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!
AT&T offers unlimited LTE data to postpaid customers
AT&T Mobility joined its rivals in offering “unlimited” LTE data to all postpaid wireless subscribers. The move follows a similar announcement earlier this week from Verizon Wireless. A single line with unlimited data will cost $100 per month on AT&T Mobility, versus $80 on Verizon Wireless’ network. For multiline accounts, AT&T Mobility charges $40 for each additional line, while Verizon Wireless charges $45 per additional line. If a family activates four lines with unlimited data, AT&T Mobility will credit the bill for the fourth line, bringing the price for four lines to $180 per month, the same amount Verizon Wireless is charging for four lines. The new AT&T Mobility plan includes unlimited calls from the U.S. to Canada and Mexico, and unlimited texts to more than 120 countries. It also includes an option for free roaming throughout North America. AT&T Mobility has been offering unlimited data for several months to customers who also subscribe to the carrier’s DirecTV service. But this latest offer makes the service available to all new and existing AT&T Mobility postpaid subscribers. AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless have some “grandfathered” customers who enjoy unlimited data plans purchased more than five years ago. Unlimited plans were common as carriers initially began to roll out LTE services and software developers leveraged the robust high-speed networks to create applications that rely heavily on video. … Read more
Verizon uses drones for network testing
Formula One fans spend hundreds of dollars to see fast cars and Verizon Wireless knows these mobile subscribers expect a fast network at the event. What isn’t fast is the process of testing a cellular network ahead of an event at a 5,000-acre venue. Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, site of the only annual Formula One event in the U.S., includes 3.4 miles of track, a grandstand, bleachers, buildings and concert venues. In the past, Verizon Wireless would have tested its network at COTA by walking the venue. In 2016, the area where fans would be watching Taylor Swift perform the night before the big race was off limits to unescorted guests. That meant a COTA employee would have to shadow a Verizon Wireless employee for an entire day of network testing in the concert area. Further complicating the network testing procedure was pre-event construction and new grass. Walking on the grass was prohibited and of course driving there was out of the question. But not flying. Venue officials were happy to approve a low-flying drone to test the Verizon Wireless network. … Read more
Verizon buys drone management company Skyward
Verizon has bought drone management firm Skyward for an undisclosed sum. Skyward is an Oregon software startup that helps more than 100 companies manage drone operations. The firm targets enterprises that need to deploy multiple drones over several locations. “Drones are becoming an essential tool for improving business processes at large companies, but scalability has been a challenge,” said Skyward founder and CEO Jonathan Evans in a press releases. “Skyward’s drone operations management platform combined with Verizon’s network, reliability, scale and expertise in delivering enterprise solutions will allow organizations to efficiently and safely scale drones across multiple divisions and hundreds of use cases.” Mike Lanman, Verizon’s senior vice president for enterprise products and IoT, said this acquisition builds on Verizon’s previous announcement of airborne LTE operations. As part of that announcement Verizon said that as early as this year it would launch of a new suite of services on its ThingSpace IoT platform to help developers and businesses create and manage a wide-range of ALO-enabled applications simply backed by secure cloud and analytics capabilities. … Read more
South Korea has fastest LTE speeds, US lags
South Korea again came out on top in terms of cellular network data speeds among 87 countries included in the latest worldwide network testing conducted by OpenSignal. The latest findings showed South Korean mobile customers experiencing average network speeds of 37.5 megabits per second, with various iterations of LTE technology most likely supporting those speeds. The country – along with Singapore – topped OpenSignal’s previous network testing, though with an average speed of 45 Mbps. Cellular customers in Norway recorded the second highest average speeds at 34.77 Mbps, followed by Hungary at 31.04 Mbps, Singapore at 30.05 Mbps and Australia at 26.25 Mbps. In terms of North America, Canada was No. 12 on the list with an average speed of 20.26 Mbps, the United States was No. 36 at 12.48 Mbps and Mexico was No. 49 with an average speed of 9.91 Mbps. For the U.S., the latest results were down from the 13.03 Mbps speeds recorded in the previous testing period. OpenSignal noted its numbers are based on data recorded from smartphones that had downloaded the OpenSignal application and run over a three-month period beginning last November. The company noted the results included more than 19.2 billion data points from nearly 1.1 million users and involved both indoor and outdoor usage. “For our Global State of Mobile Networks report, OpenSignal looked not at 4G or 3G speed individually, but rather at the aggregate speed our users experienced across all of a country’s mobile data networks,” the company explained. … Read more
Vodafone, Idea Cellular expected to merge operations in India
Vodafone and Indian operator Idea Cellular are reportedly close to reaching an agreement to merge their India operations, according to local press. According to the reports, both operators are expected to announce the merger agreement by the end of the week and finalize the deal within a month. Vodafone’s 42% stake in cell tower firm Indus Towers – a company in which Idea and rival Bharti Airtel also hold shares – would not be included in any merger with Idea, the U.K. telco had previously said. A potential merger between Vodafone and Idea would create a new market leader in India, with approximately 395 million mobile customers, according to the latest figures from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. The Indian mobile market is currently dominated Bharti Airtel with more than 260 million subscribers. The combined entity would likely have to divest assets, including spectrum, in order to comply with local regulations, which stipulates a single operator can’t have more than a 50% share of subscribers and revenue in a determined telecom service area. … Read more
5G: More valuable to the UK economy than fiber?
The direct economic benefits of “5G” infrastructure to the U.K. economy will outstrip the economic benefits of fiber fixed broadband by 2026, according to a recent study by mobile operator O2. According to O2’s study, 5G infrastructure will directly contribute an additional 7 billion pounds ($8.68 billion) per year to the U.K. economy by 2026. 5G technologies will also add an extra 3 billion pounds per year through secondary supply chain impacts, boosting overall U.K. productivity by a total of 10 billion pounds. The telco said the deployment of 5G will introduce new industries, platforms and services – from 3D video calls to smart home and health applications. “Mobile is the invisible infrastructure that can drive the economy of post-Brexit Britain,” declared O2 U.K. Chief Mark Evans. “The future of 5G promises a much quicker return on investment than fiber broadband and a range of unprecedented benefits: from telecare health applications to smarter cities to more seamless public services.” Last week, U.K. telecommunications services regulator Ofcom updated its plans for allocating 5G spectrum, initially proposing to allocate spectrum in the 700 MHz, 3.4 GHz to 3.8 GHz, and 25 GHz bands. Later this year, the regulator is also due to launch its spectrum auction for 190 megahertz of frequencies in the 2.3 GHz and 3.4 GHz bands. … Read more
Check out the RCR Wireless News Archives for more stories from the past.
