GigaOM » HSPA

T-Mobile appeals with free 4G in laptops; no-contract unlimited smartphone data

Kevin C. Tofel — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 01:30:37 +0000

T-Mobile is making a bid to get new customers trying its mobile broadband network: The company is including free wireless data services in select new Windows 8 laptops. Dell and HP are the first to partner with T-Mobile to give laptop owners 200 MB of free wireless service per month for two years in the 4G Connect offering. For handset owners, T-Mobile’s 4G Unlimited plan goes contract-free, allowing consumers to use the service without any commitment.

The carrier announced the news on Tuesday at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show, noting that its 4G Unlimited plan is the most popular: 46 percent of T-Mobile customers last month chose the $70 plan that provides unlimited voice, messages and data on T-Mobile’s network. And it’s a busy network. T-Mobile says that each day, 32 million songs are streamed and Facebook is visited 1.8 billion times.

T-Mobile’s new laptop partnerships will offer a taste of that network as well. The new 4G Connect offering will start on the Dell Inspiron 14z Ultrabook and HP Pavilion dm1 laptop. Qualcomm’s Gobi modem chip enables the connection, which T-Mobile says is easier to use than Wi-Fi because it’s a “walk out working” type of service.

Once the monthly data allotment of 200 MB is used up, customers can opt for additional data starting at $10 for 1 GB of service. T-Mobile expects the 4G Connect program to expand across various other tablets and notebooks priced at $499 or higher, including some future Windows RT products.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

Nexus 4 changing from “sold out” to “available” in US

Kevin C. Tofel — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:39:13 +0000

Consumers in the U.S. that missed out on getting a Google Nexus 4 smartphone at launch get a second chance on Tuesday. At noon PST, the “sold out” status for Nexus 4 phones in the Google Play store will change to “available.” Google provided a heads-up via email to those who registered for updates on the Nexus 4 saying the handsets would again be available for ordering, suggesting another production run added inventory of the phone.

For the money and without a contract – $299 for an 8 GB model or $349 with 16 GB of storage — I find the Nexus 4 to be an outstanding value. In my review, I noted that the hardware advances had me considering an upgrade from last year’s model and I typically upgrade with every other Nexus phone. The display is fantastic, the performance is top-notch and the camera is vastly improved. As a result, one would think Google would have anticipated solid sales and managed accordingly. Unfortunately, the phone launch was ill-handled to begin with.

Google never explained what time the Nexus 4 would be for sale on the initial launch day. As a result, many prospective buyers were hitting the Google Play store and repeatedly refreshing the page in frustration when greeted with a “coming soon” message. Once sales started, the order process crashed on some, leaving them out in the cold as others snapped up Google’s stock of the smartphone. Some who signed up for notification emails on the start of sales never received them.

In short, the Nexus 4 launch showed that Google still has room for improvement in a direct-to-consumer sales market via Google Play. With new smartphone stock available and notifications going out in advance — with a set time for orders to start — Google’s taking a step in the right direction to improve the shopping experience.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

T-Mobile makes three more cities iPhone-friendly with 4G

Kevin C. Tofel — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 18:48:00 +0000

Apple iPhone owners wanting to use their device on T-Mobile’s 4G network can now do so in three additional metropolitan areas. The operator announced Wednesday that the Washington, DC, Baltimore and Houston markets now support HSPA+ service on the 1900 MHz band. That’s good news for people in those areas that have an unlocked iPhone because their smartphone won’t be limited to slow EDGE speeds for mobile broadband. This trio of cities follows Kansas City and Las Vegas, which gained the same support lst month.

All of this is happening because T-Mobile is in the midst of a spectrum re-farm exercise: Switching its HSPA+ service away from the relatively unique 1700 MHz bands and over to 1900 MHz; the same frequency used by AT&T devices for HSPA+. T-Mobile is doing so in order to free up the 1700 MHz spectrum for its LTE network. While that network is some time off in the future — watch for it next year — the immediate benefit is for people wanting to use AT&T devices on T-Mobile’s network to save some money on their monthly service bill.

But this isn’t all about saving money if you’re an AT&T customer with an iPhone or some other HSPA+ device. According to T-Mobile CTO, Neville Ray, there’s a speed bonus.

In a blog post, Ray notes that “Our internal tests of unlocked iPhone 4S devices running over 4G (HSPA+) on our 1900 network recorded on average 70% faster download speeds than iPhone 4S devices on AT&T’s network.” Obviously if you have an LTE device, this scenario doesn’t apply, but it appears that in these particular testing areas, T-Mobile likely has support for 42 Mbps HSPA+ while AT&T doesn’t yet.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

Sprint adds bite-sized 3G, 4G tablet plans with no activation fees

Kevin C. Tofel — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 13:30:41 +0000

Next month, Sprint (s) will begin offering data plans for tablets in lower capacities and prices, hoping to attract tablet owners who don’t need much data in a given month. On Nov. 11, the carrier will add both a 100 MB and 1 GB data plan as a special contract offer and is waiving any activation fees for the new plans. Sprint says that the new plan offerings — priced at $10 and $15 per month, respectively — provide 20 percent more data than a comparably priced plan from either Verizon or AT&T.

