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!
AT&T takes a Leap; RWA objects
AT&T’s pending attempt to acquire Leap Wireless gained a new foe as the recently re-branded Rural Wireless Association said it has filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission asking that a “reasonable” spectrum cap be considered before moving forward on the deal. “If the proposed transaction is allowed to proceed, RWA argues that AT&T not be allowed to hold more than 25% of the suitable and available spectrum in any given county post transaction,” RWA noted in a statement. “RWA believes that the commission should review this proposed takeover through the prism of a spectrum aggregation rule that supports at least four equally healthy competitors per market and that any spectrum held by AT&T exceeding this amount should be divested or leased to another operator.” The Leap deal will see AT&T acquire 1.9 GHz and 1.7/2.1 GHz spectrum licenses covering approximately 137 million potential customers, with plans to retain the Leap brand and integrate Leap’s approximately five million customers. RWA, which earlier this month re-branded from its previous Rural Telecommunications Group name, added that if the FCC does not impose a spectrum aggregation limit on AT&T, it should require the carrier to provide data roaming at rates similar to what it charges its mobile virtual network operator partners; offer AT&T customers devices that are interoperable in “all paired spectrum bands;” and allow devices to be unlocked and compatible with the networks of tier-two and tier-three carriers using the same technology. … Read more
Getting familiar with fiber
Tower technicians may not yet be as comfortable with fiber as they are with cable, but as subscribers demand more and more from their networks, it is clear that fiber is the future. “The numbers speak for themselves as we talk about the move to LTE and the move to smartphones,” said Steve Shaw, director of mobile solutions marketing at Juniper Networks. “Rolling out fiber in the access network and actually stringing fiber directly to the cell site has become quite common for operators making this transition to LTE.” “In the past everyone always thought fiber was so delicate,” said Omar Flores, global business development manager for 3M’s wireless access division. But 3M believes that will change, and the company is encouraging its customers to splice fiber at the cell site in order to customize their installations. “3M is a big, big proponent of bringing field mounted connectivity,” said Flores. “3M has been providing splicing technologies for fiber and copper connectivity in the wireline side of the business, so it just came naturally for us to bring those technologies into the wireless side.” Flores believes that crews can save time and money by splicing fiber just as they cut cable. … Read more
Ericsson intros the Radio Dot
Ericsson has entered the small cell battle, launching its Radio Dot System that is expected to be available late next year and garnering early interest in the product from Verizon Wireless. The company boasted of a disk-shaped radio small enough to fit in someone’s hand but able to provide high-quality mobile broadband and voice service indoors. Ericsson said the Radio Dot System has a “compelling evolution path” and is aimed at supporting users in medium-to-large indoor locations, and giving a “complete indoor solution” to mobile operators. Ericsson said that current indoor solutions are built mainly for voice coverage, but don’t meet the capacity demands for data and are limited in scalability. Johan Wibergh, head of Ericsson Business Unit Networks, noted that “leading operators are focusing on indoor capacity as an opportunity to address the mobile data demands of their customers and expand their enterprise opportunities. We saw there was a gap. Today’s indoor solutions do not address the vast range of public venues and enterprise buildings that operators are targeting. With the Radio Dot System, we’ve filled this gap and redefined the small cell market.” Verizon Wireless has already stepped up to show its interest in testing and trialing the Radio Dot System. Kris Rinne, senior VP of network and product planning at AT&T Services Inc., noted that small cells are a “key component of AT&T’s Project VIP network enhancement program” and called the Radio Dot System “another tool to choose from in its next-generation toolkit.” So Ericsson sees the new product as a redefinition of the market, saying it has been in development for two years and includes 14 patents. … Read more
T-Mo, Sprint offer dueling unlimited plans
T-Mobile US is currently one of two nationwide operators offering flat-rate, unlimited data services to smartphone customers, an offering the carrier is not exactly wedded to, though thinks it can be used to drive additional margins. Speaking at this week’s Goldman Sachs investor conference, T-Mobile US Chief Marketing Officer Mike Sievert told attendees that while the carrier does indeed provide unlimited as an option, that offering is not its reason for being. The comment seemed directed at rival Sprint, which is the other operator offering a flat-rate, unlimited data plan for customers, something that the carrier uses as a prominent marketing message. In fact, Sprint earlier this year unveiled new rate plans that guarantee customers will continue having access to unlimited data for as long as they keep the line of service. Sprint has repeatedly said it does not think unlimited data will be something it can offer indefinitely, but has so far been unable to break itself out of the mold in an attempt to attract customers. That need to move away from unlimited could be pushed off by the carrier’s recent acquisition of Clearwire, which brings a large portfolio of 2.5 GHz spectrum that can used to bolster capacity in high-traffic markets. Sievert noted that for T-Mobile US, unlimited is just one envelope of its offering that it expects will continue driving increased margins for the carrier. The carrier plans to continue offering that option to customers looking for peace of mind, especially those currently on a tiered plan offered by larger rivals, but that the pricing model for the offer could change over time. … Read more
US leads in LTE subscribers, but is fourth in penetration
The United States leads the world in the number of LTE subscribers, but in terms of LTE penetration the United States is in fourth place behind South Korea, Japan and Australia. A global LTE heat map (below) produced by Juniper Networks shows that in South Korea almost two thirds of the population has access to LTE, versus roughly a fifth of the population in Japan, Australia and the United States. More than half the world still has 2G service, or no service at all. Outside of North America, Europe, India and China, most 3G and LTE nodes are concentrated in coastal areas. High speed connectivity is often much less expensive for consumers outside North America. Steve Shaw, director of mobile solutions marketing at Juniper, discussed bandwidth pricing with RCR; his comments are below the heat map. Juniper’s Steve Shaw points out that connecting subscribers to mobile broadband is more profitable for U.S. operators than for their cohorts in other parts of the world. “Today a gigabit of traffic on Verizon’s network is something on the order of $7.00, $7.50 a gig, in some markets it’s as low as $1.00 or less, and so in those particular cases just pricing based on bandwidth isn’t enough,” said Shaw. … Read more
Inside the iPhone 5s
A look under the hood of the iPhone 5s suggests that Apple once again turned to archrival Samsung to manufacture the processor inside its flagship smartphone. A Chipworks teardown has found that the A7 appears to made by Samsung using its 28-nanometer process. The ARM-based A7 is the first-ever 64-bit smartphone processor. One of the biggest questions about the iPhone 5s has been the M7 co-processor, which handles accelerometer, gyroscope and compass data. Chipworks has found that the M7 is made by NXP. The NXP LPC18A1 collects data from a Bosch Sensortech accelerometer, an AKM compass chip, and a STMicroelectronics gyroscope. … Read more
Check out the RCR Wireless News Archives for more stories from the past.
