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Verizon Wireless is partnering with Color to highlight the power of its 4G network. The carrier will offer its customers the chance to use an enhanced version of Color, which will enable live video streaming with audio and double the existing frame rate. Read More »

The impending SOPA and PIPA bills have the Internet in a tizzy, but Congress has a lot more to think about than just intellectual property. The issues at play in the SOPA debate have broad effects that span everything from the digital divide to international commerce. Read More »

 
 

My resolution: be the consumer-focused innovator

Sprint’s CEO Dan Hesse talks about how AT&T’s attempted acquisition of T-Mobile set off all sorts of alarms, and made him realize just how tenuous the competitive situation in the U.S. wireless industry is. Read More »

Verizon Wireless couldn’t have asked for a better outcome to the AT&T-Mo saga. Not only did its archival take a beating but Verizon managed to lock down its spectrum position while AT&T was distracted. But most importantly to Verizon, AT&T backed off before it went over … Read More »

AT&T has thrown in the towel on its acquisition of T-Mobile, which kept the mobile industry stalled through much of 2011 as experts, executives and consumer organizations waited to understand what a deal would mean. Now the industry can return to solving the spectrum question. Read More »

Sprint may be poised to rescue partner 4G wholesale partner Clearwire. The third-place U.S. carrier said it was planning to offer debt in the form of 7- and 10-year notes that it will use for general purposes, including potentially funding 4G provider Clearwire. Read More »

After laying out an aggressive LTE 4G deployment plan that didn’t include existing partner Clearwire, Sprint is now saying it is working with the 4G wholesaler toward a commercial agreement that will allow it to offload some of its LTE needs onto Clearwire’s future LTE network. Read More »

Sprint is moving ahead with its LTE 4G plans and said it expects to upgrade to LTE-Advanced in the first half of 2013. The third-place carrier will deploy LTE-Advanced Release 10 in a 10×10 configuration, achieving downloads speeds of 12-15 Mbps. Read More »

One of Sprint’s only marketing advantages was its promise of unlimited 4G broadband. But that distinction is fading fast. Today, the carrier announced it was doing away with unlimited 4G mobile broadband for hotspots and devices and was instead instituting three new tiered data plans. … Read More »

LTE handset shipments to hit 154M in 2015

With the fast expansion of LTE networks, we need devices to use them. And there will be plenty, according to In-Stat. The research firm is predicting that LTE handset shipments will eclipse 154 million units in 2015 with 290 million LTE subscriptions in place worldwide. Read More »

4G provider Clearwire’s stock fell 32 percent to $1.39 Friday following an announcement by Sprint Friday that it was launching an LTE network without the help of Clearwire, throwing into doubt its role in Sprint’s 4G future. The news raises more concerns about Clearwire’s future. Read More »

Sprint is launching an aggressive campaign to rollout a 4G network based on LTE that will cover more than 250 million people by the end of 2013. The third-place carrier said it will move quickly to reuse its 1900 MHz and 800 MHz spectrum for LTE. Read More »

More Must Reads

A new study by analytics firm Localytics found that 36.6 percent of U.S. Android devices in the third quarter offer 4G. That could set up an interesting comparison with the next iPhone if it doesn’t support 4G, though it may not affect iPhone sales. Read More »

T-Mobile is still waiting for a phone call from Apple, which means that the iPhone 5 definitely won’t be available on the carrier’s network when it’s expected to launch in October. However, T-Mobile is making good business with Android phones, including the new Galaxy S II. Read More »

Broadcom, a chipmaker known for wireless chips for cell phones and home networks, today said it will buy NetLogic, which provides silicon for networking gear. An emphasis on real-time data has pressured networking inside and outside the data center, and Broadcom wants to capitalize on that. Read More »

While the U.S. mobile operators are starting to compete over 4G speeds, Europe’s transition to next generation networks has barely begun. It’s a situation that turns the stereotype on its head — and highlights mistakes made 10 years ago by operators in Germany, France and the … Read More »

AT&T’s $39 billion bid isn’t over with the Department of Justice’s decision to file suit agains the merger. But it raises a lot of uncertainty around the deal and the possibility that it might not go through. Here are some thoughts on possible outcomes for T-Mobile. Read More »

Verizon’s turning on its LTE network in 15 cities and expanding 4G coverage in 10 cities, bringing more than half the U.S. population under its next-generation wireless network on Thursday. Since its launch in December, Verizon’s LTE network now covers 160 million people in 117 cities. Read More »

Sprint reported record low churn rates and its highest average revenue per user yet, but lost $847 million. Why? Although 1.1 million new subscribers were added, all were from wholesale and pre-paid customers. Postpaid subscriber numbers may turn around in the future though, thanks to LTE. Read More »

AT&T activated 3.6 million iPhones during the second quarter, with Android and BlackBerry devices making up the remaining 40 percent of Ma Bell’s smartphone sales. Those high-end handsets are generating more money for AT&T in other ways — such as increasing texting and MMS revenue and … Read More »

A lot can go wrong during the development and release of a mobile application, from poor project planning to faulty APIs. Often, the biggest mistakes happen before the first lines of code are ever written. HEre are seven ways to make the process better. Read More »

On Tuesday, iPass introduced a new Wi-Fi roaming service that is one of many data points in Wi-Fi’s slow transition from home networking tech for geeks to must-have for every mobile device to perhaps another source of carrier revenue. Will carriers charge for Wi-Fi? Read More »

