2015

Beneath the surface of the world’s wireless infrastructure lies a growing tapestry of fiber optic cable interwoven to provide a blanket of coverage for an expanding number of mobile users. A portion of this fiber sits unused, waiting for networks …

Sony lithium-ion battery might not be commercially available until 2020 According to reports, Sony has developed a new lithium-ion battery that, although potentially not available to consumers for a few more years, offers a 40% gain in battery life as …

Deal between Ericsson and Apple ends an international probe and lawsuits in four countries Effectively ending an international investigation and lawsuits in four countries, Ericsson and Apple this week announced a seven-year agreement covering technology licensure. According to Ericsson, the …

Regional carrier IWireless, which covers Iowa in a partnership with T-Mobile US, last week launched its LTE network and signed a nationwide LTE roaming agreement with T-Mobile US. The company said the $35 million LTE network upgrade will initially cover …

Some consensus is developing around Wi-Fi coexistence with LTE over unlicensed spectrum and a test regime for ensuring the two technologies interact fairly is in the works, according to Wi-Fi Alliance. The group has taken the lead as the primary …

LightSquared spectrum issues continue to progress with GPS deals, though challenges remain Beleaguered spectrum holder LightSquared said it reached an agreement with Garmin on spectrum use parameters for terrestrial service in the 1.6 GHz L-Band that could eventually lead to …

Boingo is cranking up airport Wi-Fi speeds to 20 Mbps at major transit hubs ahead of holiday rush Airport Wi-Fi is a regular source of frustration for travelers. Although many major airports have deployed free and tiered Wi-Fi service offerings, sometimes the …

According to a study by Vasona Networks, smartphone users in the United Kingdom believe their mobile operators are not meeting their mobile data expectations and they are willing to go elsewhere to get the coverage they expect. The survey found …

With some markets still to report, Verizon heads RootMetrics 2H 2015 metro rankings Verizon Wireless again looks to be the darling of network performance tests conducted by RootMetrics, with the carrier scoring a top ranking in nearly twice the number …

Apple stock peaked back in April at a per share value of $134.54, which has now fallen to $106.03 per share as of Friday representing a collective loss of $160 billion in value. Based on a perceived decline in demand …

5 things to know today … 1. AT&T’s plan to swap spectrum with Telefónica in Mexico has been approved by the Mexican government. The Federal Telecommunications Institute authorized AT&T to use the 1.7/2.1 GHz band in certain areas of Mexico, …

Researcher says the entire ecosystem is preparing for this shift to LTE networks With more than 1 billion potential consumer, India represents a lucrative, yet largely untapped and still maturing, telecommunications market opportunity. As hardware manufacturers bring down smartphone prices, …

Will BlackBerry become the next Qualcomm or the next Motorola? The choice is in their hands if they make the right moves going forward. The future of BlackBerry seems to depend on whether the new Priv will be a hit. …

Once upon a time, not that long ago, there lived a young girl in a land not too far from here. In its own way the land was an amazing place; it was populated by scientists and mathematicians. In her …

The first generation of telecom management, often called cost management, was focused on telecom carrier cost. Manual invoice-to-contract compliance audits were performed to identify billing errors so that overcharges could be recouped. It was labor-intensive and primarily provided value by …

Network function performance in a virtualized world Over the course of the last 15 years, both enterprises and service providers have come to embrace the benefits of server virtualization. The benefits are multi-fold – ranging from increased efficiency and return …

With an ever-increasing percentage of wireless network traffic being generated indoors, the design and performance of networks needs to be assessed not just outside, but inside. Indoor network testing poses its own unique challenges, from site access to collecting as …

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project accepted specifications developed by industry players for low-power wide area network development, expected to be a major piece of the “Internet of Things” in terms of devices that send small amounts of data, require a long …

5 things to know today … 1. AT&T and T-Mobile US received inquiries from the Federal Communications Commission about their free data programs. The agency told AT&T it is hearing some concerns about the carrier’s sponsored data program. “Some have …

AT&T Mobility, Sprint and an unnamed third wireless carrier will partner with Cox Business and InSite Wireless Group on a new distributed antenna system to beef up wireless connectivity at the Las Vegas Convention Center ahead of the Consumer Electronics …

AT&T managed hosting and application services unit offload plans include equipment and access to data center floor space In an expansion of an ongoing relationship, AT&T said it will transition its managed application and hosting services unit to IBM as …

FCC and NATE reveal training, workshop schedules for 2016 As 2015 comes to a close, most businesses are looking towards the new year, announcing plans and intentions for 2016. Both the Federal Communications Commission and National Association of Tower Erectors …

T-Mobile US’ prepaid brand MetroPCS expands talk, text and data to Canada Continuing to take cues from its parent company T-Mobile US, prepaid brand MetroPCS expanded its international efforts to Canada, offering unlimited talk, text and data north of the …

The Federal Communications Commission, in the wake of adopting net neutrality rules, wants to better understand services that allow customers to stream certain types of content without detracting from data buckets. One of the tenants of net neutrality is certain …

On this episode of HetNet Happenings, RCR Wireless News Managing Editor Sean Kinney takes you inside the recent IEEE Globecom showcase held in San Diego. In the first segment, Kinney is joined by Ed Tiedemann, IEEE Globecom general chairman and …