AT&T Laying Groundwork for Projected Ramp in IoT Deployments

Blues Wireless Device Enabled by AT&T to Seamlessly Connect IoT Devices Globally is Now Available from AT&T

Source: AT&T; Pipeline ~ Oct 13, 2021

What’s the news?  AT&T* is bringing to market a solution that can accelerate and streamline massive deployments of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and applications globally for enterprise and government customers through cellular connectivity. Notecard, by Blues Wireless, allows just about any asset to be connected to the cloud with carrier-grade security. The solution takes away significant complexity and cost through pre-paid connectivity and allows solution integrators and product builders to accelerate time to market and scale.

Why is this important?  The global market intelligence firm IDC estimates that by 2025, the overall number of connected Internet of Things devices worldwide will reach almost 40 billion, an increase from 31.1 billion in 2020.1

The need is clear for businesses to take full advantage of the potential of IoT innovation, become more efficient, reduce their environmental impact, and scale their operations. Commercial appliances like washing machines, dishwashers, and beverage dispensers, as well as construction rigs, refrigeration equipment, and containers are all envisioned to be coming off  the assembly lines fully equipped for connectivity. To date, the development, scaling and adoption has been low due to the complexity of scaled operations due to management and operational constraints when relying on Wi-Fi for connectivity. Cellular connectivity overcomes these challenges, making it the best option available for remote monitoring, control, and tracking use cases.

STOCKHOLM – AT&T said it will use Ericsson’s Radio System portfolio of offerings to deploy the standalone version of 5G on its new C-band spectrum holdings.

Building on more than 20 years of collaboration, Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) and AT&T today announced a five-year agreement to accelerate the expansion of AT&T 5G. This deal helps support deployment of the service provider’s recently acquired C-band spectrum and the launch of 5G Standalone (SA). AT&T is tapping into Ericsson’s leading network expertise as the company works toward its 5G network goals.

Ericsson will help AT&T to bring its 5G network to more consumers, businesses and first responders across key industries – including 5G use cases in sports and venues, entertainment, travel and transportation, business transformation and public safety.

AT&T’s network evolution is made possible in part by the Ericsson Radio System portfolio, which includes the Advanced Antenna System, Advanced RAN Coordination and Carrier Aggregation technologies.

These deployments will support future network enhancements like Cloud RAN, which offers communications services providers increased flexibility, faster delivery of services and greater scalability in networks.

The solution supports a centralized RAN architecture enabled by Ericsson Fronthaul Gateway, a new technology that will enable a more efficient transport of the fronthaul interface by converting it to packet (eCPRI).

By Carl Weinschenk; Telecompetitor ~ Oct 06, 2021

The new AT&T Dynamic Exchange (ADX) service is an on-demand offering that aims to provide “streamlined, highly secure integration” between customers, suppliers and business partners, according to AT&T Business.

ADX uses AT&T Switched Ethernet on Demand or AT&T Virtual Private Network to interconnect to outside entities’ networks.

In this way, businesses can share data within minutes with a wide range of business partners. Simplifying connectivity with those partners is a key goal of the offering.

The system features quick set up and bandwidth adjustment as needs change. The parties have the ability to connect securely with MPLS or Ethernet private networks and secure the authentication process. It’s a streamlined pay-as-you go system that the customer accesses via an on-demand 24/7 web portal.

Pricing on the service was not disclosed.

By Carl Weinschenk; Telecompetitor ~ Oct 05, 2021

The U.S. Air Force has selected FirstNet to provide priority communications and preemption for first responders on 15 bases nationwide.

The actual bases were not disclosed. The agreement, which was struck between FirstNet and the Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC), will run for 21 years—the remaining life of the public-private partnership between the carrier and the government.

The agreement provides the Air Force with preemption across LTE-Band 14, which operates nationwide, and all of AT&T’s commercial LTE spectrum bands. The Air Force also will have access to FirstNet’s 5G core and to more than 100 land-based and airborne portable cell sites at no extra charge.

