Dallas a 5G hotbed, Pizza Hut, Cowboys ticket change, Sempra: Wednesday's Business Briefing

Your lunchtime look at D-FW business [Your lunchtime look at D-FW business] February 28,  2018 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here](. Follow us on Twitter [@DMNBiz](. The downtown skyline and Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge photographed on Thursday, July 27, 2017, in Dallas. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News) The Big Story AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile making Dallas a high-speed 5G battleground Dallas is shaping up to be a competitive testing ground for 5G — the faster, more reliable fifth-generation wireless network that promises to speed up smartphones and support the growing number of connected devices at home. On Tuesday at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, [T-Mobile and Sprint said that Dallas will be among the first cities where they'll build the infrastructure for 5G](. The announcements came a week after AT&T said Dallas will be among the dozen markets where the company will roll out mobile 5G by the end of 2018. Starting in April, Sprint said, it will start rolling out an advanced antenna technology — called Massive MIMO — so that Dallas is 5G-ready in early 2019. It's also rolling out the technology in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Washington, D.C. T-Mobile and Sprint officials said Dallas is among the cities they chose because of its large market and the companies have the resources here that they need to build out 5G quickly. -[Melissa Repko]( And: [Featured speaker Mark Cuban cancels his scheduled appearance at SXSW.Â]( Plus: [Find more on technology companies]( SUBSCRIBE NOW [Get unlimited digital access for $2.99 per week]( The Latest - Real estate: The [CentrePort Office Center](near DFW Airport has changed hands. - Commentary: [Research universities]( drive job and wage growth in Dallas. - M&A: Amazon pays $1 billion for [Ring smart-doorbell](, once rejected on Shark Tank. - Retail: [Dick's Sporting Goods]( won't sell assault-style guns at its Field & Stream stores. Real estate: A [California developer]( is planning a Farmers Branch warehouse project. - Banking: [Banks]( doled out millions in loans to fraudsters who simply made stuff up, feds say. Advertisement Pizza Hut Super Bowl 2018 ad featuring former Dallas Cowboy Terrell Owens. (Pizza Hut) Restaurants Plano's Pizza Hut replaces Papa John's as official NFL pizza In a major marketing coup, Plano-based Pizza Hut has replaced Papa John'sas the official pizza of the NFL. Football ranks as the most-watched sport in America and the move gives Pizza Hut greater marketing access to its millions of fans. [The new partnership with the NFL allows Pizza Hut to use all 32 team marks.](It also involves the NFL working closely with Pizza Hut to help craft local, exclusive team partnerships. Pizza Hut also will have the opportunity to access game tickets and unique fan experiences to all NFL games in marketing and promotional campaigns throughout each year. -[Karen Robinson-Jacobs]( And: [Papa John's will continue team sponsorships after its deal with NFL ends]( Plus: [Find more on the restaurant industry]( elsewhere in texas - Bastrop: [The city]( has lost $500,000 in downtown businesses investment by missing out on reality show prize. (Austin American-Statesman) - Richmond: [Aliana Development Co.]( is getting a new name. (Houston Chronicle) - San Antonio: [Liberty Media Corp.]( is making a play for iHeartMedia as the radio company nears bankruptcy. (San Antonio Express-News) - Austin: [Auto sales]( in Austin start fast in 2018. (Austin American-Statesman) - San Antonio: [Accenture Federal Services]( sees an opportunity in San Antonio. (San Antonio Express-News) (Nathan Hunsinger / The Dallas Morning Nesws) Energy The $9.45 billion Oncor-Sempra deal is now in the hands of Texas regulators The difficult four-year effort to find a new parent company for Oncor, which owns most North Texas power lines, is now one step away from completion. A Delaware bankruptcy court confirmed San Diego-based Sempra Energy's $9.45 billion offer on Monday. That leaves the Texas Public Utility Commission as the last barrier. [Texas regulators could approve the deal as early as their March 8 meeting.]( The sale has been closely watched because Oncor serves about 3.4 million households and businesses, most of them in North Texas. -[Jeff Mosier]( And: [Ethanol impasse persists after Trump summit, but Cruz has olive branch]( Also: [Five potential risks in the Permian Basin, America's hottest oilfield]( Meanwhile: [Electric vehicle backers want millions for Texas charging stations]( Plus: [Find more on how the energy industry affects North Texas]( Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott acknowledges the crowd as he exits the field after defeating the Arizona Cardinals 28-17 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on Monday, September 25, 2017. (Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News) sports business Cowboys switching from NFL-backed Ticketmaster to SeatGeek: report Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is once again showing his maverick side, opting out of the NFL's ticketing arrangement with market giant Ticketmaster and is working instead with ticket reseller SeatGeek, according to a story on ESPN.com that quoted unnamed sources. The Cowboys, the most valuable franchise in sports, declined to comment. Officials with SeatGeek and Ticketmaster could not be reached for comment. [The Cowboys wouldn't be the first team to opt out of the Ticketmaster deal](. In November, the Saints made the move to SeatGeek, ESPN said. -[Karen Robinson Jacobs]( Also: [The new Marshall in town with the Mavericks left Cuban speechless]( Plus: [Find more D-FW sports business news]( Onboarding Who is getting hired and promoted - NEIMAN MARCUS GROUP promoted Alan Morrell to vice president and general manager at Neiman Marcus NorthPark Center in Dallas. - SNAPPY SALADS named Rob Viveros chief executive. - SURGICAL NOTES named Nathan Hess chief technology officer. - TDINDUSTRIES named Brian Lillard vice president and business unit manager of facilities. Plus: [Find more executive changes]( Follow DFW stocks: [See how top North Texas stocks performed](, as well as the oil and gas markets and major stock exchanges. DFW Top 100 Places to Work 2017: The Dallas Morning News and Workplace Dynamics partner each year to feature the [Top 100 workplaces](, based on ratings by the people who work at them. Advertisement 👋  That's all for today! 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