Live blog—FierceWireless Next Gen Wireless Networks Summit

FierceWireless is hosting the Next Gen Wireless Networks Summit to bring together top executives in the wireless space to delve into the question: Will everything go wireless? We’ll be looking at both the business case and the technologies necessary to introduce the next generation of wireless networks.

Keep checking back here for continued updates from the show.

Announcing the Fierce service provider and executive of the year
For the past five years, FierceWireless has conducted its annual “innovation awards,” recognizing outstanding products and companies. This year was a bit different though: In addition to our paid categories, we offered two categories that were free for anyone to enter—service provider of the year and executive of the year. Judged by the Fierce Advisory Council, Fierce contributors and the Fierce editorial team, these two categories sought out the people and players that made a substantial impact on the industry in 2017.

AT&T’s Arnoldi: Security cannot be an afterthought
DALLAS—Security is so important to AT&T and its customers, it’s designing its network from the start with security in mind.

Facebook gaining operator traction with TIP, just not U.S. operators so much
DALLAS—Facebook is very pleased with the amount of interest that it’s seen from the operators in the Telecom Infra Project (TIP). In fact, it recently added some new board members from BT, Telefonica and Vodafone, joining existing board members from Deutsche Telekom, Nokia, Intel and Facebook.

Charter, Federated tout CBRS momentum, but T-Mobile worries over 5G suitability
DALLAS—The 3.5 GHz CBRS band continues to generate a significant amount of interest in the wireless industry, but, as always, the devil is in the details. Some companies, like cable company Charter Communications, are moving full steam ahead on using the 3.5 GHz band for small cells and LTE. Others, like T-Mobile, are eyeing 3.5 GHz for 5G.

T-Mobile has deals to deploy 28K small cells 'in the short term'
DALLAS—T-Mobile has contracted to deploy tens of thousands of small cells to densify its network in advance of 5G, T-Mobile’s vice president of network technology and strategy said Wednesday.

Sprint hints at 6 Gbps peak speeds over LTE network
DALLAS—A top Sprint executive said that the operator could use a combination of several key wireless technologies, including massive MIMO, to eventually offer theoretical peak speeds on its LTE network of up to 6 Gbps.

Verizon on track to launch 5G broadband offering in 2018: Palmer
DALLAS—Verizon shared a few tidbits about what it’s learned from millimeter wave trials, which it has been studying in 11 markets across the country, and it’s looking better than originally expected when it comes to propagation and range.

Lowenstein’s View: Key questions for Next Gen Wireless Networks Summit
Mark Lowenstein will be in Dallas to participate in the Next Gen Wireless Networks Summit hosted by FierceWireless. The event starts with the Telecom Innovation Awards on Nov. 28, followed by a full day of sessions on Nov. 29 and concluding with an “Analyst Predictions Dinner” panel sharing some thoughts on 2018.

Top wireless execs head to Next Gen Wireless Networks Summit to cover 5G, CBRS, AI and more
Representatives from all of the nation’s top wireless carriers—as well as executives from regional wireless operators and other providers and vendors—are scheduled to speak at next week’s Next Gen Wireless Networks Summit in Dallas. Topics on the program include 5G, spectrum sharing, edge computing, artificial intelligence and more.

Editor’s Corner—These are the 5 worst problems facing next-generation wireless networks
The wireless industry is clearly going through a period of major upheaval, and not just because Sprint and T-Mobile might not merge (Or will they? Hard to keep track…). In the networking realm particularly, there is a wide range of issues facing mobile network operators and vendors that could have significant consequences for industry players and the wider business market.