GigaOM » kevin-fitchard

As users flee 3G, Verizon turns it into a prepaid network

Kevin C. Tofel — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 19:34:53 +0000

Willing to give up speedy LTE service to save a few bucks? Then Verizon has your number. The operator launched two new prepaid phone plans on Friday that include unlimited voice minutes and messaging.

For $60, you also get 500 MB of mobile data, while another $10 per month boosts your broadband bucket to 2 GB. There’s no contract involved, so the only “gotcha” is the limitation of service: These plans are only good for 3G phones, which have data connections 10 times slower than LTE devices.

We actually saw this coming a few months ago. Back in November, my colleague Kevin Fitchard noted that as Verizon customers migrate to the LTE network, the old 3G airwaves would be used less and less. Using the 3G network for any additional revenue generation is gravy at this point:

So in just year or two Verizon will have a largely empty 3G network. Eventually it will shutter those CDMA systems, replacing them with 4G technologies, but that could take the remainder of the decade if not longer. Verizon needs those CDMA networks for its legacy voice services, and its planned launch of an IP-based voice-over-LTE service is still on the drawing board. In short, that 3G data network is going nowhere so it behooves Verizon to find ways of filling it.

So who will these new plans appeal to? Folks that want Verizon’s coverage and call quality without a contract. They’ll have to use an older phone due to the 3G limitation but Verizon says the new prepaid plans support Android, iOS and BlackBerry devices. Yesterday’s flagship phone may be one person’s trash but with this plan, it could turn into someone else’s treasure.

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Commutist podcast: T-Metro, Broadband Caps and Steve Jobs

Chris Albrecht — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 07:01:47 +0000

Is a T-Mobile/MetroPCS merger crazy… or so crazy that it just might work? Is your ISP capping your broadband and what should we do about it? And is it time to let Steve Jobs finally rest in peace? We talk about all this and more on today’s Commutist podcast with special guests Kevin Fitchard, Stacey Higginbotham and Om Malik.

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SHOW NOTES:

Hosts: Chris Albrecht and Erica Ogg

0:00:00 – 0:11:00 – Kevin Fitchard explains everything you need to know about a T-Mobile/MetroPCS merger

0:11:00 – 0:12:00 – Today’s episode is sponsored by the GigaOM RoadMap conference

0:12:00 – 0:25:00 – Stacey Higginbotham breaks down broadband caps, and how they could be capping innovation (and here’s her cap chart)

0:25:00 – 0:36:00 – Om Malik discusses why we just can’t let go of Steve Jobs, one year after his death

0:36:00 – 0:38:00 – Parting gifts

Erica likes the WiThings home blood pressure monitor

And Chris recommends aspiring writers listen to the Nerdist Writers Panel podcast

PREVIOUS EPISODES:
Apple’s iO-Mess, Dirty Data Centers and Tesla

News from the Mobilize Conference

Paul Tough: How Children Succeed and what you can learn from them

The iPhone 5 Event

Come on, Kindle, Light My 4G Fire

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The Commutist podcast: Mobilize! EKGs, Connected cars and Siri

Chris Albrecht — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 04:43:17 +0000

Mobile EKGs! Hi-def videos piped to your car! Calling people and not numbers! We’re at the GigaOM Mobilize conference in San Francisco for this week’s episode of The Commutist. Stacey Higginbotham, Kevin Tofel and Kevin Fitchard gather ’round for a chat about the mobile industry’s past, present and very cool future.

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SHOW NOTES:
Host: Chris Albrecht

0:00:50 – 0:02:45 – A quick look back at different predictions and topics covered at previous Mobilize conferences.

0:02:45 – 0:04:39 – Size matters (with screens)

0:04:40 – 0:06:09 – Mobile-first world?

0:06:10 – 0:10:22 – Spectrum crisis! Fewer app requests! Sony games on mobile! The hazards of apps in cars!

0:10:23 – 0:12:46 – Mobile first vs. data first and interoperability.

0:12:47 – 0:14:58 – Apple’s influence.

0:14:59 – 0:16:12 – The Mobile 15.

0:16:13 – 0:18:20 – The role of the carriers.

0:18:21 – 0:21:29 – Voice: the invisible interface.

0:21:30 – 0:25:30 – Calling phone numbers vs. calling people: when talking sucks.

0:25:31 – 0:29:00 Mobile stuff you should know: mobile IVF, do not disturb across devices, MVNO.

PREVIOUS EPISODES:

Paul Tough: How Children Succeed and what you can learn from them

Episode 2: The iPhone 5 Event

Episode 1: Come on, Kindle, Light My 4G Fire

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The Commutist episode 2: Apple’s event and why an LTE iPhone is a big deal

Chris Albrecht — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 07:01:15 +0000

The Commutist is a weekly GigaOM podcast giving you all the tech news and analysis you need to know on your way into work.

With Apple’s big iPhone 5 event this week, what other tech news is there to cover? We give you the big takeaways and explain why Apple’s LTE move means more than just speed. Also, a quick heads up that The Commutist is now available on iTunes!

Download: gomcom-ep-2-91312.mp3

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SHOW NOTES:
Hosts: Chris Albrecht and Erica Ogg

0:00:00 – 0:21:00 – Om Malik joins in to give his takes on what this latest Apple event says about the company.

0:21:00 – 0:37:00 – GigaOM writer Kevin Fitchard breaks down everything you could ever possibly want to know about LTE networks and why Apple’s move into 4G is a big deal.

0:37:00 – 0:40:00 – Parting gifts:

Chris brazenly recommends his own timelapse video from outside the Apple event.

Erica likes the Olloclip lens attachments for the iPhone.

Kevin really likes GoJee for making killer meals from what you have.

The Commutist theme song written and performed by Phil Reno.

PREVIOUS EPISODES:
Episode 1: Come on Kindle Light My 4G Fire

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Why tomorrow’s iPad will need a battery breakthrough

Katie Fehrenbacher — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 06:55:59 +0000

The single biggest constraint for mobile devices today is batteries, and this includes the new iPad. If Apple wants to keep delivering cutting-edge improvements to its always-on, lightweight tablet, it needs to know the stakes in the looming battery race, and how to break through them.

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AT&T sans T-Mobile USA: Making lemons from lemonade

Colin Gibbs — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:00:41 +0000

In the wake of its failed acquisition of T-Mobile USA, analysts are speculating where AT&T can find enough spectrum to keep pace with Verizon Wireless. But instead AT&T should be scrambling to ensure that it makes the most of the spectrum it does have.

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The time is finally right for MVNOs in the U.S.

Colin Gibbs — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 22:00:39 +0000

The U.S. MVNO market is now largely a niche where a handful of companies provide phones and services on the cheap. But several notable new players are joining the space next year and will provide a different, more-specialized kind of service; network operators could benefit in a big way.

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