Coordination among first responders and other personnel is a big issue during emergencies. FirstNet is interoperable with land mobile radio assets and off-base first responders. The agreement will enable on- and off-base personnel to communicate during an incident. FirstNet supports voice, data and streaming.

“We aim to be the network provider of choice as the Air Force moves more deliberately toward consuming advanced communications capabilities,” Lance Spencer, Client Executive Vice President – Defense, AT&T Public Sector and FirstNet, said in a press release. “It’s an honor to deliver FirstNet to support base personnel and first responders to help ensure the safety of each base and its surrounding community.”

In August, FirstNet announced three upgrades. It expanded its 5G connectivity to five Texas cities — Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, El Paso and Houston as well as Raleigh and Charlotte, NC; Cleveland, Knoxville, TN and Phoenix.

At the time, FirstNet also announced the deployment of MetaRange, which it says improves connectivity at the edge of the network and elsewhere. It also announced interoperability between FirstNet and AT&T ESInet, which gives public safety answering points (PSAP) the ability to support images and large files, along with better data and information.

From “Simply Wall St”; Nasdaq ~ Oct 02, 2021

Readers hoping to buy AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. Typically, the ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date which is the date on which a company determines the shareholders eligible to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is of consequence because whenever a stock is bought or sold, the trade takes at least two business day to settle. Accordingly, AT&T investors that purchase the stock on or after the 7th of October will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 1st of November.

The company’s next dividend payment will be US$0.52 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$2.08 per share. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, AT&T has a trailing yield of approximately 7.7% on its current stock price of $27.16. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it’s also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn’t going to kill our golden goose! So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.

Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. AT&T reported a loss last year, so it’s not great to see that it has continued paying a dividend. Considering the lack of profitability, we also need to check if the company generated enough cash flow to cover the dividend payment. If cash earnings don’t cover the dividend, the company would have to pay dividends out of cash in the bank, or by borrowing money, neither of which is long-term sustainable. Over the last year it paid out 52% of its free cash flow as dividends, within the usual range for most companies.

DALLAS – FirstNet – the only nationwide network built with and for America’s first responders – is keeping public safety connected unlike any other network. Here’s 3 strategic ways:

1. Expanding the FirstNet 5G footprint: As public safety’s communications partner, AT&T* has expanded 5G connectivity for first responders on FirstNet to further support public safety’s mission needs. Now, first responders in an additional 10 cities across the United States – Austin (Texas), Charlotte (N. Carolina), Cleveland (Ohio), Dallas (Texas), El Paso (Texas), Houston (Texas), Knoxville (Tenn.), Phoenix (Ariz.), Raleigh (N. Carolina) and San Antonio (Texas) –have access to 5G.

2. Deploying MegaRange™ for Disaster Response: Since launching FirstNet MegaRange earlier this year – which significantly improves connectivity, especially at the edge of network coverage – public safety has started experiencing its exclusive benefits as they respond to everyday emergencies and disasters. From remote patient care to the frontlines of wildfire response, MegaRange is keeping first responders connected at the edge of coverage when lives are on the line.

3. Launching nationwide interoperability with AT&T ESInet: To increase the flexibility and resiliency of AT&T NextGen 9-1-1 services, AT&T ESInet is now integrated with the FirstNet network. By serving as an automatic wireless backup to connect to public safety answering points (PSAP), FirstNet enables the delivery of IP-based 9-1-1 call traffic through the AT&T Virtual Private Network (VPN).

How is 5G connectivity on FirstNet different from commercial networks? Our approach to 5G for public safety is unlike anything else. While 5G connectivity will ultimately bring a combination of benefits like ultra-low latency and ultra-high speeds to support all kinds of users, it’s essential we approach 5G in a different way for first responders. That’s why, with FirstNet, we’re taking the right steps for public safety in a way that meets their unique mission needs. First responders maintain voice communications with priority and preemption on LTE, while the FirstNet network determines the best route for data traffic, whether that’s 5G or LTE spectrum.

