Qualcomm Atheros is sampling a green version of its HomePlug PHY circuitry aimed at supporting applications such as plug-in electrical vehicles, smart energy, Smart Grid and remote monitoring applications. HomePlug Green PHY is interoperable with the IEEE 1901/HomePlug AV powerline networking protocol, but it swaps the greater-than-200-Mbps rate of the HomePlug AV protocol for low-energy, […]
Telecommunications
Copps sets departure date; nominee vote pending
FCC Commissioner Michael Copps formally announced his retirement on Tuesday just days before a key Senate vote for two nominees to the agency. The departure of the 71-year-old Democrat, which had been expected, takes effect Jan. 1, unless the Senate confirms his replacement or adjourns before then. The Senate Commerce Committee is set to vote […]
AT&T hits bottom in consumer survey
For the second year in a row, AT&T finds itself at the bottom of Consumer Reports’ annual survey that measures consumer satisfaction with wireless carriers. Meanwhile, a relatively little-known provider called Consumer Cellular topped the ratings. Of the four major wireless carriers, Verizon Wireless again scored the highest in this year’s ratings, followed closely by […]
Humbled Netflix CEO still thinking, talking big
To hear Netflix CEO Reed Hastings tell it, the bone-headed decisions that have dragged down the Internet’s leading video subscription service during the past five months eventually will be forgotten like a bad movie made by a great film director. Shaking off the stigma of a massive flop won’t be easy, a challenge Hastings acknowledged […]
Cablemas phasing out VOD for streaming
Last May, Cablemas bought more than a quarter million hybrid set-tops. The other shoe just dropped: Cablemas is going to phase out its traditional video-on-demand (VOD) system for a quarter of its TV subscribers in favor of a broadband-based streaming service managed by Avail-TVN. Avail-TVN said it will stream on-demand content from studios, networks and […]
Shaw bows Wi-Fi trials in 3 cities
Today, Shaw Communications launched the trial of its Wi-Fi network for customers in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. Shaw said the hotspots in those cities included malls, restaurants and fitness facilities. In addition, hundreds of access points will be added in the coming months, with thousands of locations being activated across the Shaw footprint in the […]
NXP adds integrated gateway tuner
NXP Semiconductors announced a silicon tuner that can handle any terrestrial TV signal anywhere in the world, as well as cable TV reception. The device has significance for gateway manufacturers, allowing them to use a single chip for different gateways aimed at multiple worldwide markets, while simultaneously supporting OEM price flexibility by supporting a variable […]
Sprint lights up 1st multimode LTE base station
The first base station for Sprint’s massive $5 billion network upgrade project went live in Branchburg, N.J., Monday as the operator prepares to move forward with its LTE plans. The base station runs LTE, CDMA 1X EVDO and will also be compatible with LightSquared’s planned mobile broadband network, Sprint CFO Joe Euteneuer said during an […]
Clearwire embarks on $300M stock sale
Clearwire plans to sell $300 million worth of Class A common stock to raise cash for its planned TD-LTE network, which will be used to add capacity to Sprint’s LTE network. Sprint, Clearwire’s largest shareholder, will buy a matching number of Class B shares. Clearwire also has the option to sell an additional $45 million […]
Verizon Wireless nixes Google Wallet in new phone
Verizon Wireless is blocking the new flagship phone running Google’s Android software, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, from running Google’s in-store payment application, the Wallet. The smartphone is the first to run a new version of Android and is due to be released soon by Verizon. Examinations by Wired and other publications reveal that the international […]
