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#TBT: iPhone 6 breaks records; Test companies split up; Verizon rolls out VoLTE… this week in 2014

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!

iPhone 6 breaks records
Apple said today that pre-orders for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus broke all previous records, with 4 million ordered in the first 24 hours. The company says it will not be able to meet demand this month, and that many people will get their new iPhones next month instead. There will be some inventory in Apple stores, starting this Friday, Sept. 19. All four of the major U.S. carriers are getting the iPhone 6, but some may benefit more than others. For Sprint, this is the first iPhone that will be able to take advantage of its fastest LTE service, Sprint Spark. AT&T, the first U.S. carrier to offer the original iPhone, also stands to benefit this time around. Analyst Jennifer Fritzsche of Wells Fargo Securities said that AT&T’s decision to push its Next early upgrade plans should mean that it will see a large uptake on the iPhone 6 models. “We look for all wireless carriers to benefit from the iPhone refresh, but in particular expect AT&T to see the proverbial fruits of its Next plans, starting in Q4,” said Fritzsche. “In back of the envelope math, if AT&T sells 10 million smartphones in Q4, driven primarily by the iPhone refresh demand, and assuming a 66% Next take-rate, it would equate to ~$2.8B in subsidy savings.” Each new iPhone model brings an increase in mobile network traffic, but the iPhone 6 could impact networks more than its predecessors. “I think certainly the iPhone 6 is going to tax the networks more than what we’ve seen in the past with the other ones,” said analyst Daryl Schoolar of Ovum. “This phone really steps up the network impact versus the 5 and 5s, I think the 6 is a much bigger jump in terms of the network.” … Read more

JDSU decides to split
JDSU has announced plans to separate its business into two separate, publicly traded companies: one that focuses on network and service enablement, optical security and performance; and a second that consists of JDSU’s commercial laser and optical products business. Neither of the intended companies has names yet, and the transition isn’t expected to be complete until the third quarter of 2015. The transaction will take place through a tax-free spin-off process, JDSU said, with separate brand identities for each company. Tom Waechter, president and CEO of JDSU, told RCR that over the last three to five years, JDSU has been building up each of its business segments so that they could stand alone if necessary. The separation was always an option that had been reviewed with the board from time to time, he said, and JDSU’s business units have not as fully integrated as they could have been with an eye toward agility. “Now the businesses are large enough that they could be separated, and they’re in really good shape,” Waechter said. He said that in particular, JDSU’s last three to four acquisitions in the mobile space have put the network-software-focused company-to-be in a good position. Waechter said that JDSU sees opportunity in the “tremendous upheaval” going on in networks as more devices are connected and the Internet of Things begins to happen, as well as architectural shifts with software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV). … Read More

Agilent board approves Keysight spin-off
Agilent Technologies’ board of directors has approved the separation of its electronic test business as Keysight Technologies. The company said that the separation will be official following a distribution of stock on Nov. 1. Keysight’s stock is expected to start trading on the NYSE on Nov. 3. Keysight also launched a new signal analyzer for components, boards and systems for use in military, public safety, radar and satellites, among others. The M9290A CXA-PXIe signal analyzer tests frequencies up to 26.5 GHz and includes swept and FFT modes in one PXI instrument. The analyzer is compatible with code written for Keysight’s X-series signal analyzers and ESA spectrum analyzers. … Read More

CWA supports AT&T/DirectTV deal
AT&T’s pending $48 billion acquisition of DirecTV received a boost from the Communications Workers of America, which filed comments in support of the proposed deal. CWA, which claims to represent 110,000 AT&T employees across its wireline, wireless and broadband operations, said that in addition to the competitive and services improvements touted by AT&T, the deal would also “promote collective bargaining and good, career jobs.” “The AT&T/DirecTV transaction is good for employees and good, career U.S. jobs,” CWA said. CWA noted that AT&T has the largest full-time union labor force of any company in the United States, and its “collective bargaining agreements define pay and benefits, rights, protections and fair treatment.” The deal would also see those bargaining agreements extend to DirecTV’s non-management workforce, which could expand CWA’s membership. AT&T has had a mixed relationship with CWA, with both entities participating in various labor disputes over the past several years. CWA did come out in support of AT&T’s ill-fated $39 billion acquisition attempt of T-Mobile USA, which included promises by AT&T of job protection and claims by CWA that AT&T capital investments would have created 96,000 new jobs. … Read More

Verizon rolls out VoLTE
Verizon Wireless has slowly begun to roll out voice over LTE services, announcing this week its Advanced Calling 1.0 offering. The service comes just days ahead of the launch of Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices, both of which are the first from the device maker to support VoLTE services. The Advanced Calling 1.0 service is said by Verizon Wireless to be its “first-generation service suite” that taps into VoLTE, running voice services across the carrier’s nationwide LTE network. The service includes HD Voice and video calling support, and also allows users to simultaneously place a voice call while also using LTE-based data services. The platform will also support six-way conference calling, an increase from the three-way calling support of Verizon Wireless’ current CDMA-based circuit-switch voice service. The service is currently limited to Samsung’s Galaxy S5 and LG’s G2 device, though it’s expected to also be baked into the latest iPhone models. Customers on both ends of a conversation must have a compatible device to tap into either an HD Voice call or video calling session. Customers with compatible devices can self-install the service through the carrier’s online support page, or they can call into the carrier or walk into a Verizon Wireless store for provisioning. Customers will have to turn off a few features for the service to work, including Verizon Wireless’ Ringback Tones, Caller Name ID and Company Name ID feature, which the carrier said were not currently compatible with the service. … Read More

Dish, Sprint partner on fixed wireless
Sprint and Dish Network’s “interesting” relationship got a bit closer today as the two companies announced Dish would offer LTE-based wireless broadband services in Corpus Christi, Texas, using Sprint’s network and spectrum. Dish said the service will provide download speeds of 10 megabits per second, and will cost $30 per month when bundled with its satellite-TV service or $40 per month on its own. The no-contract service does include free installation, which includes “ruggedized outdoor routers with high-gain antennas.” Customers can also receive a free Wi-Fi router to connect devices inside the home. The network will run across Sprint’s expanding 2.5 GHz-powered LTE service, which is part of the carrier’s Spark program. Sprint has significant 2.5 GHz spectrum, which the carrier has said will provide network speeds in excess of 50 Mbps. The service does not tap into Dish’s own significant spectrum holdings that run across the 700 MHz and 2 GHz band. Sprint and Dish initially announced the partnership late last year, which followed Dish’s unsuccessful attempt to acquire Sprint. … Read More

Check out the RCR Wireless News Archives for more stories from the past.

ABOUT AUTHOR

Kelly Hill
Kelly Hill
Kelly reports on network test and measurement, as well as the use of big data and analytics. She first covered the wireless industry for RCR Wireless News in 2005, focusing on carriers and mobile virtual network operators, then took a few years’ hiatus and returned to RCR Wireless News to write about heterogeneous networks and network infrastructure. Kelly is an Ohio native with a masters degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, where she focused on science writing and multimedia. She has written for the San Francisco Chronicle, The Oregonian and The Canton Repository. Follow her on Twitter: @khillrcr