Before we turn the page on 2014, we thought we would take a look back at the past 12 months by highlighting what we felt were the top 100 stories of 2014 across the mobile space. Since it would be foolish to rank these in order of “importance,” we have instead laid them out in chronological order. Please check back tomorrow for the final round of stories that shaped the wireless world in 2014, as well as Pt. 1 and Pt. 2.
Also, please make sure to check back beginning Jan. 5 as we begin posting predictions for 2014 from executives across various channels of the mobile space.
July 1:
Verizon, Ericsson respond to network management report
Verizon Wireless and Ericsson both issued responses Tuesday to an earlier report that claimed Ericsson was in talks with the two largest U.S. carriers about managing their network infrastructure. The Bloomberg news story quoted an Ericsson executive who said that Ericsson was talking to both Verizon Communications and AT&T, but the executive did not describe the nature of those conversations. “We did not mean to imply that we were in specific discussions with AT&T and Verizon regarding the management of their wireless networks,” Ericsson VP Kathy Egan-Wummer told RCR Wireless News. “We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.” … Read More
July 3:
LightSquared offers up $3B reorganization plan
LightSquared’s path to redemption continues, as the spectrum license holder and satellite communications provider announced a $3 billion restructuring plan. According to The Wall Street Journal, the plan would give Cerebus Capital Management, Fortress Investment Group and J.P. Morgan Chase control over 74% of the operations. Harbinger Capital Partners, which is run by current Philip Falcone, would control 12.5% of the newly funded company. Falcone recently resigned his position on LightSquared’s board of directors. … Read More
July 8:
Canada looks to bolster new entrants (again) with AWS-3 auction
The Canadian government is looking to maintain a fresh supply of spectrum for that country’s mobile industry as well as attempting to encourage new entrants, announcing this week plans to conduct an auction of licenses in the 1.7/2.1 GHz band next year. Industry Canada said the auction will include 50 megahertz of spectrum in the so-called AWS-3 band, with 30 megahertz of that spectrum set aside for “new entrants.” That spectrum will be adjacent to the current AWS band that the government auctioned off in 2008 in a previous attempt to attract new players into Canada’s wireless market that is dominated by nationwide players Rogers Wireless, Bell Canada and Telus Mobility. … Read More
Verizon claims 72,500 government subpoenas received over past 6 months
Verizon Communications said it received approximately 72,500 government subpoenas through the first half of this year requesting information on its customers. The information was released as part of the telecommunication providers Transparency Report, which followed up on an initial report released in January. The report was prepared in the wake of revelations that telecom operators had been providing the government and law enforcement agencies with access to consumer data. Carriers have recently begun to push back against such demands, which are required as part of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, in the wake of reports that telecom operators had been complying with such demands in the past. … Read More
July 9:
AT&T-DirecTV, Comcast-TWC deals receive oversight committee
The Federal Communications Commission has set up a steering committee to oversee pending deals between Comcast and Time Warner Cable and between AT&T and DirecTV. The committee will be chaired by FCC General Counsel Jonathan Sallet, with bureau chiefs on the steering committee to include Media Bureau Chief Bill Lake, International Bureau Chief Mindel de la Torre, Wireline Competition Bureau Chief Julie Veach and Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Chief Roger Sherman. Both proposed deals will also be headed by separate review committees. … Read More
July 10:
América Móvil to sell assets in wake of Mexican telecom reform
América Móvil has decided sell some of its assets to comply with Mexico’s new anti-trust telecom rules that forbid companies from controlling more than 50% of the market. On July 8, América Móvil issued a statement announcing that its board has analyzed several alternatives and recommendations, and resolved to reduce the company’s share in the Mexican telecommunications market to less than 50%, so the company would no longer be considered a “preponderant economic agent” under the new Mexican regulations. The company has decided to sell certain assets to “a new and solid carrier independent from América Móvil.” … Read More
