telecommunications

The three largest US carriers announced an agreement in principle on May 14 to form a joint venture that will pool spectrum resources and build shared satellite direct-to-device infrastructure to close coverage gaps in rural and underserved areas.

The 3GPP standards body must decide by June 2026 how long Release 21 work will take, a decision that will set the pace for the first commercial 6G networks expected around 2030.

Public Notice DA 26-314 invites industry comment on opening the 5030-5091 MHz, 960-1164 MHz, CBRS 3.5 GHz, 450 MHz, and 24 GHz bands to drone operations, creating innovation zones, and modernizing counter-UAS experimental licensing, with responses due May 1.

The three largest Open RAN operators are scaling deployments in 2026, with AT&T past 50% of its Nokia-to-Ericsson radio swap and targeting 70% open-capable traffic by year-end.

The Linux Foundation launches the OCUDU Ecosystem Foundation with 47 members including AMD, Nokia, NVIDIA, and Verizon to build an open-source radio access network stack for 5G and 6G, backed by the Pentagon's FutureG office.

SpaceX used MWC 2026 to rebrand its satellite phone service, announce next-generation V2 satellites with 100x data density, and sign Deutsche Telekom to bring coverage to 10 European countries by 2028.