Editor’s Note: The RCR Wireless News Time Machine is a way to take advantage of our extensive history in covering the wireless space to fire up the DeLorean and take a trip back in time to re-visit some of the more interesting headlines from this week in history. Enjoy the ride!
Verizon Wireless: Two announcements, one vision: Operator’s open-access, LTE plans point to consumer-electronic future
Verizon Wireless’ two major announcements this week laid out not only a vision of open access for devices and applications on its current network, but augmented that vision with the carrier’s technology choice for its next-generation network. “We see 4G really being the enablement of consumer-electronics devices on our network,” said Verizon Wireless CTO Dick Lynch. “We really, really feel strongly about that, and we feel there is a new paradigm coming, so consequently we need a network that is supportive of these open devices and we need a network that is considered worldwide-so that the consumer-electronics industry can have comfort that when they design products that include enabling wireless, it’s going to work no matter where in the world they sell it.” … Read More
Zander out at Motorola: Investors exhale, then gird for long haul
Swapping out a chief executive sends a message of change. In the case of Motorola Inc.’s CEO Ed Zander’s long-anticipated departure, announced today, the message-new leadership-will require updates. Investors and market watchers clearly want to know what’s next. Motorola’s core business in handsets continues to suffer and because product development typically is a closely guarded secret, there’s only so much a company can do to signal new products and new strategies. The news: Zander will resign his CEO position by year’s end, to be succeeded by Greg Brown, currently the COO. Zander will remain as chairman of the board until the company’s annual shareholders meeting in May. … Read More
Google puts ‘money where principles are,’ says it will bid in 700 MHz auction: Search giant looks at open-access C Block
Google Inc. is in! The Internet search engine giant said it will participate-alone-in the 700 MHz auction set to begin Jan. 24. “We believe it’s important to put our money where our principles are,” said Eric Schmidt, chairman and CEO of Google. “Consumers deserve more competition and innovation than they have in today’s wireless world. No matter which bidder ultimately prevails, the real winners of this auction are American consumers who likely will see more choices than ever before in how they access the Internet.” … Read More
By the Numbers: Top Ten U.S. Wireless Service Providers
The third quarter of 2007 saw few changes to the relative positions of the ten largest wireless carriers, but pending acquisitions soon will continue the industry’s march toward consolidation. AT&T Mobility had a particularly strong quarter due to a boost from sales of the Apple Inc. iPhone, while Sprint Nextel Corp. continued to struggle and turned in negative net customer additions for the period. … Read More
Amid objections, Euro-commission closes in on DVB-H standard
The European Commission has taken another major step toward formally adopting DVB-H as a European-wide standard for mobile television services. The commission intends to finalize the adoption by February. The commission initially presented a strategy to accelerate the rollout of services in July, but today’s move firms up that timetable with a target date of 2008 for a region-wide deployment. … Read More
IPhone hits France, AT&T promises 3G version in 2008
The French finally got their chance to embrace another American export last night. Move over McDonalds and EuroDisney. Orange, the iPhone’s exclusive French carrier (owned by France Telecom), offered a typically complex French equation for those who wanted the device: the device costs $589 with one of four plans, ranging from $72 to $176 per month, according to Orange’s website. … Read More
Verizon Wireless selects LTE for 4G network: Qualcomm ‘key loser’ as future of CDMA becomes hazy
Verizon Wireless announced it will use Long Term Evolution technology for its fourth generation network. The carrier said that it and parent company Vodafone Group plc will begin testing LTE technology next year with equipment suppliers Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Motorola Inc., Nokia- Siemens, and Nortel Networks Ltd. The move doesn’t come as a total surprise; executives from Verizon and Vodafone in September said they were considering LTE as the basis for a common 4G platform. However, today’s announcement confirms the plan, and stands as a major knock to CDMA pioneer Qualcomm Inc. … Read More
Skepticism remains over Verizon Wireless’ open-access plans
Is the mobile-phone industry’s increasingly reluctant embrace of open access really a concession to consumers, or an inescapable inevitability driven in part by legal developments that have forced carriers to loosen their iron-clad grip on networks and handsets and otherwise delivered a blow to the cellular business model? Judge Bonnie Sabraw of the California Superior Court on Monday signed a nationwide handset-locking settlement in connection with a class-action suit against Sprint Nextel Corp., the second of two landmark settlements with national mobile-phone carriers. … Read More
Verizon grabs ‘high ground’ with promise of greater device choice: Final impact still unclear
Verizon Wireless’ declaration this morning that “any application, any device” will run on its network next year is clearly an overstatement-Verizon’s CDMA network allows only CDMA-based devices, in use by 60% of subscribers in the United States market, but only 20% of the global market. Therefore, analysts said, there are not a massive number of CDMA-based handsets available globally that are not available in the U.S. and, thus, little pent-up demand. On the GSM side of the wireless industry, in contrast, a comparatively large array of GSM devices are not generally available in the U.S. and there may be pent-up demand for them. … Read More
Lawmakers, Google, Skype applaud Verizon Wireless decision, others more cautious
Verizon Wireless’ open platform announcement was met with a mix of optimism and skepticism by parties at the forefront of a campaign to persuade the Federal Communications Commission to mandate that mobile-phone carriers allow third-party devices and applications on their networks. “We think this is a great step forward. As the Internet has demonstrated, open models create better services for consumers and stronger businesses for providers,” said Eric Schmidt, chairman and CEO of Google Inc. “We are excited to work with Verizon and other industry leaders to achieve this vision.” … Read More
