Mobile operators are freaking out about the growth of mobile devices, mobile video and their shrinking ARPU. But a respected research group with plenty of carrier clients issued a report this week that essentially tells carriers to stop whining. They can afford to invest. Read more »
The number of HSPA subscribers is set to top 500 million globally by the end of this month and is expected to double by the end of next year. Network operators will have to invest more than $100 billion through 2015 to meet this growing demand. Read more »
As network operators drop unlimited mobile broadband data plans, consumers continue to shift their data needs to free or low-cost Wi-Fi hot spots: nearly 90 percent are hitting hot spots at home and on the go. Once a lowly home network standard, Wi-Fi is king of the road. Read more »
In the war to control access to services over wireless networks, the Free Press, a consumer group, has filed a complaint with the FCC because Verizon has reportedly asked Google to disable tethering on Android devices. Read more »
Earlier this week, AT&T hinted at shared data plans, which could mean one of two things: one individual plan for multiple devices or a family plan to share data among a household on the same account. My family’s data usage illustrates the benefits of the latter. Read more »
Mobile video is here to stay whether it’s chatting with friends via Skype or streaming movies from Netflix. Even Adobe’s Flash player has a place in the Apple-definedpost-PC era judging by several announcements showing application providers and chipmakers marrying various video codecs to their silicon. Read more »
AT&T on Wednesday announced that it will launch its initial LTE service in five markets – Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. GigaOM had an exclusive first look at the carrier’s LTE network that offered speeds of almost 30 Mbps down and 10 Mbps up. Read more »
The Netherlands might be a tiny country, but when it comes to broadband, it is one that likes to make big moves. It had been quick to embrace fiber broadband. And now it is enacting a law that guarantees “net neutrality” for its citizens. Read more »
The fourth largest U.S. carrier is ready to offer the fastest mobile broadband speeds yet: T-Mobile today announced its 42 Mbps network is available in 55 markets. How will this fast capability work with data plans that are throttled down after a set amount of data? Read more »
T-Mobile today announced new smartphone plans that increase in price based on voice minutes and the amount of 4G mobile broadband data a customer wants in a month. Is unlimited with an asterisk still unlimited? Technically, yes, but the definition is getting a little loose. Read more »
Onavo, a free iOS app that launched last month, claims to help iPhone and iPad users reduce the amount of monthly bandwidth on their 3G-enabled devices. Onavo compresses application data in the cloud and has already saved iOS owners 500,000 MB of data in three weeks. Read more »
Mobile hardware is progressing at a blistering pace, but to deliver the type of user experiences enabled by awesome hardware software must keep pace. This goes beyond the need for innovations in OSes and applications, to the underlying software that ties everything together. Read more »
Verizon’s CTO Tony Melone discussed Verizon’s Wi-Fi strategy and hinted at the end of 3G radios in some of the operators’ devices coming in 2013. In a speech and conversation with reporters Melone opened up about FiOS, LTE pricing, spectrum and more. Read more »
It’s easy for consumers to blame constant web browsing and occasional online video as the big bandwidth hogs, but mobile apps shouldn’t get a free pass. The number of apps is growing, as is their usage, and some gobble up more than 100 MB per hour. Read more »
The most pressing need for broadband providers in the U.S. is spectrum to enable the mobile ecosystem said AT&T’s CEO and chairman speaking at a conference. He also replayed his talking points on why AT&T must buy T-Mobile for $39 billion. At least he’s consistent. Read more »
Comcast today announced that it will offer a 4G MiFi device, but what I found curious was that in the release about the device and Comcast’s Xfinity Wireless2Go product there’s no mention of the WiMAX protocol, an omission that’s becoming more common. Read more »
Wi-Fi provider Boingo Wireless is set to go public Wednesday in what could be a good measure of how hot the wireless boom is. The company is seeking to raise some $75 million with its debut, which comes as IPOs are growing hot again. Read more »
MetroPCS recently met with the FCC about wireless competition, presumably in response to AT&T’s proposal to buy T-Mobile USA for $39 billion. Industry groups, average consumers and Sprint have come out against the proposed merger, and MetroPCS also offered up this slide showing industry consolidation. Read more »
Verizon Wireless has resolved its nationwide LTE network outage, which only affected 0.5% of it’s subscriber base. But does the limited impact matter if LTE is a primary connection? Aside from the outage, the carrier still has work to do before most folks jump on 4G. Read more »
Demand for mobile data appears to outstrip the supply of spectrum available to provide Facebook or streaming video on our phones and tablets. However, we are ignoring some very promising technological solutions that could turn the spectrum crunch into a capital spending bonanza by telecommunications companies. Read more »
