Sprint plans to turn on its LTE network in more than 100 new cities in the coming months as it moves aggressively to catch up with Verizon Wireless and AT&T. The operator said Monday construction was underway in markets including Boston, Chicago, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Installation of […]
FCC advances TV spectrum selloff plans
The FCC’s plan to sell off broadcast television airwaves to spectrum-starved wireless operators is set to advance at its next open meeting. Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski said Friday the agency would vote on a “detailed proposal” for implementing the auctions at the Sept. 28 meeting, “an important step toward pioneering the world’s first incentive auctions […]
C Spire lights up LTE in Mississippi
Regional provider C Spire Wireless has switched on its LTE network in Mississippi after problems getting equipment compatible with its 700 MHz A-block spectrum caused a nine-month delay in the service’s launch. The network went live today in Greenville, Miss., and will expand to 30 more markets in the state by the end of October, […]
VoLTE’s No. 1 objective: Efficiency
When MetroPCS rolled out the country’s first smartphone to route voice calls over an LTE network in August, its primary objective wasn’t finding a new way to compete with the big guys. Instead, its top priority was making the most efficient use of its scarce spectrum resources. “The initial value proposition … is really about […]
FCC to probe mobile broadband speeds
The FCC is stepping up its data collection on mobile broadband service, bringing its information on wireless on par with the statistics it holds on fixed Internet access. The Commission has already taken steps to produce accurate measurements of fixed broadband service, but its data on the performance of mobile broadband has been limited. Under […]
T-Mobile goes live with unlimited data plan
T-Mobile USA has gone live with a new unlimited data plan that could help it compete with rival Sprint, the only other top-tier provider in the country to offer all-you-can-eat plans. The plan, first announced in August, differs from T-Mobile’s other data plans by not slowing down speeds for customers who consume a capped amount […]
Fitch: Sprint, T-Mobile merger ‘makes sense’
A top ratings agency says there’s still a chance for Sprint to merge with T-Mobile USA despite years of failing to come to fruition. T-Mobile had long been an acquisition target of Sprint before AT&T threw down a $39 billion offer to buy the German-owned operator, a bid that failed late last year amid government […]
Q&A: Interop on advancing next-gen messaging
Moving to next-generation messaging services seems like a logical step in the ongoing evolution of wireless technology, but it appears that some operators are leaving the transition on the backburner. Damian Sazama, vice president of marketing at Interop, says regional providers have put the move to Rich Communications Suite (RCS) products on hold because the […]
FCC clears ‘substantially modified’ Verizon AWS deal
The FCC has officially approved Verizon Wireless’ AWS deal, sealing a transaction that gives the operator a substantial amount of spectrum for its LTE network. The commission released its final order clearing the spectrum sale yesterday. The document formalizes a number of Verizon’s voluntary commitments around divestitures, network construction and data roaming. The move was […]
FCC halts special access deregulation
The FCC has put the brakes on its deregulation of the special access market, services that provide wireless operators with access to critical backhaul for their networks. The commission voted 3-2 along party lines in favor of temporarily suspending rules that automatically granted requests to change prices on special access services. There is “significant evidence […]