Showing posts with label Verizon. Show all posts

FCC Ends EchoStar Investigation: Impact on Wireless Carriers

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has officially ended its investigation into EchoStar, closing a high-profile chapter in U.S. telecom regulation. The probe, which began in May 2025, focused on whether EchoStar was meeting its obligations to build out 5G infrastructure tied to its valuable spectrum licenses. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr went so far as to threaten to revoke some of those licenses, which would have been a devastating blow to the company. Instead, EchoStar struck two major spectrum deals—$23 billion with AT&T and $17 billion with SpaceX—that resolved the regulator’s concerns.

Why the FCC Investigated EchoStar

6G + Satellite: How T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, EchoStar/Dish, Starlink & AST SpaceMobile Are Building Ubiquitous Connectivity

The next leap in wireless—6G—isn’t just about faster speeds. It’s about erasing coverage gaps entirely. That won’t happen with cell towers alone. The solution is non-terrestrial networks (NTN)—low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, high-altitude platforms, and direct-to-device (D2D) technologies that merge with terrestrial 5G/6G.

The standards are already maturing through 3GPP Releases 17 and 18 (adding NTN support for New Radio and IoT), with Release 19 work underway. These will feed directly into 6G deployments.

Starlink Direct-to-Cell Explained: How Satellite-to-Phone Works

Why AT&T, Verizon & T-Mobile Charge for WhatsApp Int'l Calls

Customers of major U.S. carriers, including T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon, have recently reported unexpected charges for WhatsApp international calls, raising concerns and questions about the practice. While WhatsApp typically uses internet data to make calls, some users are seeing these calls treated as standard international calls, with charges of $50 or more for a single call — a practice some describe as a scam. This can occur if the call is inadvertently routed through a cellular network rather than strictly over Wi-Fi or mobile data.

Why U.S. Carriers Charge for WhatsApp International Calls

VoIP Calls Misclassified as Cellular Calls: In some cases, WhatsApp calls may be interpreted as regular phone calls if the network connection is unstable or if the call switches to a cellular network.
Data Roaming and International Charges: If a WhatsApp call is made while roaming internationally, carriers may apply data roaming charges, which can add up quickly.
Network Switching: When moving between Wi-Fi and cellular networks during a call, the call may register as a standard international call.

How to Avoid Charges for WhatsApp International Calls

Use Wi-Fi Exclusively: Ensure you are connected to a reliable Wi-Fi network before making a call.
Disable Cellular Data for WhatsApp: In your phone’s settings, restrict WhatsApp to Wi-Fi only.
Check Your Billing Statement: Review your carrier's bill for any unexpected charges and contact customer service if needed.

What to Do if You’re Charged

Contact your carrier’s customer support to clarify the charges.
Request a refund or adjustment if the call was mistakenly billed as an international call.
Monitor future usage to ensure calls are properly routed through data-only connections.

Reporting Unfair Charges to the FCC or FTC

If you believe you were unfairly charged or misled about WhatsApp international call charges, you can file a complaint with the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) or the FTC (Federal Trade Commission). Both agencies handle consumer complaints related to telecommunications and deceptive business practices. Document the charges, keep records of communications with your carrier, and include all relevant details when submitting a complaint.

Understanding why major U.S. carriers charge for WhatsApp international calls can help users avoid unnecessary fees and stay connected without unexpected costs.

Report Verizon Dead Zones Community is Not Active?

Why is Report Verizon Dead Zones Community is Highly Ranked in Search Engines and Not Active

Is it true that in many cases it is faster and cheaper than the internet or “WiFi” from your cable or telco company?

Verizon 5G may be getting a lot bigger. Today Verizon exclusively revealed to PCMag that it's launching the first 5G home router powered by Qualcomm's long-awaited QTM527 antenna, which has the potential to greatly expand the range of the carrier's fast, but short-distance millimeter-wave 5G.

The new router, made by Wistron for Verizon, can be placed inside by a window, so there's no external install needed. A smartphone app guides you on where to put the unit. The device has Wi-Fi 6 and one Ethernet port. The Ethernet port is important because Verizon's millimeter-wave system is sometimes faster than the maximum speed of Wi-Fi routers; in tests in my neighborhood, I've gotten up to 1.7Gbps. Boulben said home users will get between 300Mbps and a gigabit.

