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!
It’s up to you, New York, New York
New York has been one of the most proactive cities in the United States when it comes to small cell deployments. It has a well-informed city government and a history of working with the wireless industry, but even with these advantages the process of deploying small cells is arduous. “You can’t wake up one day and say ‘I think I’m going to densify New York,’” Verizon Communications’ CFO Fran Shammo told a group of investors recently. “It’s going to take you about 24 months to do that, just to put your first small cell up.” Alphonso Jenkins, New York’s deputy commissioner for telecommunications planning, is a former Alcatel-Lucent solutions architect with more than 25 years experience in planning, designing, deploying and optimizing wireless networks. Now Jenkins is focused on helping the city use its physical assets to enhance wireless service, and on using revenue from small cells in high-value areas to subsidize connectivity for underserved areas. … Read more
Can you hear Sprint now?
It’s safe to say Sprint has had a difficult couple of years, which began with service issues tied to its Network Vision program compounded by highly competitive moves by rivals. New ownership led to new management, which further muddied operations. However, the carrier is looking to put its past in the past and move forward with new network initiatives designed to take advantage of its deep 2.5 gigahertz spectrum holdings as well as aggressive marketing campaigns targeting consumers. Those marketing efforts have so far been focused on its “cut your bill in half” promotion, which promises to undercut pricing from rivals on similar rate plans. The carrier more recently launched a new marketing campaign, which literally stole a page from larger competitor Verizon Wireless. The campaign revolves around Paul Marcarelli, who is also well known as the “can you hear me now?” guy from Verizon Wireless’ past marketing efforts. Marcarelli is now talking up Sprint’s network advances, noting the carrier’s network is within 1% of Verizon Wireless in terms of performance, but with consumer pricing at up to half the price. … Read more
T-Mo binges on
T-Mobile US continued the expansion of its Binge On video platform, adding new content providers that the carrier said now number nearly 90 in total. The carrier said beginning today, customers can access streaming-video content from Azubu, Dailymotion Games, Eyegroove, PBS and PBS Kids through the Binge On platform without impacting their cellular data allotment. To receive the benefit, streamed content over a cellular connection is limited to 480p quality, though customers can select to stream content at higher video quality over their cellular connection at the expense of their data bucket. Customers with data plans of at least three gigabytes are provided free access to the Binge On service, while those with lesser data allotments using the service over a cellular connection will have their usage deducted from their plan, though T-Mobile US notes they will be able to access three times as much video using the platform. … Read more
Sprint takes 5G on the road
Sprint’s “5G” roadshow is set to hit Philadelphia this week as part of the carrier’s marketing push around the ongoing Copa América Centenario soccer tournament. As part of a player meet-and-greet, Sprint said it will be demonstrating its 5G technology outside Lincoln Financial Field. The test is set to use the 15 GHz spectrum band in support of download speeds up to four gigabits per second, and run in partnership with Ericsson. The move appears similar to a demonstration held earlier this month in Santa Clara, California, connected with the soccer tournament. … Read more
Net neutrality wins in federal court
The Federal Communications Commission scored a significant victory in its attempt to regulate internet access, with the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upholding the FCC’s Open Internet rules. The FCC’s controversial Open Internet rules were adopted early last year and went into effect last June, with the government agency claiming the move was designed to “protect free expression and innovation on the Internet and promote investment in the nation’s broadband networks. The Open Internet rules are grounded in the strongest possible legal foundation … As part of this decision, the [FCC] also refrains (or forbears) from enforcing provisions of Title II that are not relevant to modern broadband service.” Opponents filed a lawsuit against the move, stating the FCC did not have the authority to regulate internet access. Initial opponents included some telecom operators, with Verizon Communications as one of the more vocal opponents, claiming the move would impact its long-term investment into broadband networks. … Read more
Senet rounds up 100 cities
As network operators around the world continue to build out dedicated “internet of things” networks, Senet hit a major milestone today with coverage of 100 U.S. cities. According to the company, plans call for doubling the number of cities covered throughout the remainder of 2016. “We continue to execute on our plan of building out the network in the U.S. and are thrilled to have reached this milestone,” said George Dannecker, president and CEO of Senet. “This clearly demonstrates our leadership position in building and operating [low-power wide-area networks] at scale. However, network coverage and growth are only one piece of the puzzle in commercializing high-[return on investment]IoT applications, which is why we will continue to focus on helping these applications get deployed more quickly and will be making further investments and announcements in that area.” Earlier in the year, Senet joined the international LoRa Alliance, which is dedicated to developing an international LPWAN standard around long-range, low bit-rate networks. … Read more
ZTE joins LoRa Alliance
Chinese vendor ZTE Corporation has officially joined the board of directors of the LoRa Alliance. As a new board member, the Chinese firm will work with other members to boost the development of LoRa technologies worldwide in deployment and in the industrial chain of low-power wide-area networks. The LoRa Alliance is an open, nonprofit association of members focusing on the development of “internet of things” technology. The main goal of the alliance is to standardize LPWAN being deployed around the world to enable IoT, machine-to-machine, smart city projects and industrial applications. Prior to joining the LoRa Alliance’s board, ZTE sponsored the China LoRa Application Alliance. … Read more
Beacons for smart cities
AUSTIN, Texas – Smart city deployments come in many forms, with one of the most simple methods of imbuing a physical object with connectivity and interactive access being a contactless beacon. Connecthings, founded in 2007, is looking at contactless beacons – think QR codes, NFC, Bluetooth – as a way to make cities more user-friendly. Ron Espinosa, VP of sales for Connecthings in the U.S., highlighted some key smart city use cases for contactless beacons. Imagine walking up to a bus or train stop, Espinosa said, and receiving a notification from the city’s transport department, for example, that alerts you to the time of the next train or bus. To take it one step further, the city’s platform, using the Connecthings network, could recommend alternate, faster options. That’s the convenience aspect. Now, for accessibility, consider a visually impaired individual in the same scenario. Instead of a text-based notification to the smartphone, the same information could be transmitted as audio. … Read more
Check out the RCR Wireless News Archives for more stories from the past.
