Andy Deninger

This is how they make the [6G] sausage. Day One of the 3GPP 6G Workshop just concluded. The picture shows the room without the SA folks who were having a parallel session at the time. Emil Olbrich and I are both here holding down the Signals Research Group - SRG fort with plans to do some 5G drive testing later in the week. It was like drinking from a fire hose, only worse. Companies had 5 minutes to present their views on 6G with a hard stop, and the next presentation starting seconds later. 70 page presentations with great detail in the appendices got reduced to a few high-level slides. At the extreme risk of missing a key theme, I offer the following (in no particular order). Don't repeat 5G mistakes - avoid NSA, an early drop, voice as an after-thought, poor planning for future enhancements, fewer options and a single network architecture. NTN (non-terrestrial network), supporting both narrowband and wideband use cases, with tighter integration with the terrestrial network. Initial focus on FR3 spectrum with very little mention of THz spectrum (some discussions on improving FR2 (mmWave), including uplink coverage. Deprioritize the focus on achieving peak speeds and focus on improving the user experience and network/energy efficiency. SBFD (Subband full duplex), or essentially having the uplink traffic in the middle of a traditional TDD channel and between the downlink traffic on either side. Most appropriate for new spectrum. FDD enhancements to improve spectral efficiency. MRSS (multi-radio shared spectrum - think DSS but without the overhead associated with LTE and 5G) Hardware reuse in the RAN and a CN that leverages the existing 5G SA. IoT use cases with narrow channel bandwidth. Reductions in 5G overhead, including reduced SSB and SIB1 messages. Day 2 is tomorrow. I'll have a Signals Ahead report (subscription service) out in the future, but give me the chance to digest everything first, because there is a lot of material to review.

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Big news at #MWC25: the Qualcomm X85 5G Modem-RF solution leads Android connectivity, increasing global adoption of our Dragonwing branded 5G Open RAN cellular infrastructure platform, plus new 5G Advanced FWA and industrial IoT solutions. Visit us to see agentic AI on phones, PCs, smart glasses, and our latest industrial innovations. Video recap below!

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Here is a Fun Fact (from the just released Signals Flash report). In the 3GPP SA feasibility study on new services and markets for 5G, there are, by my count, 72 use cases. The list includes connected vehicles (#33), wireless briefcase (#39), home monitoring (#41), cloud robotics (#44), industrial factory automation (#45), UAV collaboration (#54) and telemedicine (#68), to name a few. Coming in at number 70 ��� you guessed it – Wireless Local Loop. Ironically, the few paragraphs devoted to discussing WLL focused more on providing a reliable POTS phone service and voice quality / reliability than broadband to the home, although the latter was mentioned in passing. No one had a BINGO card with FWA on it. In addition to completely missing the most notable use case [to date] for 5G, the industry was fixated on 64 kbps circuit switch video calls for UMTS / 3G. Nearly a decade later, industry outsiders introduced video calls as an over-the-top application. That is two strikes in my book, but never fear, XR is here. It also doesn’t hurt to reminisce about days gone by and technical innovations that largely fell by the wayside. AI-for-RAN is SON 2.0 with use cases that sound remarkably familiar to what I wrote about back in 2013. I’m a big believer in what AI can deliver, including for RAN optimization, but the current AI use cases that are operational today are a far cry from what AI-for-RAN is promising to deliver. Walk before you can run. You can read all about it in the free Signals Flash reports which leveraged last week’s 5G Americas virtual analyst event as its Genesis. Alternatively, you can do it the hard way and download the Flash report from the SRG website (registration required, if you haven’t done so already)  https://lnkd.in/gmbDzqwN

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We just published a post on how we went from FreeSWITCH to SWML. This expands on an earlier post about the origin of SignalWire and the challenges we faced scaling real-world communications infrastructure. FreeSWITCH gave us deep control over media and signaling. The next frontier was a way to express workflows in a way that horizontally scaled across physical regions, teams, products, and use cases and exposed powerful IVR features like Conversational AI SWML is our answer. It’s a programmable, composable framework that combines real-time media control with declarative logic and AI. You can define entire voice, video, and messaging applications in a single document that can be static or generated on demand. It’s built for people who want more than basic IVRs or cookie-cutter CPaaS functions. This is the evolution of the FreeSWITCH technology into something a web programmer can really embrace. You can build the client into a single-page browser app with our customizable widget and define the server as you wish using basic tools to generate SWML on demand to create powerful IVRs, Conversational AI, and Contact Center functionality. Read the blog here: https://lnkd.in/ex-T_JAA #SignalWire #SWML #FreeSWITCH #ProgrammableVoice #AIinTelecom #VoiceAI #TelecomInfrastructure #CPaaS #PUC #DeveloperTools #ProgrammableUnifiedCommunications

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I’ve never been so happy to eat my own words! When I last joined Wi-Fi Alliance’s The Signal podcast, I predicted a quicker-than-usual ramp up speed for #WiFi 7. The reality has been a much faster deployment than even we anticipated, across all market segments. Qualcomm as the innovation leader in the #WiFi7, we are truly encouraged to see widespread adoption across #IoT, industrial IoT, access infrastructure, #smartphone, #PC, and #automotive. Best-in-class Wi-Fi is the key to keeping up with speeds and feeds and latency requirements of pretty much every environment—including the modern home, which has about 20 connected devices on average. Our tech can handle high-speed demand, ensuring seamless video streaming, gaming and, increasingly, augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, and extended reality experiences. Tune in below to learn more about why Wi-Fi 7 is the perfect complement to advanced Fixed Wireless Access and Fiber to the Home and how it’s unlocking the benefits of edge #AI in home networks. Link: https://lnkd.in/gQZsiex9

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Sharing slides from a webinar on 'Wireless Spectrum - Approaches to Licensing', presented by FCC's Wireless Telecom Bureau Chief. The topics include: - General principles for accessing spectrum, - Licensed spectrum rules and configuration, - Secondary markets, - Spectrum transition mechanisms - Case studies. I personally believe that spectrum hoarding should not be permitted. In the context of Pakistan, it should be auctioned on 'Use it or share it' basis. Spectrum leasing / sharing should be permitted. New concepts of 'Supplemental Coverage from Space' (SCS) should be explored. And the tiered spectrum access system should be expanded to frequency bands other than CBRS as well.

