President Barack Obama has taken on a normalization of relations with Cuba and, among the first waves of activity are deregulation of telecom services by the Federal Communications Commission. As part of the move, new reports suggest U.S. mobile giant AT&T is trying to...
Obama talks tech, globalization and tacos on Texas trip
AUSTIN--President Barack Obama kicked off the South by Southwest Interactive on March 11 with a keynote talk calling on technology leaders to drive change in three areas: improve government and services through digitalization, tackle big problems...
FCC Chairman Wheeler and Commissioner Clyburn circulate order to add subsidized broadband to Lifeline program
The Federal Communications Commission this week moved on plans to add broadband connectivity to the government’s Lifeline program.
The FCC said it was circulating an order, backed by FCC Chairman Tom...
Advanced '5G' use cases will require global interoperability and scalability; International Telecommunication Union is working away on ultimate standard
The tactile Internet, autonomous vehicles and smart cities; all these things are expected to hit new levels of penetration and utility once "5G" mobile networks move...
Recently approved Mobile Now Act targets sub-6 GHz bands, feasibility of millimeter-wave spectrum
The federal government’s push to free up additional spectrum resources and for the commercial telecom space and meet a presidential mandate received a boost late last week as a Senate committee approved...
TrueMove said China’s ICBC will provide a guarantee worth $1 billion
Thai telecom operator TrueMove confirmed it has secured financial funding to pay for spectrum in the 900 MHz band it obtained in an auction last year. The telco has to provide bank guarantees of nearly...
China to account for 24% of smartphone shipments
Total smartphone shipments are expected to reach 1.5 billion units this year, representing a 5.7% compared to 2015, according to a report from IDC. The research firm said total smartphone shipments hit 1.44 billion units last year,...
Operators will have 30 days to pay for the spectrum
Mexico telecoms regulator IFT confirmed that as part of a recently completed spectrum auction, local mobile operator Telcel, owned by America Movil, will pay 2.1 billion pesos ($118 million) for mobile spectrum in the AWS-1...
AT&T said the ESInet NG911 platform will support text messages, eventually pictures and video
In a move to facilitate the upgrade of legacy 911 systems to an IP architecture, AT&T launched its ESInet “next-generation” 911 service the carrier can support text messages, and eventually pictures...
Update, Feb. 18: Apple gets support from tech community including Google CEO, WhatsApp founder, Microsoft
After Apple CEO Tim Cook explained his rationale for refusing an FBI request to create a backdoor into Apple's iOS, support for the move came in from other heavyweights in...
FCC alleges slamming, cramming targeting 'consumers with Hispanic surnames'
Staff at the Federal Communications Commission Enforcement Bureau last week proposed fines totaling $29.6 million against four long-distance providers accused of slamming and cramming Hispanic consumers.
Specifically, the FCC is calling out OneLink Communications, TeleDias Communications, TeleUno and...
The operator has to pay first installment due from LTE spectrum auction by March 21
Thailand's telecom regulator NBTC threatened to file a lawsuit against local mobile operator Jasmine International if the company fails to pay the first installment of the THB 75 billion ($2.1...
Facebook board member Marc Andreessen makes colonialism remark on Twitter; Zuckerberg calls comment 'upsetting'
India’s telecoms services regulator TRAI has issued a new regulation prohibiting discriminatory tariffs for data services like Free Basics, launched by Facebook, saying that these schemes violate net neutrality principles.
With this...
James Clapper said smart devices associated with Internet of Things pose security risk
In testimony to the Senate this week, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper highlighted the security risks posed by the emerging Internet of Things (IoT).
Clapper spoke on Tuesday to the Senate Armed...
The tender for 4G LTE spectrum is set to begin on February 15
Mexican telecommunications regulator Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) confirmed that mobile operators America Movil and AT&T will be allowed to participate in a 4G LTE mobile spectrum auction scheduled to begin Feb. 15.
In...
Embedded sensors, big data analytics make smart cities run
More and more cities across the world are implementing smart city projects in order to modernize the interaction between citizens, governments and the physical world. Some smart city projects are limited to a specific government sector...
Carrier Wrap looks into 600 MHz auction strategies for Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile
The Federal Communications Commission’s highly anticipated 600 MHz incentive auction is soon set to start, with the non-traditional reverse auction proceedings set to begin on March 29, followed by the more traditional...
The new mobile spectrum licenses will be valid for 10 years
The Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS) expects to award a block of spectrum in the 1800 MHz band by the end of 2016.
The telecoms regulator said interested operators have time February 24 to...
Regulators said the three carrier candidates failed to meet minimum requirements
The Republic of Korea's Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning decided not to award a fourth mobile telephony license after evaluating three potential carrier candidates.
According to the authorities, the three telcos under review failed...
Amid scrutiny of its Binge On video streaming service, a T-Mobile US executive this week urged the Federal Communications Commission to "tread lightly" as it considers how the service fits into the framework of net neutrality.
Kathleen Ham, SVP of government affairs at T-Mobile US,...
Looking to speed time to market for "Internet of Things" products, Ericsson announced a new virtual marketplace for patent licensing across potential IoT verticals ranging from industrial applications to connected cars.
The company said the goal of the new marketplace, which will be operated by...
The FCC WTB is set for new leadership with current chief Roger Sherman set to depart
Just ahead of the start of one of the most complicated wireless spectrum auctions ever attempted, the Federal Communications Commission announced the departure of current chief of the Wireless...
A Stanford Law School professor in a paper published January 29, concludes T-Mobile US' Binge On streaming video service, which doesn't count against a subscriber data allotment, "violates key net neutrality principles and harms user choice, innovation, competition and free speech online."
Barbara van Schewick is...
Set-top box leasing costs U.S. consumer $20 billion annually
With an eye on driving competition in cable TV, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler on laid out a proposal to open the set-top box market to end costly leasing agreements and open the largely closed...
