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 and enjoy the memories!
Industry veteran Stanton in favor of AT&T/T-Mobile USA deal, with conditions
Few industry veterans can provide the sort of perspective as John Stanton, who through his years in the mobile space has been involved with wireless carriers both big and small. (For those not familiar with Stanton, he was instrumental in the founding of McCaw Cellular, before going off on his own to found Western Wireless Corp. and VoiceStream Wireless Corp., before more recently joining Clearwire Corp.) And with that perspective in mind, Stanton told attendees at this year’s Rural Cellular Association Fall Expo that he was in favor of AT&T Mobility’s proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA Inc. – a position not taken by RCA – but that his position was dependant on a set of strict conditions that would allow smaller players a chance to remain competitive. … Read More
Cooperation the name of the game for rural players
A hot topic at the recent Rural Cellular Association’s Fall 2011 Expo was getting rural operators, that have historically been very competitive, to cooperate for the common good of their survival. Several speakers, including RCA Chairman Hu Meena, noted that such collaboration could be vital for smaller operators to remain viable outlets for equipment vendors. Meena is also president and CEO of Cellular South. … Read More
RIM looks cheap, but is there a buyer?
Even before Canada’s Research in Motion Ltd. lost almost a quarter of its market valuation in the wake of last week’s Q2 earnings report, some investors were wondering if the behemoth that once dominated the smart phone market might be a takeover target. Hopeful buyers of RIM’s shares point out that although market share and margins are declining, the company still has some valuable assets and no debt. BlackBerry is still the handset of choice for many corporate customers, and unlike other handset makers RIM still gets monthly revenue from corporate subscribers who use its proprietary network for email and other data transmission. … Read More
Global Tower Partners to acquire GS Cell Site Holding
Global Tower Partners is making another big acquisition this week, sealing a deal to buy GS Cell Site Holding LLC from GS Global Infrastructure Partners. GS Cell Site Holding LLC owns more than 1,600 communications sites, including rooftop easements, ground easements, land beneath third party towers, and easements of third party structures on which wireless carriers’ telecommunications equipment is located. … Read More
AT&T Mobility’s LTE network off to a fast start
AT&T Mobility’s recently launched LTE network posted robust throughput speeds during drive tests over the past weekend, according to a report from Signals Research Group L.L.C. (Obviously, the speed tests were conducted on a extremely uncluttered network as the carrier has just begun offering the service commercially.) The firm noted that testing in the Houston area using a Sierra Wireless Inc. wireless modem showed average download speeds of 23.6 megabits per second, with peak download speed of 61.1 Mbps. The testing also showed that speeds exceeded 40 Mbps 8.6% of the time, 21 Mbps 38.2% of the time and was greater than 5 Mbps 95% of the time. … Read More
Intel wants to put base stations in the cloud
Can an LTE base station be implemented with a multi-core PC? Was the question asked by Intel’s Chief Technology Officer Justin Rattner in the closing keynote of his company’s developer forum on Thursday. The answer wasn’t just “yes” but also “there’s an app for that.” Rattner announced Intel had been working closely with China Mobile on a project entitled Cloud Radio Access Network, which is essentially a base station in the cloud. … Read More
Score one for Microsoft in patent wars
Microsoft shareholders can thank the company’s lawyers for another deal that should boost the bottom line. For the seventh time in three months, Microsoft has won the right to collect royalties from sales of another company’s products. Samsung, the world’s number two smartphone maker after Nokia, has agreed to pay Microsoft a licensing fee for patented technology that is part of the Android operating system. That means Microsoft can collect a payment from Samsung every time Samsung sells an Android smartphone or tablet. The companies did not disclose the exact terms of their settlement. But after Microsoft reached a similar deal with Android-based smartphone maker HTC last year, one analyst reported that HTC will pay Microsoft $5 for each smartphone it sells. … Read More
India’s spectrum scandal heats up
India’s premier investigating agency, the central bureau of investigation, that is conducting investigations in the 2G spectrum scandal, Monday filed an application before special CBI judge in a Delhi court for slapping the fresh charge of breach of trust by public servants against former telecom minister A Raja, his former private secretary R K Chandolia, and former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura. The investigating agency’s plea also said that besides the two former officials, all the other accused (people and firms) should also be charged under section 409 (criminal breach) read with 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC. … Read More
Meg Whitman’s challenges as new CEO, president at HP
Hewlett-Packard Co. named former eBay Inc. CEO and candidate for California governor, Meg Whitman, as its president and CEO. Whitman replaces Léo Apotheker who held the position for 11 months. HP also reported that Ray Lane has moved from non-executive chairman to executive chairman of the board of directors, and the board intends to appoint a lead independent director. In a statement, Lane admitted that HP is at “critical moment and we need renewed leadership to successfully implement our strategy and take advantage of the market opportunities ahead. Meg is a technology visionary with a proven track record of execution. She is a strong communicator who is customer focused with deep leadership capabilities. Furthermore, as a member of HP’s board of directors for the past eight months, Meg has a solid understanding of our products and markets.” … Read More
LightSquared sharpens its focus on the consumer
The company that is spending billions to build a business invisible to consumers wants a consumer products heavyweight in its corner. LightSquared has chosen Japan’s Sharp Corporation to make smartphones and tablets to operate on its 4G-LTE network. LighSquared says it wants to leverage Sharp’s expertise in cutting-edge consumer components like advanced LCD panels and high-end camera modules. LightSquared wants to offer the products to wireless carriers and retailers. The company will showcase the first new products next week at CTIA Enterprise & Applications in San Diego. … Read More
Check out RCR Wireless News’ Archives for more stories from the past.
