Telecom News in the US, this week (Mar 3)

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Briefing Document: Telecommunications Industry Trends - Early 2025

Overview:

• Innovative Billing Solutions: AT&T's introduction of SplitPay℠ for multi-line accounts.
• 5G Advancements & Network APIs: Improvements in 5G technology and the launch of advanced network APIs by major carriers.
• Market Dynamics: Subscriber growth for Boost Mobile, despite losses in the pay-TV sector.
• Service Reliability: Outages affecting T-Mobile and Mint Mobile users.

1. AT&T's SplitPay℠: Simplifying Bill Splitting

• Key Features: SplitPay℠ allows account owners to assign a payor for each line, sending each designated user a text message with a secure link to pay their portion of the bill.
• Convenience & User-Friendliness: The service aims to eliminate the "headache of bill splitting," making it "simple and pain-free."
• Limitations: Account owners remain responsible for the total bill amount, and AutoPay via credit cards is excluded.

2. Satellite Connectivity: Bridging Coverage Gaps

• AT&T & Verizon Partnerships: Both carriers are working with AST SpaceMobile to build a "space-based cellular broadband network." They recently completed their "first satellite to cellular-enabled video call" using AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird satellites.
• Key Milestones (AT&T & AST SpaceMobile): The partnership has achieved several milestones, including the first two-way voice call (April 2023), the first over-the-top video application call (June 2023), and the first direct-to-cellular 5G call (September 2023) over AT&T spectrum.
• Eutelsat, MediaTek & Airbus: These companies have conducted the "world’s first trial of 5G Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) technology" over Eutelsat OneWeb LEO satellites. This aims to "result in future satellite and terrestrial interoperability" and enable "ubiquitous connectivity with economies of scale."

3. 5G Advancements & Network APIs: Enhancing Performance and Innovation

• Verizon's Speed Record: Verizon, in collaboration with Ericsson and Qualcomm, achieved a "US record-breaking 480 Mbps uplink speed" using C-band spectrum and uplink MIMO technology. Faster upload speeds are "critical for time-sensitive applications like healthcare diagnostics, remote robotics, and live broadcasting."
• Advanced Network APIs: AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon are launching advanced network APIs for Number Verification and SIM Swap in the US through a collaboration with Aduna and Ericsson. This is designed to empower enterprises and developers with "carrier-grade, standardized network API capabilities" for secure authentication and fraud reduction.

4. AI Integration: Reshaping Networks and Customer Experience

• Network Optimization
• Customer Service: Customer service bots are evolving into more intelligent systems, providing personalized support.
• Verizon & AI: Verizon is developing an AI strategy to power next-gen AI demands. The company also launched AI Connect, providing low-latency edge computing for AI workloads.

5. Market Dynamics: Boost Mobile's Growth

• Subscriber Gains: Boost added 90,000 subscribers in Q4 2024, and 105,000 when adjusting to the 15,000 it lost due to the demise of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

6. Service Reliability: T-Mobile Outage

Outage affecting T-Mobile and Mint Mobile users in Indiana.

• Prolonged Disruption: Cell phone service was disrupted for three days, starting on February 24th.

Thank you for listening!
-Mario Mejia