c-band

The Inside Towers editorial staff via podcast covers the top stories of 2019, with Managing Editor, Jim Fryer; Washington Bureau Chief, Leslie Stimson; and Contributing Analyst, John Celentano.

Here are the Top 5 stories in Inside Towers for 2019, based on reader interaction, as mentioned in the podcast:

• T-Mobile Halts Construction and Extends Payment Terms
• Woman Hearing Voices Fires a Pistol at Tech Crew
• Which Holds Water: Insurance Certificate or Policy
• DISH Looks For Tower Workers For 5G Build
• I’m No Expert, But… 

Note: a “clicked” story is one that has a “continue reading” link following the initial three paragraphs. The link directs readers to the rest of the story on our website.

Inside Towers caught up with Wells Fargo Securities Managing Director Jennifer Fritzsche at the recent Mobile World Congress in Los Angeles. While part of the podcast was recorded on site at MWC, an additional interview was scheduled to include recent Q3 statements of the major towercos and carriers. 

As head of Advocacy & Government Relations for the C-Band Alliance, Peter Pitsch has a front row seat to the fierce debate going on right now over the future of C-band spectrum. Pitsch leads the CBA’s advocacy program, working with government agencies and Capitol Hill to ensure stakeholders understand why the satellite companies behind the alliance believe their proposal is the quickest way to make mid-band spectrum available to enable the deployment of 5G services.

He tells Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief Leslie Stimson why the alliance believes it can re-purpose at least 200 MHz of C-band spectrum, and how it’s working to increase that amount. 

The rollout of 5G is progressing at a deliberate pace, and while gamers and streaming video consumers are no doubt excited for the incredible speeds and low-latency connections that 5G provides, farmers are already using the technology to improve their operations. On this episode of Samsung's Recalibrate podcast, Ashish Jain, CEO and co-founder at KAIROS, and Kat Robinson of Samsung Networks shared their thoughts on the impact of 5G on smart agriculture.

Robinson kicked off discussion with a stat from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization: “By 2050 the world population will increase to 9.6 billion so to feed all those people we have to increase food production by 70% using the same amount of land we have today,” she said. In order to meet the increasing demand for food, farmers are relying on smart systems, connected devices, and 5G projects like Me+Moo.

Mee+Moo is a 5G initiative launched by RuralFirst in Scotland, which leverages 5G technology in cattle raising. Some 2,000 cows don connected collars and biometric ear tags that allow for better tracking and health monitoring over vast, remote areas. Farmers can proactively target sick cows and remove them from the herd to reduce the spread of infections. In addition, the cows are milked by an almost fully autonomous milking station, enabling farmers to optimize their time.

Jain explained that current projects in smart agriculture are revealing the promise of autonomous farming systems. In his words, the end goal is “completely automating crop yield, soup to nuts, without a human involved.”

He pointed to a project now in its third year called the ​Hands Free Hectare which involves crop production using autonomous tractors, drones, IoT sensors, and no human hands.

“When you’re talking large scale vast areas of land, and the connectivity that you need and the latency and bandwidth requirements for things like drones and autonomous vehicles, that’s where 5G will really shine," Robinson said.

Still, there are questions on whether using short-wavelength 5G signals are practical for large farms as longer-wavelength LTE signals are better at spanning great distances. Jain dismissed the concern.

“5G is a combination of technology and will leverage the best technology suitable to the job," he said.

Smart agriculture isn’t just about optimizing farm operations and reducing costs, it also can help produce higher-quality crops. The speakers reference a Californian vineyard experimenting with intelligent irrigation systems that know precisely when the soil needs to be watered in order to produce the best tasting grapes for superior wine. Let’s cheers to that!

Networks TechTalk podcast was previously named Recalibrate with Samsung Networks.

Online gaming is a force to be reckoned with. In 2018, the gaming industry alone brought in $139 billion in revenue—more than the film industry, music streaming services, NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL...combined. Major sports leagues have reason to shake in their boots, but there’s one sport that is joining forces with the gaming world to great result—racing.

On this episode of Recalibrate, a Samsung podcast, we dove into the world of E-sports and online simulated racing with Sean Ambrose— commentator for The Global SimRacing Channel, a YouTube broadcaster for the online SimRacing platform iRacing, as well as Denis McInerny, MarketScale creative producer. Simulated car races have been around since the ’90s, but with recent improvements in streaming software and high-speed connections, real-time racing has (pun-intended) taken off.

Ambrose described iRacing as “full immersion, simulated motorsports.” This means it reflects the likes of Nascar, Formula 1, and other high-profile global races. With a simple $200 at-home wheel-and-pedal setup and a modern computer, anyone can join in these high-intensity, high-profile races.