In addition to the 10 cities that now have access to AT&T’s 5G spectrum, first responders in parts of 38 cities and more than 20 venues already have access to AT&T mmWave (5G+) spectrum. And since we’re deploying 5G the right way for public safety, they maintain always-on priority and preemption across LTE – Band 14 spectrum plus all of AT&T’s commercial LTE spectrum bands – which currently covers 2.71 million square miles of the country. By the end of 2021, we expect to offer 5G+ connectivity in parts of more than 40 cities and 40 venues. And we’re continuing to roll out additional 5G connectivity for FirstNet in more communities nationwide.

How can first responders get 5G connectivity on FirstNet? As a FirstNet subscriber there is no additional charge for 5G connectivity. All first responders need to access 5G is a FirstNet Ready® 5G device, like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G or the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G, which are now available for pre-order. And to ensure public safety everywhere can access the power of FirstNet, individual verified first responders not already on FirstNet can sign up online or at the more than 5,000 AT&T retail stores across the country.

How does MegaRange support first responders’ emergency response? Adhering to FCC standards, this high-power user equipment (HPUE) is only available on the FirstNet network thanks to Band 14 spectrum: nationwide, high-quality spectrum set aside by the federal government specifically for FirstNet. It provides public safety with significant coverage benefits in both urban and rural areas. The greatest coverage improvement is in areas where data connectivity is traditionally unreliable, such as remote regions, rural areas and maritime environments.

Agencies like Bangs Ambulance in Ithaca, New York have been utilizing FirstNet MegaRange to deliver critical patient care and transmit vital data from the field directly to local hospitals – a daily feat that was once near-impossible due to challenging terrain. And now, firefighters are experiencing MegaRange’s unique benefits as they combat this year’s record-breaking wildfire season. For example, Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District in Oregon used MegaRange during their response to the Grandview Fire, which has burned just over 6,000 acres and threatened hundreds of homes. The fire was in a notoriously difficult communications area (for both cellular and radio transmissions), and MegaRange enabled key personnel to provide live situational awareness to commanders via call, text and other FirstNet certified applications.

And as the 2021 wildfire season continues to escalate, we’ve joined forces with Airgain to provide public safety with significant cost savings and make this exclusive capability more accessible to agencies across the country.

How does AT&T ESInet increase reliability with FirstNet? AT&T is the only carrier that can provide end-to-end emergency communication solutions, and as the private-partner behind FirstNet, we are also uniquely positioned to equip PSAPs and first responders with an integrated infrastructure that allows them to be more flexible, resilient and agile. Interoperability with FirstNet enables AT&T ESInet to extend network connectivity to remote PSAPs that are either hard to reach or experiencing an outage. In the event AT&T ESInet detects a failure of the primary connection to the PSAP, the service automatically routes calls over the FirstNet network to maintain continuity of operation and delivery of 9-1-1 calls. This interoperability also creates a foundation for future Next Generation 9-1-1 applications that can be used for sharing caller and incident information, such as location, images, video and text, with first responders over a private, highly secure, end-to-end path.

By Mike Dano; Light Reading ~ Aug 13, 2021

AT&T will require management employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to returning to a work location.

The company’s move, reported by Reuters, dovetails with similar vaccination requirements implemented by other companies – from Ford to Google – as well as federal agencies.

Further, an AT&T representative told Reuters that the company will begin discussions with labor unions “to jointly align on a path forward for our union-represented employees.” According to a recent AT&T filing, around 37% of the company’s employees are represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) or other unions.

While AT&T is moving to require COVID-19 vaccinations, the company’s rivals in the wireless industry are keeping it optional.

