5 things to know today …
1. AT&T will primarily use fixed wireless to test 5G this summer in Austin, Texas. Speaking at the 5G Summit in Brooklyn, the carrier said it will start testing in the 15GHz band and then move to the 28GHz band. AT&T is starting with the 15GHz band because equipment is available now, and will move into 28GHz when that equipment is ready. The company said the goal of this summer’s outdoor tests will be to learn more about millimeter wave technology.
2. Crown Castle exceeded expectations with its first quarter earnings report. Site rental revenue was up 9% versus the year-ago quarter to $799 million. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization were $539 million, up just 2% from the year-ago quarter.
During the first quarter 2016, Crown Castle changed its reportable operating segments to be comprised of a towers segment and a small cells segment, underscoring the importance of small cells to the company. Small cells produced $96 million of Crown Castle’s total $799 million in first quarter site rental revenue. During the quarter Crown Castle invested $79 million in its small cell business, and $83 million in its tower business.
3. Thousands of employees will be leaving Intel in the coming months, but the head of its mobile unit will not be one of them. Aicha Evans has reconsidered her plan to leave the troubled chipmaker, according to Bloomberg. That report also said that Intel may finally be poised to place a chip in an upcoming iPhone, possibly replacing Qualcomm.
4. Comcast is decoupling its video content from its set-top box. The cable giant will start offering its content through an app which will be available to Comcast subscribers who have a Samsung TV. The move comes as the Federal Communications Commission is pushing cable operators to “unlock the box” by making their content available to customers who do not buy a set-top box from Comcast. The FCC has said it would like to see consumers have the ability to use one box to access video content from multiple providers.
Comcast’s app is currently available only to its customers, but down the road the company could distribute it more broadly, making it a competitor to Verizon Wireless’ Go90 app. The company said that its Xfinity TV Partner Program uses open standards, which will allow efficient development and implementation of the Xfinity TV Partner app without the need for customized integration.
5. Mobile games are expected to generate more revenue this year than games played on personal computers or gaming consoles, according to the latest forecast from Newzoo BV. The researchers say that mobile games will generate almost $37 billion in revenue, even though most of them are free downloads. Game developers make money through advertising and through in-app purchases that enable players to do more inside the game.
Games played on personal computers are expected to generate almost $32 billion in revenue this year, while console games will yield just under $31 billion, according to Newzoo BV.
