The FCC next year will embark on the complicated process of auctioning off 600 MHz spectrum licenses. Part of that entails compensating and relocating/repacking the many low-power TV (LPTV) broadcasters that currently occupy those airwaves. For many, it’s become a legitimate concern that many of the free TV stations simply won’t continue on after the […]
SK Telecom to Show Off 450 Mbps LTE-Advanced
SK Telecom said it has successfully developed 3 Band LTE-Advanced carrier aggregation technology and plans to show off network speeds of up to 450 Mbps at this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC). The Korean wireless provider said Monday that it can combine three bands—two 10 MHz bands and one 20 MHz—and hit aggregated downlink rates […]
Report: Sprint / T-Mobile merger in the works
SoftBank and Deutsche Telekom (DT) have moved to direct talks on a deal for the German carrier’s 67-percent stake in T-Mobile. Bloomberg cited people familiar with the matter as saying the two companies are ironing out obstacles to the deal and said the process could take months. At issue is how much SoftBank will pay […]
Sprint, Dish Network partner on fixed mobile broadband
Sprint and Dish Network have announced a partnership to test out a fixed mobile broadband service. The service trial will kick off by middle of 2014 and will be limited to Corpus Christi, Tex., initially. Dish will be installing either outdoor routers or indoor units for customers who want to take advantage of the TDD-LTE […]
FCC Chair alludes to spectrum aggregation limits for upcoming auctions
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, speaking Monday at Ohio State University on wireless competition, seemed to indicate he favors spectrum-allocation limits for big operators Verizon and AT&T in upcoming 600 MHz auctions. In prepared remarks, Wheeler said, “Spectrum is finite, and the FCC is charged with managing the airwaves that are used for commercial purposes. A […]
FCC Chair pushing for phone networks to go all-IP
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler wants to accelerate the transition of the nation’s phone systems to Internet Protocol (IP). In a blog post outlining the FCC’s research on the impact of the transition, Wheeler said that the Technology Transitions Policy Task Force—assembled by former FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski at the behest of AT&T and NTCA—will present […]
Sprint debuts 50 Mbps wireless network
Sprint today showed off the 1 gigabit per second speeds its new network technology, named Sprint Spark, will be capable as the carrier’s Network Vision continues to unfold. Sprint Spark currently hits peak speeds of 50-60 megabits per second but the carrier promises those transfer rates will go up and that it’s “technically feasible” to hit […]
Senate confirms Wheeler, O’Rielly to FCC
The Senate has confirmed both new Chairman Tom Wheeler and Commissioner Michael O’Rielly for appointment to the FCC. Wheeler will take over following former Chairman Julius Genachowski’s retirement from the Commission earlier this year. Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn has been serving in the interim. Wheeler, appointed by President Obama in May, comes to the Commission from […]
In the media: Cisco, Google, SAP in the hunt for BlackBerry
BlackBerry is reportedly discussing selling itself whole or piecemeal with Google, Cisco and SAP. Reuters spoke with sources close to the matter who indicate BlackBerry has been asking around about potential buyers—including Intel, Samsung and LG—and is hoping to be able to gauge interest by early next week. Whether any of the reported bidders actually […]
Dish working wireless broadband proposal
Dish Network is petitioning the FCC for waiver of certain technical rules governing a terrestrial deployment on its 20 MHz of AWS-4 spectrum as well as a one-year extension for that deployment. In a document filed yesterday, Dish said the waiver and extra time will give it the opportunity to determine if it will use […]