Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes all in for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the top headlines from the past. Fire up the time machine, put on the sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories!
Galaxy Note II LTE update hints at T-Mobile USA network plans
T-Mobile USA appears to be inching toward the launch of its LTE service, announcing this week that its Samsung Galaxy Note II device would receive an over-the-air update enabling access to LTE services. The carrier did note that despite the OTA update, it was not yet ready to announce specific LTE launch plans. “Though LTE compatibility is available in the Note II with the software update, the T-Mobile 4G LTE network is not available at this time but will be coming soon,” the carrier said. … Read More
Google to axe 1,200 more jobs at Motorola Mobility
Google will lay off another 1,200 Motorola Mobility employees, or 10% of the company’s remaining workforce. The cuts will impact workers in the United States, China and India. They are in addition to the 4,000 cuts announced last August after Google completed its $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility. Google says its handset unit is losing money and operating in markets where it is not competitive, according to an email obtained by The Wall Street Journal. The shrinking workforce at Motorola Mobility is in stark contrast to the growth at Google’s Mountain View headquarters, where the company is hiring aggressively. … Read More
Samsung unveils feature-packed Galaxy S4; pressure now on rivals to respond
Samsung upped its game in the smartphone space with the unveiling of its latest Galaxy S model, the S4, which will supersede the S3 in its lineup. The S4 includes a 5-inch Super-AMOLED screen, up to 64 gigabytes of embedded memory and 2 GB of RAM, and an industry-first octa-core processor running at 1.6 GHz. Camera capabilities include a 13-megapixel sensor on the rear and 2-megapixel sensor on the front, with the ability to take a picture or video using both at the same time. The S4 will also ship with Google’s latest Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) operating system. Samsung did note that it will also offer a version of the device with a quad-core processor running at 1.9 GHz in some markets. … Read More
Report: AT&T looks at potential tower sale
AT&T could be looking to generate some short-term cash with a possible sale of its more than 10,000 cell sites, according to published reports and analyst predictions. Last week a number of analysts noted that AT&T could be looking at ways to generate cash flow in a move to keep pace with industry consolidation from T-Mobile USA/MetroPCS, a pending deal between Softbank, Sprint Nextel and Clearwire, as well as noise that Verizon Communications was looking at picking up the 45% stake in Verizon Wireless currently controlled by Vodafone Group. … Read More
ST-Ericsson shutdown to cost 1,600 jobs
Ericsson (ERIC) and STMicroelectronics (STM) have agreed to dissolve their ST-Ericsson joint venture, calling it quits on the effort to establish a competitive European semiconductor supplier for the wireless industry. The dissolution of ST-Ericsson will result in 1,600 layoffs. Last spring, ST-Ericsson cut about 1,700 jobs and said it would narrow its focus to integrated modem plus application processor (ModAp) solutions for smartphones and tablets. ST-Ericsson lost almost a billion dollars last year, hurt by cuts at Nokia, one of its biggest customers, and by Ericsson’s retreat from the handset business. … Read More
Carriers challenged to compete in cloud services market
Cloud computing is gaining momentum, and telecom operators are battling for cloud computing customers. Carriers face fierce competition in this emerging market and many have to solve several issues before becoming strong competitors. Almost all data center and infrastructure providers have included some kind of cloud service offering in their portfolio, and they have entered this field with the intention of gaining a significant share of the market. Anderson B. Figueiredo, IDC research and consulting manager, said that large data center providers have made major investments to build their cloud strategy and portfolio. Together, the main vendors have spent $17 billion is acquisitions over the past 20 months, an amount IDC forecasts will reach $25 billion over the next 20 months. … Read More
Tablets continue market, enterprise momentum
The tablet market is growing even more quickly than some estimates had predicted, and the devices are being widely adopted by enterprises and driving billions in application revenue, according to several reports released this week. Low-cost smaller tablets in particular are influencing both device growth and applications revenue. IDC has revised its estimates for the overall tablet market in 2013, saying that its projections have increased because the market is being driven by smaller, lower-cost devices. IDC now predicts that the worldwide tablet market in 2013 will be 190.9 million units, up from its previous forecast of 172.4 million. Jitesh Ubrani, research analyst for IDC’s Tablet Tracker reports, said that half of the tablets shipped this quarter had a screen size of less than eight-inches. … Read More
FCC approves T-Mobile USA/MetroPCS deal
The Federal Communications Commission gave its stamp of approval for T-Mobile USA’s merger with MetroPCS that will see the nation’s No. 4 and No. 5 carriers combine operations into a stronger, though still No. 4, competitor. The deal, which was announced last October, is being conducted as a “reverse merger” that will see T-Mobile USA’s parent company Deutsche Telekom reduce its control in the new entity to 74%. In return, MetroPCS shareholders will receive about $1.5 billion in cash and remaining control in the company. When the deal was announced, the companies indicated that both brands would likely continue to be offered with recently named T-Mobile USA CEO John Legere continuing as CEO of the new company, current T-Mobile USA COO Jim Alling set to run the T-Mobile USA part of the business and current MetroPCS COO Thomas Keys set to run the MetroPCS side. The future of current MetroPCS CEO Roger Linquist was not revealed. … Read More
Report: AT&T mulls India investment
AT&T is reportedly looking to invest in Indian telecom operator Reliance Jio Infocomm, according to the Times of India. The report noted AT&T was set to purchase a 25% stake in the soon-to-launch operator for approximately $3.5 billion. Domestic analysts were not surprised by the rumor, citing comments by AT&T management that the company expects emerging markets to provide a greater return on investments compared with domestic or more developed markets. However, there was a question as to whether the Indian market was the best way to achieve a return. … Read More
Senate submits bill to allow unlocking of phones
Congress appears ready to take action to make unlocking cell phones legal again. Three Senators have introduced a bipartisan bill directing service providers to allow subscribers to unlock their phones. Wireless Consumer Choice Act is sponsored by Democrats Amy Klobuchar and Richard Blumenthal, and by Republican Mike Lee. The Senate action follows calls from the White House and the Federal Communications Commission to let consumers unlock their phones. Unlocked phones can be used on any carrier network that is compatible with the phone’s cellular modem. For example, an unlocked GSM phone purchased from AT&T might work on T-Mobile USA’s GSM network, but would not work on Sprint Nextel’s CDMA network. … Read More
Check out RCR Wireless News’ Archives for more stories from the past.
