March 2015

American Tower eyes South Africa Apparently when big business even thinks about making a big move, it makes headlines. That happened again this week as sources close to the situation report that American Tower is considering the purchase of some …

Spain and South Korea top Open Signal report In a new report, crowd-sourced network performance analytics firm Open Signal broke down global LTE download speeds and overall network performance, by asking users equipped with their application to report network metrics, …

AT&T drops cells on wheels to double capacity at SxSW AUSTIN, Texas – AT&T has deployed a super cell on wheels equipped with a Luneburg Lens, which is designed to provide 10 times the capacity of the more common single-beam …

With all the talk this week of the Apple Watch and recent announcements around MWC, it seems smartwatches are finally becoming more fashion-conscious. Something I strongly believe needs to happen to widen the appeal and longevity of people who want …

Qualcomm earlier this week announced a 14% increase in its quarterly cash dividend. The San Diego-based chipmaker’s board also authorized the company to buy back up to $15 billion of its common stock. The program replaces a previous one that …

Huawei said it has partnered with the Open Networking Foundation and Open Network Lab through its Open Network Operating System platform to build an open ecosystem designed to support commercial carrier deployments of software-defined networking. The SDN platform will support …

An update on the small cell market as it is shaping up in 2015, and what technical issues in testing are emerging as deployments take shape, with a particular focus on interference testing, indoor and outdoor optimization and management considerations. …

IBM Research and Semtech announced a new technology based on low-power, wide-area networks targeting machine-to-machine and the “Internet of Things.” The technology is said to offer an alternative to the use of cellular or Wi-Fi. The technology is based on …

Ericsson and Opera offer marketing services for operators Telecom powerhouse Ericsson announced a partnership with software firm Opera that will provide mobile network operators with a new content-delivery solution. The new product offering joins Ericsson’s Media Delivery Network with Opera’s …

Cloud computing is when IT applications, programs and storage are delivered via the Internet. It allows users to access servers, application services, databases and storage on an as-needed basis from the comfort of their own desktop or laptop. Few trends …

Amazon will sell directly to Chinese consumers American e-commerce heavy hitter Amazon on March 8 announced it will open a store on its Chinese competitor Alibaba’s digital shopping platform Tmall. Tmall, unlike other online market places that mostly facilitate the …

Verizon argument mirrors AT&T, shifts disruptor blame to Dish “Lessons” continued to be offered up in the wake of the Federal Communications Commission’s Auction 97 proceedings, which managed to raise a record $44.9 billion in gross proceeds. The latest came …

DAS solution uses Radisys software, Benetel hardware As venue owners race to deploy robust in-building cellular and Wi-Fi coverage, Hillsboro, Ore.-based Radisys has partnered with Benetel to roll out a new distributed antenna system platform. Radisys brings to the table …

Boingo Wi-Fi hot spots to connect 40 million handsets Wi-Fi and distributed antenna systems provider Boingo signed a deal with a “tier one” American carrier that includes shipment of 40 million handsets enabled with Wi-Fi offload onto Boingo’s network of …

Movistar Chile, which belongs to the Spanish group Telefónica, signed an agreement with Chinese provider Huawei to deploy LTE technology in the 700 MHz band across 13 regions. The deployment is planned to start in March and continue through 2016. The use of …

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 …

New cloud platform targets enterprise-focused providers Cisco Systems and Microsoft expanded their previously announced cloud and data center partnership with the launch of a new platform combining Microsoft’s Windows Azure Pack and Cisco’s Application Centric Infrastructure. The new platform, descriptively …

Ericsson said today that 2,200 jobs in Sweden are subject to notice. The Swedish wireless equipment giant currently employs roughly 115,000 professionals worldwide, with 17,580 employees in Sweden. Today’s announcement means that one of every eight Ericsson jobs in Sweden is subject …

I recently had the opportunity to meet with Teppo Hemiä, CEO of Wirepas, to learn more about the company’s offering and vision for the “Internet of Things.” This IoT vision at the simplest level is that the “thing” is the …

Telco Systems launches program to provide SDN and distributed NFV to the network edge The telecom network virtualization movement received a new proponent with Telco Systems launching its Open Edge Alliance program. The company, which offers carrier Ethernet 2.0 and …

Regulations for drones in the works WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration last month released its proposed framework of regulations that would allow routine use of unmanned aircraft systems – drones – for commercial purposes. Until …

Title II and net neutrality In my capacity as a correspondent for RCR Wireless News and a resident of the Washington, D.C., area, I often write about wireless telecom policy. Wireless policy is a fascinating and complex subject, especially when …

While a flurry of telecom deals are underway in Europe, the new European Union competition commissioner, Margrete Vestager, is starting to stake out a position against too much consolidation on the continent. Speaking in a video interview with The Deal, …

Unless you have been staring at your TV/PC screen waiting for “House of Cards” to load since Friday and watched or read nothing else, you have no doubt heard about the Federal Communications Commission’s recent net neutrality vote and ruling. …