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 »
Japan joins the LTE party courtesy of NTT DoCoMo, who just launched a fast 4G network in major urban areas of the country. The carrier says outdoor downloads are up to 37.5 Mbps, while indoor areas, such as Tokyo International Airport, will enjoy double those speeds. Read more »
Once an isolated world dominated by network operators and their manufacturer partners, mobile is now a space where “outsiders” are some of the most powerful players. In 2010, companies like Google, Apple, MetroPCS, Huawei and Foursquare were among those who made the most impact in mobile ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
It looks like multiple Verizon LTE handsets will be shown off at CES from the likes of Motorola and HTC. But, faster networks mean more network usage, so while the phones sound interesting, I’m wondering what it cost to use Verizon’s speedy network on a phone. 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 »
Mobile video accounts for a very small fraction of the overall U.S. mobile data market, despite on-the-go video and mobile TV receiving as much hype as any other area in the space. This report — the first in a two-part series on mobile video — examines what we can learn from the failures of mobile video to find a sizable audience so far, which challenges will continue to hinder the market in the coming years and the opportunities that will increasingly exist. The iPhone, Android devices and other multimedia-friendly handsets offer more screen real estate and higher resolution than previously possible, while the move toward 4G will help carriers deliver higher quality video more consistently. Even so, the challenges in this market are many, and mobile devices will likely always be inferior to set-top boxes, desktop computers and laptops when it comes to delivering a quality viewing experience. And because video consumes so much bandwidth on mobile networks, uptake will surely be impacted as carriers move away from all-you-can-eat data plans. The industry must, then, find other ways to monetize video in mobile, and without clogging already taxed cellular networks. Most importantly, it must develop viable business models for implementing video in ways that make sense for the consumer, the content owner and the network operator. Companies mentioned in this report include AT&T, Sprint, Apple, Google, Research in Motion, Qualcomm and Samsung. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The always-unpredictable mobile space enters 2011 at a particularly dynamic time. Carriers are now bringing 4G networks online, even as their definitions of “4G” vary. Meanwhile, mobile data consumption is exploding and the FCC trying to settle on policies both to regulate the industry and to ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
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 »
The tech world loves numbers, feature-driven marketing, and pedantic arguments over … well, technicalities, which is why the wireless debate du jour is over 4G. As operators roll out faster networks, every press release is touting 4G, but they are all pretenders to the 4G throne. Read more »
Nokia Siemens Networks today launched a mobile application to measure and report real-time 3G connectivity service levels. That’s similar to a crowdsourced consumer app from Root Wireless, but if NSN can embed its solution in the network equipment it provides, future data networks could be self-optimizing. Read more »
Had someone asked me just six months ago about what data plan to buy, my answer would have been very different than it is today. Here’s what you need to know about new and improved networks coming, more prepaid options and tethering plans, before you buy. Read more »
Verizon today said it will roll out its new 4G wireless network in Charleston, West Virginia, making the municipality one of 38 cities where the carrier plans to deploy the Long Term Evolution network technology. Here’s why Verizon chose the state. Read more »
Mobile device users want unlimited access to data, but most are unwilling to pay a premium according to a survey of professionals and students. The full survey results are expected tomorrow, when Devicescape, a provider of Wi-Fi software solutions, publishes its quarterly Wi-Fi report. Read more »
Just in time to compete with Verizon’s LTE rollout, Clearwire has announced WiMAX in three major cities before end of 2010. New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco, areas where smartphones are stressing 3G data networks, will all gain access to the operators 4G network. Read more »
Broadcom is getting into the 4G cellular radio game with its planned acquisition of chipmaker Beceem announced today. Broadcom, which makes a variety of radios used ion cell phones, computers and other electronics said it will pay $316 million for the Santa Clara, Calif.-based startup. Read more »
Verizon Wireless plans to roll out 4G LTE in 38 metro areas by the end of this year, hitting 110 million people in major cities such New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Chicago, Boston and the San Francisco Bay Area. Read more »
In preparation for details expected today about its next-generation mobile broadband network, AT&T has introduced three new USB data devices for laptop users, one of which is software upgradable and can use AT&T’s LTE 4G network when it launches in the middle of 2011. Read more »
Clearwire recently introduced a pay-as-you-go Internet connection service called Rover. Its plans work similarly to prepaid cell phone services, except that Rover doesn’t sell phone minutes, it sells data, delivered through the Clearwire network. One of the devices available is a mobile hotspot; the Rover Puck. Read more »
T-Mobile is releasing new phones in waves: just as the new G2 is appearing in stores, the carrier announced an updated myTouch running Android 2.2. This new model uses a second-generation CPU and also offers video calling on either Wi-Fi or T-Mobile’s speedy mobile broadband network. Read more »
You folks in Silicon Valley who are waiting for Sprint to light up the 4G network are going to like what I have to tell you. I’ve been in San Francisco for four days and have tested the 4G coverage all over the SOMA area. Read more »
HTC’s CEO Peter Chou said that his company is building an LTE phone for 2011, but didn’t specify which carrier or operating system the device will support. Even a non-psychic can figure it out though, as all of the clues are right in front of us. Read more »
Despite supplier rumors that seemed to indicate a Verizon iPhone coming early next year, recent comments by Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg suggest otherwise. Seidenberg said that Apple’s device won’t appear on his company’s network until it’s ready for the LTE network Verizon is so fervent about. Read more »
Verizon Wireless is forging ahead with plans to change how it prices mobile broadband data, but isn’t yet sharing the details. Unless there are any surprises, however, there are only a few options or combinations of such options that the carrier will likely offer for LTE. Read more »
The number of carrier commitments for LTE has jumped 71 percent in the last six months and the world map for potential LTE service is quickly getting full. WiMAX may be used in some areas around the world, but LTE looks to be the global future. Read more »
Amid upcoming competition from next-generation networks, Clearwire is adding prepaid options for its WiMAX service. Although the national network is expected to cover 120 million by the end of 2010, it has cost billions and only attracted 1.7 million customers. Will prepaid speed up WiMAX adoption? Read more »
Clearwire is expected to announce a pay-as-you-go option for its Clear WiMAX service on Monday according to a form filed with the SEC yesterday. With competitors launching next-generation data networks, Clearwire’s “first to market” advantage is fast going away, so it’s gunning for more customers now. Read more »
UCell, a wireless service provider in Uzbekistan, has deployed an LTE network, making the central Asia nation the first to offer two different LTE networks. The new high-speed network offers theoretical peak speeds of 100 Mbps and is powered by software and equipment from ZTE. Read more »
Sprint today announced a net gain of subscribers in the most recent quarter and a record low postpaid churn, bringing the carriers total customer base to 48.2 million subscribers. But the gains were all in Sprint’s wholesale and prepaid business, which are buying time for postpaid. Read more »
T-Mobile today added faster HSPA+ mobile broadband coverage to 16 markets, raising availability of the 4G-like speeds to nearly 50 areas of the U.S. The carrier also released an updated USB data stick, but the real excitement arrives with the first HSPA+ handset later this summer. Read more »
Sprint CEO, Dan Hesse, says that LTE is definitely not out of the question in the future. Indeed, both Sprint and Clearwire have hedged bets with WiMAX, which could speed up an LTE transition. But Hesse’s comments about a T-Mobile merger make little sense just yet. Read more »