The news follows Sprint’s quarterly investor call, where it reported quarter sales of $8.7 billion for the quarter, coupled with a net loss of $767 million or 26 cents per share. On the earnings call, Sprint CEO, Dan Hesse was asked about raising rates and said, “We certainly would be in a better position to do so if we felt we had a strong, competitive network.” Therein lies a big part of Sprint’s challenge and partially why it’s offering tablet plans at lower prices. As Hesse noted on the call, Sprint is at a “temporary disadvantage” when it comes to its partially deployed 4G network.

Unlike AT&T and Verizon, Sprint was late to choose LTE as its 4G technology. Instead it began launching a WiMAX network with Clearwire in 2008, which is slower than today’s LTE networks and took too long to build out. The company has since changed gears and is in the process of rolling out an LTE network. The other issue is the carrier’s 3G technology, which is used for data in the many coverage areas that don’t yet have LTE. Sprint promises speeds up to 3.1 Mbps; far slower than AT&T’s — or T-Mobile’s, for that matter — HSPA+ network. Right now then, Sprint provides slower service in most of its coverage areas when compared to its peers.

By offering smaller plans that are less expensive than the current tablet plans, Sprint may be able to keep some of its current customers from defecting to the faster networks as it continues its LTE network build. Current Sprint customers with these plans can add the new plans to their tablets: Simply Everything, Simply Everything Share, Everything Business Everything Data, Everything Data Share, Business Advantage Messaging & Data, Business Share Plus with Pro Pack Plus. On a per-Gigabyte basis, the new plans may look expensive, but for Sprint smartphone owners that only need a sip of tablet broadband, a smaller glass may prove attractive.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

New solutions for the evolving mobile network

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 18:31:41 +0000

Cisco’s VNI graph shows mobile data growing 18 times over the next five years, and it makes a strong case for the need of mobile networks to evolve to reflect the transition from voice- to data-centric usage models. Yet to make these fundamental changes in operating networks, it is crucial to move beyond compelling graphics and understand what requirements new usage models impose on the network infrastructure. To successfully address the increase in data traffic, operators need to act on multiple fronts, because no single solution will be sufficient in isolation.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

T-Mobile’s Las Vegas network is officially iPhone ready

Kevin Fitchard — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 18:02:16 +0000

T-Mobile’s network modernization in Las Vegas is now complete, which means the carrier can now support mobile broadband speeds on the iPhone. T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray announced at GigaOM’s Mobilize conference on Friday that T-Mobile will begin marketing its “4G” HSPA+ service to unlocked iPhone users in Vegas on Monday.

T-Mobile has been overhauling its network, realigning them with the 3G bands supported on most North American GSM phones, while simultaneously clearing frequencies for its future LTE network. T-Mobile has already revealed that it has converted over thousands of cell sites in New York City, Seattle and Las Vegas and many of T-Mobile’s current customers using unlocked iPhones have already encountered big boosts in speeds on a site by site basis.

But Ray said Friday that the spectrum refarming process is now 75 percent complete in Vegas, providing the consistency of coverage necessary to let start marketing HSPA+ to potential iPhone users. Until now, any iPhone on T-Mobile’s network was limited to 2G EDGE speeds.

Older generations of the iPhone won’t be able to access the full bandwidth of T-Mobile’s dual-carrier HSPA+ network, which can support theoretical speeds of 42 Mbps — though they will still get 3G connectivity — but anyone willing to shell out the dough for an unlocked iPhone 5 would be able to access the fastest HSPA network in the country. LTE support on T-Mobile, however, won’t be available until next year when its network overhaul is complete.

As for the rest of the country, Ray said its quickly turning up the new HSPA+ network at PCS in cities nationwide. He wouldn’t reveal any specifics on when the process will be finished, but he has said that a “material” portion of T-Mo’s footprint will be iPhone ready by year-end.

Check out the rest of our Mobilize 2012 coverage here, and the live stream can be found here.

mobilize2012 on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

Mobile 2012 and beyond

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 06:55:31 +0000

Few industries change at the pace mobile does. Whether it’s the iPhone 5, the importance of LTE, or BYOD trends disrupting the enterprise, there are always new technologies, trends, and companies changing the way we define mobile. Here, GigaOM Pro highlights a few segments of the mobile industry that will be important to watch in the coming months, from location-based shopping to wireless networks, and new business models for carriers.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

First look at T-Mobile’s speedy Galaxy Note

Kevin C. Tofel — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 16:00:53 +0000

After months of rumors, leaks and hopes, the T-Mobile Galaxy Note is finally here. The phone will cost $249.99 after $50 mail-in rebate and with qualifying two-year contract, although you can buy it outright ($599) or on a monthly payment plan.

