile provide supplemental-coverage-from-space (SCS) services to its subscribers and asked the FCC to approve waivers that allow AST to operate on leased spectrum from AT&T in the 700 MHz and 850 MHz bands.

In a filing to the FCC made public today, AT&T stated that the spectrum-lease agreement will become effective in 21 days—the end of this month—but the carrier giant stipulated that AST “would not commence using the leased spectrum without obtaining all necessary Commission approvals.”

AT&T has been testing AST’s satellite-direct-to-phone technology—dubbed SCS by the FCC and known as “direct to device” (D2D) by many in the telecom industry—for several months, but today’s filing represents the first public statement of a major U.S. carrier committing to adopt such a service. Last month, AST announced that it completed the first satellite-direct-to-phone voice call from a user in Texas over AT&T spectrum to a Rakuten subscriber in Japan.

Ultimately, AST plans to deliver satellite-direct-to-phone connectivity via its constellation of 168 massive low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellites will act as “cell towers in space,” so they work with unmodified smart devices in the same way as a roaming partner’s terrestrial cell towers do. Providing wireless coverage to subscribers located outside the working footprint of AT&T’s terrestrial network is a priority for the carrier in this deal, according to the carrier’s filing with the FCC.

“AT&T’s terrestrial network already covers over 290 million Americans and more than 2.91 million square miles,” AT&T’s filing states. “ In collaboration with AST, it expects to provide mobile broadband to unserved and underserved areas covered by the leased spectrum. Moreover, with AST’s advanced satellite technology, this SCS will be provided without harmful interference to adjacent or co-channel networks.

“In other words, the AT&T/AST collaboration will use spectrum efficiently. Because AST’s technology can focus satellite coverage in discrete portions of licensed areas, it does not need a nationwide swath of terrestrial mobile spectrum that a mobile network operator licensee has left fallow. Rather than displacing terrestrial network facilities nationwide, AST’s coverage will be complementary to AT&T’s extensive terrestrial network coverage.”

In March, FCC commissioners voted to launch a proceeding that would establish a regulatory framework for SCS operations—communications that differ from both traditional satellite and traditional terrestrial wireless offerings—but noted that agency still would consider “requests for rule waiver” prior to the SCS framework being completed. AT&T’s filing seeks such waivers.

AT&T’s waiver requests would let AST provide satellite-direct-to-phone services on 850 MHz and lower 700 MHz spectrum licensed to “seven indirect subsidiaries of AT&T,” according to the filing.

AT&T has been conducting tests with AST SpaceMobile that include utilization of the 700 MHz Band 14 airwaves licensed to the FirstNet Authority, which contracted AT&T to build and maintain a nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN) as part of a 25-year deal signed in March 2017. That Band 14 spectrum is not part of the AT&T-AST leasing agreement outlined in today’s waiver request. Indeed, such a waiver request would have to be initiated by the Band 14 licensee—the FirstNet Authority—according to industry sources.

FirstNet subscribers have been able to access AT&T’s commercial spectrum—such as the bands included in the deal with AST—with priority and preemption rights on the carrier’s terrestrial network for years. A similar FirstNet arrangement eventually is intended when connecting to AST’s satellite constellation, but many technical and operational details must be resolved first.

Indeed, AST is still very early in the deployment of its LEO satellites. The BlueWalker 3 test satellite (pictured above) that is being used during the testing with AT&T and other carriers is large, but the first five BlueBird satellites—with greater RF capabilities than the BlueWalker 3—are scheduled to be launched during the first quarter of 2024 and will be the first of AST’s commercial satellites.

Scott Wisniewski, AST SpaceMobile chief strategy officer, described the significance of the AT&T filing in a May 12 statement provided to IWCE’s Urgent Communications.

“Today marks a significant milestone in our company history, with AT&T filing with the FCC a lease with AST SpaceMobile for substantially all of its low-band spectrum in the United States,” according to Wisniewski’s statement. “This agreement brings AST SpaceMobile one step closer to offering cellular broadband from space directly to everyday smartphones. Together with AT&T, we are making strides to eliminate mobile connectivity gaps and bring broadband to those in remote and underserved areas around the world. We’ve already seen initial technical success with our network in April, completing voice calls from space to many different off-the-shelf smartphones, using the BlueWalker 3 test satellite.”

Previously, Wisniewski offered some details about the company’s LEO satellites in the aftermath of its successful Texas-to-Japan voice call last month.

“The BlueWalker 3, the test satellite, which is in orbit now, provides five to 10 minutes of coverage as it passes directly over a given area,” Wisniewski stated in a e-mail to IWCE’s Urgent Communications. “The five Block 1 BlueBird satellites are based on a substantially similar design but with a significant upgrade in RF capabilities. The Block 2 BlueBirds are larger in size and will provide a coverage area of over 2x the size, and thus coverage for 2x the time.

