Sprint has given its partner LightSquared 30 days to get regulators to green-light the launch of its controversial 4G service, but it may not be enough. If Sprint pulls out of the network-sharing deal, LightSquared’s costs multiply, almost certainly killing its rollout plans. Read more »
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 »
As expected, the past year was an exciting one for mobile tech. I did reasonably well on my 2011 predictions, but now it’s time to power up the crystal ball and gaze at what 2012 will bring. Here are my 16 predictions for the new year. Read more »
Verizon’s LTE network has had a hell of a month. After a year of smooth performance, interrupted only by one major glitch in April, the new ultra-fast 4G network has experienced a string of three outages in a single month. Verizon’s network head explains why. Read more »
The past year in mobile has been even more eventful than most of us would have predicted. Our appetite for mobile data grew dramatically; Google’s Android continued its march to worldwide dominance; Amazon joined the tablet bandwagon; and AT&T tried and failed to acquire T-Mobile USA, among many other things. All of that activity lays the groundwork for a very promising — and very challenging — 2012. This research note serves both as a review of the major trends and events of 2011 as well as a forecast for the coming year. Companies mentioned in this report include Millennial Media, Quattro Wireless and Samsung. For a full list of companies, and to read the full research note, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The FCC approved Qualcomm’s sale of its 700 MHz spectrum to AT&T. The deal is striking for two reasons; it closes a big chapter in the history of mobile TV and the FCC said it will look at interoperability in LTE bands next year. Read more »
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 ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
LightSquared isn’t just fighting the government and the GPS industry for the right to build its nationwide LTE network; it’s also fighting the clock. In a financial statement released to Reuters, LightSquared revealed it may run out of cash early next year. Read more »
Google announced that last year’s Nexus S handset will start to get Android 4.0; the GSM models first over the coming month. Those who can’t wait for Android 4.0 on a CDMA smartphone can get one as Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus with LTE support launched this week. Read more »
The Galaxy Nexus, a flagship phone to showcase Google Android 4.0, has finally arrived for Verizon’s LTE network. The large handset comes with a hefty $299 price tag with contract; $649 without. Although it should offer a “pure” Google experience, Google Wallet won’t be installed. Read more »
Microsoft quietly made a personnel move this week that may indicate the company is working toward a unified operating system for handsets, tablets and PCs. But this is a critical moment for Windows Phone, and Microsoft should first tackle a few other important things to regain ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Verizon’s LTE rollout has passed the 200-million-pops-coverage mark, extending the new ultra-fast mobile broadband network’s umbrella to nearly two out of every three Americans. Verizon’s 4G footprint is now three times larger than archrival AT&T’s own LTE coverage, but it’s doubtful Ma Bell cares. Read more »
One day after announcing the final details to its public offering, Clearwire has closed on the stock deal, raising $734 million in equity investment from new investors and principle shareholder Sprint. The next step? Build a big fat LTE network, of course. Read more »
Clearwire is raising another $52.5 million in its public offering. That’s hardly big money in the world of telecom finance, but it happens to be the exact amount Clearwire needs to reach its $400 million target, triggering an investment by Sprint and kickstarting its LTE rollout. Read more »
Next-generation LTE mobile broadband networks won’t unify global communications anytime soon, if ever. A new Wireless Intelligence report published Friday estimates more than 200 LTE networks will have launched around the world by 2015. That’s great news, but they’ll use 38 different frequencies. Fragmentation, anyone? Read more »
Wednesday’s LTE outage shows Verizon still has bugs to work out in its new 4G network. As the first to launch LTE on a large scale, Verizon has become a guinea pig for the entire industry, dealing with the technologies remaining flaws as they arise. Read more »
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 ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Its 2011 LTE build goal already complete, AT&T is expanding the new super-high-speed network into more markets in the remaining days of the year, starting with New York City. AT&T’s CFO says the expansion is being driven by ever-increasing mobile broadband demand. Read more »
Even with a new cash infusion from Sprint, Clearwire’s LTE plans remain conservative. Given their combined spectrum resources, the two operators could build the biggest, baddest 4G network in the industry. The question is do they have the ambition — and the cash — to do it? Read more »
Apple is trying to get the iPhone into the hands of as many compatible operators as possible, but U.S. Cellular finds the current iPhone lacking. If Apple were to add LTE, then the operator would be willing to give the smartphone a second look. Read more »