Overall, the phone is very similar to AT&T’s version although it doesn’t support LTE. Instead, the Galaxy Note works on T-Mobile’s 42 Mbps HSPA+ network, which works well enough in areas that T-Mobile has enhanced network coverage.

Watch this video for free on GigaOM

My first look at the phone shows that you don’t have to wait for Android 4.0, which AT&T Galaxy Note owners had to. Samsung already integrated Android 4.0.4 with its TouchWiz software, including advanced support for the S-Pen stylus. I also give you a size comparison to the two devices that the Note “fits” in-between: The Galaxy Nexus smartphone and Nexus 7 tablet.

Overall, my early impressions of this phone are solid in terms of performance and battery life. If you’re a T-Mobile customers pining for the Note — one of the 77 percent that prefer a large device — this is likely worth the wait.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

What impact will LTE add to RIM’s PlayBook? (Hint: Zip)

Kevin C. Tofel — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 14:29:28 +0000

Research In Motion is set to release an LTE version of its BlackBerry PlayBook for $550 without contract, MobileSyrup reported on Tuesday. The site claims to have internal RIM documentation suggesting that the device will first appear on Bell’s network in Canada and will fallback to the operator’s HSPA+ network where LTE coverage is not available.

How much will the addition of cellular connectivity help RIM’s floundering tablet sales? Not likely very much, if any at all.There’s a couple of problems with this product update, if indeed, the reports are accurate. As has been the case with RIM of late, the main one is timing, although I question the company’s priorities as well. Where is BBM for the PlayBook without using the Bridge software and perhaps more importantly, why not focus instead on getting the new OS on phones sooner?

For what was once a leading phone maker to take this long to integrate mobile broadband capability into a mobile device speaks volumes about the problems at RIM. And when RIM took the first steps 18 months ago to add cellular data connectivity to the PlayBook, it initially chose to do so for Sprint’s WiMAX network; another poor choice as the carrier is moving on to LTE. Sprint eventually cancelled that PlayBook model.

Some few will appreciate the addition of LTE in a PlayBook, but I doubt RIM will see a significant sales boost because of it. One only has to look at the last two years of research to see that RIM’s resources would be better devoted to improving the device’s software and app selection; not the cellular radio integration. Earlier this year, industry analyst Chetan Sharma found that 90 percent of all tablets sales in the U.S. last year were Wi-Fi only models. Essentially, RIM is — at best — likely targeting a small percent of the tablet market, made even smaller by those who want a PlayBook in the first place.

Perhaps a simple question sums up the problem with RIM’s reported approach. How many people do you know that wanted a PlayBook but passed on it solely because it didn’t have a cellular radio?

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

Poll: If carriers charge for FaceTime over cellular, will you pay?

Kevin C. Tofel — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 15:30:41 +0000

Using FaceTime on mobile broadband networks is supported in iOS 6 and up to now, I’ve been testing the video chat service with the beta software on my iPhone 4S. I say “up to now” because with the latest beta, version 3, I can’t use the feature any longer. As 9to5 Mac noted on Monday evening, attempting to use FaceTime on a cellular data connection causes a pop-up to appear, suggesting that AT&T, and possibly other carriers, will sell the service.

We won’t know for sure if using FaceTime on a mobile broadband connection will cost extra until Apple officially releases the iOS 6 software, but it’s a pretty safe bet: Why have the pop-up asking users to contact their carrier for support if not? Additionally, Apple did the same with mobile tethering, at least in the U.S.. To use an iPhone as a mobile hotspot, you typically have to pay an additioal fee for the feature.

The new Verizon Wireless Share Everything plans already include the mobile hotspot feature for smartphones, so perhaps the operator will simply bundle in FaceTime usage as well. AT&T has yet to announce its own family plans, however, it should be doing so in the near future and will likely be similar to those offered by Verizon. But based on the pop-up message from FaceTime, the video chat service may not be included in a bundled plan. This could be among the first examples of future data add-ons for specific applications; something we’ve noted before as a way for operators to find creative ways to boost data revenues.

After testing FaceTime on AT&T’s HSPA+ network, I doubt I’d pay extra for it. While it works fine, the quality is nowhere near as good as using the service on Wi-Fi. Call recipients reported frozen images and general video choppiness. Of course, this is a beta version of the software, so I’m not going to condemn it now. But I can’t see myself paying for it when I can use similar, cross-platforms alternatives for free that provide the same experience.

How about you? Will you pay for FaceTime over mobile broadband if there’s a fee? Have at it in our poll and if the answer depends on the cost, drop a comment about what you’d pay on a monthly basis for this.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.