“When the full network constellation is deployed, it will offer continuous coverage globally.”

Even with the BlueWalker 3 tests, the audio quality “was akin to any call you might make over a rural cell phone tower,” according to Wisniewski. “The latency is minimally higher, but not high enough that the human ear can detect the difference.”

Wisniewski also stated that AST SpaceMobile’s engineers found “only a negligible difference in battery life” when connecting to a LEO satellite when compared to connecting to a terrestrial tower.

FCC representatives and other federal officials have expressed excitement about the quickly evolving satellite-direct-to-phone industry, which promises to provide connectivity to outdoor locations where that are uneconomical for commercial carriers to cover with terrestrial infrastructure.

In addition, the public-safety implications of satellite-direct-to-phone technology promise to be significant, allowing people to communicate with 911 from even very remote locations during an emergency. An emergency text service offered to Apple iPhone 14 users via the Globalstar satellite network already has been used to save people in dire circumstances, according to multiple media reports.

Meanwhile, SCS service potentially could address two key issues associated with IP-based first-responder communications. Satellite-direct-to-phone services would expand the coverage footprint and offer a much-desired level of resiliency to LTE and/or 5G networks. It also could be used to meet the need for a seamless alternative when a user is outside of the terrestrial-network coverage that provides much greater range outdoors than direct-mode connectivity provided by LMR devices.

Of course, AST SpaceMobile is not the only company attempting to provide satellite-direct-to-cell-phone services.

Lynk Global, which recently had its agreement with Canadian carrier Rogers Communications announced publicly, has a similar business model but a very different system architecture. While AST SpaceMobile plans to provide cellular broadband service globally with 168 LEO satellites, Lynk plans to deploy thousands of smaller LEO satellites to support eventual broadband connectivity, although its initial offerings will be text-only services.

Lynk also is the first satellite-direct-to-cell-phone company to receive an FCC license for commercial operations, although the license only applies to 10 satellites.

Both Lynk and AST SpaceMobile eventually plan to offer broadband services to users, while many other satellite-direct-to-phone providers are focused on lower-bandwidth applications.

Other significant developments in the satellite-direct-to-cell-phone arena include T-Mobile and SpaceX announcing plans last August to provide connectivity leveraging 1.9 GHz spectrum. Last September, Apple announced that it has teamed with Globalstar to provide an emergency text service—known as Emergency SOS—via satellite that launch in November on 2.4 GHz spectrum for iPhone 14 users.

Read the original article HERE.

Apple and Google are working together to limit AirTag stalking

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May 2, 2023 | By Emma Roth | The Verge |

Apple and Google’s proposal would alert users if an unknown Bluetooth tracker is traveling with them, no matter what kind of phone they have.

Apple and Google have teamed up on a proposed industry specification aimed at combatting the safety risks associated with AirTags and other Bluetooth-enabled tracking devices. The companies announced Tuesday that the new standard requires the implementation of “unauthorized tracking detection and alerts” across Android and iOS devices.

The proposed specification lists a number of best practices for the creators of Bluetooth tracking devices, which are supposed to help prevent the “misuse” of location trackers that put users at risk for stalking, harassment, and theft. As outlined in the document, the unwanted tracking detection should “detect and alert individuals” when a tracker that’s separated from its owner is traveling with them and also provide instructions on how to find and disable the device.

Other companies that make similar tracking devices, including Tile, Chipolo, Eufy Security, Samsung, and Pebblebee, are already on board with the proposed standard.

Since the release of Apple’s AirTag in 2021, privacy advocates have expressed concerns over the device’s safety. Last year, The Verge spoke with Erica Olsen of the National Network to End Domestic Violence, who said tracking devices had been a problem for years prior to the release of the AirTag. Apple responded by improving its unknown AirTag alerts on iPhone and creating an app that scans for unwanted trackers on Android. In today’s statement, Olsen says, “These new standards will minimize opportunities for abuse of this technology and decrease the burden on survivors in detecting unwanted trackers. We are grateful for these efforts and look forward to continuing to work together to address unwanted tracking and misuse.”

“We built AirTag and the Find My network with a set of proactive features to discourage unwanted tracking — a first in the industry — and we continue to make improvements to help ensure the technology is being used as intended,” Ron Huang, Apple’s vice president of sensing and connectivity, says in a statement. “This new industry specification builds upon the AirTag protections, and through collaboration with Google results in a critical step forward to help combat unwanted tracking across iOS and Android.”

