T-Mobile’s 4G network may not have the geographical reach of Verizon’s, but T-Mobile has started taking the first steps to get there.…
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Don’t forget the Finns! Nokia joins Ericsson in building T-Mobile’s new LTE network
Nokia and Ericsson are both keeping their jobs as T-Mobile expands its LTE network into new bands and remoter areas of the country.…
Read MoreT-Mobile picks Ericsson to build its new tricked-out LTE network
Ericsson revealed it's handling T-Mobile's new LTE network expansion into new spectrum, into rural areas and into the nooks and crannies of dense urban areas.…
Read MoreAT&T begins cannibalizing its 2G and 3G networks to boost LTE capacity
AT&T is tapping into spectrum formerly reserved for voice and 3G data services to put more oomph into its LTE network. It won't make its 4G service faster, but it will certainly make it better.…
Read MoreAT&T promises to make its LTE phones interoperable with the small carriers
After years of arguing, AT&T has agreed to close down its boutique LTE band and play nice with other operators in the 700 MHz frequencies. This doesn't end the interoperability problem, but it's a start.…
Read MoreIt’s auction time! FCC preps for first mobile airwave free-for-all in 5 years
The PCS H-block auction only accounts for a small amount of spectrum, but given the ridiculously high value carriers have put on mobile airwaves recently, it's bound to attract attention.…
Read MoreA bird’s eye view of the AT&T-Leap Wireless merger
With the help of some maps from Mosaik, GigaOM breaks down what AT&T really gets if it acquires Leap. Our conclusion: AT&T is paying a ridiculous price but it probably feels it has no choice.…
Read MoreVerizon will start building LTE network No. 2 this year
Verizon is pretty much done with its first LTE network, so now, according to its CTO, it's ready to start on its second, using the new AWS airwaves its acquired from the cable companies.…
Read MoreAT&T buys Verizon’s spare 4G spectrum so it can soup up its LTE networks
The 39 licenses will cost AT&T $1.9 billion, but it will finally be able to deploy full-capacity networks in key markets like Chicago and Los Angeles. Verizon's wheeling is dealing in 700 MHz is now over.…
Read MoreBit by bit Verizon starts selling off 4G spectrum
Verizon has begun selling off its extra 700 MHz licenses per its agreement with the FCC to give up spare 4G spectrum in exchange for the cableco airwaves. So far there's been no blockbuster sale, though and AT&T has yet to make a move.…
Read MoreAT&T shoots for 2015 launch of new LTE network
AT&T aims in three years to have a new LTE network up in the airwaves the FCC just approved for 4G use. In the rather plodding world of telecom, three years is a quick timeline. But AT&T has political and strategic reasons for moving soon.…
Read MoreWhat’s AT&T planning? Hidden specs unearthed in the GSM iPhone 5
FCC documentation reveals there are two more LTE bands hidden within AT&T's version of the new iPhone 5: PCS and cellular. The thing is there are no networks at either frequency today that could connect to the device. Could AT&T be planning a massive network overhaul?…
Read MoreT-Mobile pits its math against Verizon’s; The loser? Common sense
In its attempts to kill Verizon’s mega-spectrum deal with the cable operators, T-Mobile has begun challenging Verizon’s claims that it is the most efficient user of mobile spectrum in the country. But T-Mo is countering Verizon's fuzzy math with equally fuzzy math of its own.…
Read MoreFCC wants to know if Verizon is warehousing spectrum
The FCC is curious why Verizon bought a bunch of 4G spectrum back in 2008 but now plans to sell it. The FCC is asking Verizon some poignant questions, and though the word “warehousing" is never mentioned it's certainly the direction the FCC is heading.…
Read MoreAT&T’s Chicago problem: Why LTE slows down in the Windy City
A new RootMetrics report finds that AT&T's industry-leading LTE speeds take a big dip in Chicago. The report highlights a problem AT&T has with several of its markets: it doesn’t enough spectrum to offer the big fat pipe it has in the rest of the country.…
Read MoreVerizon is selling its spectrum, but is anyone buying?
On April 19, Verizon Wireless(s vz)(s vod) surprised many people by announcing that it would sell its 700MHz A-and B-block holdings if…
Read MorePioneer launches rural LTE over Verizon spectrum
Pioneer Cellular has added a small but notable entry to the growing list of LTE networks in the U.S. Telecompetitor reports Pioneer’s LTE service has gone live in six counties in Oklahoma, making it the first of Verizon’s “LTE in Rural America” partners to launch.…
Read MoreT-Mobile is buying neither Verizon’s story, nor its spectrum
Verizon hasn’t exactly done a bang-up job selling its critics on the merits of its 4G spectrum consolidation plans. T-Mobile would be a prime candidate to buy up Verizon's extra 700 MHz airwaves, but it's not interested and wants the FCC to kill the Verizon-cable deal.…
Read MoreHow Verizon might kill any hope for LTE interoperability
The global adoption of LTE was going to heal the rift between the CDMA and GSM camps and give U.S. consumers more freedom to switch among carriers and greater choice in devices. Verizon’s planned sale of its extra LTE spectrum pretty much quashes that dream.…
Read MoreVerizon unloading LTE spectrum; AT&T, open your wallet
Verizon Wireless is hosting a fire sale on LTE spectrum, revealing it will “rationalize” its spectrum holdings by discarding extra 700 MHz licenses. The sale would basically make Verizon’s LTE rollout a lot easier, but it would also sound the death knell for interoperable LTE devices.…
Read MoreInfographic: 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 MoreT-Mobile embraces new ‘rural’ carrier role in 4G debate
T-Mobile USA is asking the Federal Communications Commission to require that all LTE devices in the 700 MHz band be interoperable, a requirement that would benefit a bunch of small operators. Ironically, one carrier that benefits little from the rule change is T-Mobile.…
Read MoreA bird’s-eye view of T-Mobile’s new spectrum trove
After its failed merger with AT&T, T-Mobile's break-up fee included some choice 4G spectrum it will use to bulk up its HSPA+ network. In a map submitted by a GigaOM reader, you can see exactly where T-Mobile gains new airwaves and how much.…
Read MoreMeet the spectrum bosses
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.…
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