Qualcomm and Verizon are both proposing to trick out healthcare with some wireless connectivity. Qualcomm launched its new 2net cloud and mobile biometric information monitoring and sharing platform, while Verizon is developing mobile video communications technologies that could enable the virtual house call. Read more »
The spectrum deal that Verizon signed to buy the unused airwaves from the nation’s top cable providers signals the moment that the consumer benefits of the convergence of voice, video and data hit the wall. It’s a deal that’s great for Verizon and bad for consumers. Read more »
The U.S. leads in LTE but not for long. In the U.K., Everything Everywhere and BT Wholesale have recently begun LTE trials and this video from T3 shows not only the speeds that the network is handling, but also how consumers are reacting to the technology. Read more »
Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks are selling off the spectrum remnants of their stillborn wireless venture, SpectrumCo, to Verizon Wireless for $3.6 billion. The deal allows Verizon to double up on its LTE network, while creating a new alliance between Verizon and cable. Read more »
We’ve seen some significant strides for LTE in the past year — with some big names like Verizon and AT&T (NYSE: T) getting behind the fast… Read more at paidContent »
We can stop wondering if Clearwire will default on its loan payment. Sprint has stepped up with a plan to spend $1.6 billion over the next four years that will help Clearwire stay solvent, and Clearwire said it would make its $237 million debt payment. Read more »
AT&T had slower speeds in the city than you might expect, but overall the performance of the new LTE network and new smartphones was impressive, streaming uninterrupted Netflix video for 45 minutes and clocking average speeds of more than 10 Mbps on the freeway. Read more »
AT&T is scrambling to make huge concessions to gain approval of its proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA. Approval now looks highly unlikely, and the fallout could change the mobile landscape in a big way. Here’s who might ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Clearwire has to decide if it will make a $237 million interest payment on Thursday, a decision with big repercussions for the rest of the industry. If it skips the payment, it can build its LTE network, but if it defaults, it threatens its benefactor Sprint. Read more »
T-Mobile claims its new 42-Mbps HSPA+ can rival LTE. In the industry’s first apples to apples-to-apples comparison, RootMetrics put T-Mo’s claims to the test in multiple markets. The conclusion: T-Mobile’s network is fast but its still can’t match the raw speeds of Verizon’s LTE. Read more »
That North America took the early lead in LTE subscribers should come as little surprise given all of the early LTE activity in the U.S. But TeleGeography found that North America is set to lose its title as early as 2013 as Asia ramps up. Read more »
Clearwire is hinting it may default on loans to save cash, which could be the first step toward bankruptcy. If that happens, Sprint stands to lose the most. Not only is it Clearwire’s largest shareholder, but Sprint’s 4G strategy is tied up in Clearwire’s spectrum hoard. Read more »
The addition of Charlotte; Indianapolis; Kansas City; Las Vegas; Oklahoma City and San Juan, Puerto Rico bring AT&T’s LTE city count to 15 — meeting its 2011 target. But feeling pressure from Verizon’s ever-growing competing network, AT&T may opt to overshoot its goal. Read more »
Mobile operators may be key players in the mobile data revolution, building its broadband networks. But in the eyes of the markets, the telcos are seen as utilities, while their Valley counterparts are the ‘true’ high-tech innovators. A new study claims operators can change this. Read more »
Ericsson says today only 35 percent of the world’s population has WCDMA/HSPA coverage, and this number is expected to grow to 80 percent in 2016. And similarly the expected the population coverage of LTE will increase from today’s 2 percent to 35 percent in 2016 Read more »
Verizon is tops with 63 percent of the world’s current LTE subscriber base, according to Informa Telecoms & Media. But the U.S. carrier isn’t resting on its laurels. It now offers a promotion that doubles the monthly amount of LTE data for smartphones at no extra charge. Read more »
The HTC Rezound comes with a large 720p display, LTE radio and Beats Audio, but the $299 price doesn’t include Android 4.0 until 2012. Amazon and Barnes & Noble have created a second tablet market that looks successful while Motorola’s Xoom 2 appears marginally improved. 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 »
Mobile handsets have a bad habit of oversharing with the networks they operate on, with some handsets being chattier than others. This signaling data, as it’s known in the industry, makes managing networks even more challenging, and Traffix wants to help operators handle it. Read more »
The rapid growth in storage and processing power will put a big strain on the capabilities of the cloud and our wireless networks. But Jeff Belk of ICT168 Capital believes that there is opportunity to be found if we look both forward and backward. Read more »