The Global Sim Racing Channel (GSRC), broadcasts the races and plans the events from the ground up. From scheduling commentators, writing scripts, preparing graphics, and composing scoring, GSRC handles the step-by-step process to getting a simulated race to viewers and racers around the world.

iRacing is for everyone, “Anywhere from 8 years old up to 68 years old,” Ambrose said. And the bridge between real-world racing and simulated racing is slimmer than you might think. Famous and successful racing drivers like Dale Earnheart Jr frequent iRacing. Competitors that meet on the platform often form in-person racing partnerships off-screen.

Ambrose predicted “E-sports being a 2.5 billion market in 2023,” giving reason to believe that the race to democratize high-speed streaming simulated sports has just begun.

Networks TechTalk podcast was previously named Recalibrate with Samsung Networks.

In just a few short decades, computers have developed from clunky, 30-pound hunks of table-top electronics into a sleek, high-functioning pocket device. This transformation is no better epitomized than with Samsung’s latest Galaxy cell phones, tiny but powerful pocket computers with up to 12GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

So how can we best utilize these powerful palm computers? On this episode of Recalibrate, we discussed how Samsung’s DeX integration capitalizes on the power of these pocket devices, and how its mobile technology’s capabilities can transform all kinds of industries, from manufacturing to healthcare.

This Recalibrate episode is a technological deep dive into all things cloud computing with Reid Estreicher and Ray Couey of Samsung B2B, Dr. Simon Lok, CTO of RGNets, and host Jason Claybrook. Estreicher said it best when he describes the Samsung Galaxy S10 as “a really tiny computer.” And with the power of such a laptop in your hand, DeX then comes into play, using this operating system as a tether for in-the-moment cloud-based work.

“DeX is a way that allows you to bring the hardware power of it into a realm where the user experience is such that you can actually harness that," Dr. Lok said. The limitations of working on a small screen are eliminated with DeX. By using external input devices, the DeX feature can make a working computer out of any TV or monitor.

So how is this feature used in our daily lives? Picture being a doctor or nurse, bustling throughout a hospital from floor to floor. With a DeX device, your operating system goes with you, creating a “centralized cluster of machines,” wherever you are.

Additionally, DeX adds the privacy feature of secure access, via fingerprint or retina read, as opposed to the chaos of working on an open workstation. With a computer in our pockets, tech’s top thinkers elaborate on the power of mobile technology and its implications across industries on this episode of Recalibrate.

Networks TechTalk podcast was previously named Recalibrate with Samsung Networks.

By raven, by horseback, by iPhone...what do radio bandwidth and Game of Thrones have in common? We make the connection on this episode of Recalibrate by Samsung Networks. Tackling global communications and the impact of volumetric imagery are thought leaders and experts Reid Estreicher of Samsung B2B Marketing, Dr. Simon Lok, CTO of RGNets, and Ray Couey of Samsung Networks.

What is the future of radio and bandwidth? Where are global communications headed? One thing is for sure, said Dr. Lok. “[It is] impossible to solve all communication problems with one tech.”

Communication is diverse. It can be lengthy or brief and can travel short distances and far. Sending a variety of information types is done through “...an ecosystem, a diversity of different types of radio tech," said Dr. Lok. These various technologies, covered on the podcast, are essential for covering different communications.

Our guests pontificate on how when one form of communication makes great strides, others follow. In short, “high tide floats all ships," said Couey. The three will explore and help you understand the value of “K,” the unlimited capabilities of volumetric imagery, and absorb the meaning of WLAN.

Networks TechTalk podcast was previously named Recalibrate with Samsung Networks.

The business-led digital transformation transcending industries is here. With it come new security conversations around a more connected business world. What’s the biggest risk when it comes to networking? The experts say Wi-Fi. Continuing their conversation on digital transformation, the risks and future security measures in networking, host Jason Claybrook re-welcomes Keith Fuentes and Mark Irwin with Samsung Knox, and Reid Estreicher with Samsung B2B Marketing. So, why is Wi-Fi the risk? “Without encryption on the device, public Wi-Fi can give others access to your data very easily," Fuentes said. The key is to control the endpoints with added layers of security to prevent cyber criminals and hackers from accessing sensitive information. With public networks, this can get tricky. Samsung believes they have an answer. "The answer is really micro-segmenting Wi-Fi networks. It’s about creating L2/L3 domains to enable a ‘private’ part of the public Wi-Fi," Irwin said. Another issue with public Wi-Fi is the threat of compromised devices joining the network. Samsung believes to have a solution for that as well. “If you can prevent that device that’s been breached or hacked from coming onto the public Wi-Fi, you have another layer of security," Estreicher said. This new technology has the possibility of making public networks at least somewhat safer. But what else is on the horizon? Much of the buzz in the industry over Wi-Fi and security revolves around 5G. As 5G has become more powerful and approached standardization, so has its security. Security is going to be much stronger for 5G networks, but the rise of 5G doesn’t mean the end of 4G. “One thing people don’t talk about is that when 4G hit, 3G got faster. The same is true of 5G and 4G. Plus, 4G continues to evolve on its own,” Irwin said.

