Rating the legacy of outgoing FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said he was stepping down from the role today. Let’s take a look back and see how he did against our hopes for him back in 2009. Read more »
EU digital chief throws €50M in 5G’s direction to help continent regain mobile lead
photo: Shutterstock / koya979
Europe used to lead the world in mobile technologies, but with 4G it’s fallen behind. Neelie Kroes wants to change that by funding 5G research and improving EU spectrum coordination. Read more »
Is Cisco stacking the deck with its mobile data numbers?
photo: Alex Garaev/Shutterstock.com
To hear Cisco tell it, the world is quickly running out of wireless spectrum. Tim Farrar, of TMF associates, says a look at the numbers shows that Cisco first overstated them, then revised them, and is now overstating them again. Read more »
Why the government needs to free up more spectrum for wireless companies
The wireless industry has been racing to keep up with consumers’ ever-increasing reliance on mobile technologies. Jonathan Spalter, chairman of Mobile Future, argues that it’s now time for the government to respond with the same sense of urgency. Read more »
Feds to carriers: Let’s share the airwaves
Federal spectrum managers on Tuesday recommended that a huge chunk of spectrum used by the 20 government agencies be made available to commercial mobile operations, but instead of clearing the those airwaves, the government is proposing the carriers and federal agencies share them. Read more »
Subscriber Content
Mobile video’s future threatened by bad reception
While the demand for video on mobile devices may be there, monetizing that demand depends on being able to deliver video over wireless networks efficiently and economically enough to allow scalable business models to emerge. For now, though, and even for the medium-term future, bandwidth constraints ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Infographic: Making sense of the spectrum debate
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 »
Virgin Mobile to slow heavy smartphone data users
Virgin Mobile will begin to reduce the mobile broadband speeds of smartphone users on March 23, following a similar path as T-Mobile, AT&T and others who have offered unlimited plans. Facing huge demand for mobile data, the days of truly unlimited plans appear numbered. Read more »
Verizon to buy Cox spectrum to remake its broadband model
Verizon Wireless has agreed to purchase some of Cox Communications’ wireless spectrum for $315 million. With this deal, and an earlier spectrum deal, Verizon looks like it will focus on its wireless biz and use its wireline fiber business to support enterprises and cell towers. Read more »
With 38 frequency flavors, LTE won’t unify 4G
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 »
Subscriber Content
AT&T’s loss with T-Mo likely to be another bidder’s big gain
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 »
US DOJ files suit to block AT&T, T-Mobile merger
The U.S. government filed suit to block AT&T’s $39 billion merger with T-Mobile, claiming the deal would “create an anti-competitive environment.” If the merger falls through, AT&T will lose cash, spectrum holdings and the ability to add T-Mobile’s unique 1700 MHz frequency LTE network expansion plans. Read more »
LTE revolution faces spectrum fragmentation
The world is going LTE but the availability of spectrum in different countries and regions is fragmenting the 4G wireless standard internationally, according to research from Informa Telecoms & Media. That is posing a challenge for manufacturers looking at which bands to support in their devices. Read more »
Why It Pays to Be a Pessimist About Britain’s 4G Sale
Eleven years ago Britain’s auction of 3G wireless spectrum broke records by raising more than $36.7 billion. So today, when the news broke that the even faster 4G spectrum will be auctioned off next year, why were analysts so underwhelmed? Read more »
FCC Moves to Free Up TV Airwaves for Internet Use
The FCC moved to begin freeing up TV broadcast spectrum for wireless and fixed Internet use in a decision that could ultimately lead to an auction of 120 MHz of spectrum.The vote could help the U.S. stave off a spectrum crunch as mobile Internet use soars. Read more »
