Skype never dominated the mobile space the way it has dominated the PC, opening the door for numerous OTT communications rivals. TextMe believes it has combined the best features of Skype, WhatsApp and Pinger into a single mobile app. Read more »
AT&T just dropped the price of mobile data on its shared plans considerably, but there’s a catch. The discounted plans are data only, meaning no smartphone users need apply. Read more »
Twilio wants to become the universal translator of communications protocols in the cloud. The new service acts as a bridge between the SIP-based world of enterprise PBX networks to any other type of calling technology. Read more »
Carrier mobile data revenues are set to pass mobile voice revenues in the fourth quarter, according to analyst Chetan Sharma. When that happens carriers will find themselves facing a fundamentally different kind of business. Read more »
Mobile network tester Spirent found that VoLTE 4G calling technology has made some big improvements in power efficiency since its last round of tests, but it still has far to go before it can match 2G voice. Read more »
Open Garden needs scale, TextMe needs a means for its customers to reach the Internet. These two might just be a match made in heaven. Read more »
Rebtel is opening to developers with a new SDK that will allow developers to create a free calling layer in their iOS and Android apps. Users will be able to talk app-to-app over 3G and Wi-Fi. Read more »
VoIP may be the future on mobile communications, but new findings from testing outfit Spirent show the technology needs to improve its power efficiency if it’s to become viable. Its tests found that a VoLTE call consumes twice as much battery life as a 2G call. Read more »
T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray says MetroPCS voice-over-LTE services will definitely be supported post merger as long as customers own VoLTE phones. But, whether the new T-Metro expands VoLTE beyond the Metro footprint, however, remains an open question dictated by demand and logistics. Read more »
With the Nexus 7 receiving good reviews, people are starting to enjoy the portability and immersive experience that small tablets offer over smartphones. Looking at the mobile trends, I can see how the tablet will replace the smartphone. And it may happen sooner than you think. Read more »
Nimbuzz didn’t impress when it launched its VoIP and instant messaging app, but thanks to the evolution of mobile, the company crossed a new milestone: 100 million users. Now that we want to choose where, how and on what device to communicate Nimbuzz’s future sounds good. Read more »
Need to share your location for a limited amount of time and with just a single person? Mapfia is an easy method on iOS and Android. You simply call someone and Mapfia shares the location of both people for the length of the call. Read more »
Verizon’s new “Share Everything” plans use one bucket of data for up to 10 devices on an account. Instead of buying a data plan for each device, one monthly charge covers voice, messages and data to be shared. And it will likely save you money. Read more »
At WWDC Apple unleashed FaceTime on the 3G network. While you would think a high-quality video chat service would be poison to consumers’ restricted data plans, there’s another way to look at it: Compared to what mobile operators charge for voice, FaceTime is really a bargain. Read more »
Own a Galaxy Nexus, iPhone or other GSM handset? If so and you’re tired of the cost and long-term contract, Straight Talk’s SIM card may be an option. The no-contract deal is $45 for unlimited voice minutes, messages and HSPA+ data on either AT&T or T-Mobile. Read more »
There’s a lot of recent talk of mobile operators launching their own voice-over-IP services, but what may surprise you is which carrier is on the leading edge of that trend: MetroPCS. The regional carrier will start selling its first voice-over-LTE handset later this year. Read more »
Qualcomm and Ericsson have successfully passed a voice call from an LTE network to a 3G one, paving the way for mobile carriers to begin migrating their voice traffic onto all-IP 4G networks. Once that happens, operators can start shutting down their 2G and 3G networks. Read more »
The fourth quarter may have lacked a dominating big-event product announcement like Q3’s Facebook platform extension or Q2’s unveiling of Google+, but the NewNet world continued to buzz along. In the battle for mind share, everyone wanted to be a platform. Meanwhile, consumer and social technologies continued to gain momentum, and new vehicles for content and service discovery presented both challenges and opportunities for NewNet companies. And it is hard to ignore the overcrowded but growing world of daily deals. This quarterly report analyzes these trends and others, and it also provides a near-term outlook of trends, technologies and companies to watch in 2012. Companies mentioned in the report include Amazon, Facebook and Socialcast. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Skype is killing long-distance phone calls, minutes at a time. In fact, the growing popularity of the service has seen it steal minutes away from the phone companies. And for consumers that is good news. What’s more, the idea of free voice is only gaining traction. Read more »
My Galaxy Nexus smartphone is now capable of receiving free voice calls and making low-cost outbound calls on a data-only mobile broadband plan. How can you send and receive calls on a smartphone without a voice plan? Android’s native SIP integration is a big help. 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 »
Twilio, which provides a service so companies and web services can add voice or SMS to their menu of options, now will offer developers the option to use all IP communications as well as the old-school phone and mobile networks. 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 »
A review of 78,633 cellular accounts has one analytics firm suggesting the U.S. doesn’t need “bill shock” legislation as 99.5 percent of consumers aren’t impacted. The math is correct, but misses the point that bill shocks happen after the fact: proactive notifications are a good thing. Read more »
Wireless Intelligence took a look at how competition has fared among the wireless industry worldwide and found that markets with a large number of mobile operators saw price declines commensurate with markets that had a more concentrated number of wireless carriers. Read more »
Mobile voice and data revenues will create a trillion-dollar global market by 2014, as complementary products such as advertising, applications and web services are built, says research firm Gartner. Broadband has enabled mobility to this point, but location is the next big driver. Read more »
After over a year in limbo, Apple has reportedly approved Google’s Voice application for the iTunes App Store, indicating that the iPhone may finally see the software. Sure you iPhone owners have lived without it forever, but Google Voice is a masterful method to manage communications. Read more »
Looking to make free international calls? Rebtel can help with that thanks to a new application that works between two Android devices in 50 countries. Callers are charged for voice minutes on their cell plan, but for unlimited voice customers, Rebtel’s service won’t cost a dime. Read more »
Goober, which is now in beta for version 3.0, is a tool that aims to put all of your communications streams in one place. It’s a busy space. Goober competes with desktop multi-IM programs; web-based services; mobile apps; social networking tools and VoIP apps. Read more »
As a growth strategy for the telecom industry, focusing investment on mobility and data services while withdrawing it from wireline voice is doomed to fail. People still depend on voice for the vast majority of their communication needs. Read more »