July 16:
IBM, Apple partner on enterprise mobility with IBM MobileFirst for iOS
IBM and Apple have announced a major global collaboration for enterprise mobility that encompasses IBM’s offerings in big data and analytics, Apple’s mobile devices, and a host of new native iPhone and iPad applications custom-built for specific verticals. The two companies called the IBM MobileFirst for iOS partnership “landmark” and said that the first solutions will focus on bringing IBM’s big data capabilities to iPads and iPhones. The deal also opens up IBM’s global enterprise reach to Apple, with IBM selling Apple mobile devices to business clients around the world. The partnership will include: … Read More
July 17:
Microsoft to slash 18,000 jobs, two-thirds from Nokia handset division
Microsoft’s latest attempt to turn around its flailing mobile operations is set to cost 18,000 employees their jobs, with most of those cuts coming from its recently acquired Nokia handset division. The computer software giant announced today that its “restructuring plan” was designed to “simplify its organization and align the recently acquired Nokia devices and services business with the company’s overall strategy.” That restructuring will see 12,500 “professional and factory positions” cut through “synergies and strategic alignment of the Nokia devices and services business.” The cuts are set to be completed by mid-2015. … Read More
July 28:
IDC: NFV, SDN set to ‘revolutionize’ telecom space
International Data Corp. is the latest research firm to back the idea that network virtualization is set to revolutionize the telecom industry. This includes the move towards software-defined networking and network function virtualization, better known as SDN and NFV. In a new report, IDC predicts that the ongoing “shift to the [third] platform, built on cloud, mobile, social and big data and analytics technologies” is forcing telecom operators and their suppliers to “accelerate their efficiencies and agility,” with virtualization “set to revolutionize the telecom industry as it transforms the culture and operational infrastructure, as well as the fabric of legacy proprietary infrastructures that have, until now, dominated the space.” … Read More
Aug. 6:
Claure to replace Hesse as CEO at Sprint, consolidation stance softened
Following a late afternoon flurry of rumors, Sprint this morning announced it was replacing current CEO Dan Hesse with Brightstar CEO and founder Marcelo Claure. The move is set to become effective Aug. 11. The move is the most serious shakeup at Sprint since Softbank acquired control of the U.S. carrier last summer. Sprint has continued to flounder operationally, which has gained considerable attention from Softbank Chairman Masayoshi Son who has aggressively tried to import his aggressive management style of Softbank into Sprint, which sources have told RCR Wireless News has caused serious consternation among Sprint employees. … Read More
Ixia to cut up to 6% of workforce in restructuring plan
Ixia has yet to regain its footing after the ousting of top executives last year, and the company announced a restructuring that includes cutting up to 6% of its workforce. The company expects the cuts to be completed by the end of September, and will be eliminating open replacement positions as well as new hires it had planned to make, while reducing costs in other discretionary areas. Ixia reported preliminary financial results for the first quarter of 2014 that included a net loss of $18 million, compared to profits of $7.8 million in the year-ago period. Revenues were expected to be around $114 million, higher than the company’s previous estimate of up to $113 million, but less than the $121 million reported during 2013′s first quarter. … Read More
ETSI NFV initiative gains new leadership, set sights on ‘phase two’
The European Telecommunications Standards Institute continued to push development of a common standard for network function virtualization deployments, recently releasing nine NFV-related draft documents for public comment as well as announcing new leadership of its initiative. ETSI said the documents “describe an infrastructure overview, the virtualized network functions architecture and the compute, hypervisor and infrastructure network domains. They also cover management and orchestration, resiliency, interfaces and abstractions and security.” … Read More
Aug. 7:
Where do Sprint, T-Mobile US go from here?
