> Although unit shipments in 1Q10 for the Worldwide WLAN market decreased by 9.4 percent quarter-over-quarter, it increased by 4.8 percent year-over-year.  That increase was fueled primarily by migration to 802.11n technology, said research firm In-Stat. Release

> Motorola sued Huawei, alleging that former Motorola employees provided the Chinese equipment vendor with trade secrets about its technology. Article

> Qualcomm posted better-than-expected earnings in its fiscal third quarter, bolstered by strong chip sales and global 3G demand. The chipset behemoth also raised its revenue and earnings guidance for the fiscal year. Article

> Broadcasters might be willing to give up some of their spectrum for mobile broadband use in incentive auctions so long as certain conditions are met, the head of a powerful broadcasting lobby said--indicating that there may be a way forward on the issue. Article

> Vodafone Germany tapped Ericsson and Huawei for LTE. Article

> AT&T's move to jettison its unlimited mobile data plan and charge more for heavier use puts a roadblock in the plans of media providers trying to push Internet TV, according to a report released by iSuppli. Article

And Finally... A 15-year-old managed to get his own tethering app approved on the iPhone by disguising it as a flashlight application. Article

A report from the FCC concludes that broadband service is not being deployed in a "reasonable and timely" manner.

The report was based on data provided by service providers for December 2008. Between 14 million and 24 million US residents, or about 4.5 percent to 8 percent of the nation's population, are unable to obtain broadband in the places they live.

However, previous reports, which are required annually under the 1996 Telecom Act, have found that broadband deployments were occurring in a reasonable and timely manner. This dichotomy is in part attributed to how the term "broadband" is now defined. Previous reports defined broadband as services providing at least 200 kbps bi-directionally. The new report now defines broadband as connections supporting download speeds of at least 4 Mbps.

Still,  both AT&T and Verizon refute the findings. "It makes no sense that, after the National Broadband Plan concluded that 95 percent of Americans have access to wireline broadband, the FCC majority now suggests broadband deployment is not reasonable and timely," said Kathleen Grillo, Verizon senior vice president for federal regulatory affairs, in a statement. "The report's conclusion is hard to understand, given America's extraordinary progress in deploying broadband, fueled by hundreds of billions of dollars in private investment."

Meanwhile, the Rural Cellular Association agreed with the findings of the report. The RCA has long fought special access fees. Those operators that don't have a landline business, particularly in rural areas, don't want to pay over-the-top dollar for "special access," the dedicated lines companies need to connect their high-speed Internet circuits to the larger broadband lines.   

There is fear among the FCC's Republican commissioners, along with AT&T and Verizon, that the FCC might leverage the findings of the report to justify the authority it wants to have over broadband services.

For more:
- see this Connected Planet article

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Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) told the FCC that it has finished a $750-million, five-year-long project to move 35 MHz of broadcast auxiliary service (BAS) spectrum nationwide, paving the way for wireless broadband services.

Sprint transitioned 213 markets, with Anchorage, Alaska, being the last. The Reconfiguration Plan, first instituted in 2005 to reconfigure spectrum to avoid interference between public safety and Sprint's iDEN network, included retuning BAS incumbents to a new band plan, thus clearing the 1990-1995 MHz spectrum block for Sprint and the 1995 -2025 MHz block for mobile satellite and future broadband services.

"Sprint's completion of the BAS spectrum transition marks an important step toward President Obama's goal of freeing 500 MHz of additional wireless broadband spectrum," said Michael B. Degitz, VP of spectrum management for Sprint, in a statement.

Sprint said the work was done for approximately 1,000 television broadcasters who provide  free over-the-air television programming in the U.S., Puerto Rico and U.S. territories and possessions. 

Rebanding efforts with public safety continues, however. In a recent filing with the FCC, Sprint said only around 55 percent of all non-border 800 MHz public-safety licensees have finished their physical rebanding work.

Sprint said 505 of the roughly 900 non-border 800 MHz licensees are operating 800 MHz systems on their new frequencies. The carrier said that 826 of them have inked rebanding agreements, and that "most, but not all" of those that have not signed rebanding agreements have submitted cost estimates to Sprint, thereby clearing the way for negotiations.

Sprint also said two-thirds of the licensees on the U.S.-Canada border still need to ink rebanding agreements with Sprint; rebanding only started there last year.

For more:
- see this Sprint release

Related articles:
Sprint continues 800 MHz rebanding work
Sprint: rebanding will cost billions more in years ahead