Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes all in for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the top headlines from the past. Fire up the time machine, put on the sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories!
Sprint Nextel rolls out Rev. A in San Diego
Sprint Nextel Corp. is revving up its network with the promised first launch of CDMA2000 1x EV-DO Revision A technology, lighting up San Diego with coverage that the carrier promises will deliver “significantly faster” upload speeds and faster download speeds as well. San Diego is conveniently home to CDMA pioneer Qualcomm Inc. Sprint Nextel said that it will roll out 21 more markets by the end of the year, bringing its coverage to around 40 million potential customers. Among the initial markets: New York; Boston; Detroit; San Francisco; Denver; Salt Lake City; Los Angeles; Seattle; Baltimore; and Washington, D.C. … Read More
Verizon Wireless first to illuminate Flash Lite
Flash Lite is finally here. Verizon Wireless last week became the first U.S. carrier to offer Adobe Systems Inc.’s wireless platform, introducing a stripped-down version of its popular Flash Player for computers. The technology, which will initially be supported by four high-end handset models, will be automatically downloaded as consumers access Flash-enabled content such as games and video. The announcement marks the U.S. debut for Flash Lite, which has gained substantial traction in Japan and South Korea for its ability to provide a platform a compelling user interface as well as multimedia content. The number of Flash-enabled phones is expected to explode from 38 million units last year to 216 million devices by 2010, according to a report from Strategy Analytics. … Read More
Comcast adds wireless to video distribution, mum on spectrum plans
Comcast Corp. will unveil a new multi-screen platform that will allow content to be distributed via TV, online and through wireless devices. The new platform will initially provide Halloween-related content such as horror movies when it is launched on Tuesday, according to remarks by John Alchin, executive vice president and co-chief financial officer for Comcast. Dubbed “FearNet,” the service will be available through the company’s video-on-demand service and Web site and through wireless devices. … Read More
Converged Wi-Fi/cellular services hit the market
Two wireless service providers last week began offering their customers handsets that can move between cellular and Wi-Fi networks, moves that mark the first serious attempt at commercially available converged wireless services in the United States. Such services are seen as one avenue for future converged telecommunications services, blending the wide area coverage of traditional cellular networks with improved in-building penetration offered by wireless local area networks. T-Mobile USA Inc. said it was targeting its offer to a limited number of Seattle-area consumers with a trial of its new T-Mobile Hotspot @ Home product, while mobile virtual network operator Embarq Inc. is moving out of trial mode and expanding its offering for business customers from three to six of its markets. … Read More
Razr sales: Price declines fueled mega-seller
Over the Razr’s unprecedented two-year run, the retail price of the device has plummeted from $500 to $50, drawing new volumes of consumers at each price point along the way. In the process, this game-changing handset has sold more than 50 million units, spawned countless imitations and launched its own family of successor devices. The best-seller has not only revived Motorola Inc.’s fortunes, but thrust the vendor into the forefront of the design-and-style-oriented handset market. Moreover, the Razr’s run has contributed to changing the way U.S. carriers market their services. Exclusive handset deals have gained added cachet and today carriers are as likely to tout their handset portfolio as their network quality. The Razr also reminded the industry that a cool handset primarily designed for voice functionality can trump the most feature-packed “mobile device” at the point of sale. (Duly noted: the Razr has acquired features with successive iterations.) … Read More
Crown Castle prepares for Modeo launch
Crown Castle International Corp. said its net loss narrowed during the third quarter as revenues increased. During the company’s earnings conference call, Crown’s president and chief executive, John Kelly, called 2006 a “very good year.” He also confirmed that, by the end of the year, the company’s Modeo L.L.C. subsidiary will launch its DVB-H mobile TV network in New York City. Kelly noted that if the New York launch goes well, the company won’t need to fund “on our own balance sheet” construction of the mobile TV network in other markets, as outside capital investors likely will be interested in financing further expansions of the network. … Read More
Railroad treks into tower biz
While the big dogs in the tower industry have national footprints, there are still places they don’t or can’t cover. And often, hard-to-cover areas mean hard-to-gain-access-to land. But a few companies are finding clever ways to zero in on what used to be considered off-limits. Take the case of City Switch L.L.C., an Atlanta-based company that’s funded largely by Norfolk Southern Corp., the railway behemoth with 21,200 route miles throughout 22 states east of the Mississippi River. The railroad company’s huge “network” has easements and right-of-ways throughout rural areas as well as in dense urban markets. Enter City Switch, an 18-month old company headed by Steve Raville. The basic City Switch business model involves leasing space to carriers on either existing or newly built railroad towers, which are used primarily for the railroad’s own internal communications systems. … Read More
Carriers redesign online tools to connect with customers
Two national wireless carriers launched redesigned Web pages last week, as operators increasingly try to drive traffic and sales to the low-cost Internet channel. Cingular Wireless L.L.C. introduced a streamlined new Web site, trimming out some of the previous page’s many links and going for a cleaner, less busy look. The new page offers a number of simple graphics in lieu of tiny text. Instead of navigational buttons, the main section of the page has a navigational slider that moves among five topics-network, plans, phones, services and “Why Cingular.” … Read More
LBS players navigate wireless space
A German driver last week followed his navigation system’s command to “Turn right now” and veered into a roadside bathroom 30 yards shy of his intended intersection. Consider it a metaphor for the wireless location-based services industry. In the wonderfully hyped world of wireless, no space has surrendered to hyperbole the way LBS has. Network operators have invested vast sums in location-aware technology, stoking the imagination of application developers and mobile marketers looking to deliver a wireless coupon to a user walking by a store, for instance, or offer dining information to an on-the-road salesman. But, like that overly obedient driver, the industry was a bit premature. … Read More
Luke Johnson Phone Experiment: 6,781 cell phone calls and counting
Ordinary people like Luke Johnson sit at the intersection of social networking and the cell phone. Searching for something new that he could do involving video-sharing site YouTube.com, Johnson woke up one night with an idea: Why not post his cell-phone number on the Internet and see how many people were willing to call a complete stranger? “I didn’t think anybody has ever put their cell-phone number on the Internet and asked basically the entire world to give them a call,” he said. He woke his wife to tell her about the plan. “She thought I was nuts,” Johnson recalled. … Read More
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