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, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories!
Report: DT accepts Softbank’s offer for T-Mobile US
Sprint’s pursuit of rival T-Mobile US appears to be moving forward unabated as reports have surfaced that Deutsche Telekom has accepted an offer by Softbank for their respective subsidiaries to merge. Reuters reported that Japan’s Kyodo news service, citing industry sources, claims Softbank Chairman Masayoshi Son proposed terms at a meeting with DT management earlier this month, which has since been accepted by the German telecom giant. Financial terms were not reported. … Read More
HP to cut at least 11,000 more jobs
HP will cut more jobs as it works to turn its hardware businesses around and grow its software business. 11,000 to 16,000 more jobs will be eliminated, on top of the 34,000 already announced. HP employs between 250,000 and 300,000 people worldwide. Employees in HP’s server, storage, PC and software divisions may all be candidates for cuts, but CEO Meg Whitman said that research jobs will not be eliminated. The company continues to increase its R&D spending. … Read More
T-Mobile US jumps on VoLTE train, launches service in Seattle
T-Mobile US got in on the recent voice over LTE fun, announcing today that it has launched the data-based voice service in the Seattle area. T-Mobile US CTO Neville Ray explained in a blog post that the VoLTE service allows for call set-up times twice as fast as traditional circuit-switched calls and the ability to simultaneously talk and access data services. In a move to one-up its rivals, Ray said T-Mobile US had also deployed Enhanced Single Radio Voice Call Continuity, which maintains a call if a customer moves from an LTE coverage area to its 3G or 2G network. … Read More
Ericsson to build Silicon Valley campus
Ericsson’s Silicon Valley campus will include 400,000 square feet of operational space in two buildings at a new development called Santa Clara Square. Roughly 2,000 Ericsson staff will be dedicated to research and development in IP, TV and media, software-defined networking, network function virtualization and mobile innovation. “Our company has a growing need for software engineers and employees with a technology savvy skill set who can partner, create, learn, sustain and innovate; helping us move toward what Ericsson calls the ‘networked society,’” said Ericsson SVP Bina Chaurasia, chief human resources officer and head of group function human resources. Chaurasia will relocate to the Bay Area in the near future. … Read More
Apple beats rivals to wearables
While Google and Samsung have been busy looking for breakthrough wearable technology, Apple has been listening for it. Yesterday the company confirmed that it will buy Beats Electronics and Beats Music for $3 billion. Beats Electronics is the maker of the iconic headphones, while Beats Music is the streaming music service that is familiar to most AT&T Wireless customers thanks to a co-marketing deal between the two companies. “Apple’s Beats acquisition is no doubt largely because of the hardware business rather than the fledgling music service,” said Strategy Analytics’ David MacQueen. The Beats hardware gives Apple an entry into a market that may explode under its direction, much as the mobile phone market did. … Read More
Decommissioning efforts place M2M, enterprise markets up for grabs
The wireless industry is quickly heading towards relying on LTE-based next-generation networks that offer superior performance and efficiency compared to legacy 2G and 3G systems. However, in order to fully support those LTE efforts, wireless carriers are beginning to seed the need to turn down their legacy networks in order to free up precious spectrum resources in order to fortify their LTE networks. These network decommissioning efforts have already begun with some carriers and are beginning to pick up momentum at others. One market segment set to be significantly impacted by network decommissioning efforts is the machine-to-machine space, which has come to depend heavily on the coverage and predictability of 2G and 3G services. This space has seen increased attention as of late due to the growing push behind the “Internet of things” heading that will see a growing number of electronic devices connect to the Internet using wireless technology. … Read More
Ruckus reportedly catches Google’s eye
Ruckus Wireless may be a beneficiary of Google’s reported plan to subsidize Wi-Fi for small and medium businesses. Google is reportedly trialling the Ruckus Virtual SmallCell Gateway, a cloud-based Wi-Fi controller that works with Ruckus Wi-Fi hotspots. Ruckus would not confirm that report, but did say that its cloud-based controller is currently in the hands of a number of managed service providers around the world. The solution can support 10,000 access points and hundreds of thousands of clients. Ruckus is clearly a leader in cloud-based Wi-Fi, but it is not the only player. Cloud4Wi, as its name suggests, is primarily focused on cloud-controlled Wi-Fi offerings. Just this week the company announced a new software development kit that will enable developers to create new apps for its Wi-Fi ecosystem. The company wants to help Wi-Fi providers monetize their networks. … Read More
Tower training program focuses on veterans
As the nation’s jobless rate shows tentative signs of improvement, the unemployment rate for veterans continues to exceed the national average. Meanwhile, wireless infrastructure is expected to generate 1.2 million new jobs during the next five years, many of which will be hard to fill. “Labor is tight as a drum in this industry,” said Jonathan Adelstein, president of PCIA, the wireless infrastructure industry trade group. “So we’re going to step up our efforts to increase training programs to meet that demand.” … Read More
Sprint, Ntelos expand network deal
Sprint and regional wireless operator Ntelos took care of a long-standing disagreement, announcing today an extension of their strategic network alliance through 2022. The two carriers had been working on a previously signed network arrangement that was set to expire next year. As part of the extension, Ntelos will continue as Sprint’s exclusive network provider in Ntelos’ home markets across portions of Virginia and West Virginia, including Sprint customers having access to Ntelos’ recently launched LTE services. Ntelos will also gain access to Sprint’s 800 MHz, 1.9 GHz and 2.5 GHz spectrum across its footprint connected to using that spectrum to expand LTE services over the next three years as part of Sprint’s Network Vision and Spark program. … Read More
Verizon Wireless accelerates LTE Multicast trials during Indy 500
Verizon Wireless continued testing its LTE Multicast technology, announcing it has been offering the service this month at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ahead of this weekend’s Indianapolis 500 event. During the actual race, Verizon Wireless said it plans to incorporate live video from the race broadcast into its LTE Multicast feed. The feed will run over the carrier’s commercial LTE network, tapping into a dedicated downlink channel that can feed devices on site compatible with the service. The offering will use network equipment from Ericsson; Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 devices embedded with Multicast chips, middleware and multimedia services from Qualcomm; additional tablets from Sequans; middleware from Expway; and application development and content management from MobiTV. … Read More
Check out RCR Wireless News’ Archives for more stories from the past.
