I’m saying goodbye to Android, and it appears I’m not alone. Here is why the platform’s fragmentation and lack of interoperability have driven me away — and why Google should do everything it can to address those ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
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 »
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 »
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 »
Looking to cut billing costs and buff its green credentials, Verizon Wireless has spent the last few years encouraging its customers to move to paperless billing. Now with millions of customers reading and paying their bills online, Verizon is springing a “convenience” fee trap. 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 »
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 »
The business model for standalone wholesale wireless network operators is broken. But in the coming year a new and ultimately more successful model is poised to emerge, transforming the entire communications landscape as we know it Tim Farrar of Telecom, Media, and Finance Associates, Inc. explains. Read more »
Verizon Wireless couldn’t have asked for a better outcome to the AT&T-Mo saga. Not only did its archival take a beating but Verizon managed to lock down its spectrum position while AT&T was distracted. But most importantly to Verizon, AT&T backed off before it went over the brink. 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 »
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 »
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 »
Verizon Wireless, the country’s largest mobile operator and Android device seller, does not install Carrier IQ’s keystroke-sniffing software in any of its phones and doesn’t use the now-controversial company’s data in way, company officials said. Now we wait for the other operators to sound off. 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 »
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 »
Verizon dodged a bullet on Tuesday when the FCC denounced AT&T-Mo. No conditional approval means no new regulations to haunt Verizon’s own consolidation plans in the future. Now Verizon needs its archival AT&T to throw in the towel before it can do any more damage. 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 »
Smartphones are driving a renaissance in global Wi-Fi hotspots, according to a new report. But the primary beneficiaries of these millions of new access points, the mobile operators, aren’t all convinced of the hotspot’s merits as a means of adding cheap capacity to their networks. Read more »
As our demand for data increases, so too do the number of mobile devices and services. Add to that the infrastructure needed to support such connectivity, and a wide, complex picture of the mobile industry emerges. This report examines the various sectors of the mobile landscape and what the future holds for each. Hardware, cloud services, mobile search, advertising, location-based services and the growing ubiquity of the Internet of Things will all play an important role in the concept of mobility as it shifts and evolves over the next several years. With the help of more than a dozen contributors, GigaOM Pro presents a comprehensive analysis of the companies and trends that will lead us into the next era of mobile. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
By 2015, the worldwide sales of NFC-equipped handsets will reach 263.6 million units, with the cumulative total at more than half a billion compatible devices. This report covers the current landscape for NFC, examines the technology’s different forms of deployment and forecasts its future. It also examines the various deployments of NFC technology — mobile payments, point of purchase, augmented reality — and the challenges businesses, carriers and handset makers face moving forward. Companies mentioned in this report include Google, TapIt, Amazon and NTT DoCoMo. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Verizon Wireless has rebuilt its VCast App Store with a new interface and better search capabilities thanks to a partnership with app discovery start-up Chomp. It’s part of a larger effort to ensure that Verizon’s store is a well thought out place to safely buy apps. Read more »
The Justice Department’s effort to block AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile USA has sparked a flurry of stories claiming the smaller carrier will be living on borrowed time if the deal isn’t approved. CNNMoney claims that T-Mobile without AT&T “is a wireless white elephant,” StreetInsider.com says failure to ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Samsung is expected to introduce an updated Galaxy S II handset with larger display, faster processor and bigger battery. But the real upgrade appears to be multimode network support including LTE. Could this be why Verizon is passing on the original and highly popular GS2 handset? Read more »
American Express’ Serve digital wallet is on a roll lining up carrier partners. Verizon announced Monday that it will support Serve payments on many Verizon smartphones and tablets in the coming months, allowing people to pay for online and offline goods by entering their phone number. Read more »
Verizon’s newest Android tablet arrives in stores this week and supports the operator’s 4G network. But wait, haven’t we heard that before? The Motorola Xoom is still waiting for its upgrade to use Verizon’s LTE network, but the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is ready to roll. Read more »
Carriers are struggling to address the gap between mobile data usage and revenues even as their networks approach capacity. Here’s how they can innovate to better monetize in the era of the ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Carriers are struggling to address the gap between mobile data usage and revenues even as their networks approach capacity. But those willing to embrace new business models and innovative services still have a chance to thrive in the era of the superphone. Read more »
The second quarter of 2011 in mobile was all about smartphones, thanks to Google’s Android, Apple’s iOS and mobile data consumption ramping up. In the tablet space, the iPad lacked any real competition, though that dominance will surely fade as more and more alternatives — from Cisco, HP and others — emerge. Elsewhere, location-based marketing finally made some headlines, and the groundwork for near-field communications looks to be finally falling into place. Additional companies in this report include Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft and Research In Motion. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Thirteen months after rival AT&T stopped offering unlimited smartphone data plans, Verizon Wireless is following. New customers on or after July 7 will choose between three tiers of monthly mobile broadband service. Are Verizon’s new data plans better than those from AT&T? That depends on you. Read more »
Residential femtocell sales continue to lag due to overpriced hardware and the widespread adoption of Wi-Fi in the home. But opportunities still exist for femtocells in the enterprise and as a crucial component of carriers’ overall mobile networks. Read more »
Verizon Wireless is tapping Payfone, an emerging mobile payment platform, to offer its customers a way to pay for online items via their cell phone bill. The deal illustrates the kind of scale Payfone is putting together with its new payment service. Read more »
Mature mobile markets like the U.S., Western Europe, Japan and South Korea continue to generate the big dollars for the mobile industry, but the future revenue growth is coming from new telecom economies. That’s resulting in changes in telecom hierarchies across the world. Read more »
Verizon Wireless is adding another LTE handset to its smartphone lineup: The LG Revolution arrives in stores and becomes available online tomorrow, May 26 for $249 after contract. The capable device looks good on paper, but how will 4G affect battery life and monthly data use? Read more »
HTC’s Trophy arrives next week as the first Microsoft Windows Phone 7 handset for the Verizon Wireless network. Will the 2010 hardware inspire sales in 2011? It’s not likely, but consumers looking for an alternative platform with Microsoft product integration might spring for the new handset. Read more »
How does Verizon’s MiFi 4510L stack up on the carrier’s LTE network? Quite well, after my hands on testing that covered every connected activity I could think of. Aside from the faster network speeds, this MiFi has some nice upgrades over the prior 3G models too. Read more »
T-Mobile’s latest quarterly earnings aren’t pretty, and there’s a chance its acquisition by AT&T won’t survive the federal scrutiny that begins this week with congressional hearings. So what should the nation’s fourth-largest carrier do if the deal is scuttled? Here are a few ideas. 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 »
Verizon Wireless today announced an April 28 launch for the HTC Incredible 2, a successor to one of the carrier’s most popular Google Android handsets from last year. Although the handset can’t use Verizon’s 4G network, it may appeal to frequent travelers due to GSM support. Read more »
Carriers no longer dominate the mobile world thanks to the emergence of Apple, Google and the rise of third-party app stores. But they can retain — or even increase — their relevance by leveraging a few important things. Read more »
After weeks of rumored launch dates and appearances in sales circulars, the HTC Incredible finally arrives this week on Verizon’s network. This is the first of several LTE handsets that can take advantage of the carrier’s new 4G network as a phone or a wireless hotspot. Read more »
