Editor’s Note: The RCR Wireless News Time Machine is a way to take advantage of our extensive history in covering the wireless space to fire up the DeLorean and take a trip back in time to re-visit some of the more interesting headlines from this week in history. Enjoy the ride!
3GSM: Eyeing the elephant in the room
Adding to the somewhat surreal nature of this year’s 3GSM World Congress was the presence of Sprint Nextel Corp.’s CTO Barry West, who headlined a panel discussion on WiMAX technology. (Nothing against West or Sprint Nextel, but the only wireless technology the carrier is not currently using or planning to use is GSM, the technology that gives the 3GSM World Congress its name.) Described by some at the conference as the elephant in the room, WiMAX made a small but entertaining presence at the show, with several sessions having at least one question about the technology. WiMAX has made headway outside of Europe but appears to be having a more difficult time in the heavily regulated EU environment. … Read More
3GSM keynoters: Opportunity lies in emerging markets
The show is in Europe, but Wednesday afternoon’s keynote address at 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, was all about emerging markets in Africa, Asia and South America. While handset penetration nears-and perhaps surpasses-100 percent in more advanced markets, carriers, content providers and phone manufacturers should feast on the low-hanging fruit of developing markets, according to Wednesday’s speakers. … Read More
3GSM keynoters react to WiMAX, iPhone
A trio of executives from operators counting more than 400 million subscribers made for an entertaining opening keynote at this year’s 3GSM World Congress. As has been the case for several years, Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin led off the keynote proceedings at 3GSM, this year with an extra bounce in his step as his company was the high bidder for 67 percent of coveted Indian operator Hutchison. The deal, valued at more than $11 billion for India’s No. 4 operator, bolsters Vodafone’s customer base by more than 22 million subscribers. … Read More
The 3GSM handset party: who’s doing what to whom? : Vendors tout global portfolios, while U.S. awaits CTIA show
At the 3GSM World Congress, as at other major industry confabs, there are gadgets galore. And then there are the market-based strategies and financial plans behind them. Attempting to translate one into the other – reading the gadgets’ features for clues to a vendor’s strategies or intended messages – can be a perilous pursuit. New devices tend to hang in limbo for a time, often without carrier deals and pricing. After all, shows give handset vendors-so frequently the subordinate party in announcements with their clients, the network operators-a stage to crow about their technical prowess and design sensibility, or possibly their no-nonsense approach to business-at-hand. … Read More
Samsung takes the high-end road at 3GSM
For anyone who has yet to be convinced, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. used the 3GSM World Congress to show off what it can do with a high-end mobile phone, launching (or re-launching) a half-dozen models. Now, if only worldwide markets in the replacement cycle will snap up these handsets, perhaps Samsung can regain some of its lost momentum as the third-largest global handset vendor. … Read More
iPhone could disrupt, if price is right: Consumer survey says $300 or less could cause churn
A survey of American online shoppers suggests that Apple Inc.’s yet-to-be-launched iPhone has penetrated consumer awareness, unlike other handsets before their launch. At a price between $200 and $300, the device could lead consumers to switch carriers, according to the survey. Moreover, once these consumers switched to the iPhone platform, they may be more likely to stick with it on their next handset purchase. … Read More
AT&T signs muni Wi-Fi deal with Napa, Calif.
Napa, Calif., has announced an agreement with AT&T Inc. for a 12-square-mile public Wi-Fi network.
The network will offer wireless broadband access for residents, visitors and businesses “from virtually all developed areas within the city,” according to AT&T. Additionally, the city will use a parallel AT&T Metro Wi-Fi system for municipal and public-safety communication needs. The system has been tested across a two-square-mile area and runs over a separate 4.9 GHz frequency. Potential uses of that network include “streaming video in police vehicles, remote meter reading, data transmissions of patient records from ambulances and temporary or remote emergency operations centers,” according to AT&T. … Read More
AT&T offloads 2.5 GHz spectrum to Clearwire for $300M
Clearwire Corp. was the winner of AT&T Inc.’s mandated spectrum sell-off, agreeing to spend $300 million for 2.5 GHz spectrum in the southeastern United States. AT&T committed to unloading the spectrum in an effort to gain approval from the Federal Communications Commission for its acquisition of BellSouth Corp., which closed late last year. The sale includes EBS spectrum, which is reserved for accredited educational institutions, and another slice used for commercial delivery of high-speed wireless broadband services. … Read More
Cox joins Time Warner, Comcast in offering wireless
Cox Communications has launched converged services in two markets in partnership with Sprint Nextel Corp., offering consumers in Arizona and San Diego a bundle that includes wireless service and mobile access to some cable content. Sprint Nextel has introduced similar services in Boston and Portland, Ore., with Comcast Corp.; and in Raleigh, N.C., and Austin, Texas, with Time Warner Cable. Those markets are the result of a multi-year joint venture between the wireless carrier and the cable companies. … Read More
AT&T’s Cingular to launch mobile TV late this year using MediaFLO
Qualcomm Inc.’s MediaFLO USA Inc. mobile TV business racked up another major customer win as AT&T Inc.’s Cingular Wireless L.L.C., the nation’s largest wireless carrier, announced it expects to introduce commercial mobile TV services in “late 2007″ using the MediaFLO network. Details of the deal, including specifics on financial terms and the service itself, were not disclosed. … Read More
