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. Please check back Dec. 28 for the next round of stories that shaped the wireless world in 2015.
Also, please make sure to check back beginning Jan. 4 as we begin posting predictions for 2016 from executives across various channels of the mobile space.
Jan. 6:
CES 2015: Qualcomm takes on Wi-Fi with LTE-U
With an expected 1000x data demand increase, there is a race to increase efficiency in LTE networks. With that in mind, Qualcomm is testing what could be the next evolution in LTE Advanced technology. At CES 2015, the company is demonstrating how the addition of unlicensed spectrum to traditional Wi-Fi networks could increase network performance and enhance user experience. … Read More
Jan. 7:
Sprint scores $2.1B in financing tied to 2.5 GHz plans
More than a year after announcing its 2.5 GHz-powered Spark initiative, Sprint today announced it had signed $1.8 billion in vendor financing agreements with three equipment vendors and added $300 million in credit with a Canadian financier. The vendor agreements include $800 million from Nokia Networks that is set to mature in 2021; a $750 million agreement with Samsung that is set to mature in 2022; and a $250 million agreement with Alcatel-Lucent set to mature in 2021. All three agreements are backed by banks based in the equipment vendor’s home country and guaranteed by Sprint. All three vendors were part of Sprint’s initial Spark announcement in October 2013. … Read More
Senate questions legality of ‘stingrays’
Two senators are launching an official inquiry into the legality of the FBI and other government agencies’ use of “stingrays,” also known as fake cell towers or IMSI catchers. If you missed it while you were getting your Yuletide on, right before Christmas, senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) of the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to both Attorney General Eric Holder and Department of Homeland Security’s Jeh Johnson. In the letter they question whether using such deceptive devices are stretching the legal reach of the FBI. … Read More
Jan. 12:
Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile US rumored to have pulled Softcard support
Mobile payment platform Softcard looks to be experiencing some operational challenges, as reports claim the m-payment consortium has laid off up to 30% of its staff. According to Re/code, Softcard has let 60 employees go as part of a restructuring process that has impacted staff across the organization. The move will see the consortium consolidate operations in its Dallas and New York offices. … Read More
Jan. 14:
Supreme Court rules in favor of tower companies
The Supreme Court has ruled that municipalities need to provide written explanations in a timely manner when they choose to reject an application to build a new cell tower. The case was originally filed by T-Mobile South, which in 2010 wanted to build a tower in Roswell, Ga. The City Council rejected the request without a written explanation, saying that the minutes of the City Council meeting would explain the decision. Those minutes were not made available for 26 days. … Read More
Zayo makes $675M data center deal
Backhaul and data center services provider Zayo Group announced a $675 million agreement to purchase competitor Latisys Holdings, which handles complimentary data center co-location and other physical asset services. Latisys currently operates eight domestic data centers comprising 185,000 square feet and producing 33 megawatts of power. The purchase of Latisys bumps Zayo’s portfolio up to 45 facilities in the United States, France and the United Kingdom. … Read More
Jan. 16:
AT&T closes Iusacell deal, names Arroyo CEO
AT&T said it has closed on its $2.5 billion acquisition of Mexico wireless operator Iusacell, just over two months after announcing the deal. AT&T purchased the carrier from Grupo Salinas, which last week closed on its acquisition from Televisa of the 50% stake in Iusacell it did not previously own. For its $2.5 billion, AT&T acquired Iusacell’s wireless properties, including licenses, network assets, retail stores and approximately 8.6 million subscribers. Iusacell currently operates a 2G and 3G network using GSM/UMTS technology covering around 70% of Mexico’s population under the Iusacell and Unefon brands. … Read More
Jan. 19:
AT&T projects $10 billion charge as it abandons some landlines
