A week after Canada-based ChargeSpot announced the first wireless charger that’s compatible with both Qi and PMA wireless charging standards, the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) asserted its independence with its Qi spec, providing a status report on Qi penetration in offices, restaurants, airports, hotels and public venues. A Qi spokeswoman told us there’s no correlation between WPC’s status report and the ChargeSpot release last week. WPC said Tuesday that the installed base of Qi-enabled wireless chargers reaches 30 countries and more than 1 million locations. “WPC’s 200-strong member companies are fueling exciting innovation of the Qi standard, Qi products and Qi-based business services, which is driving the accelerated adoption of wireless charging by consumers and businesses around the globe,” said John Perzow, WPC vice president-market development, citing 65 models of Qi-enabled phones and “over 500 different products that use Qi.” WPC said companies including Facebook, Google, Texas Instruments and Verizon have installed Qi chargers in corporate meeting rooms; nine McDonald’s restaurants in Germany recently installed Qi chargers, as have several coffee shops in Toronto and a restaurant in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Kube Systems announced a deal with Marriott Hotels for a Qi charging system, WPC said. Verizon has deployed 800 Qi-enabled charging spots in U.S. airports, while Haier installed charging stations in the Beijing airport and DoCoMo installed Qi charging systems in airports and train stations in Japan, it said. The installed base of Qi chargers charge one device at a time, the spokeswoman said. The company has yet to release its specification for resonant charging that will enable multi-device charging, she said.

Nokia representatives urged the FCC to adopt net neutrality rules for wireless similar to those adopted in 2010 and explained the advantages of 5G technology, in a meeting with aides to Chairman Tom Wheeler, said an ex parte filing posted Tuesday in docket 14-28. “Specialized services, offered for a fee, could be a significant source of value creation throughout the mobile broadband ecosystem while preserving key elements of network neutrality such as non-discrimination and no-blocking,” the filing said (http://bit.ly/1BYU9Om). A paper submitted by Nokia said 5G will offer an expected peak data rate higher than 10 Gbps, compared with the 300 Mbps LTE offers today and “virtually zero latency.” The technology of 5G “supports the huge growth of machine-to-machine type communication, also called Internet of Things, through flexibility, low costs and low consumption of energy,” Nokia said (http://bit.ly/1svNJ2A). It warned that more spectrum will be required to put 5G in place: “This means looking at new spectrum bands such as millimeter wave and centimeter wave, and using available spectrum efficiently."

Taiwan manufacturer ASUSTeK Computer entered into a consent decree with the FCC Enforcement Bureau, admitting its marketing of the Eee Pad Slider SL101 tablet computer, wireless routers, Wi-Fi bridge/range extenders and wireless adapters violated rules about localized specific absorption rate limit compliance. Wireless routers may support multiple Wi-Fi protocols that require testing under multiple frequency bands, the FCC said. ASUSTeK agreed to pay a $240,000 fine and will implement a plan to comply with equipment marketing rules over the next three years, the commission said. The FCC said it would end its investigation into ASUSTeK’s marketing practices (http://fcc.us/1vjLZ1s).

The FCC Wireless Bureau sought comment Tuesday on Sprint’s Aug. 14 requests for waivers permitting 800 MHz wideband operations in three National Public Safety Planning Advisory Committee (NPSPAC) regions before the 800 MHz reconfiguration is complete in each. The regions are: New Mexico (Region 29), Texas-El Paso (50) and Texas-San Antonio (53). In all of the regions, the rebanding is mostly complete, the bureau said in a public notice (http://bit.ly/1ARFdjD). Comments are due Sept. 25, replies Oct. 10, in docket 14-133.

Despite the wireless industry’s “best efforts” to keep up, “overwhelming demand has already led to isolated instances of congestion,” which will become more widespread unless carriers can access more spectrum, said a report by Rysavy Research released by 4G Americas Tuesday. LTE deployments “have been faster than any wireless technology previously deployed” and 5G is on the way, the report said (http://bit.ly/1lunED0). It said computing is rapidly changing from the PC era to a world where many users rely on mobile devices. Cloud computing “is a significant and growing contributor to data demand,” Rysavy said. “Growth drivers include cloud-based data synchronization, backup, applications, and streaming media.” Carriers, meanwhile, are addressing exploding demand through “a combination of spectrally more efficient technology, denser deployments, small cells, Heterogeneous Networks (HetNets), self-configuration, self-optimization, use of unlicensed spectrum with Wi-Fi, and the future possibility of LTE operation in unlicensed bands,” the report said.

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology extended the deadline for filing reply comments on a petition by the Association of Global Automakers asking the agency to rethink a March order extending the upper limit of the 5725-5825 MHz U-NII-3 band to 5850 MHz (http://fcc.us/XffL9d). The auto industry plans to use the spectrum for dedicated short-range communications systems designed to help drivers avoid accidents (CD Jan 16/13 p1). The automaker group sought the extension, citing the “complex issues” raised by opponents of its reconsideration petition. Replies were due Monday. The new deadline is Sept. 2, said the OET public notice on docket 13-49 (http://bit.ly/1viNLzV).

