What will Sprint do with the 800 MHz spectrum left over after it phases out its iDEN network? It will deploy LTE, but not just any flavor of the mobile broadband technology. Sprint said today it will use the airwaves to launch LTE Advanced in the first half of 2013. LTE Advanced, a faster version […]
Telecommunications
4G: Good timing for consumers
4G is going mass market, and it couldn’t be at a more opportune time, according to a new Yankee Group report, “4G creates opportunity for all ecosystem players.” By timing, the research firm (we presume) doesn’t mean it’s opportune because we’re here at the Yankee Group’s 4G World conference. Rather, it’s good timing because to […]
C Spire ramps expansion for LTE prep
C Spire Wireless is pouring an additional $10 million into its network to harden its CDMA infrastructure ahead of its planned LTE launch. The cash will be used to expand C Spire’s CDMA EVDO coverage in 61 cities and 65 counties. The investment comes on top of the $90 million network expansion the company announced […]
Fibertech Networks picks Ciena to provision backhaul network
Fibertech Networks has teamed up with Ciena for the build-out of a mobile backhaul network for an unnamed wireless service provider in Connecticut. Fibertech is building fiber-based 10 Gbps backhaul connections to 250 cell towers to meet demand for 4G mobile broadband services. The new network will allow the service provider to deliver high-bandwidth applications, […]
AT&T Wi-Fi access triples in Q3
Following on the heels of last week’s Q3 earnings, AT&T today announced that it has nearly tripled its Wi-Fi connections. The company said that users made 301.9 million Wi-Fi connections in the third quarter, more than 37 connections every second. That’s three times as many, up more than 282 percent, versus connections made in the […]
Sprint nixes unlimited for data-only services; smartphones spared
Sprint CEO Dan Hesse has said the company will stop offering unlimited plans if they become unprofitable, and apparently that time has come – but only for some of its devices. Sprint told its customers yesterday that it would stop offering unlimited WiMAX service for tablets, laptops, USB modems and mobile hotspots. The change does […]
Verizon will depend on LTE for growth
A day after AT&T reported lower subscriber adds for U-verse, Verizon reported lower subscriber growth for its FiOS service. Verizon also underlined what has been said before: It isn’t planning to expand FiOS beyond its original target of 18 million homes passed – roughly two-thirds of its footprint. Broadband growth will therefore be based on […]
STMicroelectronics supplies cable modem chip to Chinese op
Beijing Gehua Cable Television Network, a cable TV operator in Beijing, China, has selected STMicroelectronics’ integrated HD cable modem chip for deployment in set-top boxes to all of its subscribers. ST said Beijing Gehua’s customers would benefit from the STi7141’s integrated triple-play and cable modem function, dual-tuner personal video recorder (PVR), and video-on-demand features to […]
Shaw’s Q4 profit falls
Shaw Communications saw its overall fourth-quarter profit fall by 32 percent, as losses from an abandoned wireless strategy offset gains elsewhere, according to the Calgary-based company’s financial report Thursday. The cable, Internet and satellite TV provider had $82.5 million in net income, or 18 cents per share, down from $121.6 million or 28 cents per […]
AT&T U-verse TV growth slows in Q3
AT&T continued to lose traditional voice and DSL customers in its third quarter. Gains in U-verse subscribers didn’t compensate in terms of numbers, but the higher ARPU represented by U-verse subscribers helped keep wireline revenues essentially flat. The company added 176,000 U-verse TV customers in Q3 2011, fewer than the 202,000 new U-verse subs in […]