Sprint said its 2.5 GHz-powered LTE service hit 100M pops covered, while AT&T laid out its long-term NFV, SDN plans … 2 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!
Sprint touts LTE progress, hits 2.5 GHz coverage goals
Sprint said it has met previous guidance on the expansion of its 2.5 GHz spectrum-powered LTE services, claiming to now cover 100 million potential customers. The carrier had forecast it would hit that mark by the end of the year. The announcement came as part of an end-of-the-year roundup from Sprint Chief Network Officer John Saw on where the network is today and where the carrier expects it to be going into 2015. Those future goals include continued expansion of its 2.5 GHz coverage, with a focus on markets with exceedingly high “usage and capacity demands.” This would be part of the carrier’s previous plans to provide a “Tokyo-like” mobile broadband experience in densely populated markets by tapping into the experience of parent company Softbank. … Read More
AT&T targets 75% NFV, SDN control of network by 2020
Software is set to become a bigger focus for AT&T, with the telecom operator stating plans to virtualize and control more than 75% of its network using software architecture by 2020. This is expected to be accomplished through the use of cloud, SDN and NFV technologies. Writing on the company’s Innovation Space blog, John Donovan, SEVP of AT&T technology and operations, said the statement was an “ambitious target” connected to its network transformation plans announced earlier this year at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, Spain. Those plans were launched under the carrier’s User-Defined Network Cloud initiative and are part of its broader Domain 2.0 program. … Read More
United States telecom companies allowed in Cuba
President Barack Obama made a historic announcement Wednesday by declaring that his administration is making a major shift in United States policy toward Cuba. The move will allow U.S. telecommunications companies to rollout infrastructure and provide commercial services in Cuba. “Today, we are renewing our leadership in the Americas. We are choosing to cut loose the anchor of the past, because it is entirely necessary to reach a better future – for our national interests, for the American people and for the Cuban people,” Obama stated. … Read More
Carrier spectrum spending could impact tower sector
As the FCC’s Auction 97 apparently enters its final stages, many in the tower industry are no doubt breathing a sigh of relief. Carrier spectrum spending coupled with relentless mobile data price wars could mean higher costs and lower revenues, leaving less capital available for adding new antennas to cell towers. “Technical and financial questions have arisen and we believe these have partially pressured the tower stocks,” said Canaccord Genuity analyst Greg Miller in a recent note. “Chief among these concerns are a limited or nonexistent equipment refresh cycle and the incremental carrying costs of capital that will have been raised to finance spectrum bids, which have far exceeded initial expectations, limiting the carriers’ ability to spend capex to build out the spectrum. The fear is that these factors will mean amendment activity – and, therefore, incremental revenue – will be limited and overall growth will be slower than expected. We believe such concerns are overblown.” … Read More
Apple, IBM and the enterprise mobility landscape
The first wave of enterprise applications have emerged from the partnership between Apple and IBM, and the duo has snagged some large customers — including Sprint. But whether they can help Apple maintain its strong position in the enterprise device market remains to be seen. IOS devices dominate the smartphone and tablet markets for enterprise mobility, despite the company being largely consumer-focused. Nicko van Someren, CTO of Good Technology, attributes that market position to the fact that Apple focuses on high-end consumer devices — exactly the ones that CEOs and other C-level executives are likely to carry, and to demand that the devices are able to access corporate networks. … Read More
RIP: China Mobile’s TD-SCDMA 3G network (2009-2014)
China Mobile, the largest mobile carrier in the world, is reportedly cutting expansion of its TD-SCDMA 3G network and focusing on its TD-LTE network, which supports 4G connectivity. One telecom insider told RCR Wireless News that this announcement, which was first reported by Caixin Media Company, marks the end of the air interface: “TD-SCDMA is dead.” According to the carrier, TD-SCDMA comprises four core portions: base stations, radio network controllers, mobile switching centers and serving GPRS support nodes. The network operates with 15 megahertz of spectrum in the 2 GHz band and 40 megahertz of spectrum in the 1.9 GHz band. … Read More
Policy: Sprint to be fined $105M for bill cramming
Sprint is reportedly set to be hit with a $105 million fine from the Federal Communications Commission linked to overcharging customers for services. According to National Journal, the fine will be the largest ever levied against a company and similar to one charged against AT&T Mobility in October. The Sprint fine has yet to be finalized by the FCC, although it is being reviewed by all five members of the commission. … Read More
EMEA: BT offers $19.6 billion for U.K. mobile operator EE
After looking into buying Telefonica’s O2, BT announced it has entered into exclusive talks to buy mobile operator EE for $19.6 billion. If successful, the deal would combine the U.K.’s largest fixed-line provider with its largest mobile network operator. Part of the proposed purchase includes shares in BT, so EE’s joint owners, Deutsche Telekom and Orange, could walk away a BT stake of 12% and 4%, respectively. … Read More
China LTE market set to expand; China Telecom, Unicom to extend hybrid LTE networks
China Telecom and China Unicom are each set to expand their FDD-LTE/TDD-LTE hybrid network trials to 15 additional cities in a move that should add further competition to China’s “4G” market. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology approved the expansion plans that will see each carrier’s hybrid network reach 56 cities. For China Telecom, the expansion is set for Shaoxing, Taizhou, Changzhou, Xuzhou, Yangzhou, Yancheng, Qingdao, Tangshan, Baoding, Dalian, Zhongshan, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Wuhu and Yulin. China Unicom will see its network expand to Foshan, Quanzhou, Weifang, Wenzhou, Fuyang, Wuxi, Yichang, Hengyang, Guilin, Langfang, Linfen, Nanchong, Weinan, Nanyang and Nantong. … Read More
T-Mobile US ‘Un-carrier 8.0’ taps history, adds 700 MHz to LTE coverage
T-Mobile US continued to roll out its “Un-carrier” message today, touting a new data offering that takes a cue from the past and enhancements to its LTE network. The carrier’s “Un-carrier 8.0” announcement centered on its already offered data buckets, but now allows customers who pay extra each month for a larger bucket of high-speed data access to rollover any unused portion. … Read More
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