Read the original article HERE.

T‑Mobile Advances 5G Standalone to Deliver Faster Speeds and Enhanced Performance

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March 1, 2023 | T-Mobile |

The Un‑carrier achieved the world’s first four‑carrier aggregation data call on a commercial device, combining four channels of mid‑band spectrum to hit peak speeds topping 3.3 Gbps

T‑Mobile expanded voice over 5G (VoNR) to four additional cities and plans to cover 100 million people with VoNR in the coming months

What’s the news: T-Mobile has aggregated four channels of mid-band spectrum on its 5G standalone (5G SA) network with the Samsung Galaxy S23, working with Ericsson, Nokia, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and Samsung. The Un-carrier also expanded VoNR to four new cities: Cincinnati, OH; New Orleans, LA; New York, NY; and Seattle, WA.

Why it matters: 5G SA is the future of wireless, delivering a whole new level of performance – faster speeds and lower latency (improved response times). 5G carrier aggregation allows T-Mobile to turbo-charge 5G SA speeds, giving T-Mobile customers a game-changing performance boost while VoNR ensures a seamless 5G SA connection.

Who it’s for: T-Mobile 5G customers nationwide.

The Un-carrier doesn’t stop at best. In a keynote at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today, President of Technology Neville Ray explained how T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) is taking its nationwide 5G SA network — the only in the U.S. — to the next level. Ray announced that T-Mobile achieved the world’s first four-carrier aggregation data call on its 5G SA network with a commercial device, reaching speeds above 3.3 Gbps. Ray also unveiled the Un-carrier has deployed VoNR service in four additional cities and plans to cover 100 million people with VoNR in the coming months.

“We are working with industry leaders around the globe to move the 5G ecosystem forward for the benefit of wireless customers everywhere,” said Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile. “With the most advanced 5G network in the world, T-Mobile is at the forefront of wireless innovation, spearheading new capabilities so we can continue raising the performance bar and enable future transformative applications that require a seamless and robust 5G connection.”

Four-Carrier Aggregation

5G carrier aggregation allows T-Mobile to combine multiple 5G channels (or carriers) to deliver greater speed and performance. In this test, the Un-carrier merged four 5G channels of mid-band spectrum – two channels of 2.5 GHz Ultra Capacity 5G and two channels of 1900 MHz spectrum – creating an effective 225 MHz 5G channel. That’s like taking four separate highways and turning them into a massive superhighway where traffic can zoom faster than before. Customers with the Samsung Galaxy S23 will be among the first to experience four-carrier aggregation later this year with more devices to follow.

VoNR

With VoNR, T-Mobile is moving voice traffic to 5G so customers stay consistently connected to 5G. In the near-term, customers connected to VoNR may notice slightly faster call set-up times, meaning less delay between the time they dial a number and when the phone starts ringing. But VoNR is about more than just a better calling experience. Most importantly, VoNR brings T-Mobile one step closer to truly unleashing its 5G SA network because it enables advanced capabilities like network slicing that rely on a continuous connection to a 5G core. Today VoNR is now live in six cities – Cincinnati, OH; New Orleans, LA; New York, NY; Portland, OR; Salt Lake City, UT; and Seattle, WA – and the Un-carrier will expand this technology to additional cities covering more than 100 million people in the coming months.

T-Mobile is the leader in 5G, delivering the country’s largest, fastest and most reliable 5G network. The Un-carrier’s 5G network covers 325 million people across 1.9 million square miles – more than AT&T and Verizon combined. 265 million people nationwide are covered by T-Mobile’s super-fast Ultra Capacity 5G, and the Un-carrier plans to reach 300 million people with Ultra Capacity this year – nearly everyone in the country.

Read the original article HERE.

California Assembly Committee Passes Bill to Restrict Geofence Location Tracking

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April 14, 2023 | By: Mike Maharrey | Tenth Amendment Center |

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (April 14, 2023) – On Wednesday, a California Assembly Committee passed a bill that would ban geofence location tracking. Passage of the legislation would not only protect privacy in California; it would also hinder the growth of the federal surveillance state.

Assm. Mia Bonta (D) and three fellow Democrats introduced Assembly Bill 793 (AB793) in February. The legislation would prohibit any government entity from seeking, or any court from enforcing, assisting, or supporting, a reverse keyword or reverse location demand issued by a government entity or court in California or any other state. The bill would also prohibit a person or California entity from complying with a reverse keyword or reverse location demand. Any information gathered in violation of the law would be inadmissible in court.

On April 12, the Assembly Public Safety Committee passed AB793 by a 7-0 vote.

