The vast majority of traffic on mobile operators’ networks is now pure data, but the lion’s share of operators’ revenue comes from voice. Meanwhile even the big data-subscription fees operators are collecting aren’t making up for the decline in voice revenues. Read More »
We’ve filled up a lot of posts at GigaOM discussing spectrum and the supposed capacity crunch carriers face, but all those references to megahertz and gigahertz can get somewhat confusing. Luckily RootMetrics has prepared a handy graphical primer explaining the ins and out of the airwaves. Read More »
With many utilities facing the task of storing petabytes of smart meter data for as long as seven years in order to satisfy regulatory requirements, the ability to house and leverage the massive load of data accumulating from the smart grid is a significant IT challenge. … Read More »
Approximately 90 percent of all tablets in the U.S. relied on Wi-Fi over 3G mobile broadband last year, according to industry analyst Chetan Sharma. The data suggests that carriers aren’t a needed distribution chain for slates for several reasons: long-term contracts and redundant data plans. Read More »
Vectoring, a technology that eliminates crosstalk on a DSL line can boost speeds on existing copper to up to 100 Mbps. And apparently service providers are interested in testing it out, according to Telebyte, which launched the first gear capable of testing how vectored lines perform. Read More »
Soon your smartphone will be able to connect seamlessly to your mobile operator’s Wi-Fi hotspots. But what about hotspots that your carrier doesn’t manage? It turns out the world of Wi-Fi roaming is a whole new bag of problems, but the industry has a fix in … Read More »
Ericsson having successfully bagged BelAir Networks, Ruckus Wireless now has a big target painted on its flank. As Ericsson’s competitors look to integrate Wi-Fi much more deeply into their mobile network portfolios, buying Ruckus would be the easiest way for them get there. Read More »
In 1998, NetZero became the first ISP to offer free dial-up Internet access; 14 years later it’s doing the same thing except with mobile broadband. NetZero revealed is becoming a virtual 4G service provider, reselling – or in many cases, giving away – Clearwire’s WiMAX bandwidth. Read More »
This weekend, San Francisco’s first Creator’s Project — a collaborative program between the media company Vice and Intel — kicked off, showing off works of art that incorporate technology, software and connectivity. Read More »
The eighteen largest cable and telephone companies that account for 93 percent of the broadband market added 3 million net subscribers during 2011, according to data from Leichtman Research Group, a Durham, NH-based market research group. More revealing: AT&T’s dismal broadband performance. Read More »
If the FCC won’t let LightSquared launch LTE in its satellite spectrum, then the carrier wants the commission to find its network an alternate home on the airwaves. LightSquared still claims its 4G network will leave GPS unharmed, but it’s willing to consider a spectrum swap. Read More »
Sprint terminated its partnership with LightSquared, depriving the would-be operator of not only its biggest 4G customer but also the means to build an LTE network. Now LightSquared faces two huge obstacles: overcoming regulatory opposition to its plans and finding cash to fund its 4G rollout. Read More »
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AT&T has cheaper plans, but Verizon has far better LTE coverage. As for speed, they match each other megabit per megabit — unless you happen to live in Chicago, Los Angeles or any city where AT&T’s networks are undersized. Read More »
T-Mobile USA is asking the Federal Communications Commission to require that all LTE devices in the 700 MHz band be interoperable, a requirement that would benefit a bunch of small operators. Ironically, one carrier that benefits little from the rule change is T-Mobile. Read More »
Last month, AT&T fought and lost a lawsuit over whether its throttling policies violated the terms of “unlimited” smartphone contracts. Matt Spaccarelli was awarded $850 for his efforts, but neither side is letting the issue drop. Read More »
Verizon Wireless is upping its already considerable commitment to LTE, revealing to the Dow Jones that it will complete its core LTE rollout this year and reiterating its commitment to selling only 4G smartphones from here on out. Read More »
Given that LightSquared won’t be launching an LTE network any time soon, its customers are looking for alternatives – and they’re landing at Clearwire. Leap Wireless signed up with Clearwire Wednesday, marking the second in what will likely be many defections to the wholesale 4G carrier. Read More »
A new mobile hotspot from Huawei pushes the limits of current LTE technologies, offering peak speeds of 100 Mbps. The catch is that the hotspot is only available in Japan, because that’s where the only network resides that can support it. Read More »
The Rural Cellular Association on Tuesday welcomed its newest member, T-Mobile USA. Even by the largest stretch of the imagination, T-Mobile can hardly be considered a rural operator, but in this age of mega-carriers the distinctions between rural and urban hardly matter anymore. Read More »
If there were an Olympics of pushing the broadband envelope, Verzon would consistently take the gold, because the carrier is always testing out new superfast broadband in its labs and in its test networks. Today’s speed record is 21.7 terabits per second in field trials. Read More »
It looks like the U.K. won’t be the last major European country to have LTE. U.K. regulator Ofcom has given Everything Everywhere permission to use its existing 2G spectrum to launch an LTE network this year, long before it holds the 4G auctions. Read More »
Aided by the launch of the iPhone 4S, the number of U.S. smartphones embedded with mobile broadband connectivity jumped in 2011, increasing from 6 percent of at the end of 2010 to 35 percent by the close of the year, according to the NPD Group. Read More »
