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 those sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories!
Small cells seen as key to LTE-Advanced
With LTE North America just a few days away, many carriers are focused on the standard’s next generation: LTE-Advanced. LTE-Advanced may finally offer “true 4G” data rates, with stationary peaks of 1 Gbps, and carriers say small cells are the key to achieving this. Mobile operators say the use of small cells and HetNets in the current LTE standard may provide a learning curve, and that implementation of these new technologies may be easier and cheaper when deploying LTE-Advanced networks. In a recent survey of almost 300 mobile operators worldwide, Rethink Research asked carriers for their top objectives in deploying LTE-Advanced over the next four years. Cutting the cost of delivery was the number one goal, followed by reducing power consumption and increasing average data rates. Carriers overwhelmingly reported that small cells and HetNet are the most critical contributor to the LTE-Advanced business model. (Industry analysts will explore small cell deployment in depth at the upcoming RCR Wireless Conference in Orange County.) … Read more
A comeback for Sprint?
Greetings from Kansas City and Dallas, where the fall is in full swing, and Cardinal Nation is celebrating the art of the comeback with their World Series victory over the Texas Rangers. If only Sprint’s earnings call had been a week later, because using Kansas City resident Albert Pujols as a real “comeback kid” would have trumped the use of Brad Pitt for his role in “Moneyball.” In case you missed this part of the earnings call, here’s a summary from The Wall Street Journal. A lot has transpired over the past week across the industry, judging from Sprint’s earnings announcement, which contained good news for the third quarter as well as an indication that the Apple 4S and Apple 4 have done much better than people expected (and should bode very well for 3G equipment makers in the fourth quarter — Sprint has some catching up to do on 3G deployment). I’ve read the transcript several times, and, all Brad Pitt jokes aside, there was a lot to like about the earnings. Sprint is, with a quiet resolve, becoming the market leader in premium prepaid services (more about that below). They are growing, thanks to a price hike on data (in the footsteps of their peers) as well as an increase in subscribers. And, when necessary, they are changing their unlimited policy to exclude Wi-Fi hotspot abusers (the 1-2% who drive a very disproportionate amount of traffic). Sprint also mentioned that they had entered into a nonbinding agreement with Clearwire to work in their network into Sprint’s future LTE plans. … Read more
Verizon focuses on rural LTE
DALLAS — Verizon Wireless’ plans to expand LTE coverage into smaller markets under its LTE in Rural America program are nearly set to show some results. The program, which counts a dozen operators, is currently testing with a pair of unnamed operators and is set for its first commercial launches early next year. Philip Junker, executive director of strategic alliances at the carrier and a former executive at Alltel, noted that those dozen carriers the program is currently set to cover 124 counties in 10 states and covering 2.6 million potential customers across more than 82,000 square miles. Junker noted that unlike the rollout of 3G networks, which was driven by the technology, LTE is being pushed by devices and how consumers are increasing data usage. For those rural players getting involved in the program, Junker reiterated the hands-off approach Verizon Wireless is taking in how they run their networks. Junker noted that carriers would be able to set their own pricing plans for the service, including offering unlimited data packages if they so choose. This option could prove compelling to rural players looking to differentiate themselves against larger players and possible to support as they will have access to all 22 megahertz of 700 MHz spectrum Verizon Wireless is providing as part of the program. That spectrum is also being provided to rural operators through at least 2029, though carriers have noted that it was only … Read more
HSPA+ proliferates in LatAm
Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay launched HSPA+ commercial networks during the first week of November, bringing Latin America’s total of HSPA networks in the region to 66, with 25 now upgraded to HSPA+ technology, which is available in 17 countries, industry group 4G Americas reported. HSPA+ has been the natural upgrade for carriers prior to implementing 4G services. In a recent interview with RCR Wireless News, Erasmo Rojas, director of Latin America and the Caribbean at 4G Americas, said that it makes sense for carriers to upgrade their networks to HSPA+ before the deployment of 4G networks to provide speeds connections and capacities similar to LTE. The wireless industry trade association, which represents the 3GPP family of technologies, also noted that, as of this year’s second quarter, operators were reporting an average of 22% of monthly revenue from data services. UMTS-HSPA+ currently accounts for 11% of the region’s 615 million total subscriptions; By the end of 2016, it is expected that UMTS-HSPA+ will have 50% market share of all wireless technologies in the region. … Read more
Rio sets new rules on cellular towers
In Brazil, the city of Rio de Janeiro has new rules for installing radio base stations sites. The city is establishing a series of stricter rules for telecoms towers, both in public and private. Among the main features, carriers will have to share their towers and maintain a minimum distance of 500 meters between the antennas on the ground. In addition, it has banned the installation of antennas on canopies and facades, as well as within 50 meters of schools hospitals and clinics. In Rio, carriers will have six months to adapt to the new rules. After that time, all old permits will be revoked. The decree applies to both radio base stations and minibase stations that meet the personal mobile service and specialized mobile service. TIM said that it is reviewing the provisions of Decree No. 34,622 to verify the impact of new rules established by the municipal administration. América Móvil’s Claro said it is studying the application of new standards, since the decree was published recently. Oi said it had no comment, and Vivo did not answer RCR Wireless News’ questions about its positioning. Meanwhile, the Brazilian Agency of Telecommunications (Anatel) is conducting a public consultation about the proposal to amend the regulation on sharing infrastructure with providers of telecommunications services. … Read more
Check out the RCR Wireless News Archives for more stories from the past.