Mavenir Systems, a company providing high-end telecommunications gear, has raised $40 million and acquired Airwide Solutions, a company that provides messaging software. The funding will help Mavenir with the acquisition as well as expand as its operator customers deploy faster 4G networks. Read More »

AT&T is reportedly preparing to turn on its LTE 4G network on in New York City by the end of June and then flip the switch on Los Angeles less than a month later. That would be consistent with previously announced plans for an LTE roll-out. Read More »

If you didn’t think computing’s future was both visual and mobile, then Nvidia’s decision to buy wireless radio startup Icera clinches it. The $367 million cash deal is setting Nvidia up for a competitive battle with Qualcomm in the mobile application processor market. Read More »

Clearwire has resolved its wholesale agreement dispute with Sprint, signing a deal that calls for Sprint to pay Clearwire about $1 billion over the next two years. The deal removes some uncertainty for struggling Clearwire and helps forge a stronger bond with Sprint, its majority owner. Read More »

As we’ve noted, the rise of LTE opens up the potential for wireless carriers to court wireline broadband subscribers. Well, even with the limitations of wireless, the comparison is valid, at least for now, according to Deutsche Bank, which studied the latest 4G offerings. Read More »

AT&T justified its $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile this morning with three main points, spectrum, synergies and the public good. Against a background of incredible data growth, AT&T is ready to recreate a wireless duopoly that mirrors the wireline duopoly we have today. Read More »

AT&T said it will buy T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom AG, in deal valued at $39 billion. The deal points to the game of spectrum accumulation as operators prepare for the demand for mobile data and also will place Sprint between a rock and hard place. Read More »

When does this story get better? Clearwire, the early 4G WiMAX pioneer announced its CEO Bill Morrow is stepping down for personal reasons, part of a larger executive shake-up. This follows not long after the December departure of company founder and chairman Craig McCaw. Read More »

Verizon added 872,000 wireless contract customers, and 75 percent bought smartphones and the lucrative plans they use. Data ARPU is up nearly 20 percent, and only one-quarter of Verizon customers have smartphones. That fact, combined with a fast 4G network is priming the pump for Verizon. Read More »

With 4G now a battle cry taken up by all the major U.S. wireless carriers, it’s not surprising that consumers are generally aware of the term. But according to a Nielsen Company survey, consumers are not quite clear on what this 4G talk is all about. Read More »

AT&T laid out plans today for an accelerated race to LTE while bulking up its existing network to handle 4G speeds. The No. 2 wireless carrier said it will begin deploying LTE by mid-year and plans on having the network “largely complete” by 2013. Read More »

The wildest week in consumer electronics gets underway this week with the Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, in Las Vegas. Sure there will be tablets and 3-D TVs galore, but I expect several other products to make a splash on the mobile world this week. Read More »

Nokia Siemens Networks is ready to take wireless broadband to a whole new level: peak rates of 672 Mbps by 2013 with Long Term HSPA Evolution. T-Mobile is happily backing the effort, since it’s not yet clear what 4G path the carrier will take. Read More »

Although LTE networks are appearing around the world, the U.S. will push LTE faster than most others, says HTC CEO Peter Chou. His company plans to bring LTE phones to the U.S. soon because of the perfect storm brewing with smartphones and fast wireless networks. Read More »

Sprint is rolling out a $4-5 billion plan to modernize and converge its network in a wide-ranging effort that will mean the end of its iDEN network and a possible embrace of LTE down the road. The plan will take 3-5 years to complete. Read More »

As next-generation wireless data networks roll out in the U.S., get ready to face more choices: Do you want speed, coverage, low price or unlimited use? Since we can’t have it all, here’s a rundown on which “4G” service is best for different reasons and uses. Read More »

With unlimited use of its WiMAX network, Clearwire stands apart from the crowd, but the U.S. 4G market is getting crowded as carriers are implementing next-generation networks. But unlimited use isn’t growing Clearwire fast enough; the company plans to take on $1.1 billion in additional debt. Read More »

Now that Verizon Wireless’ 4G data network has a launch date of Dec. 5 and pricing attached, let’s take a look at how it stacks up to the competition. Verizon Wireless joins Sprint and T-Mobile, who are also touting high-performance 4G networks. Read More »

Verizon’s long-awaited LTE network goes live on Sunday, promising 4G speeds at 3G prices. We got a chance to test the network with an LTE USB dongle, and the mobile broadband network feels like a fast, wired network at home in every use case. Read More »

MetroPCS was the first U.S. carrier to offer an LTE handset, and customers get unlimited 4G web access with their voice and message plan for $55 a month. That’s far less than other carriers’ 3G plans, so how does the MetroPCS 4G network compare? Read More »

Teliasonera, the first carrier to offer LTE, is already witnessing its average customer using between 14 and 15 GB of wireless data per month, which rivals the 14.9 GB used by the average wired broadband consumer. How will carriers handle and price for such data demand? Read More »

We said that building a wireless network isn’t for wimps. It doesn’t just take billions of dollars; it takes the guts to go out and fight to create a big business out of cheap spectrum and new network technology. Clearwire has guts, but it needs cash. Read More »

As demand for wireless data grows for smartphones, tablets and other devices, networks are struggling to keep pace while operator margins decline. One solution addresses both problems and help carriers better predict demand: tiered data plans. But will customers buy in that these are good deals? Read More »

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