Sprint this week unveiled a bomb shell when it announced it was replacing long-time CEO Dan Hesse with board member and former CEO and founder of Brightstar Marcello Claure. That move also came with comments that the carrier, and parent company Softbank, were backing away from a rumored attempt to acquire T-Mobile US and instead focusing on its internal operations. Sprint and Softbank Chairman Masayoshi Son cited potential regulatory hurdles in noting that “our focus moving forward will be on making Sprint the most successful carrier,” though the regulatory hurdles seemed to be only the tip of the iceberg. In sifting through what were weekly rumors of a potential deal between Sprint and T-Mobile US, analysts were having a heyday trying to figure out just how two operators, seemingly going in different directions and with vastly different management styles, would integrate operations. … Read More
Aug. 14:
Cisco to cut 6,000 jobs, increase software focus
Cisco says it will end the year with roughly the same headcount it started with, but the mix will be different. Cisco wants to become more of a software company, and that means employees in some legacy businesses will lose their jobs. Today the networking giant said that it will cut 6,000 jobs to make room for new hires in its software, security, cloud and data center business lines. Cisco did not say exactly which areas would be cut. The company did say that some emerging markets have performed poorly, leading to speculation that these areas may be targeted. … Read More
Aug. 15:
Major 2014 test and measurement acquisitions
The network test and measurement space is one where significant consolidation has been occurring over the years, or where major international companies such as Danaher (owner of testing companies Fluke Networks and Tektronix) and Cobham plc have made purchases in order to extend or expand their footprint in the telecom industry. There were a series of significant purchases in 2010 and 2014, is seeing another uptick in network test and measurement acquisitions. Here are some of the major deals in 2014: … Read More
Aug. 20:
NAB claims FCC changed rules in crafting 600 MHz spectrum auction plans
The Federal Communications Commission’s plans to auction off spectrum in the 600 MHz spectrum band that is currently held by television broadcasters received a blow as a trade organization representing those interests has filed a motion challenging the FCC’s plans. In a petition for review filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the National Association of Broadcasters claims the FCC in its 600 MHz incentive auction rulemaking changed the “methodology used to predict local television coverage areas and population served, which could result in significant loss of viewership of broadcast TV stations after the FCC ‘repacks’ TV stations into a shrunken TV band.” … Read More
Aug. 21:
FCC studies spy towers
No, it’s not the plot of some Cold War movie from the 80s, it’s the FCC’s involvement in the latest development in a story we reported on back in March. To catch you up to speed, these fake cell towers for spying are called “Stingrays” or an IMSI catcher, produced by surveillance companies for police and intelligence services around the world. The devices mimic cell towers to fool nearby phones to route their data through the covert device. However, these “listening tools” have apparently fallen into the wrong hands. Criminal organizations and foreign intelligence agencies have reportedly used these devices against the United States. So like any good government agency would, the FCC has launched a task force to investigate the matter. FCC chairman Tom Wheeler said the task force’s goal “is to develop concrete solutions to protect the cellular network systemically from similar unlawful intrusions and interceptions.” Digital privacy advocates are calling for the FCC to not only investigate the illegal activities, but the flaws in cellular networks that are exploited by this device. If we’re going to root out this exploitation of networks, I hope it also locks out agencies in our own government that are using it without a warrant. It only seems fair. … Read More
Aug. 25:
Europe takes the long road to LTE
European carriers seem to be emphasizing the “Long” in “Long Term Evolution” technology. While the region is home to some of the world’s biggest economies, it continues to trail other developed markets in adopting LTE-based high-speed mobile technology, often referred to as 4G. In South Korea nearly two-thirds of mobile customers use LTE, but across Europe only 3% of total connections were LTE in 2013, according to the industry association GSMA. In the United States, coverage is already approaching 100% and in the Europe Union, it’s hovering at a little more than half. … Read More
Aug. 26:
California passes ‘kill switch’ law
