Republic Wireless, a division of Bandwidth.com, is going to launch a super-cheap mobile voice and SMS service on Nov. 8. The service uses a mix of VoIP and cellular technologies. The service requires new hardware, though. Read more »
Introduced in 2009, Novatel Wireless’s MiFi sales topped the 3 million mark on Monday. The big number is no surprise because of the MiFi’s simplicity and utility: press a button and share a mobile broadband connection over Wi-Fi. Smartphones and software could mute future sales, however. Read more »
China Telecom, the No. 3 player in the Chinese mobile market, has managed to add 9 million subscribers in the third quarter and 26.4 million so far this year. No wonder mobile players such as Apple (AAPL) are so eager to get into the market. Read more »
There are more than 5 billion mobile subscribers in the world, and new growth is coming from Asia and Latin America, according to data out on Thursday from Wireless Intelligence, which ranked the top 20 mobile operators by subscribers. U.S. carriers are way down the list. Read more »
Gone are the days in which traditional cable TV had a larger audience than online video makers: YouTube’s top five channels rival the daily viewership of their cable counterparts. That may explain why YouTube now causes 20 percent of all peak mobile downstream traffic. Read more »
Sure, Sprint will deliver LTE-Advanced in 2013, a standard that can offer gigabit speeds on fixed networks, but Samsung is talking about ways we can get multi-gigabit wireless networks. These are wireless networks that are faster than today’s wired ones. Read more »
With myriad applications fighting for limited gigabytes on a mobile broadband plan or multiple users fighting for access to a wired home connection, what broadband users need is a connectivity thermostat that they can use to control how they can access their ISP’s pipes. It’s coming. Read more »
One of Sprint’s only marketing advantages was its promise of unlimited 4G broadband. But that distinction is fading fast. Today, the carrier announced it was doing away with unlimited 4G mobile broadband for hotspots and devices and was instead instituting three new tiered data plans. Read more »
The Federal Communications Commission has joined those questioning Ma Bell about its stated benefits of its purchase of T-Mobile. The agency on Thursday sent AT&t letter inquiring about the number of jobs AT&T said would be created by the merger. Read more »
Opera released updated versions of its Opera Mini and Opera Mobile browsers for Google Android devices on Tuesday. The new software includes a mobile broadband meter showing how much data has been used for browsing. Will device owners give up browsing preferences for less data usage? Read more »
Skyfire is moving into high gear with the next iteration of its Rocket platform, a video compression technology solution for carriers, which brings a host of improvements that should be appealing to operators worried about an explosion in mobile video usage. Read more »
OpenRange Communications, the company that scored a $267 million federal loan to build out a rural mobile broadband network, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Thursday leaving the U.S. government holding the bag on a $73.5 million in unpaid loans. Read more »
Sprint has begun taking pre-orders for the 8 GB iPhone 4 Apple announced at its press event on Tuesday. The iPhone 4 will retail for $99 on a two-year contract, and both it and the iPhone 4S will have unlimited talk and data plans available. Read more »
T-Mobile announced Monday that it would begin to sell $30 monthly unlimited text and data plans in a partnership with Walmart, beginning on Oct. 16. The no-contract plan only offers 100 voice minutes, but consumers are slowly shifting from voice calls to data services. Read more »
Earlier this week, we held our two-day Mobilize 2011 event, which was jam packed with interviews, discussion panels and fireside chats all revolving around the mobile industry. This morning, Rob Woodbridge hosted me on a video summary of Mobilize, which distills the event’s high level themes. Read more »
A new study by analytics firm Localytics found that 36.6 percent of U.S. Android devices in the third quarter offer 4G. That could set up an interesting comparison with the next iPhone if it doesn’t support 4G, though it may not affect iPhone sales. Read more »
As the faster wireless broadband connections proliferate, we are going to need devices to access those networks. The demand for these kind of connections is only going to increase as we adapt to this new world. Signs of this change are reflected in this research report. Read more »
NSN today laid out a new architecture for mobile networks that brings concepts such automation and elasticity from webscale and cloud computing to mobile broadband as network engineers at carriers face the challenge of scaling their infrastructure to serve billions of endpoints. Read more »
MiFi mobile hotspots aren’t new, but not everyone wants the two-year data contract that comes with one. TruConnect launched a new 3G MiFi on Monday for $90 that uses Sprint’s 3G network, doesn’t require a contract and costs $0.039 per megabyte; great for a Wi-Fi tablet. Read more »
That spectrum shortage isn’t stopping AT&T’s newly launched LTE network for delivering some smoking speeds according to tests out from Signals Research this weekend. AT&T, which launched LTE in in five cities Sunday, delivered LTE speeds averaging 23.6 Mbps down and 15.2 Mbps up. Read more »
