Microsoft is testing white space technology in Kenya, and now Google is doing the same in South Africa. The company’s involvement extends to sponsorship and the use of its newly-launched spectrum database. Read more »
Touring Verizon’s booth wasn’t quite what I expected, but that’s not a bad thing. Instead of focusing on new consumer devices, the company is using the venue to show off partner products from its Innovations Center, illustrating the benefits of connectivity where you’d least expect. Read more »
Will there be a day when we shall see commercial planes connecting to the Internet at LTE speeds? A recent test by Ericsson gives hope to the possibility, though it is more likely that superfast trains are more likely to see LTE speeds. Read more »
The growing number of tablets, smartphones and connected devices will push demand for mobile data to over 10.8 exabytes per month by 2016, an 18-fold increase over 2011 according to Cisco. That’s a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 78 percent from 2011 to 2016. Read more »
By analyzing data from a live 3G network in a major city, the mobile network analytics firm Actix has found that only 5% of iPads are used outdoors. iPads account for just 1% of data sessions, they use 4X more data than an average 3G device. Read more »
This week’s announcement from Apple indicates more clearly than ever that the company’s path to disrupting the pay-TV ecosystem runs not through the living room but through mobile devices and the ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The FCC is trying to get rural Americans online, and to help, later this year carriers can apply for part of a $300 million fund to bring wireless broadband to the heartlands. Only it’s not the heartlands, as the nifty interactive map shows. Read more »
Ignoring the threats by Congress to kill off white spaces, the Federal Communications Commission has approved commercial operations of the first networks and devices to tap into the airwave gaps between TV broadcasts, potentially setting off a new revolution in ‘Super Wi-Fi’ services. Read more »
Between the collapse of AT&T’s proposed $39 billion merger with T-Mobile and the death throes of a proposed wholesale 4G network created by a satellite company and now-broke hedge fund, the wireless industry has generated a lot of stories but no real change in the past ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
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 »
Ericsson says today only 35 percent of the world’s population has WCDMA/HSPA coverage, and this number is expected to grow to 80 percent in 2016. And similarly the expected the population coverage of LTE will increase from today’s 2 percent to 35 percent in 2016 Read more »
How much impact does Android’s data thirst have on carriers? Sprint said it expects to get 50 percent more lifetime value from iPhone users over other smartphone users because of the network efficiency of iPhones. That suggests that Androids are putting significant strain on mobile networks. Read more »
The Federal Communications Commission has joined those questioning Ma Bell about its stated benefits of its purchase of T-Mobile. The agency on Thursday sent AT&t letter inquiring about the number of jobs AT&T said would be created by the merger. Read more »
AT&T announced on Tuesday it’s extending free Wi-Fi to five more New York parks, part of the plan to bring Wi-Fi to 20 parks spread throughout the five boroughs of New York. Free Wi-Fi isn’t just good will; it’s a helpful tool in relieving cellular networks. Read more »
That spectrum shortage isn’t stopping AT&T’s newly launched LTE network for delivering some smoking speeds according to tests out from Signals Research this weekend. AT&T, which launched LTE in in five cities Sunday, delivered LTE speeds averaging 23.6 Mbps down and 15.2 Mbps up. Read more »
The total number of global mobile connections are going to go past the 6 billion mark by the end of 2011 according to Wireless Intelligence, the research arm of trade group, GSMA. It is forecasting about 6.07 billion connections by end of the year. Read more »
The land of Ericsson, Volvo and Kurt Wallander has a new feather in its cap — it is now the country where 99.6% of the country’s population has access to 3G wireless broadband coverage, according to a report by the Swedish Post & Telecom Agency (PTS.) Read more »
Some of us who covered wireless in the early days remember the Qualcomm van, the big bulky CDMA phones, Globestar and more. They are now sitting in a small museum at their headquarters. Here are some photos to take you down memory lane. Read more »
It was only a decade ago when Cisco froze competitors from a market by simply showing up. Times change. Companies get big and unwieldily. And that is precisely the time to attack. All you need is some gumption, focus and the right products. Read more »
We’ve been big believers in big brands sponsoring free Wi-Fi access. It’s a much better and cheaper advertising opportunity that endears brands to likely customers. It’s more effective when it’s done right, like when a beer maker offers free Wi-Fi in London pubs. Read more »