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Several days after this writer posted about the lopsided market narrative related to co-packaged optics (please see: https://lnkd.in/eReYuVp8), there were a couple of references to the CEO of Nvidia, Jensen Huang, stating that such a solution is not inevitable, starting with a news article (https://lnkd.in/egyNwa92). The piece quotes a supposedly contemporaneous video on a social media site in which Jensen says the following to a press outlet about working with TSMC on silicon photonics: “It’s still several years away. We should stay with copper for as long as we can, and then after that, if we must, we’ll use SiPh.” (https://lnkd.in/eRPv9RDQ). It should be noted that there are couple of comments on the post, despite the August 2025 date, questioning the timing of the statement, and it does appear that the tape was made in January of 2025. It looks like he is in Taiwan for the New Year's event. Yet, the comments are still instructive. While signing autographs, Jensen is somewhat distracted, but he is obviously providing his frank view of the technology. In stark contrast, only a few months later, at GTC 2025, he has effusive praise for SiPh and CPO, with the targeted audience also involving investment analysts. To be fair, it could be asserted that in the first case, Jensen’s comment was only for the NVLink scale-up fabric. Nevertheless, it still provides insight into his actual expectations for CPO. There is the view that was notably expressed very well by Loi Nguyen, EVP Emeritus, Optics, at Marvell Technology at the Optica Executive Forum at OFC 2025 on scale-up that Nvidia will do everything possible to cramp more GPUs in a single rack with liquid cooling and other techniques to allow them to stay with copper. He also believes that the present CPO effort is on a noncritical path in scaling out on a switch platform in which the pluggable is the primary option -- and so, essentially agrees that it will take several years more for CPO to be ready. Such a timeframe would obviously conflict with Nvidia’s quite optimistic 2026 schedule for shipment. Thus, the business narrative for CPO itself will inexorably remain on a more solid foundation compared with the actual, past realities of engineers struggling over the years to get the solution to work. There will continue to be the basic challenges with production, testing, and dependability. 

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https://lnkd.in/gXZN69sJ The FCC’s approval of Starlink’s direct-to-cell service highlights a growing shift: connectivity in remote areas is no longer optional; it’s essential. But while satellite solutions fill the most extreme gaps, cellular remains the backbone of reliable coverage for everyday drivers, fleets, and first responders. At Zetifi, we share this vision with Nextivity, and our work alongside Michiel Lotter and his team reflects that. By integrating Nextivity’s ROAM R41 with our Smart Antenna, we're delivering a smarter, more adaptable connectivity solution for Australian drivers. ✅ Optimised CEL-FI boosting with GPS-driven band selection & gain control ✅ Seamless integration into vehicles, maximising coverage ✅ Flexible options, including UHF + Cellular in one rugged antenna Like in the US, Australian fleets and businesses demand better, more reliable connectivity - and we’re making that happen. No single technology can solve the problem alone, but the right combination of innovation and expertise can. 💬 How do you see the future of hybrid connectivity solutions evolving? #Connectivity #Zetifi #Nextivity #SmartAntenna #ROAMR41 #CELFI #RuralConnectivity #Telecommunications

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Today marks a powerful step forward for wireless in America. We’re thrilled to welcome millions of UScellular customers and thousands of new teammates to T-Mobile. What does this mean? More choice, better coverage, and next-level experiences. Starting today: ✅ UScellular customers get access to America’s best network ✅ Enhanced coverage for both UScellular and T-Mobile customers ✅ Expanded access to high-speed home internet, especially in rural communities ✅ A seamless transition — with nearly all UScellular devices compatible from Day 1 ✅ The beginning of value-packed Un-carrier benefits: Netflix, Apple TV+, in-flight Wi-Fi, travel & dining benefits. This move strengthens our commitment to closing the digital divide. We’re deepening our investment in small towns and rural communities — bringing more spectrum, broader coverage, and better connectivity to the places that need it most. To our new customers: Welcome to the Un-carrier! To our new teammates: Welcome to T-Mobile! Let’s make an even bigger impact — together. 💪 #WeWontStop #TeamMagenta #UScellular #WelcomeToTheUncarrier 🔗 More here: https://lnkd.in/gbMkuRH8

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Interesting to be involved in this foresighting exercise around RF and Microwave skills. Think the last paragraph is key conveys the issue - ‘The report concludes with a clear warning: without immediate and coordinated action, the UK risks falling behind in deploying secure and resilient telecommunications infrastructure. The skills gap is not just a training issue—it’s a potential national capability bottleneck. The resilience, progress, and sovereignty of the UK’s telecoms sector depend on bridging this gap now.’ https://lnkd.in/ep_cAtxt

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T-Mobile has driven a lot of firsts in wireless — but this one’s game-changing across the board.   We're launching plans packed with added benefits, T-Satellite coverage on select plans, and a 5-year price guarantee on talk, text, and 5G data — all with America’s largest 5G network!   This is how the Un-carrier combines industry-shaking innovative connectivity with an experience that truly puts customers first 👏👏 https://lnkd.in/ggBGdKEb

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