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 those sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories!
iPad sales strong for AT&T
AT&T seems pretty happy with sales of Apple’s recently refreshed iPad lineup, announcing that sales over the past weekend increased 200% compared with the opening weekend launch last year. The carrier claimed the surge was driven by demand for the latest iPad Air model and “popularity” of the AT&T Mobile Share plans that allow customers to add a tablet device for $10 to share in a bucket of data. Apple unveiled the latest version of its iPad line last month with the iPad Air taking over the top spot in the lineup. The device, which is slimmer and lighter than previous iPad models, went on sale Nov. 1. The iPad Air starts at $499 for the 16GB Wi-Fi only model. Prices go up to $799 and storage goes up to 128GB for the Wi-Fi only tablets. For iPad Air models with cellular connectivity, prices start at $629 before subsidies and go up to $929 before subsidies. AT&T’s comparison to last year’s launch could be somewhat muted by the fact that the iPad “4” that launched last fall was just a slight update to the New iPad “3” that was unveiled in early 2012. Both of those models were visually similar to the previous iPad 2 device, while the latest iPad Air is substantially different in appearance, size and weight. … Read more
What might 5G look like?
“5G” is the catchall title for what scientists, inventors, software developers, universities and a host of companies involved in developing and operating telecom networks are working on as the next generation of infrastructure estimated to arrive on the airwaves circa 2020 and beyond. The TIA brought together Ericsson, Samsung, Alcatel-Lucent, Virginia Tech, Lemko and other companies to discuss how they envision the next standard of telecommunications developing, and the work currently underway. The continued growth of video over the Internet, the explosion of machine-to-machine products and services, new industries such as wearable technology, new uses of data such as in augmented reality – all mean that quality of service must be high, access ubiquitous, data rates capable of meeting customer demand, customer price points sustainable and operations costs low enough to allow for data-based profitability. 5G is a conglomeration of concepts including new wave frequency management, software defined networks, network function virtualization and more that together may yield a new, flatter, lower latency and less costly infrastructure. … Read more
Qualcomm under pressure
With Samsung and Apple dominating the mobile device market, Qualcomm is feeling the pressure as these powerful buyers push for lower chip prices. Qualcomm (QCOM) is the leading supplier of modems and applications processors for high-end smartphones, but the company says the high end is “increasingly concentrated” and that “industry concentration leads to buying power.” On the company’s Q4 earnings call, Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs said his company will not be able to sustain its recent growth rates. “Looking at fiscal 2014, we’re expecting solid growth but at a lower rate than what we delivered in the last few years,” said Jacobs. “This is partially due to the exceptionally strong year we just completed.” Indeed, 2013 has been a very good year for Qualcomm, capped off by fourth quarter earnings of $1.5 billion on revenue of almost $6.5 billion The company said it expects to ship roughly 1.1 billion 3G and 4G devices this year. Shipments next year will be between 1.2 billion and 1.3 billion units, but a significant portion of those chipsets will be going into high-end devices made by Apple and Samsung. … Read more
FCC issues fines for Lifeline fraud
The Federal Communications Commission has proposed fining a trio of wireless operators nearly $33 million in penalties connected to violating rules of the government’s Lifeline program. The FCC explained that Conexions Wireless, I-wireless and True Wireless violated rules limiting Lifeline connections to one account per household, thus receiving payments for “thousands of consumers that already were obtaining Lifeline service from the same company.” The FCC explained that each operator knew or should have known based on internal data that the “consumers were ineligible because they were already receiving service from that carrier.” “This duplicate support is expressly prohibited by federal law,” the FCC noted in its ruling. Conexions was fined $18.4 million for violating the rules over an eight-month period in Arkansas, Maryland, and West Virginia; I-Wireless was fined $8.8 million for violating rules over a seven-month period in Ohio, Illinois, North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, New York, Indiana, and South Carolina; and True Wireless was fined $5.5 million for violating rules over an eight-month period in Arkansas, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Texas. The FCC added that it was proposing an additional $300,000 fine against Conexions for not providing requested information to the FCC in a timely manner. … Read more
AT&T/Vodafone rumors
Rumors continue to swirl regarding AT&T’s interest in purchasing European-based telecom giant Vodafone in a deal that would result in a super-carrier with a market capitalization in excess of $250 billion and serving in excess of 500 million customers around the world. Vodafone currently controls telecom operations in 21 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific and – for now – the United States. Vodafone ended its most recent quarter with more than 450 million wireless customers, while AT&T ended the quarter with more than 100 million wireless customers. Earlier this year reports surfaced that AT&T was looking to partner with domestic rival Verizon Communications on a joint bid for Vodafone worth up to $245 billion. Those rumors indicated that Verizon would take over the 45% stake in Verizon Wireless controlled by Vodafone, with AT&T taking over Vodafone’s remaining assets. Verizon quickly put the kibosh on that rumor, claiming it has no plans “to merge with or make an offer for Vodafone, whether alone or in conjunction with others.” In early September, Vodafone accepted a $130 billion offer from Verizon to pick up its stake in Verizon Wireless. AT&T earlier this year began selling off its stake in Latin American telecom operator America Movil in a move the carrier said was designed to maintain its position in America Movil following recent share repurchases by that operator. … Read more
AOptix experiments with RF and laser-backed backhaul
CAMPBELL, Calif. – A small company in California with a defense-contractor pedigree is looking to make a big splash in telecom networks, using a new dual-technology wireless connection for mobile backhaul and hopefully luring fiber-happy tier-one carriers to adopt their solution with the promise of lower costs than fiber and “5-9s” reliability. AOptix, based in Campbell, already has its Intellimax wireless product in several trials, including a tier-one North American wireless carrier and Anova Networks, which provides financial institutions with very low-latency connections. AOptix uses both radio frequency and optical light to send data, with both links sending the same data simultaneously in order to maintain high reliability regardless of weather conditions. A real-time packet selection algorithm chooses the best data from across the two frequencies in order to ensure high fidelity. AOptix has a background as a government contractor for the military, with its adaptive optics technology first being used for image correction for deep-space telescopes in order to adjust for atmospheric distortion, according to Dean Senner, chairman and CEO of the company. Venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers was one of the founding investors in the privately-held company, which spent 10 years developing and proving out adaptive optics. Eventually AOptix was tasked with solving the problems of in-air data communications for military data. … Read more
Check out the RCR Wireless News Archives for more stories from the past.
