The FCC Enforcement Bureau denied a complaint by a customer who alleged that Verizon violated the rules attached to its 700 MHz C-block licenses by causing the tethering application on his handset to stop functioning. Edward Ryan alleged that following a 2013 network update by Verizon he could no longer tether with his Motorola Moto X phone using the FoxFi application, the bureau said. “We find that the record contains no evidence that Verizon took any action causing Ryan’s difficulties” and “we deny Ryan’s complaint,” said a Tuesday order in docket 14-219. Ryan couldn’t be reached for comment.

Microsoft worries how Secure Handling of Asserted Information Using Tokens (Shaken) technology will be implemented. Commissioners take up a rulemaking asking questions about giving carriers more tools to block robocalls at their June 6 meeting (see 1905150041). Microsoft representatives met with aides to all five FCC members, said a filing in docket 17-59 posted Tuesday. “We raised concerns about the possibility that voice providers may implement SHAKEN in a non-uniform manner,” the company said, giving as an example, "if the same call is treated significantly differently depending on which provider’s network is terminating the call.” Nonuniform rollout “could significantly increase the difficulty for calling service providers to build originating calling services that comply with each provider's differing approach to SHAKEN and to ensure, ultimately, that their outbound calls receive the proper designation and termination,” the company said.

The U.S. installed base of iPhones “continues to plateau,” said Consumer Intelligence Research Partners analyst Josh Lowitz in a Thursday report. CIRP estimated Q1 global sales of 39 million iPhones, derived from an estimated average selling price of $803 and disclosed Apple iPhone revenue. The U.S. installed base of iPhones reached 193 million at the end of Q1 up from 173 million in the year-ago quarter and 189 million at the end of the holiday quarter, CIRP said. U.S. sales have “flattened considerably” in the past two or three years, due to slowing unit sales and longer ownership periods, Lowitz noted. While 12 percent year on year growth “is still good,” investors had become accustomed to 5 percent or more quarterly growth and 20 percent annual growth, said the analyst. The trend “prompts investors to wonder if iPhone sales outside of the US will compensate, and places greater pressure on Apple’s determination to sell other products and services to the installed base of iPhone owners,” he said.

Sony Mobile will launch the Xperia 1 July 12 on Verizon at Best Buy, Amazon, B&H Photo, Focus Camera and other retailers, it said Thursday. The $949 smartphone will be the first to include a 4K OLED display, said Sony. The 6.5-inch phone has a 21:9 widescreen display, a three-lens camera and will be the first smartphone to have Eye auto focus, it said. The camera offers 10 frames-per-second shooting and auto focus and auto exposure tracking. Additional features include Master Monitor color reproduction from Sony’s pro side, a “creator” mode, Dolby Atmos sound and a game enhancer feature that optimizes performance and blocks unwanted notifications.

T-Mobile opposed giving Verizon a waiver so it can adopt a temporary, 60-day lock on 4G LTE handsets to ensure bona fide customers are purchasing the handsets. Verizon faces special restrictions because of the rules for the 700 C-block spectrum the carrier bought in a 2008 auction (see 1903050057). “Verizon does not demonstrate a sufficient nexus between the relief it seeks and the fraud it seeks to prevent,” T-Mobile said in comments posted Wednesday in docket 06-150. “Any change to Verizon’s obligation must be as a result of a change to the Commission’s rules.”

Virginians rank distracted driving as more serious than drunken driving and five other highway safety issues, said a state survey shared Tuesday by Gov. Ralph Northam (D). About 2,000 people participated in the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute's 11-question survey. “We know that distracted driving is a fast-growing epidemic in the Commonwealth and the 93 percent of town hall participants who agreed is a clear indication that this serious safety issue is a concern of nearly all Virginians,” said Northam. While most agreed distracted driving is a problem, “nearly 80 percent candidly admitted that they at least sometimes use their cellphones while driving,” noted Transportation Secretary Shannon Valentine.

ClearCaptions offers an application using geolocation technology available within an iPhone to “accurately identify a user’s geographic location for the purpose of quickly routing an emergency call,” becoming the first IP captioned telephone service to do so, it told the FCC Monday in a notice of substantive change in docket 03-123. The app includes Bluetooth connectivity and “improved location tracking for 911 support,” it said.

“Organic sales” in DowDuPont’s Electronics & Imaging sector declined 6 percent in Q1 from “soft smartphone demand,” said Marc Doyle, chief operating officer-specialty products, on an earnings call Thursday. Smartphone materials are about 25 percent of the sector’s sales, “and while we sell to all smartphone providers, our portfolio is more exposed to premium models.” which were estimated to have declined “in the high teens” for the quarter, he said. “We continue to expect a rebound in the second half, driven by the seasonal introduction of new models with upgraded features and offerings, including higher penetration of OLED screens and initial models with 5G capability both benefiting our sales.” It “obviously would be nice to resolve” the Section 301 tariff issue because that “would play out very nicely over the next few years for us in China,” said CEO Edward Breen. “I'm a big believer that consumer confidence will sit pretty bad by that issue” if not resolved, he said.

Samsung will announce an “updated launch schedule” for the Galaxy Fold “within the next few weeks,” said Robert Yi, head of investor relations, on a Q1 call Monday. Review samples of the foldable smartphone were damaged when “force” was applied to the exposed "top and bottom part of the hinge,” he said, repeating details Samsung shared April 22 when it postponed the April 26 launch indefinitely (see 1904220028). Yi shed no light on what Samsung is doing to fix the problem. “We have invested quite a long time and effort in order to develop the Galaxy Fold,” he said. “We believe that it is going to be the product that provides a differentiated premium experience to customers who want to have the latest technology and innovative experiences and that the Galaxy Fold will create a new category in smartphones.” Samsung’s “conviction and commitment behind that has not changed,” he said. Samsung in Q1 maintained top share globally in the premium TV category of sets priced higher than $2,500, said Kim Seog-gi, Samsung Visual Display vice president-sales and marketing. Samsung’s recent introduction of its QLED line of 8K TVs in 65- to 98-inch screen sizes is getting “favorable responses from the market,” said Kim. Samsung expects Q2 global TV market demand to “weaken slightly” due to unfavorable exchange rates in emerging markets and the “lack of global sporting events this year,” he said. The TV “is projected to grow slightly year-on-year” in 2019's second half, he said.

Global smartphone shipments declined 6.6 percent to 310.8 million units, “a clear sign that 2019 will be another down year,” said IDC Tuesday. Shipments declined 4.1 percent, “inclusive of a first quarter” that was down 3.5 percent, roughly “just half of what the market experienced in Q1 this year, it said. "The overall smartphone market continues to be challenged in almost all areas, yet Huawei was able to grow shipments by 50%.” That made the brand “a clear number two in terms of market share,” and it’s “closing the gap” on leader Samsung, it said: “This new ranking of Samsung, Huawei, and Apple is very likely what we'll see" in 2019.