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!
Check out the RCR Wireless News Archives for more stories from the past.
Top technologies and trends for 2013
As we gaze at the crystal ball — or rather the crystal cloud — for the mobile industry in 2013, we see some significant technologies and trends that have the potential to transform this market over the next couple of years. As we examine these technologies and trends, two fundamental requirements stand out – security and interworking. These necessities are natural in a market that is in the midst of a significant transformation — the need to interwork between the existing and new technologies and the requirement to secure existing and new technologies and services as new ones are introduced and integrated. Here are some the market shifts that will be happening over the next year. The proliferation of LTE broadband networks will be an exciting development in 2013. LTE promises, for the first time, to offer reliable high speed wireless broadband connectivity at appealing prices, and this improved affordability is expected to accelerate wireless broadband adoption both in enterprises and among residential users. The adoption of LTE, along with the availability of powerful tablets and smartphones at affordable prices, will further fuel the “bring-your-own-device” trend in 2013. There will be a greater utilization of mobile devices by enterprises, which is expected to speed up collaborative communications within enterprises. … Read more
M-health: 2.8 million patients remotely monitored worldwide in 2012
About 2.8 million patients were remotely monitored worldwide at the end of 2012, using a home monitoring service based on equipment with integrated connectivity, according to a new research report from the analyst firm Berg Insight. The number of monitored patients is higher than nearly 2.2 million monitored patients at the end of 2011. Some of the most common conditions currently being monitored are chronic diseases including cardiac arrhythmia, hypertension, ischemic diseases, sleep apnea, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The report only tallied patients who used dedicated devices for remote monitoring. People who used their personal mobile phone, tablet or PC for remote monitoring are not included in this figure. Looking ahead, Berg Insight forecasts that the number of home monitoring systems with integrated communication capabilities will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26.9% between 2011 and 2017 to reach 9.4 million connections worldwide. … Read more
ZTE USA chief says U.S. carriers are key to success
China’s ZTE (0763.HK) was the world’s No. 4 smartphone vendor in the third quarter, behind Samsung, Apple and Research In Motion. The company’s entry-level smartphones have helped it to overtake rivals like HTC, Huawei and Nokia, and now ZTE is launching a high-end offering, the ZTE Grand S. The super-thin smartphone was recently awarded the 2013 iF International Design Award, and ZTE says the Android 4.1 LTE phone will be available this quarter in China, and will come to the United States later this year. While most of the 35 million ZTE smartphones shipped last year stayed in China, the company clearly has its eye on the United States, and says close relationships with U.S. carriers are helping it to gain a foothold. “One big reason why we can be successful in the [United States] is because we are working very closely with carriers to address their needs,” said Lixin Cheng, CEO of ZTE USA. “Normally our competitors, when they define the product with the carriers, until they launch the product in the [United States], it takes 12 to 18 months. For us, it takes six to eight months,” said Cheng. … Read more
Small cell networks and services for a 2020 mobile world
As we’re kicking off 2013, we know this: mobile networks are becoming more capable and agile with the use of macro and small cell networks to better handle capacity requirements for enterprises customers. We are in the midst of a mobile industry in transformation – the most rapid mobile network change we have seen in over 15 years. Mobility and use of spectrum (licensed) is the digital oxygen that drives productivity – our industry’s equivalent to crude oil deposits. Spectrum reuse and targeted capacity using small cells is rapidly becoming the answer to deal with networks at capacity. We are entering years of mobility and agile network services delivered by communications providers. But, it’s been a long haul. For almost a decade, enterprise IT has built and managed its own LAN and WAN networks, embarking on wireless to improve office and campus productivity and figuring out unified communication when and where it makes sense. It’s been a costly capital and operating expenditure undertaking. A decade later, as enterprises embark on going mobile, things have changed. Mobile friendly applications are emerging that are making it easier to adapt to mobile requirements. The device eco-system shake-up with iPhone and Android, and the emerging tablet category, is making the adoption of mobility for productivity much easier for enterprise employees and their IT departments. It’s all about reducing capex and having a predictable opex. … Read more
Green telecom trends in 2013
1. Green telecom trend: Mobile operators will start making their operations more environmentally friendly. Powering base stations in developing countries with dirty diesel fuel is not good for the brand – nor the bottom line. 2. A quest to serve the “next billion” mobile customers: They are mainly in emerging markets, with low average revenue per user and non-existent or bad access to the grid, so focus will be on keeping operating expenses low by powering base stations with energy efficent systems and renewables. … Read more