A new survey showed that most Americans want technology that will allow them to be located with more accuracy when they make a 911 call from inside their homes, the Find Me 911 Coalition said Tuesday (http://bit.ly/1qpe6bW). The group released an online survey of more than 1,000 respondents that said two-thirds of wireless subscribers thought emergency responders could locate them at least to their block, if they call 911 from inside their homes. “Only 6 percent of cell phone owners correctly responded that the information would likely only be accurate to the neighborhood level or worse,” the coalition said. Sixty-three percent said they would consider switching providers if it meant they could be more accurately located when they make an indoor call to 911, the survey found. “When people dial 9-1-1 on their cell phones, they think the operator can find their location to send help,” said Jamie Barnett, director of the coalition and former FCC Public Safety Bureau chief. “Unfortunately, the carriers have chosen cheaper, less effective location technologies, and people are dying because emergency responders can’t find them.” The coalition is supported by TruePosition, a company that offers alternative technology for locating wireless 911 callers (http://bit.ly/1pHjVRV). Carriers fired back at the coalition. “The latest from Jamie Barnett and his client, location vendor TruePosition, only reveals their objective to derail efforts by CTIA and its member companies to find a viable solution,” said Scott Bergmann, CTIA vice president-regulatory affairs. “It doesn’t help public safety or consumers to continue to press for mandates that existing technology can’t deliver.” Carriers understand the importance of delivering “precise, accurate information” to PSAPs, but TruePosition’s technology is “just one solution among many, and carriers should be allowed to choose the service that best fits their technology needs,” said Steve Berry, president of the Competitive Carriers Association. “We are not aware of any viable solution for precise wireless indoor location information available today,” he added. AT&T made a filing at the FCC Tuesday, questioning claims the coalition has made of poor wireless carrier performance on 911 calls in Washington, D.C. Verizon and T-Mobile have made similar filings at the agency (CD Aug 20 p9). “Unfortunately, rather than contributing to the serious conversation about wireless E911 and indoor location accuracy, apparently the FindMe911 Coalition has decided to continue (in bad faith) to draw erroneous conclusions from data collected by the FCC from various [public safety answering points] throughout the country,” AT&T said in a filing in docket 07-114.

The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau sought comment Monday on a petition by Rubio’s Restaurant Inc., seeking further clarification of the agency’s Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) rules. Rubio’s asked the FCC to confirm that callers who get “prior express consent” from a called party “are not liable under the TCPA for dissemination of informational, non-telemarketing alerts, to telephone numbers that have been reassigned without the caller’s knowledge,” the bureau said (http://bit.ly/1l9cDq4). Rubio’s also asked the FCC to confirm that the TCPA “does not apply to intra-company messaging systems which are not aimed at consumers and [are] never intended to reach the public,” the bureau said. Comments are due Sept. 24, replies Oct. 9.

In a nod to cord-cutters, TiVo launched an over-the-air Roamio DVR for consumers without a subscription to cable or satellite service. The $49.99 device, with a $14.99 monthly subscription, has a 500-GB hard drive, four tuners and is compatible with TiVo Stream for sending recorded TV content to smartphones and tablets. The TiVo Roamio OTA DVR delivers a “best in class DVR experience through an antenna,” and lets viewers record and watch network TV where available, TiVo said Monday. The Roamio OTA, with Wi-Fi and Ethernet, will be sold at select Best Buy stores and requires a one-year commitment, TiVo said.

Given Apple’s “unparalleled functionality and design capabilities” and its “market clout,” the impending launch of the iWatch, if it happens at all, “could be just what smart watches need to move into the mainstream,” said Charles Annis, DisplaySearch vice president-manufacturing research, in a blog post Monday (http://bit.ly/1txgFtG). Though virtually all that’s known about the iWatch belongs “in the realm of speculation,” Apple’s display manufacturing partner, LG Display, is believed to be ramping up production of 1.3- and 1.5-inch QVGA AMOLEDs on plastic substrates, he said. “If these are for the iWatch, it could be an indication that Apple has prioritized image quality over battery life. Another benefit of AMOLED on plastic is that it can be extremely thin, light and rugged.” Since LG Display currently has a limited amount of flexible AMOLED capacity, “yield rates may well determine when the iWatch launches as well as initial volumes,” he said. DisplaySearch estimates average yield rates above 60 percent would allow LG Display to produce more than 10 million panels in 2014, he said. “Apple has an incredible track record of successfully creating completely new markets. So although we are not exactly sure about unit numbers or if Apple will release its first generation smart watch in September or November, or if it will slip to 2015, we are very excited about the prospect of the iWatch pushing flexible plastic AMOLEDs from their current niche status into mainstream consumer product."