Networks TechTalk podcast was previously named Recalibrate with Samsung Networks.

Digital transformation can mean a lot of different things to different industries, from medical devices to sophisticated retail consumer data. With that being said, a lot has changed in the last 10 years. What about the next 10 years? Today's episode of Recalibrate brings on a panel of thought leaders from across Samsung to give unique perspectives on the impact of a worldwide digital transformation on business.

Host Jason Claybrook welcomes guests Keith Fuentes, Mark Irwin, and Reid Estreicher, who all shared that in the past, implementing new technology often ended up in a lot of trials and testing but rarely led to action; something they called “pilot purgatory.” Now things have completely changed. Harnessing digital transformations and implementing technology is now a must for any company to own the market. “Companies now have the mindset of being technology first, and [they] also happen to be in the healthcare, retail, restaurant, or other industries," Irwin said.

So, how should companies approach a digital transformation that's right for them? In the world of restaurants, it’s all about efficiency.

“We had a restaurant brand that said they wanted to digitally transform. So, we asked them what the most profitable thing they sold, and they said desserts," Estreicher said. The problem was that this restaurant wasn't selling many desserts because entrees weren’t getting to tables fast enough, and dinners were filling up. The solution? Wearables for wait staff.

“They implemented wearables for the wait staff that notified them when food was ready. It got to the table faster, and diners then had room for dessert. Dessert orders and sales went up," Estreicher said.

Now, that’s not the only opportunities restaurants have. They could take a step further with wearables and integrate those into other operations, marketing and service workflows. “It’s not enough for restaurants to sell food in the restaurant. With connectivity and sharing data securely, ecosystems exist now that weren’t available before," Irwin said.

“The same principles apply to retail and pulling more personalized data in-store. They are great at doing this online, but there are possibilities in-store as well. Being able to pull data from someone’s phone to identify them and their preferences is game changing," Fuentes said.

Networks TechTalk podcast was previously named Recalibrate with Samsung Networks.

On this episode of Recalibrate by Samsung Networks, host Jason Claybrook sat down with the Samsung Knox team of Keith Fuentes, Reid Estreicher, and Yasir Aziz to discuss security, 5G's future for companies, and which industries should benefit the most. For many, 5G is still a mysterious force whose true potential and impact is yet to be solidified. To Fuentes, this is uncannily similar to Game of Thrones.

“When technology changes and something is introduced that is foreign to the market, you have to adapt,” he said. “So [in Game of Thrones], if you look at the dragons, you can get all freaked out, but I think that’s the same thing when you look at technology with 5G. It’s going to introduce something that some people thought could never happen, shouldn’t happen, or doesn’t exist. But when it does exist, those who harness it are going to succeed, and those that don’t will probably vanquish.”

The team discussed how mobile security evolved from laptops, the security of personally identifying data, and the fascinating landscape of connected health monitors such as wearable heart rate monitors.

Claybrook led the discussion about common security myths, including what products can and cannot do in terms of securing data, ensuring productivity, or operating autonomously.

Finally, the team dove into trucking company pain points that can be solved with 5G technology and enabled devices, and the four describe what a truck driver’s job could look like with this level of connectivity.

Networks TechTalk podcast was previously named Recalibrate with Samsung Networks.

On this episode of Recalibrate with Samsung Networks, host Jason Claybrook and recurring contributor Dr. Simon Lok, CTO of RGNets, focus their conversation around networking in residential America.

At an Orlando event last year, Dr. Lok realized that professionals in IT are approaching networking in the same ways they always have, even though networks are improving in speed and capability. "They can’t see beyond their blinders, and then they wonder why the wrong methods aren’t really working," Lok said.

This is especially true with networking for the multifamily & "connected living" approach to living, an attractive idea due to its convenience and ease. A resident wants to go to the pool or the clubhouse, for example, and connect to their network, but they can’t do so traditionally. According to Lok, this is “antithetical to the cause;" end-users have a certain expectation of convenience in all aspects of their technology, including their wireless network.

