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!
—Comcast this week unveiled plans to expand its Wi-Fi network plans, tapping into current home Wi-Fi deployments of its customers and joining with fellow cable television providers through the CableWiFi initiative.
Comcast said it will begin providing customers with a second SSID address for their home Wi-Fi connections that is separate from their current home address designed to allow other Comcast Internet customers to access the hotspot. The address will be provided through Comcast’s wireless gateway product.
“By default, one is securely configured for the private use of the home subscriber,” Comcast explained of the SSID addresses. “The second is a neighborhood ‘xfinitywifi’ network signal that can be shared. This creates an extension of the Xfinity WiFi network and will allow visiting Xfinity Internet subscribers to sign in and connect using their own usernames and passwords.”
As for the CableWiFi program that was originally announced last year, Comcast reported that the initiative has surpassed 150,000 hotspot locations across the country. The service will allow customers of Bright House Networks, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable to access the Wi-Fi networks when roaming outside of their home cable provider’s footprint.
—U.S. Cellular launched a “Family Protector” application designed to help customers monitor device usage. The service allows users to enable time restrictions, content filters, controlled communications, location features and security controls for devices on the plans. The service costs $10 per month, with a 30-day free trial.
—T-Mobile US’ enterprise focus continued with the launch of its cloud-based MobiControl mobile device management solution to its managed mobility portfolio. The carrier said the offering can deliver near real-time intelligence, control and management over mobile content, activity and applications and is an alternative to traditional on-premise solutions.
The platform allows for secure content locker functionality; Web filtering; antivirus and malware protection; device lockdown/kiosk functionality; geofencing capabilities; telecom expense management; and secure content library capabilities for devices running Google’s Android, Apple’s iOS, and Microsoft’s Windows 8, Windows RT and Windows Phone 8 platforms.
–Regional wireless carrier C Spire unveiled new rate plans designed to allow customers more control over their usage and payment options.
The trio of plans begin at $50 per month providing for unlimited voice and text messaging; ratchet up to $80 per month for unlimited voice, messaging, Internet access, online music and 30 minutes of online video use; and tops out at $100 per month for unlimited access to all services. Second lines can be added to these options for $50 regardless of package selected.
The new rate plans are powered by C Spire’s recently announced deal with Openwave Mobility for its Promotion and Pricing Innovation mobile data charging solution.
–The federal government’s Lifeline wireless service subsidy program has been a prepaid customer driver – and headache – for many operators, with recent reforms requiring many carriers to adjust how they account for those customers qualifying for the service.
Looking to ease some of the consumer confusion over the service, Austin, Texas-based Lifeline Landing launched a website that allows consumers to compare available Lifeline-enabled carriers in their area. The site compares the monthly minutes provided by eligible carriers, reload minute costs, customer service levels and free phone device details.
–Satellite communications provider Globalstar announced that research firm Jarvinian had completed testing of terrestrial low-power service using wireless broadband equipment provided by Ruckus Wireless that supports the deployment of 802.11-compliant technology using Globalstars licensed spectrum with adjacent unlicensed ISM spectrum. The company noted the results showed a “carrier-grade service that vastly exceeds the performance of public Wi-Fi.”
The tests were conducted using experimental licenses provided by the Federal Communications Commission that included 22 megahertz of spectrum in the 2.4 GHz band and existing smartphones tweaked to tap into that spectrum.
“The combination of the Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi equipment and TLPS exceeded our expectations for distance and capacity while not interfering or degrading the existing traffic on traditional Wi-Fi channels,” said John Dooley, managing partner at Jarvinian. “Even in an indoor urban environment made difficult or otherwise unusable by spectral congestion, usable connections were established at three- to five-times the distance of public Wi-Fi. More critically, very high-speed connections were maintained much more uniformly and over significantly longer distances.”
–Bluegrass Cellular renewed its multi-year agreement with Interop Technologies for multiple cloud-based mobile services, including an agreement to use Interop’s Rich Communication Services solution. Bluegrass noted that through the deal it will continue to utilize Interop’s Short Message Service, Multimedia Message Service, and Over-the-Air Provisioning with Interactive Voice Response system as well as its Messaging Personalization and Control solution and Wireless Application Protocol service. Financial terms of the deal were not released.
Bluegrass is currently operating two LTE networks, one through its own spectrum and back-office services, and one through Verizon Wireless’ LTE in Rural America program.
Additional carrier news can be found on the RCR Wireless News “Carriers” page.
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