“We are highly encouraging all of our employees to get vaccinated, but we are not requiring vaccinations at this time,” a T-Mobile representative wrote in response to questions from Light Reading. “At the same time, we continue to closely monitor and follow guidance and will be ready to make adjustments to our protocols going forward.”

Verizon offered similar comments.

By Mike Dano; Light Reading ~ Jul 22, 2021

AT&T executives had much to discuss Thursday during their quarterly conference call with analysts. The company is fresh off a massive MVNO agreement with Dish Network, a groundbreaking core network deal with Microsoft and an earnings report – buoyed by a seemingly endless free phone promotion – that one analyst firm described as “spectacular.” And all of that doesn’t even include the company’s billion-dollar deals in recent months to offload its WarnerMedia video operation and its pay-TV business.

It’s enough that even some Wall Street veterans are feeling the strain. “It’s always difficult to parse the market reaction to such a tangle of businesses (we are looking forward to AT&T being a telecom company again),” wrote the financial analysts at New Street Research in a note to investors.

Investors appear to have the same feelings. AT&T’s stock remained relatively unchanged after the release of its second quarter results Thursday, trading at around $28 per share. Nonetheless, AT&T executives managed to shed some light on the company’s recent gyrations in its core profit center: Mobility.

By Jeff Baumgartner, ; Light Reading ~ Jul 19, 2021

Dish Network has forged a new multi-year deal worth at least $5 billion that makes AT&T its primary network services partner for Dish’s MVNO customers, and casts Dish’s erstwhile wireless partner, T-Mobile, further toward the outskirts.

Under the deal, Dish said it will provide current and future customers of its retail wireless brands, including Boost Mobile, Ting Mobile and Republic wireless, access to AT&T’s wireless network, in addition to national 5G network Dish is building. AT&T has also signed on to provide transport and roaming services to support Dish’s 5G network, which is set to initially debut in Las Vegas. Dish, which had 8.89 million retail wireless subs at the end of Q1 2021, today also reaffirmed its commitment to build its open RAN-based 5G network to 70% of the US population by 2023.

Among other details noted in the SEC filing pertaining to the new, non-exclusive network services agreement (NSA), Dish’s retail wireless customers will have access to AT&T’s network, even within the markets where Dish is deploying its own 5G network.

The NSA also provides AT&T with an avenue to deploy “portions” of Dish’s spectrum to support Dish customers on the AT&T network. AT&T has “the right, but not the obligation, to request to use portions of Dish’s spectrum in different markets for an agreed upon period of time, subject to certain terms and conditions,” the filing states. MoffettNathanson analyst Craig Moffett stressed in a research note today that AT&T would face some hurdles there, as AT&T would likely be required to negotiate with the towers to deploy any of Dish’s spectrum.

By Iain Morris; Light Reading ~ Jul 01, 2021

Be afraid. Be very afraid. In the not-too-distant future, a few giant Internet firms with multi-trillion-dollar valuations will shape public opinion, cater to every need and have the means to switch off our most critical infrastructure.

AT&T’s decision to entrust the most intelligent part of its 5G network to Microsoft, as reported by Light Reading yesterday, gives the software company the power of a brain surgeon over his patient. One slip of the scalpel and the lights may go out.

There is much that is counterintuitive about these public cloud deals, and this one especially.

Telecom operators balk at dependence on a cabal of massive equipment suppliers, as shown by the enthusiasm for open RAN, an attempt to inject competition into the mobile infrastructure market.

Yet AT&T is apparently happy to let Microsoft be the sole custodian of its 5G core. If there is an alternative, it is not mentioned in AT&T’s statement.

Likewise, operators insist they want a bigger say over the development of technology. It explains why they are so active in groups like the Telecom Infra Project (TIP), and bristle at suggestions TIP is “Facebook-led.”

It is why Vodafone CEO Nick Read says he wants to “insource IT development engineering capability” and develop his own intellectual property (IP) “to make our differentiation stronger.”