The solution? Microsegmentation. Lok broke down this concept: “We build one giant SSID, and then use micro-segmentation technology to build little bubbles for every single person to connect to.”

In order to keep up with changes in how people work and live, the blinders have to come off. With the incredible technology at our disposal, it’s time to stop reimagining and start “doing." Give the whole podcast a listen for Claybrook and Lok's continued thoughts on networking in the home.

Networks TechTalk podcast was previously named Recalibrate with Samsung Networks.

On the latest episode of Recalibrate, host Jason Claybrook, Samsung Networks' Derek Johnston and Samsung B2B Mobile Marketing's Reid Estreicher delved into the advancement of networking with the arrival of 5G connectivity and other forward progress in the telecommunications industry.

In order to better understand these trends, it’s important to differentiate between them, specifically between private and public networks. The latter relies on publicly auctioned spectrum by regulatory bodies for services provided by Mobile Network Operators. The former has traditionally relied on technologies such as Wi-Fi, LMR (LAN Mobile Radio) and DAS (Distributed Antenna Systems) to provide wireless services to private enterprises. With the emergence of On-Go™ leveraging the CBRS band in the United States over shared spectrum, new possibilities are emerging to solve for limitations of previous technologies. Coupled with the launch of 5G services, enterprises and government industries in all verticals will have flexibility in how they advance their networks to create efficiencies within their organizations.

Networks TechTalk podcast was previously named Recalibrate with Samsung Networks.

Cars and trucks have become exponentially more tech-enabled throughout the years. From the genesis of “self-driving mode” to the increased production of semi-autonomous and electric-hybrid vehicles, our roads and highways are filled with wireless computer technology.

What will happen when one of those vehicular networks is hacked?

On this episode of Recalibrate with Samsung Networks, Jason Claybrook, RGNets CTO Dr. Simon Lok and Samsung B2B Mobile Marketing’s Reid Estreicher break down how a hack of a BMW i3 transformed it into a self-driving car and how 5G on the roads can help eliminate traffic jams in the future by learning information about cars from miles away.

“Not every car needs to have a self-driving system for [fixing] a traffic jam to be solved,” Lok said. “All you need to know to mitigate that is to know that the slow-down is happening several miles ahead of your visual range.”

Lok proposed that if a driver at the site of a traffic-jam, regardless of whether the car is self-driving or semi-autonomous, could pass that knowledge to every car behind them and inform drivers to reduce their speeds according to computer models. This would effectively eliminate the traffic jam.

“If you were to have an entire 5G network on all of the highways, it would essentially eliminate traffic jams everywhere, without the need of having every [car] requiring the self-driving system, it’s actually just having the information that’s important,” Lok said. “That’s why having that 5G network everywhere would be so transformative. There’s a very clear way that you can get from having that network to having an immediate, huge benefit to which everything, every person, would see.”

Networks TechTalk podcast was previously named Recalibrate with Samsung Networks.

On this episode of Recalibrate with Samsung, Dr. Simon Lok and Reid Estreicher from Samsung Networks joined the conversation to discuss the future of workspaces. The company is currently working on how its core products can work with each other to provide a new experience in a professional environment.

For example, the Samsung DeX can turn a Samsung Note 9 into a personal computer.

“By plugging my Samsung Note 9 into DeX, and users can have a desktop experience. Use the mobile device as a mouse and keyboard or use a Bluetooth keyboard. So, the question and challenge from Reid was, what can be done with this?’,” Lok said.

The company is focused on the possibility of a truly portable workspace for the individual.

“The DeX is highly usable in an environment where a user can take the phone to any screen like an office,” Estreicher noted. “But what about the individual user who needs a more portable workspace?”

Lok is excited about this possibility, and he added one more tool to the scenario—a pocket projector.

“With the smartphone, pocket projector, and DeX, I have everything literally in my pocket to create a workspace. So, I did on an airplane. With the pocket projector, I was able to project about a 40” screen. So, of course, there was interest,” he said.

Staying with the environment on the plane, security is a concern.

“There were also infrastructure devices that could be infiltrated like the in-flight entertainment. The ultimate answer a true secure portable workspace is a private network for all,” Estreicher offered.

This concern is not limited to transportation though. It will affect infrastructure in general in any industry.

“Most networks haven’t been ‘architected’ well, meaning they were built ad hoc. Nobody’s going back to enhance or strengthen it. It becomes too cost prohibitive, and most people don’t want to be the person to wave their hand. There’s such a leap frog that needs to happen in some many networks for them to be efficient, secure, and fast,” Lok said.

