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!
Mobile, social media to drive next-gen cloud computing
Cloud computing services have transformed how enterprises buy technology and even how chief information officers (CIOs) deal with corporate demands. In Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies, cloud computing (in general) appears to be past the peak of inflated expectations, although in many countries, the model is not widely used yet. Regardless, many say CIOs should be aware that mobile computing and social media will be the drivers of the next stage of cloud computing. “Cloud computing, mobile and social are becoming more integrated,” said Google Enterprise’s director Antonio Luiz Schuch during a lecture at the Latin American edition of Cloud Computing World Forum last week. “Cloud without mobile does not make sense. It is necessary to think of cloud services integrated with mobile, and it makes even less sense if it is not integrated with social.” This fact is noticeable on the Gartner’s specific Hype Cycle for Cloud Computing, which places MDM solutions in cloud computing at the early stages of the cycle, figuring as a “technology trigger” and forecasted to reach a plateau in 5 to 10 years. … Read more
AT&T opens new flagship Chicago store
AT&T Inc. (T) has opened a sleek, new retail store on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, showcasing the company’s range of mobile services and offering customers a glimpse of future technology. “The Magnificent Mile is a unique shopping experience and so is this store,” said AT&T North Central Region President Kent Mathy. “We have put the very best our brand has to offer our customers on display at this store.” The 10,000 square-foot store includes a number of retail firsts for AT&T, and extends beyond traditional wireless services and applications to demonstrate AT&T’s offerings in vehicles and homes, and services still to come. The location includes: -AT&T’s first-ever retail demo of a connected car, the 2012 Nissan Leaf. The car is located in a section of the store that also highlights an AT&T Labs prototype of services to provide automotive connectivity, safety and efficiency. -The first-ever retail demo of AT&T’s Digital Life home security and automation service, which will be trialed later this year. Store visitors will be able to control a mock home’s temperature and raise and lower a window shade using a wireless device. … Read more
GOP’s platform blasts the FCC
The platform adopted by the Republican party this week describes the telecommunications industry as a vital part of the U.S. economy that is being hamstrung by the federal government. “The current Administration has been frozen in the past,” says the 2012 Republican Platform. “It has conducted no auction of spectrum, has offered no incentives for investment, and, through the FCC’s net neutrality rule, is trying to micromanage telecom as if it were a railroad network.” (The mention of a railroad network is a reference to the telecommunication industry’s history. Before the creation of the Federal Communications Commission in 1934, the telecom industry was governed by the Interstate Commerce Commission, which also regulated railroads.) The Republicans are calling for an “inventory of federal agency spectrum to determine the surplus that could be auctioned.” Federal agencies that need to use spectrum include military agencies, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Justice, the Department of Interior, and the National Science Foundation. Government use of spectrum is monitored and managed by the Office of Spectrum Management within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. “An industry that invested $66 billion in 2011 alone needs, and deserves, a more modern relationship with the federal government for the benefit of consumers here and worldwide,” states the Republican Party platform. “The Telecom Act of 1996 is woefully out of date.” … Read more
T-Mobile US throws down the unlimited gauntlet
T-Mobile USA said it will begin offering unlimited data options without speed throttling to consumers beginning Sept. 5, signaling a new pricing war among the nation’s “non-big-two” carriers that could put pressure on margins for those involved. T-Mobile USA announced that the new offerings will allow customers to add the unlimited data offering for $20 per month when selecting one of the carrier’s “Value” voice and messaging plans or $30 per month when selecting one of the “Classic” voice and messaging plans. That results in a Value plan with unlimited voice, messaging and data priced at $70 per month, while the Classic plan priced at $90 per month. The new pricing undercuts the current “king” of unlimited data, Sprint Nextel, which has staked its recent marketing efforts around its unlimited data offering. Sprint Nextel’s plans begin at $80 per month for smartphones that includes unlimited messaging and data along with 450 anytime calling minutes, unlimited weekend calling, unlimited night calling beginning at 7 p.m. and unlimited calls to other mobile devices. Customers can pick up a totally unlimited plan from the carrier for $110 per month for smartphones. Sprint Nextel does continue to have a slight upper hand in the competition in that it does currently offer Apple’s iPhone device, which remains absent from T-Mobile USA’s portfolio. However, many expect the carrier to gain access to the iconic device with the rollout of the next iteration expected next month. Analysts noted that the move by T-Mobile USA could place some short-term pressure on Sprint Nextel, which has seen its stock price slowly rise over the past year. “We believe this news could cause some concern in [Sprint Nextel] shares today,” noted Wells Fargo Securities senior analyst Jennifer Fritzsche, in a research report. … Read more
VoLTE investments and progress
According to Dell’Oro Group, Voice over Long Term Evolution projects generated more than $200 million in the past four quarters, as wireless operators have begun investing in network infrastructure to support moving voice from 3G to 4G LTE. “The most important trend underway in the telecom voice market is VoLTE,” said Chris DePuy, analyst at Dell’Oro Group. “It is stimulating significant spending both in the wireless infrastructure, but also in the wireline infrastructure.” MetroPCS (PCS) was the first U.S. carrier to make a VoLTE commercial launch. The company introduced the LG Connect smartphone for making VoLTE calls in the Dallas/Fort Worth, TX market in early August. Korea’s SK Telecom has also introduced VoLTE services. Verizon Wireless is expected to add VoLTE capability by next year, but has said that it is waiting for quality issues to be worked out before launch. Mavenir Systems provided the IMS core and telephony application server for MetroPCS’s VoLTE service. … Read more
WhatsApp hits 10 billion messages in a day
Mobile messaging app WhatsApp says it processed more than 10 billion messages in one day this week. That’s more than one message for every person on earth. On one app. WhatsApp is an alternative to texting that uses mobile data rather than SMS. It enables group chats, photo sharing and video sharing, and is available for iOS, Android, Windows and BlackBerry devices. The company tweeted its milestone on Thursday: “new daily record: 4B inbound, 6B outbound = 10B total messages a day! #freebsd #erlang.” The hashtags are references to the technology behind WhatsApp: the app was developed largely on the open source platform FreeBSD using the Erland programming language originally written by Ericsson. The other potentially confusing part of the announcement is the fact that there were 2 billion more outbound messages than inbound messages. The company says that’s because of the group chat feature – a user can send one message to several people. … Read more
Check out the RCR Wireless News Archives for more stories from the past.