AT&T late last week filed an 8-K form with the Securities and Exchange Commission stating that it will take a one-time $10 billion charge when it reports earnings on Jan. 27. Most of that charge is related to the company’s pension plan, but $2.1 billion is related to the abandonment of copper assets. The nation’s second-largest carrier is moving to gradually abandon landline service over copper wires in some areas, hoping that customers there can transition to wireless service. Verizon Communications launched a similar initiative on New York’s Fire Island after Hurricane Sandy damaged the copper wire there, but reversed its plans in response to public protest. … Read More
Software: ETSI NFV work completes phase one process
The European Telecommunications Standards Institute released documents relating to the completion of “phase one” work on establishing a framework for network function virtualization technology. The latest NFV documents include an infrastructure overview; an updated architectural framework; descriptions of the compute, hypervisor and network domains of the infrastructure; management and orchestration; security and trust; and resilience and service quality metrics. The documents build on the initial phase one work that was released in late 2013. … Read More
Jan. 29:
Wi-Fi hot spots cannot be blocked by hotels
Hotel operators cannot block guests from using Wi-Fi hot spots rather than the hotel’s network, according to a strongly worded “enforcement advisory” published by the Federal Communications Commission. The advisory comes following an Oct. 3 FCC order that fined Marriott Hotel Services $600,000. In that case, Marriott admitted to blocking Wi-Fi hot spots at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tenn. … Read More
Jan. 30:
AT&T, Verizon, Dish rule FCC spectrum auction
As expected, AT&T and Verizon Wireless were the big spenders in the Federal Communications Commission’s record-setting Auction 97 proceedings. Both operators combined to account for two-thirds of the FCC spectrum auction’s total potential winning bids. That total came to $44.9 billion in gross proceeds, but when factoring in bidding credits tied to some designated entities, the auction’s net haul was at $41.3 billion. AT&T came out the biggest spender, hitting nearly $18.2 billion in total potential winning bids. Verizon Wireless, which was bidding under its Cellco Partnership entity, came in with $10.4 billion in total winning bids. … Read More
Feb. 3:
Cisco Mobile VNI 2015: 10x data increase in the next five years
Global mobile networks will see a tenfold increase in data over the next five years, according to Cisco’s mobile visual networking index for 2015. Traffic is expected to reach an annual rate of 292 exabytes by 2019, compared to 30 exabytes in 2014. For some perspective on how much data that 292-exabyte figure reflects, Cisco said it would compare to 65 trillion images (23 per person on the planet, per day, for a year), or 6 trillion YouTube-type video clips. … Read More
Feb. 4:
Apple bringing $2B data center to Arizona
Apple has reached a deal with the state of Arizona to open a $2 billion global network “command center,” according to a Feb. 2 announcement from state Gov. Doug Ducey. The facility, planned for Mesa, Ariz., just outside of Phoenix, is expected to employ 150 full-time employees and bring a projected 300 to 500 construction/trade jobs to the area. … Read More
Feb. 5:
Verizon to sell off noncore wireline, tower assets
Verizon Communications continues to hone its operations, announcing a deal to sell off wireline properties in California, Florida and Texas for $10.5 billion as well as a separate deal to sell off 11,465 towers for $5 billion. The wireline deal will see Verizon sell all of its wireline operations in those three states to Frontier Communications for $9.9 billion in cash and the assumption of $600 million in debt. The proposed deal includes Verizon’s FiOS Internet and video customers, switched and special access lines, high-speed Internet service and long-distance voice accounts in the three states. … Read More
Feb. 6:
Sprint to rescue RadioShack stores
Sprint is swooping into more than 1,500 stores owned by RadioShack, which filed for bankruptcy this week. The carrier will set up shop in those RadioShack locations and plans to turn them into co-branded Sprint/RadioShack stores. Sprint said it will occupy roughly one-third of each store, selling mobile devices and service plans, as well as RadioShack products, services and accessories. The deal will more than double Sprint’s retail presence. The carrier currently owns about 1,100 stores. Sprint said its brand will be dominant in the RadioShack stores it occupies if the deal is completed as planned. Sprint employees will sell mobile devices and wireless service plans for Sprint, Boost and Virgin Mobile. … Read More
