Verizon Poised to Take Over Unlicensed WiFi Band

Like I've said in an earlier post, Licensed Amateur "Ham" Radios vs CB and Unlicensed Radios, if you don't use it, you'll lose it when it comes to the unlicensed frequency bands. WiFi is on the verge of being taken over by Verizon Wireless and it seems that the F.C.C. will probably let them get away with it.

I assume that you will still get to use the 5GHz WiFi band license free, if Verizon isn't out there hogging up the band and making it's users pay for it. I imagine if you have a meshnet in use and Verizon causes interference, you would have no recourse to stop them, but if your meshnet causes interference to their LTE U network, I bet Verizon will have a team of lawyers ready to shut you down on the people's unlicensed WiFi frequency bands.

So I guess Verizon can use our unlicensed WiFi bands for free and set up small cell towers ultimately forcing meshnets out of existence while making money off of it's use. It is possible that they may even interfere with your home WiFi router if they are putting up towers in your neighborhood and using up the WiFi bandwidth.

LTE in Unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U)

LTE-U would allow cellphone carriers to boost coverage in their cellular networks, by using the unlicensed 5 GHz band already populated by Wi-Fi devices. T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless have indicated early interest in deploying such a system as soon as 2016.[3] While cell providers ordinarily rely on the radio spectrum to which they have exclusive licenses, LTE-U would share space with Wi-Fi equipment already inhabiting that band – smartphones, laptops and tablets connecting to home broadband networks, free hotspots provided by businesses, and so on. Read more: hemorroidhideaway.boards.net...

LTE in unlicensed spectrum

"We are actually testing it in the labs now," said Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) CFO Fran Shammo on the operator's third-quarter earnings call on Tuesday morning. "We are looking to deploy sometime in 2016." Shammo says the operator will use it to dynamically add capacity to its 4G LTE network as needed. Shammo says it will be a good way to add capacity at a reasonable cost. (See Wireless Companies Unite to Ward Off LTE-U Regulation.) "In Chicago, we are on our schedule for small cell deployments," Shammo said. He noted that mobile data usage is up 75% year-on-year in Chicago. (See Verizon Small Cells Ready to Rock in Chicago.) "New York City and San Francisco are higher than that," Shammo added. (See Verizon Trumpets Network Densification Plans.) Read more: hemorroidhideaway.boards.net...

Verizon to Start Deploying LTE-U in 2016

What's next then, taking over the unlicensed Multi-Use Radio Service bands too?

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

I really liked your post. I copied some of it. Snipped some.I added "source a blogger"and put on Verizon;s FB page. I added my own comment after.

Odd, I have posted there before, many times..complaining about bills and such. Not a problem, I would get a PM asking for more details and to PM them back. THIS time, I got a message that the site owner would have to approve my post.

Note: I was trying to not steal from you and at the same time preserve your privacy by snipping the wording. In case you wondered.

a reply to: reldra

Sweet, did you get a screen shot ?, we dont do FB in these parts, well done for stickin it to'em

Crap! It looks like someone beat me to this in another thread.

Tech Giants Say Verizon’s New Cellular Tech Could Wreck Wi-Fi

Oh well, it happens. I think I'll report my own repeat thread. Thanks for the replies Reldra and Scuba Gravy at any rate.

originally posted by: reldra
a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

I really liked your post. I copied some of it. Snipped some.I added "source a blogger"and put on Verizon;s FB page. I added my own comment after.

Odd, I have posted there before, many times..complaining about bills and such. Not a problem, I would get a PM asking for more details and to PM them back. THIS time, I got a message that the site owner would have to approve my post.

Note: I was trying to not steal from you and at the same time preserve your privacy by snipping the wording. In case you wondered.

I'm actually happy to hear that you did that, not a problem for me, I want this information to get out there.

I originally posted it on my own board here -

Link to MCBRN Forum

and on another one, I can't post that link on ATS unfortunately.

I'm not sure if this applies to the unlicensed WiFi frequencies, but the F.C.C. rules in relation to the other unlicensed frequencies say that you can use them for business purposes but can't make money from their use. Basically I mean that you can use the CB, MURS and FRS while conducting a business, but can't make money directly from their use, like charging people for using them or by starting a messaging service for a profit, etc.

originally posted by: scubagravy
a reply to: reldra

Sweet, did you get a screen shot ?, we dont do FB in these parts, well done for stickin it to'em

I didn;t get the ss of the pop up message. What I typed is in my facebook activity page, but it is difficult to get a SS of that, as it tries to copy all activity. But they have it.

After looking over F.C.C. Part 15 rules, it seems that commercial use of the unlicensed WiFi frequencies is OK to do. They seem to be primarily concerned with interference with the different uses of the frequencies.

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck
wow i bought my mom a verizon hotspot so she coyuld watch netflixs and it used up the prepaid card in like 2 hours so now verizon wants to set up wifi adapters to jack into peoples open internet and steal their service then charge their poor customers extra when they go over their data plan am i understanding this right . i gues the days of open hotspots are going to disappear why would anyone want to let a giant company skim profits of their service?

All on the VZW attack, but no hate for T-Mobile, who are planning on deploying it in 2016 as well?

Bunch of knee-jerk reactions anyways.

Unlicensed 5GHz spectrum has been used by cell carriers, backhaul providers and businesses for over a decade and no one's complained yet. Power output levels are limited and penetration through any solid object is almost non-existent- even tree leaves mess with the signals.

An LTE-U network would require an AP situated every 25 meters or so in order to have any significant impact on adjacent equipment and would have to be almost directly between you and your AP to affect you.

Also, notice the name: LTE-U. LTE over Unlicensed spectrum. It's an LTE-based air-interface in 5GHz spectrum and has nothing to do with Wi-Fi other than using the same frequencies. So, if they made a phone that was strictly LTE-U, it could not connect to your Wi-Fi AP.

Google's challenge to LTE-U was based on tests done with a signal generator, not actual LTE-U equipment so is not a real-world test. Any network at any frequency would suffer issues when subjected to a plain signal generator.

originally posted by: proteus33
a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck
wow i bought my mom a verizon hotspot so she coyuld watch netflixs and it used up the prepaid card in like 2 hours so now verizon wants to set up wifi adapters to jack into peoples open internet and steal their service then charge their poor customers extra when they go over their data plan am i understanding this right . i gues the days of open hotspots are going to disappear why would anyone want to let a giant company skim profits of their service?

Your assessment that "verizon wants to set up wifi adapters to jack into peoples open internet and steal their service then charge their poor customers extra" is what I was taking from this. I guess no one should make a WiFi internet connection available without a password.

May main concern was what this would do to the Meshnet movement. IMO you shouldn't be able to use any unlicensed frequency to make money directly from it's use like you own it and others must pay for it. The air waves used to be owned by the public, then the F.C.C. came around and took control to make everyone pay to use most of it. Now we have big businesses trying to take what few frequencies are left for free use by the public. There must be some kickbacks somewhere coming in from this type of use of the unlicensed frequencies.

Strange that this thread is still open. I requested that it get shut down and redirected to an earlier one in this same forum right after I posted it. Oh well, I'll continue to monitor the responses, give stars and throw my two cents every once and a while.