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!
OpEx pressures drive network outsourcing
“Fierce competition among telecom service providers around the world is driving them to increase operating expenses, and that in turn is forcing service providers to outsource more of their network tasks, because outsourcing is one of the last remaining ways to cut opex. With major outsourcing deals looming, Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Networks, Alcatel-Lucent, and Huawei may end up running three-quarters of the networks on this planet,” notes Stéphane Téral, Infonetics Research‘s principal analyst for mobile and FMC infrastructure. … Read more
Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 sells 1.5 million in six weeks
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) can’t be faulted for pulling out all the stops to make sure it isn’t completely left behind in the mobile operating system war. Today the company announced sales of 1.5 million devices running on Windows Phone 7 in its first six weeks. In a widespread ad campaign, the PC software king has been trying to differentiate its refreshed OS as an experience that lets users dip in and dip out of their smart phones, thereby leaving more time to enjoy life. Still, the platform has a long way to go before its app catalog and marketplace catches up with the likes of Android and iOS. “It’s a different kind of phone, fast and easy,” said Achim Berg, VP of business and marketing for Windows Phones. “What we see as well is that people like the new design and the different approach that we’ve taken,” he said. “And just as we did something different with the phone, we did similarly with advertising… Our campaign has been well accepted and shows that our product has been correctly targeted.” Berg said his team is keeping an eye on customer satisfaction and device sales, adding that both serve to build momentum and presence in the market. … Read more
Swype makes Android gains, opens beta
After a solid run of pre-install deals with device manufacturers, Swype Inc. has publicly released a beta version for Android devices not already on board. Users already running the official versions of Swype on their Android devices should not install the beta. The business model for the text input solution for touch-screen devices has revolved around the OEM space as a pre-installed application thus far. But CEO Mike McSherry was already saying the technology would inevitably shift to an app download when RCR Wireless News caught up with him in September at the company’s new Seattle office. If Swype is going to reach a billion devices — an oft-stated goal — it simply has to become readily available on more devices. … Read more
FCC adopts net neutrality
The Federal Communications Commission on a 3:2 vote adopted principles of what it calls a plan to preserve the open Internet, a move that likely will be met with lawsuits from companies and legislative attacks from some members of Congress. Commissioners voted along party lines, with Democrats Julius Genachowski, Michael Copps and Mignon Clyburn voting in favor of the order, and Republicans Robert McDowell and Meredith Attwell Baker dissenting. In general, the rules center on transparency, no blocking of lawful content, services, applications and non-harmful devices. Also, broadband providers cannot display “unreasonable” discrimination, subject to “reasonable” network management. Specialized services over the last mile will be monitored going forward. Wireless broadband providers will be required to not block legitimate content and devices on their networks and must be transparent. FCC staff said it has the authority to adopt the principles based on the Section 706a of the 1996 Telecom Act, which says the FCC has the “authority and discretion to settle on the best regulatory or deregulatory approach to broadband.” … Read more
AT&T buys FloTV spectrum
It turns out Qualcomm Inc.’s (QCOM) spectrum for FLO TV is actually worth more on its own — at least to AT&T Mobility (T). The carrier has agreed to buy licenses for the 700 MHz spectrum that the service ran on for $1.92 billion. Qualcomm gets an exit from its failed FLO TV business, selling off its most valuable asset, and AT&T picks up more “beach front property” spectrum for its future LTE network. The deal between the two companies, which was first reported more than a month ago, would have been much more interesting if AT&T had also bought (further) into the FLO TV network and infrastructure in an effort to offload video traffic. Although the service never picked up the scale it needed to make a large enough impact, the mobile broadcast TV network did present an early use-case for the 700 MHz spectrum that carriers are now using to roll out LTE. AT&T did this before with another mobile TV pioneer though, buying Aloha Partners L.P.’s 700 MHz spectrum holdings that it used for a DVB-H trial. Though Qualcomm clearly wanted more than a return on its investment in spectrum. Between 2003 and 2008, the San Diego company paid $683 million for spectrum that reaches a potential 300 million people. The licenses being sold to AT&T include rights to 12 MHz of lower 700 MHz D and E block spectrum that covers more than 70 million people in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and 6 MHz of lower 700 MHz D block spectrum that covers more than 230 million people across the rest of the country. … Read more
The Lamborghini of smartphones
Singapore-based Primo Mobile unveiled the Evoluzione, an Android smartphone bearing the famous charging bull logo found on Italian sports car maker Lamborghini. Specs-wise, this mobile phone falls in the midrange category. It comes with a 3.2-inch HVGA (320 x 480) display, 600MHz Qualcomm processor, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a 5-megapixel camera. The device runs on vanilla Android 2.1 (Eclair) currently. A company representative said there’s a possibility of an upgrade to Android 2.2 but stopped short of confirming it. What sets it apart is the brand. Tonino Lamborghini is a spinoff brand of the car maker which offers lifestyle products such as watches and coffee makers. It commissioned Primo Mobile to produce a smartphone and the result is the Evoluzione. This smartphone will appeal to fans of the brand rather than tech enthusiasts because of the specifications. It will go on sale in Singapore come Q1 2011. The company is speaking to operators worldwide and hopes to offer it globally next year. The Evoluzione has an estimated retail price of S$788. … Read more
Check out the RCR Wireless News Archives for more stories from the past.