A Boston company called NetBlazr wants to offer businesses free access to a communal broadband network if a user pays for about $300 in equipment and then turns over the management of that gear to NetBlazr so it can continue building the network. Read more »
Clearwire, the wireless broadband company, on Wednesday announced that it is trying out a new LTE-Advanced-based network that would allow it to offer a network with speeds of 120 Mbps. The question is when will they switch over to it and sunset the WiMAX network? Read more »
How much does 2 GB of mobile data cost around the world? Folks from Android Fanatic took a look and presented their results in this infographic. Not surprisingly, Japan, Sweden and South Korea — three of the most advanced wireless societies — have the lowest bandwidth […] Read more »
You know what’s cooler than a billion? A trillion! That’s exactly where the mobile industry is going, according to GSM/Wireless Intelligence, which estimates global mobile service provider revenues will be $1.1 trillion in 2012, thanks to a massive boom in the BRIC economies. Read more »
The much rumored and much talked about deal between Sprint Nextel and LightSquared has finally come to fruition, the two companies announced Thursday. LightSquared says that this deal will lower its expenses by more than $13 billion. Here is the breakdown of the deal: Read more »
When it comes to broadband, it seems Indians will increasingly use 3G wireless connections to access the Internet. At the end of the first quarter of 2011 there were 11.5 million wired broadband subscribers in India, a pittance versus the explosive growth in 3G connections. Read more »
Today is the 20th birthday of the first GSM phone call, which in many ways was the start of the global wireless revolution. GSM was adopted in 1987 as a standard. More than 4.4 billion people use phones based on GSM today. 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 »
Ericsson has demoed a new variant of the technology called LTE Advanced, which is ten times faster than today’s commercial LTE networks. Ericsson showed-off LTE Advanced using commercial hardware in Kista, Sweden for the Swedish Post and Telecom Agency using 60 MHz of spectrum. Read more »
There are 17.7 million WiMAX subscribers around the world, and the WiMAX Forum estimates there will be 45 million by 2013, but the future of the technology is bleak. The forum pitches smart grid and airports as potential saviors but neither option looks promising. Read more »
We now have seamless connectivity via mobile devices; people can always be connected. This connectivity offers an opportunity to create a different kind of Internet experience that’s more immersive and interactive. That persistent connection is what allows us to create and experience the Alive Web. Read more »
Mavenir Systems, a company providing high-end telecommunications gear, has raised $40 million and acquired Airwide Solutions, a company that provides messaging software. The funding will help Mavenir with the acquisition as well as expand as its operator customers deploy faster 4G networks. Read more »
Two days in Chattanooga, Tenn. show how a municipal broadband network can pay dividends when community leaders focus on the applications a gigabit network can deliver and consider the long-term economic development potential. And yes, it can even generate enough revenue to become profitable. Read more »
With over 650,000 apps seeking our attention, it is not an easy task for apps to get our attention. In order to be successful and stand out, the mobile apps have to have little friction and in the process overcome smartphone & mobile web’s three limitations. Read more »
AT&T is buying T-Mobile USA for a whopping $39 billion in cash and stock. The questions are who wins and who loses in this deal. It is hard to find winners apart from AT&T and T-Mobile. Here a list of who loses this deal: Read more »
Long-Term Evolution (LTE), the wireless broadband technology that is being rolled out on networks around the world is heading past 1 Gbps speeds, thanks to Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo. But HSPA backers are not throwing in the towel just yet and are boosting speeds. Read more »
The crush of smartphones, tablets and laptops all vying for ever more bandwidth intense content, has forced mobile operators to beef up their backhaul, rally for more spectrum and implement new network technologies. It’s also reshaping the way they build out their networks. Read more »
With 4G now a battle cry taken up by all the major U.S. wireless carriers, it’s not surprising that consumers are generally aware of the term. But according to a Nielsen Company survey, consumers are not quite clear on what this 4G talk is all about. Read more »
There are claims Internet mobile video is costing the carriers billions every year as they try to keep up with the demand for wireless data. Actually it’s not video; in reality, it’s apps, along with web in general, that are boosting the demand for mobile bandwidth. Read more »
Once an isolated world dominated by network operators and their manufacturer partners, mobile is now a space where “outsiders” are some of the most powerful players. In 2010, companies like Google, Apple, MetroPCS, Huawei and Foursquare were among those who made the most impact in mobile ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
