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 »
According to TechCrunch’s Steve Cheney, Apple won’t be introducing an LTE-capable handset when it launches its CDMA-based iPhone early in January, despite Verizon’s indication that it wouldn’t offer one otherwise. But Apple’s gone further: even its mid-year iPhone refresh won’t use a 4G network. 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 »
With much anticipation, I was hoping to hear AT&T Mobility’s big boss Ralph de la Vega outline company’s LTE plans at CTIA in San Francisco. Rather, he was a no show, and with that, Ma Bell is letting Verizon become the cynosure of the LTE world. 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 »
For the longest time, San Francisco has been a bit of a laggard when it comes to wireless broadband. That is going to change as by end of 2010 city will have access to two 4G LTE networks, a HSPA+ 3.5G network and a WiMAX-based network. Read more »
Residents of San Francisco, take note: you will have the option of a 4G mobile data network by the end of the year. That is, if you make the jump to the LTE network offered by pre-paid mobile carrier MetroPCS, according to COO Tom Keys. Read more »
As the demand on wireless networks increase thanks to more data consumption and more smart phones how can operators manage it, and will LTE be enough are the questions facing wireless operators as well as those building products as mobile devices meet cloud based applications. Read more »
LightSquared, the upstart telecommunications company that hopes to build a Long Term Evolution network using both a terrestrial and a satellite network, is prepping to announce its involvement with a project this afternoon to provide wireless access for rural healthcare providers. Read more »
Line losses are now the single greatest threat to the mobile sector’s growth, and major carriers must overcome the ceiling under which they now find themselves and the growth of their business. The solution lies not in voice-centric mobile devices but with new non-phone data-consuming devices like tablets, e-readers and machine-to-machine technology like digital picture frames, personal navigation devices and more. Tier 1 carriers — Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile — face a number of challenges, including a lack of control over distribution, disruptions to traditional pricing models and the unique nature of M2M deployments. For them, success will rely on experimenting with business models and the ability to quickly adjust data plans to drive profitability and growth. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
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 »
MetroPCS launched the nation’s first LTE network today in Las Vegas, as well as the first handset to run on it: the Samsung Craft. The network will be fast, and the plans to get on that network will be cheap, but the Craft isn’t a smartphone. Read more »
AT&T today said it plans to launch its fourth-generation LTE network by mid-2011 and will cover 75 million people by the end of next year. The carrier will spend $700 million this year rolling out the faster networks, with trials set for Dallas and Baltimore. Read more »
The smartphone boom is already putting wireless networks under intense pressure. With higher speed LTE networks on the horizon, it is a matter of time before demand for networking gear and bandwidth shoots up. That’s much-needed good news for the telecom sector. 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 »
Intel is buying Infineon’s wireless chip business for roughly $1.4 billion in cash. The new business will allow Intel to compete in the smartphone markets. But with WiMAX rollout not working out as planned, the deal is Intel’s plan B as LTE gains momentum. Read more »
As need for wireless speed grows, carriers are turning to 3.5G wireless broadband technology called HSPA+. There are 58 HSPA+ networks live across the world. Of the total, 19 were launched in 2010 alone. Another 43 networks are waiting in the wings. 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 »
LightSquared, a company with plans to build a nationwide Long Term Evolution wireless network has found its first customer in Airspan Networks, a provider of connectivity to utilities for their smart grid efforts. Airspan said it will resell some of LightSquared’s 1.4 GHz spectrum. Read more »
It has been an interesting year for Clearwire to say the least. The company, that is the visible and most vocal champion of the WiMAX technologies in the U.S. may move away from the technology which is the underpinning of its nationwide network. Read more »
Clearwire now provides its 4G WiMAX service to five new cities, which brings its total mobile broadband coverage to 51 million people. However, it’s August and the carrier is only 43 percent of the way to its goal of covering 120 million people before year end. Read more »
In a deal valued at $7 billion over the next eight years, LightSquared, backed by Harbinger Capital Partners, has hired Nokia Siemens Network to create a wholesale 4G wireless network on its behalf using satellite and terrestrial coverage. 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 »
Between the four major U.S. cellular carriers and Clearwire, mobile broadband in this country is undergoing a fundamental transition to faster networks. But who’s doing what and when with their offerings? Here’s a summary of next-generation plans from the major U.S. carriers and Clearwire through 2013. Read more »
Indian auctioned the 2.3 GHz spectrum for deployment of Broadband Wireless Access services for roughly $5.5 billion. The big winner was Infotel, a private company that has now agreed to be bought by conglomerate Reliance Industries. The 4G-focused spectrum is expected to compete with 3G service. Read more »
MeFeedia is making an offer to publishers that want to track videos delivered via HTML5: let us handle your analytics for free. With the rollout of its new analytics suite for HTML5 video, MeFeedia customers can now track engagement metrics across a number of mobile devices. Read more »
If WiMAX is a fad — a short-term bridge on the path to LTE as the global fourth-generation wireless standard — how will operators move from one network technology to another? Russia’s Yota, a WiMAX provider moving to LTE and interviews provide some clues. Read more »
Are you enjoying an all-you-can eat 3G data plan on Verizon Wireless? The buffet is over when Verizon’s 4G LTE network arrives later this year. At that point, the menu will change to one of tiered pricing, shifting the usage forecasting burden to consumers. Read more »
It will take almost 10 years for the sale of LTE devices to overtake 3G devices according to Keith Mallinson, founder of research firm WiseHarbor. He estimates the tipping point between LTE and 3G will occur in 2019, which is normal for network technology adoption curves. Read more »
Nearly 70 percent of U.S. cell phone subscribers are on a 3G network, according to data released by Wireless Intelligence today. America’s 3G adoption ties closely to our innovation and the economic growth around mobile computing, so imagine what happens when 4G services are rolled out. Read more »
AT&T, believing LTE won’t be robust enough by the time it begins its 2011 deployment, will deploy HSPA+ over its entire footprint by the end of the year. The network will offer speeds of up to 14 Mbps and cost less than $10 million to deploy. Read more »
Few people are as excited as I am about the coming Long Term Evolution wireless networks, but I experienced a little bit of of a reality check thanks to Qualcomm’s VP of Technology Jou Yu-chuen who said he didn’t see LTE as being widespread until 2014. Read more »
Clearwire has changed an agreement it had with Intel, one of its largest investors, that could lead the way for Clearwire to dump WiMAX and switch to LTE. Clearwire didn’t say it planned to switch technologies, but it now has the freedom to do so. Read more »