Mobile security experts say that one in 10 Americans is a victim of smartphone theft, and now the state of California is taking action. This week California became the first state to pass a “kill switch” law requiring all smartphones sold in the state to come with remote deactivation as a default setting. If the phone is lost or stolen, the owner can disable it remotely. Minnesota preceded California in passing a kill switch law, but did not require the kill switch to be the phone’s default. Users there need to turn it on themselves, if they know it is an option. … Read More
AT&T combines mobile, enterprise units; re-shuffles executive deck
AT&T has juggled some of its operational structure and corresponding leadership, with the telecommunications giant promoting Glenn Lurie to CEO of its mobility division and former mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega moving up to oversee the newly combined mobility and enterprise divisions. According to Fierce Wireless, the move will see AT&T move its enterprise marketing and distribution group into the mobility division. The operator stated that roughly half of its mobile revenues come from enterprise customers, and that the move continues its plans to further integrate its wireless and wireline operations. … Read More
Aug. 28:
Employment rises across telecom segment, along with longer hours, higher pay
Employment across the telecommunications segment increased in July, reversing a significant uptick in unemployment the previous month, according to the latest workforce figures from the United States Department of Labor. According to the agency’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the telecommunications sector posted a 3.2% unemployment rate in July, down from the 3.6% rate seen in June. While a month-over-month improvement, the July number was still a full percentage point higher than the 2.2% unemployment posted in May. … Read More
Sept. 12:
Sprint looks to remain disruptive, scales back 2.5 GHz plans
If the past couple of weeks have shown us anything, it’s that recently installed Sprint CEO Marcello Claure is not afraid of change. And, considering a speech he gave at an investor conference this week, it seems that we should continue to expect such change during Claure’s tenure. Since being named to replace long-time Sprint CEO Dan Hesse, Claure has altered the wireless carrier’s rate plans; put aside talk – for now – of consolidation and hammered home a new economic reality for the carrier. … Read More
Sept. 17:
Verizon Wireless rolls out VoLTE service ahead of iPhone 6 launch
Verizon Wireless has slowly begun to roll out voice over LTE services, announcing this week its Advanced Calling 1.0 offering. The service comes just days ahead of the launch of Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices, both of which are the first from the device maker to support VoLTE services. The Advanced Calling 1.0 service is said by Verizon Wireless to be its “first-generation service suite” that taps into VoLTE, running voice services across the carrier’s nationwide LTE network. The service includes HD Voice and video calling support, and also allows users to simultaneously place a voice call while also using LTE-based data services. The platform will also support six-way conference calling, an increase from the three-way calling support of Verizon Wireless’ current CDMA-based circuit-switch voice service. … Read More
Sept. 19:
iPhone 6 hits stores
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are in Apple stores today, although supplies are limited and lines stretch for blocks in some areas. Carriers also have the phones today, as do some big box retailers. The new iPhones sport larger screens, as well as several other features previously seen only on Android phones. Those features include an NFC chip, which will be used only for Apple Pay at launch, and predictive typing, enabled by iOS 8. iOS 8 is available to current iPhone owners, and is considered by some to be the best part of the new iPhone experience. iOS 8 enables in-app texting, meaning that a user can see and reply to an iMessage without launching iMessage. iOS 8 also offers unity between Apple devices, meaning that a user can start a task on the iPhone and complete it on an iPad or Mac. … Read More
Sept. 30:
Linux Foundation launches reference platform for ‘carrier-grade’ NFV
The Linux Foundation launched its Open Platform for NFV Project, designed as a “carrier-grade, integrated, open source reference platform intended to accelerate the introduction of new products and services.” Founding members of the program include a long list of companies participating in the software-defined networking and network function virtualization space, including “Platinum” members AT&T, Brocade, China Mobile, Cisco, Dell, Ericsson, Hewlett-Packard, Huawei, IBM, Intel, Juniper Networks, NEC, Nokia Networks, NTT DoCoMo, Red Hat, Telecom Italia and Vodafone. “Silver-level” founding members include 6Wind, Alcatel-Lucent, ARM, CableLabs, Cavium, CenturyLink, Ciena, ClearPath, ConteXtream, Coriant, Cyan, Dorado Software, Ixia, Metaswitch Networks, Mirantis, Orange, Sandvine, Sprint and Wind River. … Read More