Western Europe may be behind when it comes to rolling out LTE, but Italian operators are doing their best to catch up. 3 Italia unveiled an aggressive LTE plan on Monday in which it would construct and commercially launch its 4G network this year. Read More »
After launching LTE in a bevy of major cities in early January, AT&T’s expansion took a bit of breather, with Ma Bell turning on the 4G service in only a handful of markets in the ensuing months. But in April it’s accelerating its rollout once again. Read More »
Among the attendees of SXSW are a smattering of homeless people wearing T-shirts that proclaim “Human Hotspot,” and for a user donation one of them will stand next to you while you check your email or do whatever else you need with the connection. Outrage has … Read More »
The massive amount of data that is emerging from connected, digital systems, is fundamentally changing everything, from Internet search to entertainment, to disease management, to energy consumption. Here’s 10 case studies that highlight the power of big data. Read More »
It’s no secret that we’re watching more online videos. What’s not so well understood is just how dramatically this consumption will soon increase — and the pain that is going to inflict on Internet service providers. Alon Maor, the CEO of Qwilt, offers his solution. Read More »
Verizon has claimed that it will start running out of mobile broadband capacity as soon as 2013 unless it gets its hands on the cable operators’ unused spectrum. But the FCC has some questions about the math Verizon used to reach that conclusion. Read More »
In Apple’s new LTE order, the roles of Sprint and T-Mobile may be reversed. Sprint’s oddly configured networks mean it may not be be able to cash in on a future LTE iPhone. Meanwhile, T-Mobile finds itself a prime candidate for the iconic device. Read More »
The most unsexy gadget in mobile just got a lot more attractive. Clearwire has started to sell a new WiMAX dongle that users can plug into laptops, tablets or netbooks and get instant broadband access – without installing any device management software or messing about with … Read More »
Apple finally gave the wireless industry the 4G device it’s so long been craving. Even more importantly, LTE connectivity in the new iPad virtually assures similar treatment in the next iPhone. Apple has stepped up; now it’s the operators’ turn to lower mobile data prices. Read More »
Apple’s new iPad includes support for LTE mobile broadband, with 3G fallback. That’s good to know, but one bit of information Apple neglected to share was the pricing plans for the LTE service from AT&T and Verizon. Here’s the plan data, directly from the Apple Store. Read More »
Apple’s latest iPad has been revealed, and it has Retina display, a faster chip and all sorts of goodies, but for the network crowd only three letters mattered: LTE. And yes, the new iPad has LTE delivering up to 73 Mbps down. Wait — what? … Read More »
Verizon has seen the future of cellular networking — and it doesn’t look much different from today. In an FCC filing, Verizon dismissed a bevy of new wireless technologies and claimed the only way it can grow capacity is to layer more airwaves onto its current … Read More »
GE is launching more gadgets to help consumers monitor and manage their home-energy consumption. Read More »
The slow death of DSL will cause the rapid rise of expensive broadband if Verizon’s Fusion service is any indication. Verizon launched home-broadband powered by its wireless network — letting consumers trade unlimited slow broadband from a wire for faster, capped and more expensive service. Read More »
All signs point to Apple unveiling the first iPad with LTE on Wednesday, but if that tablet — and more importantly the forthcoming iPhone 5 – doesn’t support LTE, then Apple will have struck huge blow to the wireless industry and impeded mobile broadband’s progress. Read More »
The Federal Communications Commission has denied Dish Network’s request to build a terrestrial LTE network over its satellite airwaves, but it didn’t kill the satellite broadcaster’s proposal outright. Instead, the commission is trying to head off controversy by kicking off a lengthy rule-making process. Read More »
Deutsche Telekom’s T-Labs researchers have successfully demonstrated a 512 Gbps transmission over a single fiber channel — more than quadrupling the maximum bit-rate possible on today’s backbone networks. Read More »
Alcatel-Lucent took home the Oscars of the infrastructure industry. Its LightRadio technology has won it customers. Plus, Alca-Lu also worked with Telefonica to light up the LTE network in Barcelona. So here’s what is sees as the keys to success for the telco industry. Read More »
AT&T is asking its mobile customers with 2G-only phones to make the leap to 3G devices, warning them in a letter that their voice and 2G data quality may soon degrade. It looks like AT&T is following T-Mobile, replacing its GSM networks with new HSPA capacity. Read More »
Shooting and sharing movie footage all over New Zealand makes for connectivity challenges, but the crew of The Hobbit is making do. But not with magic; heck, even a powerful wizard such as Gandalf has limitations. Portable satellites and six kilometers of cable bring them broadband. Read More »
Like some hideous policy monster that won’t go away, network neutrality will hit headlines again. Verizon and Metro PCS, the two operators that sued the FCC last year over its rules forbidding ISPs from discriminating against traffic on their networks, won a victory on Thursday. Read More »
The guys at the Lamp Post Group in Chattanooga, Tenn., have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to bandwidth. The city boasts the first real gigabit speeds in the U.S., but it doesn’t have another gigabit city nearby to talk to. Anyone want to help? Read More »
When it comes to capacity on the long haul cables under the sea or surrounding cities, there’s always a need for more bandwidth. Which is why Ciena’s announcement of a chip that can deliver 17.6 terabits per second over existing fiber cables is so amazing. Read More »
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