For a while now, Verizon executives have been talking about this: the latest customer premises equipment (CPE) that is going to make its 5G Home fixed wireless access (FWA) offering so much more convincing. Well, it's finally coming to eight cities, including two new cities beginning on October 1 in Verizon's 5G Home Internet coverage area: Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The 5G Home Internet equipment, including a single-device 5G internet receiver and Wi-Fi router, was designed for the user to easily set up in their home. It comes in a single package and consumers can find the perfect location for mounting on a wall or window using a mobile app; the 5G gateway can confirm that a 5G signal is usable.

Wistron NeWeb Corporation (WNC), an Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) based in Taiwan, is the maker of the CPE hardware. Verizon announced that the home router is operated by the long-awaited QTM527 antenna from Qualcomm, which PC Mag first mentioned.

Verizon notes that including step-by-step instructions, all the user requires to install the unit is in the box. The operator didn't say how long it would take to set it up; during an earnings call in July, CEO Hans Vestberg suggested that he expected the self-installation to be less than an hour. It beats the old paradigm of waiting weeks for an installer to come into the home to set it up, although that didn't happen. Verizon is promising to do it for them for those who don't want to set it up themselves.

The company says that clients can expect average speeds of about 300 Mbps and maximum speeds of up to 1 Gbps, depending on the venue.

For Verizon subscribers, the cost of the service is $50 per month and $70 per month for non-Verizon subscribers. Verizon is tossing in YouTube TV for one month and Disney+ for one year for potential 5 G Home Internet users to entice customers. It also throws in a free Amazon Smart Home Package for smart home fans, which includes an Echo Display 5, Ring Stick Up Cam, Echo Dot, and Amazon Smart Plug.

In areas of Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, and Sacramento, Verizon provides its 5 G Home Internet service, in addition to Minneapolis and St. Paul. The new equipment is available in all those cities except Sacramento, where the 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR) variant will be converted by customers in 2021.

Through this service, Verizon has said it plans to be in parts of 10 cities by the end of 2020. According to a spokesman, the 5G Home Internet product is designed to use millimeter wave (mmWave) signals at 28 GHz and 39 GHz.

"The new 5G Internet Gateway from Verizon is a game-changer for our customers," said Frank Boulben, Verizon's SVP of Consumer Marketing and Products, in a statement. "The extension of 5G Home Internet to new markets with new and enhanced hardware would provide consumers with the convenience and efficiency to enjoy more digital interactions and increased productivity from the comfort of their home, with people spending more time at home during these tough times."

Verizon suggested earlier this year that it would not wait for its 5G Home service to be completely baked, introducing an FWA service using its 4G LTE network. The LTE service helps the company to grow and develop beyond its Fios and 5G Home footprints into more rural areas.

Verizon Buys Tracfone for $6.25 billion

The mobile operator Tracfone isn’t exactly a household name, but it does have about 21 million customers in the US. Soon, those customers will fall under the Verizon umbrella, as Verizon just announced it is purchasing Tracfone from its owner America Movil.

Tracfone has long worked in the US as a prepaid wireless MVNO, leasing wireless spectrum from some of the country's largest mobile carriers including Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. It also operates under a variety of brands, including Straight Talk and Walmart Family Phones, and has a broad distribution presence of more than 90,000 locations at stores such as CVS, Target, and Best Buy.

That being said, it's not clear how Tracfone will work once the contract with Verizon is done. But there's plenty of time to find out, as Verizon claims it won't wait until the second half of 2021 for the deal to finalize.

This isn't the only MVNO to change hands this year — T-Mobile had to get rid of Sprint's Boost Mobile brand as a result of the T-Mobile / Sprint merger. In early July Dish picked it up for $1.4 billion. By contrast, for Tracfone, Verizon pays $3,125 billion in cash and the same sum in Verizon's stock.

Several mergers in recent years have led to an increasingly concentrated wireless industry in the U.S., with the bulk of control.

Tracfone's top brands include:

Tracfone
Net 10 Wireless
Total Wireless
Walmart Family Mobile
Straight Talk
Simple Mobile

From Alexander Graham Bell to AT&T: The World's Telecom Leaders

Telecommunications would not be the same if not for the big names out there – not only are the biggest companies on the globe able to deliver wider coverage, but they also have the know-how and the resources to invest in cutting-edge tech that brings new developments to the market. This is how we got from the old-fashioned receiver landline phones to 5G high-speed internet-connected smartphones. And the world’s biggest and richest telecom companies keep up the race towards the next step in consumer-oriented tech – even if they are not always quite able to make good on their promises when it comes to their real coverage. Today we examine the best and most ambitious among the pack.