Networks TechTalk podcast was previously named Recalibrate with Samsung Networks.

On our first few episodes of Recalibrate, host Jason Claybrook discussed the impact 5G will have on latency, consumers, gaming, sports and more, breaking it all down with professionals from Samsung Networks. On this episode, Alok Shah of Samsung Networks joined us once again, along with Samsung’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. David Rhew, to discuss the impact 5G will have on healthcare. 
 
Consumer wearables, telemedicine, and other new technologies have been rapidly adopted by healthcare professionals to help improve patient care and practice efficiencies. With expectations that the global Internet of Things (IoT) healthcare market will reach $410 billion by 2022, the use of connected devices in this sector is accelerating at a rapid pace. 
 
Currently supported by 4G LTE capabilities, these connected devices, such as blood pressure cuffs, are proving to be effective in monitoring and improving patient care. But as technology progresses and more devices become available, doctors will rely more heavily on these instruments to continually capture, collect, and digitally receive vast amounts of patient medical data. 
 
“Health has been an area that has continued to develop over the last decade, and 4G networks have really allowed these hospitals to get substantial data rates on the network. 5G, though, will take it to another level,” said Shah. 
 
With 5G's massive Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), millions of low-energy, low-bit rate connected medical and health monitoring devices, clinical wearables and remote sensors will eventually enable near real-time monitoring of vital signs, physical activity, and prescription adherence, allowing providers to effectively administer or modify treatment from afar. 
 
“It’s important to take an overall look at trends in healthcare. There’s a big push to enable virtual care. Virtual care allows you to be able to better manage patients outside of the hospital. This oftentimes involves the use of sensors and remote patient monitoring devices,” said Dr. Rhew. “But what we’re moving towards is continuous monitoring. And with continuous monitoring, you have an opportunity to see on a regular basis changes in one’s activity, one’s behavior, one’s physiological parameters, and that is going to require a network that is capable enough to be able to pull the data in in large quantities to be able to do rapid analysis. You’re going to need low-latency times. It’s a perfect situation for 5G to really help enhance the capabilities of what we’re currently trying to do.” 
 
While many challenges lay ahead with 5G implementation, the future of bandwidth will enable a modernizing transformation in the medical profession, empowering far-reaching capabilities such as virtual reality treatments, remote diagnosis, continuous, real-time health monitoring, patient ownership of medical data, and more, providing a holistic view of a patient’s health from any place, at any time.

Networks TechTalk podcast was previously named Recalibrate with Samsung Networks.

5G technology will drive future applications however it requires effective use of spectrum to deliver 5G wireless services. On today’s episode we dive into specifics and how spectrum is being used to maximize the future of 5G. Until now, operators have only been able to leverage point-to-point communications which limits mobility. AS an OEM, Samsung has researched and developed technology to do more with spectrum. Guests Alok Shah and Derek Johnston discuss the use of technology including millimeter waves, CPRI interfaces, Open RAN, and network slicing. 

Networks TechTalk podcast was previously named Recalibrate with Samsung Networks.

On the first episode of Recalibrate with Samsung, we seek to answer one of the biggest looming questions in the telecoms space: What will be the impact of 5G? Host Jason Claybrook, Derek Johnston, and Alok Shah of Samsung Networks talk about what makes 5G networks so different, so important, and ways that consumers can utilize them that will make the existing way they’re interacting with their mobile devices so much different. 
 
“Previous generations of 2G gave us voice and texting, 3G was the introduction of data, 4G gave us a lot faster, richer internet experience and ignited the mobile economy, and now 5G is like putting fiber in your pocket, it puts all of that other stuff on steroids. It’s the evolution of mobile technology,” Johnston said. 
 
Shah agrees, and expands: “5G is more than just another generation of mobile, but you get substantially better speeds and big benefits when it comes to latency, also how long it takes from when you do something on your device to the time that the 
network responds. The responsiveness can be 30-40 milliseconds or more down into single digit milliseconds with the right network architecture. It enables things that could never be done before.” 
 
‘Enable’ is the correct word, as people are now shopping differently, playing video games differently, including using cloud gaming. Virtual reality has been around for a while but now developers are continuing to play with augmented reality games such as Pokemon Go. The rollout of 5G will change things for more than just gamers though. The sports world will also feel the difference. 
 
Samsung and other companies have done a lot of work in stadiums to enhance the way that the consumer views sporting events, including using overhead cameras, drone cameras, and stitching angles for 360 degree views. This will give each usr a lot more opportunities to access different videos but is creating a new network need with much more bandwidth required.

Networks TechTalk podcast was previously named Recalibrate with Samsung Networks.