The attorneys general of seven states joined the Justice Department’s suit today to block AT&T’s proposed buy of T-Mobile, citing worries about competition. Together these state represent a third of the American population. So what does that mean for the deal? Read more »
Mobile is turning travel on its head, and much like it’s changing the way thousands of other companies do business, it’s also changing how Expedia thinks about its product. Instead of searching and booking travel, a mobile device can provide a concierge-like level of service. Read more »
The spectrum shortage, backed by scary stats from Cisco, is the rationale for a $39-billion merger the Justice Department is currently fighting. The running narrative is we want to use a ton of data but our airwaves can’t handle it. But what if we shared? Read more »
Call it what you want, but Super Wi-Fi or white spaces broadband just got a big win today when the FCC approved the first trial using the radio and database needed to deliver the broadband service. the test brings us one step closer to better broadband. Read more »
AT&T filed its response to the DOJ lawsuit that attempts to stop Ma Bell’s acquisition of T-Mobile, and the response can be summed up as: T-Mobile is a loser, but if we can take it over, it’s a win for customers who will get better service. Read more »
Apple will indeed offer the iPhone 5 on Sprint next month, according to a report from Bloomberg on Friday. This backs up an earlier claim by the Wall Street Journal, but Bloomberg adds that Sprint will also be offering unlimited data service plans with the device. Read more »
Utilities will spend $3.2 billion this year in telecommunications services, but only a third is related to smart meters. A growing proportion will pay for mobile broadband for workers as part of a wider shift to thinking mobile broadband access is essential for productivity. Read more »
Tablets and e-readers and connected electric meters … oh my! As device makers embed broadband into more gadgets, and consumer demand for ubiquitous broadband skyrockets, operators are realizing they aren’t in Kansas anymore and traditional financial metrics and ways of running their businesses won’t cut it. Read more »
Not content to let the Justice Department stand in the way of the proposed AT&T buy of T-Mobile, Sprint sued AT&T, Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile on Tuesday under provisions associated with the Clayton Antitrust Act, the operator said. Read more »
While the U.S. mobile operators are starting to compete over 4G speeds, Europe’s transition to next generation networks has barely begun. It’s a situation that turns the stereotype on its head — and highlights mistakes made 10 years ago by operators in Germany, France and the UK. Read more »
The U.S. government filed suit to block AT&T’s $39 billion merger with T-Mobile, claiming the deal would “create an anti-competitive environment.” If the merger falls through, AT&T will lose cash, spectrum holdings and the ability to add T-Mobile’s unique 1700 MHz frequency LTE network expansion plans. Read more »
Thanks to mobile broadband, access to a driver’s calendar and entertainment preferences and smart engineering, the Ford Evos is an example how the cloud can power cars of the future. Check the video to see how this is a natural progression from smartphones to smarter cars. Read more »
The number of Wi-Fi hotspots around the world is expected to crack one million locations by 2013 as carriers continue to embrace the hotspot in face of growing data demand. Gone are the days where simple Wi-Fi is a second-class citizen when it comes to networks. Read more »
Nokia Siemens Network and AT&T offered new data points today on how mobile broadband demand may swamp networks, but each also offered solutions outside of throttling and raising prices. With some technical savvy and Wi-Fi, maybe the mobile future isn’t so impossible. Read more »
If the cable companies gain control of Clearwire the ISPs that control the wireline infrastructure in the country could be the same companies that control the wireless access, and their business models of delivering services, as opposed to access, will stay in place. Read more »
AT&T will begin selling its first LTE devices on August 21, in advance of the carriers new network; the new data devices will fall back to AT&T’s current HSPA+ speeds. $50 will buy 5 GB of monthly data on the LTE network when it later launches. Read more »
AT&T, on Thursday somehow managed to file a document relating to its T-Mobile acquisition that wasn’t redacted, which noted that it would have to spend $3.8 billion to cover rural areas with its planned LTE network. Read more »
Carriers are preparing ways to change their pricing to charge by applications or services. And as they do, consumers will lose — namely because carriers will offer a variety of their own services that could strangle the quality of anything one might consider over-the-top. Read more »
Leaked information is pointing towards T-Mobile moving away from its unlimited data plan offering for the smallest plan option. If the leak is correct, customers on T-Mobile’s 200 MB plan will pay $0.10 for each megabyte over the limit. Which is worse: overages or speed throttling? Read more »
Clearwire, which abruptly lost its CEO earlier this year, has promoted Erik Prusch, the wireless company’s chief operating officer, to the top spot on Wednesday. Prusch replaces interim CEO John Stanton, who will assume the role of executive chairman of the board. Read more »
