5 things to know today …
1. Sprint has said it will not be a direct bidder in the upcoming 600 MHz spectrum auction, but its parent company might be. SoftBank may set up a company to bid for spectrum in the U.S., according to a subscription news service for hedge funds managers.
Through Sprint, SoftBank already controls more spectrum in the U.S. than any other carrier, although much of it has not yet been deployed. SoftBank’s subsidiary may want to buy more spectrum in order to try to resell it at a profit or swap it for other spectrum.
The Federal Communications Commission has the ability to restrict foreign companies from buying U.S. spectrum. However, in SoftBank’s case the agency might not protest since the Japanese company is active in the U.S. through Sprint.
SoftBank recently announced plans to separate its international holdings from its domestic business. Its two major international properties, Sprint and Alibaba, have both declined in value over the last year.
The 600 MHz auctions are set to start March 29, with a reverse auction first that will see the FCC offer to buy spectrum from broadcasters, lowering the offer price in each market until it finds the lowest price at which it can secure the desired amount of spectrum. Then it will conduct the more traditional forward auction.
2. “Let us loop you in” is the tagline for Apple’s invitation to a March 21 press event at its One Infinite Loop Cupertino headquarters. The company is expected to launch a new iPhone SE, with capabilities in line with those of the iPhone 6s packed into the smaller form factor of the previous generation iPhone 5. The next major iPhone upgrade is expected in the fall.
This month Apple is also expected to launch a new iPad and an update for the Apple Watch. The new iPad is likely to be marketed primarily to business users.
3. Apple’s war of words with the U.S. government is starting to sound like a Republican presidential candidate debate. This week the Justice Department accused Apple of lying and of trying to corrode the power of the courts and the Fourth Amendment. The agency also said Apple has helped the Chinese government access iPhone data, but will not help its own government now.
Apple fired back, saying the government’s filing reads like a “cheap-shot brief” intended to “smear the other side with false accusations and innuendo.” Apple is protesting a court order that would require the company to develop software the government could use to access the data on the iPhone that belonged to one of the San Bernardino, California, gunmen. The software could presumably used by the government in other similar cases in the future.
4. Samsung said 2016 will be another tough year, with smartphones, TVs and memory chips all in “oversupply.” The company told shareholders it has a history of turning “crises into
opportunities,” and that it expects the same outcome this time. When it chooses its next chairman, Samsung said it will consider individuals who do not hold the CEO role, a first for the South Korean conglomerate.
5. Ericsson and Vodafone said they have deployed a fully virtualized voice-over-LTE and Wi-Fi calling solution in the Netherlands. The cloud-based service leverages Ericsson’ IP multimedia subsystem and evolved packet core. The companies said Vodafone customers will be able to use Wi-Fi to make calls from indoor locations that do not have cell service, and will use VoLTE for video calls and high-definition voice calls.
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