Ericsson said it closed its purchase of BelAir Networks today, a deal that adds new Wi-Fi offload capabilities to its infrastructure offerings at a time when wireless operators are increasingly relying on the technology to manage soaring data traffic. Ottawa, Canada-based BelAir will not function as a separate subsidiary and has been made part of […]
Applications
Towerstream cuts deal for Wi-Fi network
Shares of Towerstream jumped to a fresh 52-week high on Monday as the 4G service provider disclosed that it signed a Wi-Fi deal. Towerstream said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday that its Wi-Fi agreement was with a national wireless carrier, but it did not reveal the name of the […]
April 2012: Power
The April 2012 issue goes into the power application area. Highlights include: “Battery fuel gauge: Factual or Fallacy,” “Are we there yet?”, and “Designing CO2 and alcohol-sensing applications.” Senior Technical Editor Jon Titus shares tips for helping engineers write well, while Executive Editor Chris Warner discusses design considerations for automotive applications. Check it out here.
Xfinity Home comes to the Bay Area
Comcast’s rollout of Xfinity Home has made it to the San Francisco Bay Area. The company said it will initially be available to customers in the East Bay and North Bay, and that service will later be extended to San Francisco, South Bay, West Bay and Monterey/Salinas. The MSO introduced the service in Houston. It […]
TiVo Premiere available across 70% of Suddenlink’s footprint
TiVo’s Premiere box is now available to more than 70 percent of Suddenlink Communications’ subscriber base, while Virgin Media announced today it is adding TiVo boxes to some new bundles. For the cable industry, TiVo remains a “frenemy.” Depending on whether you’re a cable operator that has directly partnered with TiVo – which includes RCN, […]
Sprint plans 44% drop in cell sites
Sprint’s network overhaul will drop the number of cell sites it operates by 44 percent, executive Bob Azzi said at a conference today. The $5 billion project, dubbed Network Vision, will slash Sprint’s cell sites from 68,000 to 38,000, excluding its use of Clearwire’s towers, he said during a keynote address at the Rural Cellular […]
Comcast dials in free text messaging for phone customers
Comcast is sweetening its voice offering with the inclusion of free text messaging, as well as the ability to transcribe and read voicemail messages. The new features are included with Comcast’s Xfinity Voice Unlimited Nationwide plan and work with Apple and Android-based smartphones, as well as iPad and iPod Touch devices. Both of the new […]
Shaw Business checks in with Wi-Fi service for medical centers
Shaw Business, the commercial services arm of Shaw Communications, has inked an agreement to provide Wi-Fi, Internet and networking services to BC Biomedical Laboratories. As part of the multi-year deal, Shaw will deploy its Wi-Fi services for BC Biomedical in 45 of its patient medical centers that are located throughout the lower mainland of British […]
Arris workforce management system now supports Android
Arris has added support for the Android OS to its WorkAssure Workforce Management system for service provider customers whose technicians and installers are adopting Android-based mobile devices as work tools. “Operators are beginning to phase out existing handheld devices and are purchasing new Android devices because of the user-friendly features,” said Gary Cunha, Arris’ senior […]
Report: U.S. smartphone ownership matches feature phones
As of February 2012, almost half of U.S. mobile subscribers now own smartphones, according to Nielsen. That marks an increase of 38 percent over last year, when only 36 percent of mobile subscribers owned smartphones in February. Nielsen says that overall, Android continues to lead the smartphone market in the United States, with 48 percent […]