Before we turn the page on 2015, we thought we would take a look back at the past 12 months by highlighting what we felt were the top 100 stories of 2015 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.
Check back tomorrow for Pt. 3 of the stories that shaped the wireless world in 2015, as well as our previously posted Pt. 1.
Also, make sure to check back beginning Jan. 4 as we begin posting predictions for 2016 from executives across various channels of the mobile space.
April 1:
Verizon customers can now turn off supercookies
Making good on a January promise, Verizon Wireless customers, as of March 31, can opt out of a targeted advertising program powered by so-called supercookies. Supercookies are an identification number used to track and tag Internet users for advertisement purposes. Unlike regular cookies, supercookies cannot be turned off, deleted or disabled. … Read More
Charter targets Bright House with $10.4B bid
Cable industry consolidation looks set to continue as Charter Communications announced plans to acquire Bright House Networks for $10.4 billion. The move, if approved by regulators, would combine the country’s No. 4 and No. 6 cable operators. … Read More
April 7:
AT&T expands SDN-powered Network on Demand service to 100 markets
AT&T said it has expanded its enterprise-focused Network on Demand service to more than 100 cities, allowing customers to manage their network needs in near real time. The platform, which was unveiled last year, relies on the carrier’s recent push into software-defined networking. … Read More
April 8:
1M cell towers going to Chinese joint venture
Regulators in China are working toward an Aug. 15 goal of transferring some 1 million cell towers to a state-backed joint venture comprising the nation’s three largest carriers: China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom, which last year formed China Tower to take ownership of tower assets and assume responsibility for maintenance and operations. … Read More
April 9:
Sprint store expansion to add nearly 3,500 jobs
Sprint’s oft-discussed plans to tap into RadioShack retail locations in order to expand distribution is set for reality as the carrier plans to more than double its company-owned retail footprint starting April 10. … Read More
April 15:
Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent poised for $16.5B merger
The rumors about these two companies coming together have been heard around industry conferences and water coolers for years now. It seems there’s a good reason for that. As shared in this morning’s press conference, they aren’t rumors any longer, which supports the old words of wisdom that if you hear a rumor often enough there is likely some level of truth in it. … Read More
April 16:
FCC Chairman Wheeler tempts broadcasters with simplified 600 MHz auction rules
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler took to the stage at this week’s National Association of Broadcasters event in an attempt to drum up support from television broadcasters to participate in the FCC’s planned 600 MHz auction. … Read More
April 17:
FCC clears new spectrum for mobile broadband
The Federal Communications Commission is making 150 megahertz of contiguous spectrum available for mobile broadband and other uses through a spectrum sharing policy. The agency says it is creating a three-tiered commercial radio service spanning 3550 MHz – 3700 MHz. The goal is for wireless broadband providers to share the spectrum with military radars and other incumbent systems. … Read More
April 22:
Google Project Fi taps Sprint, T-Mobile US, Wi-Fi
Following recent rumors, Google today unveiled the commercial launch of its Project Fi service, which taps cellular operators, Wi-Fi and the Motorola Nexus 6 device to offer mobile communication services. The move followed a report from The Wall Street Journal claiming the highly anticipated launch was imminent. … Read More
April 24:
Comcast dropping TWC bid as Charter waits in wings
Comcast is dropping its bid for Time Warner Cable after the Federal Communications Commission signaled that it would not approve the deal. Charter Communications may be set to back out of its bid for Bright House Networks and instead try to buy Time Warner Cable. … Read More
April 28:
Verizon SDN plans include 5 large vendors
Verizon Communications publicly announced its software-defined networking plans, stating partnerships with the likes of Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Ericsson, Juniper Networks and Nokia Networks to implement an SDN platform. … Read More
FirstNet issues draft RFP
The First Responders Network Authority board has issued a draft request for proposal outlining significant details of potential plans for the national LTE network for public safety that it has been tasked with building and operating. … Read More
April 30:
Crown Castle bets a billion on fiber for small cells
