Multi-screen viewing is driving them. Having eclipsed peer-to-peer traffic, video now generates more Internet traffic than any other category. More than 50 percent of consumers use the Web to watch TV on a weekly basis. Over-the-top (OTT) video traffic continues to increase as more and more consumers start to use long-form video portals such as […]
Telecommunications
How spectrum allocation became a political football
If President Barack Obama, the House and the Senate all want to extend a Social Security payroll tax cut and jobless benefits through next year, why are they fighting so bitterly over doing it? Obama, House Democrats and lopsided majorities of both parties in the Senate want to immediately renew the tax cut and jobless […]
AT&T rivals lobby FCC for conditions on Flo deal
With the threat of AT&T’s merger with T-Mobile USA passed, the operator’s competitors are turning their attention to its acquisition of 700 MHz spectrum used for Qualcomm’s discontinued Flo TV mobile television service. The FCC said earlier this month it would approve the Flo TV deal with an unspecified set of conditions after AT&T pulled […]
Videotron names Brouillette prez of consumer services
A reorganization effort by Videotron has landed Manon Brouillette into the newly created position of president for consumer services. Brouillette, who was formerly Videotron’s executive vice president of strategy and marketing, has played a key role at Videotron. She has spearheaded the company’s launches of its mobile service, its Web portal and its rollout of […]
Sprint sues 4 cable giants over voice patents
With Sprint’s legal battle against AT&T’s merger with T-Mobile effectively at an end, the operator is turning its attention to cable operators. Sprint is suing Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Cable One for violating its patents on technology that routes voice calls over a packet-based network instead of expensive public landline networks. The […]
IEEE all-in-one home networking standard progresses
A standard designed to bridge the hodgepodge of home networking methods – wireless, wireline and powerline – is moving forward, promising a consolidated approach to creating and managing home networks. IEEE 1905.1 proposes to create an abstraction layer, providing a common data and control Service Access Point for IEEE P1901 (HomePlug), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE […]
Myriad develops an app store for MSOs
Myriad Group announced a system that enables MVPDs to run Android apps on set-top boxes. The system includes an app store, developed in conjunction with AppCarousel, that service providers can private label. If adopted, this would be the first time the cable industry will be able to provide an app store experience. Myriad Alien Vue […]
Judge sides with Microsoft in Moto patent dispute
An administrative law judge today issued an initial determination that Motorola Mobility is in violation of one of six Microsoft patents listed in a patent infringement suit filed by Microsoft against Motorola Mobility. Microsoft had previously dropped two patents from its original case, which included nine patents. Specifically, the judge determined that Motorola Mobility infringed […]
Super Bowl to be streamed online, to mobile phones
The biggest draw in television is going mobile. The Super Bowl will be streamed online and to phones in the U.S. for the first time, the NFL said Tuesday. NBC’s broadcasts of wild card Saturday, the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl will be available on the league’s site and on the network’s sites and […]
Report: LTE experience varies by device, network
Metrico, a device testing firm, yesterday released its full-year report on the state of LTE and the customer experience in 2011. The report gauges various aspects of LTE-capable devices – data, video, voice, Web browsing – on both AT&T and Verizon Wireless’ networks. For the report, Metrico tested the HTC Vivid and Samsung Galaxy II […]