Editor’s Note: Wireless operators are a busy bunch, and as such RCR Wireless News will attempt to gather some of the important announcements that may slip through the cracks from the world’s largest carriers in a weekly wrap-up. Enjoy!
—AT&T announced a deal with Sirius XM Radio to provide mobile connectivity to support a suite of security and other services for Nissan automobiles in North America. The telematics package will provide “24/7 emergency support for accidents, stolen vehicle tracking and roadside assistance, along with a host of additional services to be announced at a later date.”
AT&T earlier this year signed a multi-year agreement to provide an “enhanced suite of safety, security, diagnostic and infotainment services” to OnStar deployments in General Motor’s range of car brands using the carrier’s LTE network. The agreement is set to begin in 2014. AT&T said the offering will include voice calling, streaming audio, Web access, applications and video for backseat passengers as well as powering GM’s planned in-vehicle Wi-Fi hotspot offering. Verizon Wireless currently provides cellular support for GM’s OnStar service.
AT&T is working with Sirius XM to clarity positioning in the 2.3 GHz space in a move to preserve Sirius XM’s 25 megahertz of spectrum in that band, provide for 5 megahertz of guard bands on either side of those holdings, and free up 25 megahertz for mobile broadband services.
—Leap Wireless updated the “design and functionality” of its Muve Music service that the carrier said would result in “faster performance with a new user interface that allows for even easier exploration of music and improved navigation.” The new platform is designated Muve 4.0.
The update also does not require a special Muve Music memory card and will work with any SD card or music can be downloaded to a device’s embedded memory if there is at least four gigabytes of space. Customers’ personal music, photos and videos can also be stored on the same memory. The updated service is being offered on Samsung’s Galaxy S III, Galaxy S4, Galaxy Discover and Galaxy Admire 2, and will come standard on all future Android-based smartphones from Cricket. The service will not work on Apple products offered by Leap.
Leap noted that since the launch of its Muve Music offering in early 2011, nearly 1.7 million customers have signed up for the premium offering, which initially also included a premium rate plan. Leap earlier this year began offering the Muve service to Brazilian operator TIM, which was the offering’s first international expansion.
—Vodafone Iceland, which is the country’s No. 2 wireless operator, selected Axiros to manage and monitor its customer premise equipment. Axiros explained that the deal includes the delivery of its customer care application and integration with OSS/BSS systems. The implementation is designed to enable Vodafone Iceland to improve the customer experience by reducing support wait times. It is also part of Vodafone’s customer acquisition strategy and new service deployment.
–Open source cellular system provider Range Networks said it had successfully deployed an experimental cellular network covering the village of Macha in Southern Zambia. The network supports voice and text messaging services.
Range Networks noted that the network was set-up as a free service to study the feasibility of “low-cost systems to potentially cover billions of people around the world without cellular access.” The network was set up in two days using Range Networks Snap Network and OpenBTS software for two sites capable of covering an area of 35 square kilometers. The network supports the sending and receiving of local calls and text messages and for outgoing global calls and outgoing global text messages on a trial basis.
Range Networks’ CEO Dave Burgess recently spoke with RCR Wireless News about its network plans.
–Regional wireless operator Bluegrass Cellular “refreshed” its look recently with a new “advertising campaign, refreshed brand identity, revised logo, Web design and top-to-bottom customer care center remodeling.” The carrier said the move was made to “reflect a more contemporary brand.”
Much of the new advertising campaign revolves around the carrier’s aggressive move into the LTE space, having recently launched a pair of LTE networks. One of those networks is the carrier’s GetSetGo service that runs across Bluegrass’ LTE network supported by the carrier’s lower 700 MHz spectrum holdings that it picked up during the 2008 Federal Communications Commission auction. This network runs parallel with Bluegrass’ LTE offering that is part of the Verizon Wireless LTE in Rural America program, which launched last year and runs across Verizon Wireless’ upper 700 MHz spectrum holdings through a leasing agreement.
Barry Nothstine, VP of sales and marketing at Bluegrass Cellular, provided insight into the carrier’s dual LTE networks at the recent Competitive Carriers Association event.
—Korek Telecom, which offers telecom services in parts of Iraq, announced a deal with Nokia Siemens Networks for the infrastructure provider to supply radio, microwave transmission and packet core network elements for the carrier’s 2G and 3G network in southern parts of the country. Korek also extended its care and managed services contract with NSN.
Korek noted that the new equipment will allow the carrier to rollout mobile broadband services to its customers across the region.
Additional carrier news can be found on the RCR Wireless News “Carriers” page.
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