AT&T

With $163 billion in yearly sales, AT&T has surpassed all competition, including China Mobile and Japanese leader Nippon to climb at the top of Forbes 25 Biggest Telecom Companies in 2017. The Forbes list brings together companies from 17 countries across the globe that collectively reach a market cap of $1.6 billion. In 2016, their combined revenues amounted to $1.2 trillion and profits reached $88 billion among them. AT&T rose to the top of the rankings after it decided to buy DirecTV, a satellite broadcast company, in 2015 and went on to create the concept of AT&T entertainment. Short for American Telephone and Telegraph Company, AT&T can trace its roots back to Alexander Graham Bell himself, the legendary inventor of the telephone, as it was established as one of the subsidiaries of the Bell Telephone Company back in 1885 and then went on to buy its parent company a few years later for legal grounds. Headquartered in Texas, USA, the company is one of the largest mobile and landline phone service providers in America.

Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc., another US-based company that has its headquarters in New York, comes in second in the world. Interestingly, Verizon is what came of AT&T’s decision to divest its regional operations following a mandate from the US government in the 1980s. Bell Atlantic was one of seven companies that broke off from AT&T and in 2000 took on the ambitious name Verizon – a combination of the Latin word for truth, “veritas”, and “horizon”. It is currently run by chairman and CEO Lowell McAdam, who successfully headed the company into buying AOL and then later Yahoo! to branch out into the media sector. The two new companies were incorporated into a new sector, taking on the equally ambitious name “Oath”. It is publicly traded in both the NYSE and Nasdaq stock markets and in Q4, 2017, Verizon Wireless topped its market with over 150 million subscribers, leaving AT&T behind at a little more than 141 million.

Grupo Carso Conglomerate

A bit further south, we find Grupo Carso Conglomerate, a Mexican conglomerate company that is leading the Latin American market. It was founded in the 1990s by Carlos Slim and was named after a portmanteau of his and his wife’s name, which is Soumaya. According to Betway Casino’s billionaires’ journeys list, Carlos Slim is among the richest people in the world with a wealth that reaches $67.1 billion – and he became a billionaire at 51 years old. His empire includes Telmex, a telecom company that serves most of Latin America, including Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Chile and other countries in the area, as well as América Móvil, a Forbes Global 2000 company with services ranging from Honduras and Jamaica to Mexico and Uruguay, and Telcel, one of the largest wireless communications companies in Mexico with wide coverage all over the country.

Deutsche Telecom AG

One of the most recognizable mobile service providers worldwide, T-Mobile has seen its trademark magenta logo in stores across Europe and the US, serving customers from Austria and the Netherlands all the way across the Atlantic to the New World. It is all part of Deutsche Telecom AG, one of the leading European telecommunications giants, headquartered in Bonn, Germany. Deutsche Telecom also holds a significant interest in Telecom, a major service provider in Central Europe and the Balkans region, as well as Greek market telecom leader OTE. It also owned half of EE, UK’s largest mobile network, along with Orange, but divested in 2016.

China Mobile

One of the top companies worldwide, state-owned China Mobile mainly serves mainland China with services ranging from mobile network to multimedia – and pretty much dominates the Chinese market. In March 2018 its mobile service subscribers reached 898,537,000 individuals, with almost 4 million new customers added in that month alone. The company is listed at NYSE and its value in May 2018 reached more than $47 billion, making it one of the richest telecom companies across the globe.

The telecoms industry is a constant struggle between ambitious newcomers and savvy, trustworthy names. Yet, however the power dynamics between companies may change, the developments in tech and service keep moving forward to new frontiers.

How To Find Cell Phone Towers Near Oil & Gas Fields

Odessa, Texas Cell Phone Towers vs Oil & Gas Drilling Map

Today, we launched a new map of cell phone towers vs oil & gas fields map. Easily search and find the nearest cell phone tower near oil & gas drilling operations.

Oil & gas rig monitoring relies on remote wireless sensors and device that need to connect to wireless networks. AT&T, Verizon, Sprint & T-Mobile call remote monitoring sensors the IOT (Internet of Things) revolution. Remote monitoring saves oil & gas companies lots of money vs having someone physically drive out to the site.

Click on the cell phone tower pins (black) to locate the contact information of the wireless tower operator.

How to Search Dead Zones Database Map

Word Cloud of Dead Cell Zones Database

You can search for these locations on the dead zones map.

See the map below for directions.

Dead Zones Database Growth Chart History

Our website Deadcellzones.com gets visitors per day and 15+ years of collecting dead zones for AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint. The FCC still ignores us as well.