In a VIP limited-time offer, buy-and-sell site Gazelle is offering $25 off all certified, used Apple gear, it said Thursday in an email to customers. The 128 GB iPhone 7 Plus was $569 on AT&T Wireless and $489 on Sprint, while the 128 GB iPhone 7 was $479 on Sprint, $489 on AT&T and $529 unlocked, said the trade-in site. Prices for 64 GB iPhone 6 Plus phones were $339 on AT&T Wireless, Verizon and T-Mobile, $309 on Sprint and $349 unlocked. Prices are good through Sunday, it said.

T-Mobile and Ericsson said they became the first to demo speeds exceeding 1 Gbps using 12-layer licensed assisted access technology. The LAA milestone was reached at T-Mobile’s lab using Ericsson technology and test gear from Cobham Wireless, Ericsson said in a Tuesday news release. “Breaking the 1 Gbps-mark means that commercial gigabit speeds are not far from reality for many broadband users, with our LAA and MIMO technologies as key enablers,” said Fredrik Jejdling, Ericsson head of networks, referring to multiple-input and multiple-output. LAA is technology that will let carriers offer service in unlicensed spectrum.

The FCC extending the time frame for compliance with wireless emergency alert rules requiring participating commercial mobile services provide clickable embedded references in WEA messages from 12 months to 30 took effect Monday, said that day's Federal Register. It said the extension doesn't apply to AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint and U.S. Cellular. It said the extension was in response to CTIA (see 1708170017) seeking reconsideration and Competitive Carrier Association similarly seeking more time (see 1708160063), which CCA didn't get for geo-targeting.

Google's explanation for how it handles location tracking is "inadequate," said Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., in a letter to CEO Sundar Pichai, after an investigation by Quartz showing Google collects location information from Android devices even after consumers disable tracking. "The American public is growing increasingly uneasy about the amount of data collected on them," said the letter, which asked Google to explain its data collection processes in detail, particularly when users are offline or in airplane mode. It was asked to specify by Jan. 12 whether location data it collects is associated with a specific device ID; what information is collected in Wi-Fi and hot spot access points; and whether it collects user data from Apple devices. The company didn't comment Monday.

Verizon will launch 5G-enabled wireless residential broadband services in three to five U.S. markets next year, it said Wednesday. The first will be Sacramento, in the second half. The carrier said other markets would be announced later. It said it successfully tested 5G residential applications in 11 markets this year, and 5G residential broadband services are a potential 30 million-household market. Chief Technology Officer Hans Vestberg said the initial launches "will provide a strong framework for accelerating 5G’s future deployment on the global standards.”

Consumer groups don't oppose streamlining FCC reporting requirements for hearing aid-compatible (HAC) mobile handsets but oppose eliminating them, said Hearing Loss Association of America and others in reply comments this week in docket 17-228. Don’t “throw out the baby with the bathwater,” they said. “Even if Form 655 is burdensome to file, as industry contends, there is no reason to abandon the procedure that the ATIS HAC Incubator worked hard to develop, that all parties agreed to, and the Commission adopted.” CTIA and the Competitive Carriers Association urged the FCC to eliminate 655 reporting requirements for all service providers. The wireless groups said consumers have resources to find the right device and understand the HAC-rating system, “making the Commission’s reporting requirement unnecessary for either educational or compliance purposes.”

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai told Rep. Darren Soto, D-Fla., he “will continue to encourage manufacturers and service providers to make FM reception available to consumers to provide cost effective access to critical information during crises.” Soto pressed Pai in September on smartphone FM-chip activation for emergency broadcasting during disaster events amid the aftermath of hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. Pai urged Apple in September to activate FM chips in iPhones to promote public safety (see 1709280060). Pai noted his comments on Apple in a letter to Soto released Wednesday. “I am also pleased to note that recently Sprint and [NextRadio] announced that FM reception would be available on most Sprint Android and Windows phones using" the NextRadio app, Pai said.

Smartphone penetration in the U.S. reached 82 percent this year and 93 percent among 18-24-year-olds, Deloitte reported Friday. The strongest growth in ownership is the 55-and-older age group. Some 264 million Americans use their mobile phones 12 billion times daily, and handset usage and growth rates “matured after years of robust growth," said the consultant. Consumers are “fairly consistent” in the way they use smartphones, and interest has been buoyed by IoT-related apps and services, unlimited data plans and device upgrades, it said.

FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel tweeted that she concurs with calls by the National Weather Service, the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a sped-up time frame for implementation of device-based geotargeting of wireless emergency alerts (see 1711150011), She pushed Wednesday for her agency to act.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai appears poised to make another move on contraband cellphones in prisons. Chief of Staff Matthew Berry tweeted Monday the wireless industry isn’t doing enough (see 1711130055). Berry was retweeted by Zenji Nakazawa, Pai’s public safety adviser. The agency didn’t comment. Earlier this month, Pai wrote House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and 51 other House and Senate members, saying the FCC is “actively” communicating “with state and local law enforcement and corrections officials,” and others about “effective, efficient solutions” (see 1711070067). In March, commissioners approved an order that focused on quicker deployment of contraband interdiction systems as an alternative to jamming (see 1703230056). In September (see 1708290054), DOJ said the Communications Act “does not necessarily preclude" jamming. A former spectrum official said the FCC appears to be contemplating allowing corrections officials to jam cell signals, though industry is likely to challenge that as prohibited by the act. Since Commissioner Mike O’Rielly made clear he would oppose jamming, it’s unclear where Pai would get a third vote, even if he has the support of Commissioner Brendan Carr, the former official said. Pai "has been very vocal about wanting to address the epidemic of contraband cell phones in prisons and the crime that they facilitate,” said Jamie Barnett, former Public Safety Bureau chief, now at Venable. “Commissioner Carr also has been diligent in searching for innovative technical solutions." Berry's tweet "seems to be a signal of frustration and possibly indicates that the FCC may move forward with one or more solutions," Barnett said. "The chairman may be showing an independent streak on this issue.” The Office of Engineering and Technology recently OK'd special temporary authority for Securus to test technology aimed at curbing contraband cellphones. The STA started Tuesday and expires May 4. “Contraband cellphone use is among the highest public safety issues for the Georgia Department of Corrections (DoC) and Securus has been contracted to test and deploy Managed Access Systems (MAS),” said its application. “This STA is necessary to support expedited testing of new antennal types and locations as well as new software.” Carriers support “the goal of blocking the flow of contraband phones into prisons and denying service to those phones that do get smuggled into the hands of prisoners, while allowing 9-1-1 and legitimate calls to go through," a CTIA spokesman said. "We continue to work with all stakeholders, including government, the public safety community and technology providers, to identify and implement effective and lawful solutions."