AT&T’s strategy for pushing through its $39-billion purchase of T-Mobile, thus consolidating further the majority of the mobile subscribers, 4G-capable spectrum and revenue in the U.S. is fantastic. Let’s take a look at the promises, the changes in strategy and the continuing issues. Read more »
An updated Skype client for Google Android devices is available today with two notable improvements: a security patch and support for voice calls over 3G networks around the world, including the U.S. Could Skype be planning a data-only handset for voice calls over mobile broadband? Read more »
LightSquared, the company trying to create a wholesale fourth generation wireless network is thinking about an initial public offering. Is the company is planning to take investors for a ride using the current spectrum crisis as cover for a questionable business plan? Read more »
The FCC and the DoJ’s review of the $39-billion buy of T-Mobile by AT&T began today. The good news is there’s now a place to file a complaint and the bad news is it’s unclear if the government will stand up for consumers on this deal. Read more »
This week, the broadcast industry is meeting in Las Vegas. However, amid this collegial gathering of industry folks a $33 billion fight is brewing. The fight is nothing short of an entertainment battle royal with TV on one side and the iPhone on the other. Read more »
The launch of the Playbook tablet is a big moment for Research In Motion boss Mike Lazaridis — his company’s attempt to take on the iPad. But the attention is all going the wrong way today, after the BBC revealed how he walked out of an interview. Read more »
Leap Wireless, the company behind the prepaid Cricket prepaid service, will transition to a 4G Long Term Evolution Network in the second half of this year, but is dubious about the technology being ready for customers. Leap’s CEO thinks devices will achieve “critical pricing” in 2012. Read more »
Apple is aware of the Verizon iPad 2′s roaming issues, which we reported last week. The company is “investigating” the issue, according to an official statement, and it may already be hard at work on a fix according to leaked information regarding iOS 4.3.2. Read more »
A number of Verizon iPad 2s are exhibiting issues with 3G networks, prompting Apple to replace some. But that’s not a satisfactory fix, as replacement units show the same problem. Neither Apple nor Verizon seems to be able to offer a satisfying solution at this point. Read more »
While we in the U.S. ponder the implications if AT&T successfully buys T-Mobile, and takes the U.S. down to a mere three carriers, the citizens of Turkmenistan are suddenly faced with only one carrier, after one of its two operators went out of business. Read more »
The number of U.S. smartphone users is on the rise: 29.4 percent of Americans have one says comScore. Oddly, the amount of people using smartphones for data-intensive activities is very low, indicating that new smartphone owners are paying for the networks that tech-savvy people are using. Read more »
As we’ve noted, the rise of LTE opens up the potential for wireless carriers to court wireline broadband subscribers. Well, even with the limitations of wireless, the comparison is valid, at least for now, according to Deutsche Bank, which studied the latest 4G offerings. Read more »
Carrier aggregation is the latest weapon carriers are trying in order to add capacity to their mobile broadband networks and AT&T is the latest operator to consider using the technology to consolidate its multiple spectrum bands into one network. What does that mean for spectrum valuation? Read more »
For a mobile operator without a network or handset, LightSquared has struck a lot of deals, and been associated with some big name partners. AT&T even mentioned it as a viable mobile broadband competitor in its conference call to discuss its plans to buy T-Mobile. Why? Read more »
Verizon is thrilled to cover 285 million people, or 97 percent of the U.S. population, with 4G wireless services by 2013, in part because it makes such a dandy fixed broadband access technology says an executive. This must make companies that bought Verizon’s DSL lines scared. Read more »
Appia, a white-label mobile application marketplace, announced $10 million in funding from Venrock today, brining total funding to $28.5 million. Casting a wider net with an app store builder may be the better play as opposed to raising millions for a single application. Read more »
Fon was once a company on the verge of bankruptcy with an unsustainable business model, a new era of mobile computing ushered in by Apple’s iPhone and the devices that would follow have completely turned its fortunes around. How? By jump-starting the demand for Wi-Fi everywhere. Read more »
Want to get a better idea of how much cellular data you’re using on your iPad? DataMan’s new app designed specifically for the iPad 3G can help. The app offers highly customizable data info, including push notifications and granular usage tracking, designed specifically for Apple’s tablet. Read more »
The Wi-Fi Alliance plans work with equipment providers, carriers and device manufacturers to create a certification program that will enable operators to eventually enable roaming on Wi-Fi networks. That would offer consumers a Wi-Fi experience closer to the seamless connectivity of a cell network. Read more »
AT&T justified its $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile this morning with three main points, spectrum, synergies and the public good. Against a background of incredible data growth, AT&T is ready to recreate a wireless duopoly that mirrors the wireline duopoly we have today. Read more »