Crown Castle CEO Ben Moreland likes to call fiber “the horizontal tower” and this week he announced plans to broaden the tower company’s fiber reach with the $1 billion purchase of Sunesys, a wholly owned subsidiary of power giant Quanta Services. Crown Castle said that the move will more than double its fiber footprint for small cell deployments. The company has often used the term “small cells” to describe outdoor distributed antenna systems as well as discrete small cells. … Read More
AT&T plans to combine Nextel Mexico with Iusacell to form large Mexico operator
AT&T completed its $1.875 billion acquisition of Nextel Mexico, bolstering its presence in the Mexican market. The deal includes companies operating under the name Nextel Mexico and holding all of NII Holdings wireless properties in Mexico, including spectrum licenses, network assets, retail stores and approximately 3 million subscribers. Nextel Mexico’s network covers approximately 76 million people, with the carrier said to control 25 megahertz of spectrum in the 800 MHz band, 30 megahertz in the 1.7/2.1 GHz band and “some” IDEN/SMR spectrum. … Read More
May 4:
Overture, partners release NFV performance test numbers
Looking to tackle performance questions surrounding the deployment of network function virtualization platforms, Overture released the results of a collaborative effort showing robust performance of NFV service chaining. … Read More
May 7:
Canada to regulate roaming rates, plans additional spectrum auction
Citing a lack of competition, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission said it plans to take steps in regulating roaming rates across the country. The move is part of an ongoing process by CRTC and government regulator Industry Canada to increase consumer choice in the country’s wireless market that is dominated by three nationwide providers: Bell Canada, Telus and Rogers. … Read More
May 11:
FCC kills wireless net neutrality petition
The Federal Communications Commission said it won’t reconsider the part of its net neutrality policy that classifies the Internet as a public utility. AT&T Mobility and CTIA were the wireless industry’s standard bearers in a group that petitioned the agency to delay implementation of the Open Internet Order pending judicial review. … Read More
May 12:
Verizon Communications buying AOL for $4.4B
Verizon Communications is diving deeper into digital content with an agreement to buy AOL for $50/share, or approximately $4.4 billion. The nation’s leading wireless carrier said that AOL will boost its LTE wireless video business, its “over-the-top” video offerings and will create “a growth platform from wireless to IoT for consumers and businesses.” … Read More
May 26:
Charter going for $55B buy of Time Warner Cable
Charter Communications today confirmed reports it is making a play to purchase Time Warner Cable, the second-largest cable provider in the U.S. behind Comcast, for $55 billion. Charter also is working to purchase provider Bright House Networks, which would be rolled into the new combined company, pending federal regulatory review. … Read More
May 28:
Avago to buy Broadcom in largest chip deal ever
Avago Technologies has agreed to buy Broadcom for $37 billion in cash and stock. Although Avago’s market value is higher than Broadcom’s, Broadcom is the larger company by revenue. The California chipmaker had $8.4 billion in revenue last year, 70% more than Avago’s $4.9 billion. … Read More
June 12:
Net neutrality becomes law as Congress moves to block implementation
The Federal Communication Commission’s net neutrality rules became law today, after a federal courtrejected an industry attempt to avoid Title II regulation. However, Internet service providers have said they will continue to fight, and it looks like they will have some help from Congress. … Read More
June 17:
Keysight to acquire Anite for $606M
Test vendor Keysight Technologies has made a bid to acquire competitor Anite in a transaction valued at about $606 million that could boost Keysight’s software testing capabilities as the telecom industry moves toward more software-oriented networks. … Read More
June 25:
Rogers wins bidding war for Mobilicity
Rogers Communications won the bidding war for beleaguered Canadian mobile operator Mobilicity in a move that government regulators said would bolster its attempts to increase competition across Canada. … Read More
FCC sticks with 30 megahertz set aside in blow to T-Mobile US
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler today said he has circulated a draft Order on Reconsideration connected to the upcoming 600 MHz incentive auction that maintains the previously stated 30 megahertz of spectrum reserved for those entities with sparse sub-1 GHz spectrum holdings and a planned auction start during the first quarter of next year. … Read More
Ericsson implements 1,700 job cuts
Ericsson has given notice to most of the employees who will lose their jobs as a result of the company’s cost-reduction program. The world’s largest wireless equipment maker said that 2,100 people in Sweden are affected, but only 1,700 are actually leaving Ericsson. The rest are presumably moving to other positions at the company. Earlier this year, Ericsson said that as many as 2,200 jobs could be impacted by its cost cuts. … Read More
