The 3rd Generation Partnership Project approved technical specifications that will let Ligado's L-band spectrum be used in 5G networks, the company said Monday. It said the 3GPP approvals will let vendors build compatible 5G and LTE products. This “gives us what we need to accelerate our commercial ecosystem activities and expand Ligado’s roster of partners to deploy this much-needed spectrum,” said Ligado CEO Doug Smith. The L-band uplinks are a “critical asset” for 5G and the approval “is a solid accomplishment,” New Street Research analyst Jonathan Chaplin wrote investors. He said the final major step is getting radio and chipset vendors to incorporate the spectrum into their designs.

Samsung and Vivo were the fastest-growing smartphone vendors globally in Q1, reported Strategy Analytics Wednesday. Samsung’s shipments grew 78% sequentially from 2020's Q4, while Vivo’s were up 62%. Global 5G smartphone shipments grew “a healthy” 6% quarter on quarter, reaching a quarterly record 136 million handsets in Q1, said analyst Ken Hyers. Demand for 5G smartphones “remains very strong,” especially in China, the U.S. and Western Europe, he said. SA forecasts global 5G smartphone shipments to reach 624 million handsets this year for 132% year-over-year growth.

A National Advertising Review Board panel recommended Boost Mobile discontinue the claim it offers “unlimited data” on its “Go Unlimited” data plans based on a finding that it “failed to provide proper support for the use of the ‘unlimited data’ claim as reasonable consumers understand that term,” the Better Business Bureau affiliate said Wednesday. AT&T challenged the claims, the NARB said. Customers are throttled from 4G to 2G for the remainder of the month after reaching a cap, NARB said: “Throttling to 2G makes standard data operations virtually unusable, in contrast with consumer expectations about how the availability of ‘unlimited data’ enables them to use their phones.” Boost parent Dish Network didn’t comment.

CTIA and carriers spoke with FCC, NTIA and DOD officials to push for more complete information before the 3.45 GHz auction. Information is sought on the “coordination framework and auction products with more granularity,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 19-348. “Bidders need access to detailed information about coordination, encumbrances, and the available auction products as soon as possible to make informed decisions,” CTIA said. AT&T, T-Mobile, UScellular and Verizon spoke with officials including Ron Repasi, FCC Office of Engineering and Technology acting chief; Vernita Harris, director-DOD Spectrum Policy and Programs Directorate; and Derek Khlopin, NTIA senior adviser.

Speakers made clear at a recent New Street conference that business-to-business innovation will be important to making 5G profitable for providers, the firm's James Ratzer told investors Monday. Experts “were unanimous in the view that the pace of 5G B2B innovation has stepped up significantly, with a thousand flowers set to bloom across a huge range of vertical markets, end-user applications and value chain configurations,” he said: “This is important if 5G is to become more than just an enabler of cheap capacity at higher connection speeds.”

The FCC said Friday it’s rescheduling its June 29 virtual open radio access network showcase to July 14-15 and adding a day “to accommodate the large number of interested participants.”

AT&T said it completed the first field test calls over C-band spectrum using a mobile test platform in Plano, Texas, and Detroit. The tests were in April and May.

Verizon is launching On Site 5G, said the carrier Thursday: The private networks are “custom-designed and managed by Verizon, allowing large enterprise and public sector customers to bring Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband capabilities to indoor or outdoor facilities where high-speed, high-capacity, low-latency connectivity is crucial."

Motorola’s new moto g stylus 5G will be available unlocked at Best Buy, Walmart, B&H Photo, Amazon and Motorola.com Monday for $399, it said Wednesday. It uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 480 5G mobile platform, has a quad camera system with a 48-megapixel main sensor and a 5,000-mAh battery designed to last for days on a single charge, said the company. Availability will follow later at AT&T, Cricket, T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile, Boost Mobile, Xfinity Mobile and Spectrum Mobile, it said.

Microsoft President Brad Smith spoke with FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on 5G, broadband, open radio access networks, the 12 GHz proceeding and a draft order on importation and marketing of devices, said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 20-443. “Smith expressed support for the Commission’s adoption of its draft order allowing greater flexibility in the importation and marketing of radio frequency devices,” the filing said. In 12 GHz, Microsoft supports “ensuring that satellite operations in the … band are not undermined,” the filing said.