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3GPP

AT&T has activated EchoStar’s 3.45 GHz spectrum across a massive swath of its macro network, delivering a step-change in speed and capacity that advances its 5G and fixed wireless agenda. AT&T has deployed the 3.45 GHz band on nearly 23,000 cell sites across the contiguous United States, touching more than 5,300 cities. Early field results point to up to 80% faster 5G download speeds in upgraded markets. The same spectrum injection is lifting AT&T’s fixed wireless access (FWA) product, Internet Air, with download speeds up by about 55%. Mid-band spectrum is the engine of 5G performance at scale.
Jeff Bezos is stepping back into day-to-day operations as co-CEO of Project Prometheus, a new AI company reportedly funded with $6.2 billion to build “AI for the physical economy.” Project Prometheus will be co-led by Bezos and Vik Bajaj, an operator-scientist with leadership experience at Google X, Verily, and Foresite Labs. Early reports indicate the company is targeting engineering and manufacturing tasks across sectors such as aerospace, automotive, and computing hardware. Headcount is already near 100, drawing researchers from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Meta, signaling an aggressive push for top-tier AI talent.
A consortium led by NTT DOCOMO, NTT, Nokia Bell Labs, and SK Telecom has shown that applying AI to both transmitter and receiver—“AI-AI”—can materially lift outdoor 6G performance, pointing to an AI-native air interface that adapts in real time to messy, real-world radio conditions. Using 5G New Radio as the baseline at 4.8 GHz, the AI-AI approach improved average throughput by roughly 18% across mixed environments and delivered up to a 100% gain in the most challenging sections of a curved public road. The net: AI at both ends consistently compensated for channel fluctuations outdoors, not just in controlled labs.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix is more than a spectacle this year—it’s a real-world benchmark for what 5G Standalone can deliver under extreme density, with T-Mobile integrating slicing, private 5G and edge video into broadcast, venue ops and public safety workflows. Broadcast teams are ingesting 360-degree and drone feeds over 5G with edge processing, venue commerce runs on a dedicated slice, and police leverage a 5G-connected drone for situational awareness. These deployments illustrate a practical blueprint for monetizing 5G SA and edge in venues, media, public safety and large events.
5G standalone networks change the service model. Operators can carve the network into slices with distinct latency, reliability, and throughput characteristics validated by 3GPP standards. That enables ultra-reliable low-latency communications for factory automation, connected vehicles, remote operations, and mission-critical services. It also enables differentiated quality for cloud gaming, broadcast-like video, and IoT control loops when combined with edge computing and time-sensitive networking. Jio’s position is that treating all traffic identically under a single “internet access” umbrella can inhibit these new uses. A ruleset that preserves open internet principles for consumers yet explicitly allows specialized services with assured QoS for enterprises is what the company seeks.
Amazon has moved its low Earth orbit broadband effort out of code-name mode and into a market-facing brand with strategic implications for telecom and enterprise buyers. Project Kuiper is now Amazon Leo, a direct reference to the low Earth orbit constellation underpinning the service. The rebrand signals a transition from R&D to commercial execution. Amazon reports more than 150 satellites in orbit today—roughly 153 by recent counts—following a string of successful launches and a completed prototype mission. The company says it will light up service as it adds coverage and capacity.
CAF’s signalling division and Cellnex demonstrated that OPTIO, a modular and multi-bearer CBTC platform, operates reliably on a private 5G network in both lab and field conditions, including challenging scenarios such as tunnels. The system already supports Wi‑Fi and LTE; adding 5G confirms a multi-access design that lets operators choose the right bearer per line, phase, or location. Private 5G brings ultra-low latency, higher capacity, stronger QoS control, and end-to-end security under the operator’s domain. The project received European co-financing via the Recovery and Resilience Facility under Spain’s UNICO Sectorial 2023 program, underscoring public support for digital rail modernization.
AST SpaceMobile is signaling a pivotal year ahead as it moves from demonstrations to commercial direct-to-device coverage with major operators and an aggressive launch schedule. The company’s plan to begin “intermittent nationwide” service in early 2026, followed by continuous coverage later in the year, is also a forcing function for device vendors, standards work, and MNO network integration. As AST scales to 45–60 BlueBird satellites by end-2026, pass frequency and overlap increase to support “continuous” service across the U.S., Europe, Japan, and other priority markets. AST reports over $3.2 billion in cash and liquidity.
A new pilot in Spain shows that the upper 6 GHz band can deliver 5G-class coverage with far higher capacity, positioning it as a prime spectrum option for 5G-Advanced and 6G. The 6.425–7.125 GHz range (3GPP Band n104) is the last sizable mid-band window that is not tied to legacy mobile use in Europe. The trial found that with higher-order massive MIMO and active antennas, the upper 6 GHz layer can match the practical coverage of 3.5 GHz from existing macro sites. European regulatory clarity, device support and refined coexistence rules are the next critical catalysts for scale.
A new neutral host 5G deployment at 10 World Trade in Boston’s Seaport sets a practical blueprint for scalable, multi-operator indoor connectivity in Class A commercial real estate. Most mobile traffic is generated indoors, yet macro networks struggle to penetrate dense, energy-efficient buildings. The 10 World Trade deployment—delivered by Boston Global Investors (BGI) with Aspen Venue Partners and Ericsson - addresses all three pressures with a small-cell-based, neutral host design that multiple operators can share while also supporting private 5G and future network slicing. The model aligns with broader industry trends: 3GPP-based indoor systems, shared infrastructure economics, and spectrum agility that includes CBRS in the U.S.
SoftBank has exited Nvidia and is redirecting billions into AI platforms and infrastructure, signaling where it believes the next phase of value will concentrate. SoftBank sold its remaining 32.1 million Nvidia shares in October for approximately $5.83 billion, and also disclosed a separate $9.17 billion sale of T-Mobile US shares as part of a broader reallocation into artificial intelligence. The proceeds are earmarked for a significant expansion of SoftBank’s AI portfolio, including a major investment in OpenAI and potential participation in “Stargate,” a next-generation AI data center initiative co-developed by OpenAI and Oracle. Despite exiting Nvidia’s equity, SoftBank retains about 90% ownership of Arm.
Nokia and Latvia’s LMT are aligning 5G radio and defense capabilities to deliver a field-ready, private tactical communications system for Baltic and coalition forces. Nokia will integrate its 5G radio portfolio with LMT’s defense solutions to build a secure, high-capacity, and resilient tactical network tailored to Baltic military needs. The joint system is designed for dedicated use cases, enabling real-time data exchange across uncrewed platforms, sensors, and dismounted teams. The goal is improved situational awareness, faster decision cycles, and assured interoperability for collective defense.

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