T-Mobile joined rivals in touting 4G network capabilities, while Sprint was forced to snub Chinese vendors for network plans … 6 years ago this week
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!
T-Mobile USA joins 4G marketing frenzy
Taking a cue from its competitors, T-Mobile USA Inc. is throwing caution (and some would say reason) to the wind in tagging its evolution beyond its 3G network with the 4G label. The carrier said it plans to use the 4G tag to promote its rapidly expanding HSPA+ network that the carrier said provides network speeds comparable with what its competitors are claiming for their “4G” networks. Those comparable networks would be Sprint Nextel Corp.’s WiMAX network, which the carrier markets under the “4G” brand name, as well as Verizon Wireless’ impending launch of LTE-based services that it also is not afraid to tag with the “4G” label. … Read More
Sprint reportedly excludes Chinese vendors from network project
Sprint Nextel Corp. has reportedly excluded Chinese vendors Huawei Technologies Ltd. and ZTE Corp. from their upcoming network project over U.S. security concerns, according to The Wall Street Journal. The decision could have something to do with a recent conversation the carrier’s CEO Dan Hesse had with Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. The U.S. official reportedly called Hesse to address ongoing security concerns the government has with awarding telecommunications projects to Chinese companies. According to reports, Locke did not directly ask Hesse to block either company from the project. … Read More
Android vs. iOS: the latest in numbers
There are two wars — each filled with countless battles — taking place in the world of smart phones: market shares for operating systems and devices. A new report from NPD shows that Google Inc.’s Android OS continues to eat away at the market shares of Apple Inc.’s iOS and especially Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry OS. A rather astounding 44% of all smart phones purchased in the last quarter were running Android, marking an 11% quarter-over-quarter increase. Apple’s iOS actually rose one percentage point to 23% while RIM fell from 28% to 22% between the second and third quarters. … Read More
Clearwire launches WiMAX in New York, expands coverage to 82M
Clearwire Corp. made good on its previous announcement to launch its WiMAX network in New York City today, as well as markets in Connecticut, New Jersey and Florida. The carrier said its network covers 11 million people in the New York City area; nearly 1.5 million people in New Haven and Hartford, Conn.; 250,000 people in Trenton, N.J.; and nearly 2 million people in the Tampa, Fla., area. As part of the New York City launch, Clearwire added that it also covers more than 630,000 people in parts of Northern New Jersey. Clearwire had begun seeding device sales in New York back in September. Analysts have noted that the New York launch will be watched closely as the city’s dense urban environment will be a test for the carrier’s 2.5 GHz spectrum that could be challenged to provide sufficient in-building coverage. … Read More
T-Mobile USA set to roll out tiered data plans
T-Mobile USA Inc. is set to jump on the increasingly popular tiered data plan bandwagon saying it will launch an entry-level bucket of data megabytes in time for the holiday shopping season. The carrier said it will begin offering two data options for customers starting at 200 MB per month for $10 on postpaid plans and $15 per month on those going without a contract. The carrier will also continue to offer its unlimited data package for smart phones for $30 per month. The plans follow recent tiered packages launched by AT&T Mobility and plans by Verizon Wireless to announce a similar offering in the coming weeks. The AT&T Mobility plan offers 200 MB of data for $15 per month or a 2 gigabyte package for $25. Verizon Wireless has said it will offer 150 MB for $15 per month and continue offering its “unlimited” package for $30 per month. … Read More
Maps and Wave creator leaves Google for Facebook
Lars Rasmussen, the engineer behind Google Maps and later Google Wave, has left Google for pastures new. Like a great number of ex-Googlers these days, those new pastures are Facebook. Rasmussen has worked with Google for around five years, since it bought his brainchild mapping project – the product that would eventually become the great Google Maps. Rasmussen’s next big endeavour, Wave, was pitched as a modern and revolutionary replacement for email. It featured real-time elements and deep, integrated collaboration tools. … Read More
AT&T takes aim at massive role in health care vertical
Whatever happens to the health care industry over the next two years, AT&T Inc. is repositioning itself to pursue a much greater role in the space. Under a new division called AT&T ForHealth, the company wants to “accelerate delivery of innovative wireless, networked, and cloud-based solutions specifically for the healthcare industry.” Health care I.T. spending in the United States is expecting to near $34 billion this year and grown 24% over the next four years, according to IDC.
AT&T says it generated $4 billion in revenue from the health care industry alone last year. … Read More
Top 10 Tower Companies
Following is the listing of the top 10 tower companies in the United States, along with a list of “honorable mentions” of companies that more than likely fall in the top 20 tower companies. A continuing trend in the tower industry is that the largest players continue to grow by consolidating their smaller counterparts and through international expansion. This list originally ran in the PCIA Wireless Infrastructure 2010 Show Guide. Crown Castle International Corp. remains the top tower company in the United States, followed close by American Tower Corp. The next tier of tower companies – from AT&T Towers to TowerCo – all count thousands of towers. The list quickly drops again to companies that all own fewer than 500 towers. … Read More
St. Charles Tower wins LightSquared contract in Las Vegas
St. Louis-based St. Charles Tower is a small tower company that got a big win from LightSquared, as the operator inked its first leasing deal, for six of St. Charles’ towers in Las Vegas and Phoenix as it builds out its hybrid LTE-satellite network. The $2 million estimated contract with LightSquared could boost St. Charles Tower’s book value by about 60%. “For a smaller tower company, it’s a real big deal for us,” said Chris Puricelli, who owns the business with Robert Bell. Ten-year-old St. Charles Towers is one of hundreds of smaller tower companies still making a living in a world dominated by a handful of really big tower firms. … Read More
Bluegrass Cellular takes Verizon Wireless up on 700 MHz offer
Kentucky-based rural wireless operator Bluegrass Cellular said it has taken Verizon Wireless up on its offer to partner with smaller operators in an attempt to broaden the deployment of LTE services using 700 MHz spectrum. Bluegrass said it has entered into an agreement with the nation’s largest operator to participate in the LTE in Rural America program, which Verizon Wireless launched earlier this year. Under the agreement, Verizon Wireless will lease upper C-block 700 MHz wireless spectrum in the Bluegrass Cellular service areas where Verizon Wireless has not constructed a network. … Read More
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