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 »
After the Department of Justice surprised pretty much everyone by suing to stop AT&T from acquiring T-Mobile, the nation’s No. 2 carrier isn’t taking defeat lying down. It has vowed to fight the suit in a statement released this morning. 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 »
Sometimes knowing you are observed is enough to make you behave well. And the recent hoopla over AT&T releasing unredacted merger filings and an FCC request for more data, raise the question of how much transparency the FCC should sacrifice to protect competitive information. Read more »
Do we really think that Dish wants to build an LTE-Advanced mobile broadband network? I know that it filed a waiver asking the FCC to grant it the ability to use its satellite spectrum to deliver such a network, but let’s get real for a moment. Read more »
From this weekend’s news over Libya’s intermittent access to the web to last week’s drama over San Francisco’s public transportation agency shutting down wireless access during a protest, knowing where the web is at its weakest can help citizens agitate for change or protect their rights. 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 »
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 »
The Federal Communications Commission said it would combine the review of AT&T’s purchase of spectrum from Qualcomm with the agency’s review of Ma Bell’s $39 billion purchase of T-Mobile. Is the FCC worried about consolidating so much spectrum into the hands of one company? Read more »
Clearwire’s shift to LTE is not just a move away from WiMAX, but it cements Clearwire’s shift in strategy from being a retail operator to a wholesale provider – a change that has been coming for a while.What must it do to make this transition pay off? Read more »
The FCC wants to reallocate some of the TV spectrum to auction it off, and Congress is working on bills to facilitate that process. Local, low-power TV stations believe that they could be the casualty of the process, affecting cord cutters and ethnic minorities alike. Read more »
AT&T’s solid second quarter results were driven by wireless, but its wireline business was nearing growth again — a success for the carrier as it nears the completion of its U-Verse deployment. But amid the cheering for U-verse, the DSL network was getting kicked to the curb. Read more »
AT&T activated 3.6 million iPhones during the second quarter, with Android and BlackBerry devices making up the remaining 40 percent of Ma Bell’s smartphone sales. Those high-end handsets are generating more money for AT&T in other ways — such as increasing texting and MMS revenue and usage. Read more »
NextWave, a wireless spectrum holding company, warned it may be heading to bankruptcy. But NextWave has spectrum that could be used for mobile broadband that it has been trying to sell since November 2009. Its financial woes explain why the U.S. spectrum policy is so difficult. Read more »
This week both Republicans and Democrats proposed drafts of mobile spectrum bills that would incent television broadcasters to give up some of their spectrum to be used for mobile broadband. But one of those bills could hurt the development of more unlicensed airwaves. Read more »
Verizon stops offering unlimited plans on Thursday for new customers, and much like when AT&T halted its unlimited plans last June, the world will not end. However, it will get more confusing for both consumers and developers. What else could Verizon have done? Read more »
On Tuesday, iPass introduced a new Wi-Fi roaming service that is one of many data points in Wi-Fi’s slow transition from home networking tech for geeks to must-have for every mobile device to perhaps another source of carrier revenue. Will carriers charge for Wi-Fi? Read more »
Could satellites help provide the fat pipes needed to meet our mobile data demand? Eutelsat’s latest bird can deliver 70 gigabits per second, but before we get out the party hats and start funding satellites, it’s worth understanding the drawbacks. Read more »
The FCC’s net neutrality rules are their final steps to becoming a real law. Soon they will be on their way to the Federal Register. Once that happens, anyone can file a lawsuit and get the ball rolling on testing the rules in court. Read more »
LightSquared filed a reporton Thursday that shows that its planned wholesale LTE wireless network would interfere with existing GPS equipment, and suggested a three-part plan to resolve the issue. The report, filed with the FCC, could throw the operation of LightSquared’s network into some doubt. Read more »
Sometimes it’s not what you say, but what you don’t say that matters, and in today’s release of the annual wireless competition report, the Federal Communications Commission silence speaks volumes. The problem is, no one knows what that silence is saying. Read more »
LightSquared, the company trying to build a wholesale 4G wireless network using a mix of FCC waivers, satellite spectrum, a to-be-built terrestrial network and a helluva lot of gumption may have signed a deal with Sprint. 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 »
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 »
Cox Cable says it plans to shut down its wireless network according to Fierce Wireless, which published a story this afternoon citing Cox spokesman David Deliman who said the cable company will “soon” decommission its 3G network and use Sprint for its service. Read more »
In the land grab for spectrum, the most frightening specter is Netflix. But as carriers launch their LTE networks, I’m concerned about their marketing efforts around HD video. Both AT&T and Verizon are pitching it on their networks despite video’s ability to cause network congestion. 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 »
On Wednesday I had the chance to visit AT&T’s Foundry space and got a demonstration of the carrier’s LTE network that was running in that facility. The verdict: it was fast with download speeds of almost 29 Mbps and upload speeds of 10 Mbps. 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 »
We talk a lot about Wi-Fi offload as the next big thing for mobile operators, but a recent conversation with an AT&T executive put that into doubt. How can we make the reality match the perception of Wi-Fi as this fabulous place for offloading mobile traffic? Read more »
AT&T is reportedly preparing to turn on its LTE 4G network on in New York City by the end of June and then flip the switch on Los Angeles less than a month later. That would be consistent with previously announced plans for an LTE roll-out. Read more »
At a Senate Judiciary subcommittee on AT&T’s proposed purchase of T-Mobile, support was tepid for the merger. And most support associated with the deal was conditioned to a point where the FCC would be put in charge of regulating prices, speeds and perhaps access to devices. Read more »
The AT&T and T-Mo merger will be decided by a DoJ and an FCC playing by the old rules that don’t take into account the future needs of the mobile industry, nor how the relationship between the players in that industry have changed. That’s a problem. 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 »
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 »
