Wednesday’s Senate hearing on Verizon’s spectrum deal with the cable operators certainly isn’t going to be a love fest. Verizon and Comcast will square off not only against its toughest critics – The Free Press and the RCA – but the unions as well. Read more »
We’ve filled up a lot of posts at GigaOM discussing spectrum and the supposed capacity crunch carriers face, but all those references to megahertz and gigahertz can get somewhat confusing. Luckily RootMetrics has prepared a handy graphical primer explaining the ins and out of the airwaves. Read more »
AT&T has cheaper plans, but Verizon has far better LTE coverage. As for speed, they match each other megabit per megabit — unless you happen to live in Chicago, Los Angeles or any city where AT&T’s networks are undersized. Read more »
Verizon has claimed that it will start running out of mobile broadband capacity as soon as 2013 unless it gets its hands on the cable operators’ unused spectrum. But the FCC has some questions about the math Verizon used to reach that conclusion. Read more »
The industry has moved beyond starry-eyed soothsaying about a world of 50 billion connected devices to start talking about how these mammoth networks of objects and appliances would actually work and how they would be managed. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
I know we’re freaked out about spectrum shortages, but new advances in chip technology can help. Thanks to recent research at the University of Texas at Dallas and the Semiconductor Research Corporation, we may soon be able to tap into the terahertz wavelengths. Read more »
Both houses of Congress have reached a compromise a few wireless spectrum issues that had the potential to put the kibosh on innovation and competition when it came to both mobile broadband and more unlicensed spectrum. Read more »
Is AT&T failing to keep its story straight about the need for more spectrum, or is it just that the popping of the spectrum bubble has taken them by surprise as well? The nation’s second largest operator now sees a data drizzle rather than deluge. Read more »
At the Super Bowl AT&T’s networks carried 215 GB of traffic, placed 74,204 phone calls and transmitted 722,296 SMS messages. AT&T reported no problems in handling the traffic and had, but in what is now becoming a common refrain, it used the event to lobby for more spectrum. Read more »
Qualcomm’s wireless technologies already dominate the mobile broadband networks on U.S. land. Now it wants to dominate the skies above it. Qualcomm is petitioning the FCC to clear a huge swathe of spectrum for an airplane broadband network supporting the eye-popping bandwidth of 300 Gbps. Read more »
Report after report points to AT&T marrying Dish Network after Ma Bell’s forced break up with T-Mobile, but given the companies’ increasing belligerence, you wouldn’t think that was the case. What we’re witnessing here is some very cynical pre-nuptial gamesmanship. Read more »
With its executive reshuffling this week AT&T returned to a structure that more accurately reflects where its businesses are heading. The wireless juggernaut that drives most of AT&T’s revenues in now firmly in the hands of former consumer CEO Ralph de la Vega. Read more »
The AT&T-Mo saga wasted countless dollars and resources, dominating the attention of regulators and the wireless industry for a year, but AT&T’s failure more than made up for those losses. We now have more fearsome regulation and a greater awareness of the mobile market’s precarious competitive state. Read more »
If AT&T-Mo’s failure taught us anything it’s that big U.S. operators can no longer grow by acquiring each other. Instead they’re going to have to buy up what unused spectrum is left on the market to stockpile fuel for their future mobile broadband networks. 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 »
LightSquared is giving up more of its network ambitions in hopes of winning FCC approval to launch LTE, but if it concedes too much it may find itself with no network left to build. That would be just fine with LightSquared’s critics in the GPS industry. Read more »
Wi-fi has shown a remarkable ability to evolve, to meet increasingly higher expectations and requirements, and to become pervasively adopted in mobile devices. All of these factors are highly prized by the enterprise and public and safety agencies, as well as health and educational institutions that are increasingly deploying larger, high-performance and high-capacity Wi-Fi networks that have become fully integrated within the IT infrastructure. This paper follows the ascent of Wi-Fi and looks at how its expanding role within the enterprise drives more-advanced requirements. We also examine how these requirements will be met by further expansion in the Wi-Fi standards and by a new generation of Wi-Fi equipment and devices. And we discuss how the enterprise can benefit from the evolution of Wi-Fi by deploying future-proof networks that will organically improve performance. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
LightSquared is fighting for the life of its LTE network, as a government report emerging later this week questions if there’s any way its 4G network can coexist with millions of GPS devices. If the report’s findings stand, the repercussions could be felt throughout the industry. Read more »
The judge hearing the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against AT&T’s planned takeover of T-Mobile has agreed to give the two parties a month to figure out if they can salvage the $39 billion deal. The court will revisit the case on Jan 18. 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 »
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 »
A big move for Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ) today, and something of a seismic shift for the cable industry as it moves away from its fixation… Read more at paidContent »
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 »
Following the FCC’s decision to send the $39-billion proposed merger of AT&T and T-Mobile USA to an administrative hearing, AT&T has withdrawn its application to combine its spectrum with T-Mobile’s from the regulatory agency. Additionally, it said it will take a $4 billion charge against earnings. 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 »
Sprint is calling foul on AT&T’s attempt to sell off mobile broadband licenses while simultaneously arguing the need to acquire T-Mobile’s spectrum. Sprint’s been plenty right in its criticisms of the AT&T-Mo deal in the past, but this time Sprint’s wrong. Read more »
In an official statement released Thursday, T-Mobile SVP of Marketing Andrew Sherrard addressed T-Mobile’s absence from the lineup of U.S. carriers offering the iPhone — a list that now includes regional carrier C Spire. Essentially, T-Mobile wants it but only if it works with the carrier’s tech. Read more »
Massive growth in data traffic driven by smartphone adoption and usage, coupled with more spectrally efficient air interfaces such as HSPA+ or LTE, have added increased pressure on backhaul requirements, turning a once boring business into an exciting space. More exacting requirements and greater competition will ultimately enable more growth prospects over the next few years. We also expect to see increased adoption of wireless backhaul worldwide, with PMP and E-band technologies delivering increasingly attractive and cost-effective solutions for the new LTE networks. Companies mentioned in this report include BLiNQ, Cambridge Broadband Networks and Siklu. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
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 »
In bringing the geekiest tech to mainstream consumers, Steve Jobs also helped bring it to Washington, D.C. With the launch of the iPhone, Apple forced Washington legislators to address issues such as spectrum policy and mobile privacy and even got regulators involved in app development. Read more »
The cost of delivering a gigabyte of data will surpass the cost carriers receive for said gigabyte some time in early 2013, according to a chart provided by telecommunications gear vendor Tellabs. Read more »
Amid the political fighting over LightSquared and whether or not it will interfere with GPS, there’s a far larger issue: Can the nascent carrier really build a business as a wholesale carrier? History offers some perspective that maybe it can’t. 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 »
The political drama around the Obama administration’s efforts to bring a competitive wireless broadband alternative to the nation are roiled in a technical and now a political debate. The drama centers around LightSquared, and whether or not the White House influenced testimony from a four-star general. 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 »
Just because the Department of Justice and Sprint are suing to stop AT&T from buying T-Mobile, doesn’t mean the deal is dead. Analyst firm Strategy Analytics today said it thinks the deal could still happen if AT&T sells off some of its spectrum. Read more »
Incumbent wireless service providers and a chorus of experts have warned of a looming spectrum crisis, which could threaten the success of cloud-based and other high-bandwidth offerings. A silver lining is on the horizon, however, in the form of policy and technological innovations. 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 »
