Editor’s Note: Wireless operators are a busy bunch, and as such RCR Wireless News will attempt to gather some of the important announcements that may slip through the cracks from the world’s largest carriers in a weekly wrap-up. Enjoy!
–This week was a big one for carriers reporting first quarter financial results. Those included Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility, Sprint Nextel, MetroPCS and U.K.-based operator EE. T-Mobile USA is not scheduled to report numbers until early May, but they did report preliminary numbers earlier this month.
–Mobile virtual network operator FreedomPop said it has added nationwide 3G data support from Sprint Nextel to its already offered WiMAX offering running across Clearwire’s network. The 3G expansion boosts FreedomPop’s reach to 220 million potential customers from the 130 million pops covered by its previous WiMAX-only service.
In support of the expansion, FreedomPop has begun offering Freedom Spot Overdrive Pro mobile hotspot device that can access both WiMAX and CDMA services. FreedomPop is selling a refurbished version of the device for $40. The company will continue offering 500 megabytes of free data access per month, with customers able to either purchase additional data or accrue more by recommending customers to the service. FreedomPop noted that to move up to a 2 gigabyte per month plan will now run $2 more for inclusion of CDMA services to the WiMAX offering, increasing the monthly rate to $20.
–Verizon Wireless said it expanded LTE services to five new markets: El Centro, Calif.; Fort Dodge, Iowa; Middlesboro/Harlan and Paducah Ky.; and East Liverpool, Ohio. Verizon Wireless noted that its LTE network now reached 491 markets covering 287 million potential customers.
–The Open Mobile Alliance elected Gary Jones, senior director and head of technical standards policy at T-Mobile USA, as the organizations new chairman of its board of directors. Jones is also currently chairman of the GSMA North America Standards Working Group and vice-chairman of 3GPP Service and Systems Aspects Technical Specifications Group.
In addition, the OMA elected Bryan Sullivan, director of service enabler standards for AT&T, and Cecilia Corbi, who leads the service layer standardization team at Telecom Italia, as vice-chairmans.
–Korea’s SK Telecom said it had surpassed the 10 million customer mark on its LTE network, hitting that milestone less than two years after launching service. The carrier said the network now served 37% of its total customer base.
The LTE growth was compared with the carrier’s 3G network, which took more than three years to attract 10 million customers after it was launched in mid-2006. SK Telecom said it expects its LTE network to serve more than 15 million customers by the end of 2013, and that it is set to begin rolling out commercial services using the LTE-Advanced standard during the third quarter.
In addition to its LTE growth, SK Telecom unveiled a pair of solutions targeting the health-care industry, dubbed Patient Guide and Bedside Station. The solutions are part of the carrier’s Healthconnect joing venture with Seoul National University Hospital.
SK Telecom said the Patient Guide offering allows patients to access services using a downloadable application to a mobile device. The application automatically begins monitoring the patient as they enter the hospital by communicating with the electronic medical record system to retrieve the patient’s appointment-related data and handle the check-in procedure.
Bedside Station allows patients to access hospital information and check personalized information using a RFID-enabled wristband in conjunction with a 15-inch tablet device.
–Brazilian carrier Oi announced the commercial launch of LTE services in Rio de Janeiro with further expansion to the five cities that will host FIFA Confederations Cup. The launch in Rio de Janeiro is targeting Mother’s Day, which is May 12. By the first half of May, Oi plans commercial LTE launches in Fortaleza, Belo Horizonte, Salvador, Recife and Brasília.
–Sprint Nextel said it has expanded its collaboration with Swiss-based U-blox in providing wireless modem modules and positioning technology across the carrier’s CDMA-based network. The carrier noted the expanded support is targeted at current enterprise customers using GSM-based services that feel they may lose service and support as GSM-based operators begin migrating their networks to more advanced technologies.
“Forced migration from 2G GSM to HSPA can now be avoided, given Sprint’s commitment to 2G longevity of the CDMA network,” said Nikolaos Papadopoulos, president of U-blox America. “Should customers still want to offer their devices in 2G and 3G, we at U-blox have already prepared for this parallel track with our nested-design module philosophy for 2G/3G platforms, where customers can select the inexpensive CDMA SMT modem LISA-C200.”
Sprint Nextel also announced this week that its Sprint Data Link and Static IP networking services were now able to operate across the carrier’s growing LTE wireless network. The services continue to be supported by the carrier’s CDMA-based 3G network.
–Egyptian operator Mobinil selected Openet’s Policy Manager and Interaction Gateway to deliver real-time usage information to the carrier’s 35 million customers.
–Indian operator Reliance Communications has reportedly signed an agreement with Twitter to offer subsidized access to Twitter services to consumers. The program runs across Reliance’s GSM network and provides 90 days of free access to Twitter as part of the prepaid offer. Customers that attempt to access data services outside of Twitter will see a pop-up reminder that they will be charged for such access.
T-Mobile USA, which this week saw its pending merger with MetroPCS approved by shareholders, said that beginning April 29 it will allow corporate customers to register for access to BlackBerry’s soon-t0-launch Q10 smartphone. The Q10 includes a real keyboard for those that can’t deal with virtual versions and runs the device maker’s latest operating system.
T-Mobile USA said that pricing and availability of the device would be “shared at a later date.”
Additional carrier news can be found on the RCR Wireless News “Carriers” page.
Bored? Why not follow me on Twitter?