In effect, the passage of AB793 would limit a process called “geofencing.” This technique allows police to search broad geographical areas and identify every electronic device in the area. They can then take that data and determine the identity of individuals near a given place at a given time. In practice, police use Google location data to engage in massive fishing expeditions and subject hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent people to police location tracking. According to the New York Times, federal agents first utilized the practice in 2016. According to the report, broadly construed geofencing warrants help police pinpoint possible suspects and witnesses in the absence of other clues. Google employees said the company often responds to a single warrant with location information on dozens or hundreds of devices.

 

IMPACT ON FEDERAL SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMS
The feds can share and tap into vast amounts of information gathered at the state and local level through fusion centers and a system known as the “information sharing environment” or ISE. In other words, stingrays create the potential for the federal government to track the movement of millions of Americans with no warrant, no probable cause, and without the people even knowing it.

Fusion centers were sold as a tool to combat terrorism, but that is not how they are being used. The ACLU pointed to a bipartisan congressional report to demonstrate the true nature of government fusion centers: “They haven’t contributed anything meaningful to counterterrorism efforts. Instead, they have largely served as police surveillance and information sharing nodes for law enforcement efforts targeting the frequent subjects of police attention: Black and brown people, immigrants, dissidents, and the poor.”

Fusion centers operate within the broader ISE. According to its website, the ISE “provides analysts, operators, and investigators with information needed to enhance national security. These analysts, operators, and investigators…have mission needs to collaborate and share information with each other and with private sector partners and our foreign allies.” In other words, ISE serves as a conduit for the sharing of information gathered without a warrant. Known ISE partners include the Office of Director of National Intelligence which oversees 17 federal agencies and organizations, including the NSA. ISE utilizes these partnerships to collect and share data on the millions of unwitting people they track.

Limiting information collected by state and local law enforcement agencies limits the amount of information that can flow into federal databases through fusion centers and the ISE.

 

WHAT’S NEXT
AB793 now moves to the Assembly Judiciary Committee where it must get a hearing and pass by a majority vote before moving forward in the legislative process.

Read original article HERE.

The D.C. District Court Upholds the Government’s Geofence Warrant Used to Identify Jan. 6 Rioters

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March 10, 2023 | By Saraphin Dhanani | Lawfare |

On Jan. 25, Judge Rudolph Contreras of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia handed down an opinion in the case of United States v. Rhine denying Jan. 6 rioter David Harles Rhine’s motion to suppress evidence obtained from a geofence warrant.

Searches stemming from a geofence warrant can be likened most succinctly to “fishing expedition[s]”: Law enforcement compels a third-party provider, like Google, to disclose user location history (LH) data of “cell phones in the vicinity of [an] alleged criminal activity under investigation” in order “to narrow the pool” and “fish” out the identity of the criminal suspect. Unlike traditional search warrants, where courts compel a third-party provider to disclose a suspect’s location data after a suspect has been identified, geofence warrants place the cart before the horse. A third-party provider is compelled to disclose LH data of all individuals present in a particular vicinity during an alleged crime before a suspect has been identified.

Geofence warrants fall under Fourth Amendment protections in theory. The government must show probable cause that the geofence area contains evidence of the crime and, with particularity, tailor the scope of the warrant in space and time to leave as little discretion as possible to the whims of law enforcement officers.

Rhine was among the thousands of rioters who walked off Capitol grounds scot-free on Jan. 6, 2021, leaving FBI agents scrambling to pin down the insurrectionists. Geofence warrants were used to seize Google LH data for individuals “in and immediately around the Capitol between 2:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on January 6, 2021.” Rhine’s location history data was caught in the geofence warrant and led the Department of Justice to level four misdemeanor charges against him: (a) entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1752(a)(1); (b) disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1752(a)(2); (c) disorderly conduct in a Capitol building in violation of 40 U.S.C. § 5104(e)(2)(D); and (d) parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building in violation of 40 U.S.C. § 5104(e)(2)(G).

Rhine challenged his culpability and filed a motion to transfer venue, a motion for expanded voir dire, several motions to dismiss the charged counts, and a motion to suppress evidence obtained from the warrant because, according to Rhine, the geofence warrant was unconstitutional. The court denied all of Rhine’s motions (save for expanded voir dire, which it partially denied) and, most importantly, upheld the geofence warrant as constitutional.

With so little precedent on what makes geofence warrants constitutional, Judge Contreras’s holding is a breakthrough for the government as it uses LH data obtained through the geofence warrant to level charges against Jan. 6 rioters. More broadly, the case is also instructive for law enforcement as an example of the kinds of Fourth Amendment guardrails that a geofence warrant must have for it to pass constitutional muster.

Continue reading the entire article HERE.