Feb. 12:
Sigfox raises $115M for IoT networks
Sigfox, which specializes in “Internet of Things” and machine to machine networking, this week announced a round of funding that brought in $115 million. The company plans to use the new financing to deploy dedicated IoT networks in Europe, Asia and the Americas. … Read More
Feb. 18:
Verizon exec shuffle: Stratton to replace Mead as head of wireless division
Verizon Communications juggled its executive lineup, announcing a new leader to head up its wireless and wireline businesses. John Stratton, who previously served as EVP and president of Verizon’s Global Enterprise and Consumer Wireline divisions, is now in charge of Verizon’s core telecom operations as EVP and president of operations heading up wireline and wireless. Stratton will continue to report to Verizon Chairman and CEO Lowell McAdam, who prior to his current position headed up Verizon Wireless. … Read More
March 2:
Freescale and NXP Semiconductors to merge
Freescale, the Texas chipmaker that was once part of Motorola, has agreed to be acquired by NXP Semiconductors, which was once part of Philips N.V. The cash and stock deal values Freescale at roughly $16.7 billion (including debt) based on NXP’s closing stock price last Friday. That deal value will likely be higher at closing, as NXP’s stock jumped on the news. Freescale shareholders will receive $6.25 in cash and 0.3521 of an NXP ordinary share for each Freescale common share held at closing, and will own approximately 32% of the combined company. Freescale saw its stock rise more than 9% on the news. … Read More
#MWC15: AT&T updates NFV, SDN progress
AT&T’s network virtualization push continues as the telecom giant announced updates to its cloud migration plans, expectations of service efficiencies and an update on its drive to have 75% of network functions virtualized by 2020 at this week’s Mobile World Congress event. Those plans include the use of software-defined networking and NFV technology. … Read More
March 9:
Apple unveils watches, new MacBook and medical research initiative
Apple is clearly hoping to redefine the luxury watch category in much the same way that the iPhone redefined the smartphone market. Today the company provided more details on its long-awaited Apple Watch, as well as iOS 8.2, a new notebook computer and a series of medical research projects. … Read More
March 11:
Ericsson to cut up to 2,200 jobs
Ericsson said today that 2,200 jobs in Sweden are subject to notice. The Swedish wireless equipment giant currently employs roughly 115,000 professionals worldwide, with 17,580 employees in Sweden. Today’s announcement means that one of every eight Ericsson jobs in Sweden is subject to being cut. … Read More
March 13:
FCC releases full net neutrality order
The Federal Communications Commission released the full Report and Order tied to its net neutrality ruling, which as expected has drawn divergent commentary. The 400-page document lays out the FCC’s position in bringing broadband access, both fixed and mobile, under Title II jurisdiction. The commission noted the move was needed in order to protect access to the Internet through users’ broadband Internet service provider of choice. … Read More
March 26:
#CCAExpo: Sprint seeks broader rural partnerships, remains undecided on 600 MHz auction
Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure added a bit of “big carrier” luster to the CEO panel at this week’s Competitive Carriers Association Global Expo event, as well as taking the stage for the first time in front of mobile operators increasingly reliant on Sprint to remain competitive against the industry’s two largest operators. … Read More
March 27:
FCC: Ericsson’s Telcordia set to replace Neustar
The Federal Communications Commission has conditionally approved Ericsson’s Telcordia to administer the number portability service that allows customers to keep their phone numbers when switching carriers. The commissioners voted 5-0 in favor of Telcordia, which will replace Neustar, the company that has had the multi-million dollar contract since 1997. … Read More
March 30:
Chicago tapped as first Sprint LTE-A market, to add 300 jobs in city
Sprint is set to add LTE-Advanced technology and more than 300 jobs by the end of next year as part of a $45 million network investment project in Chicago. The program, dubbed Sprint for Chicago, was announced by the telecom operator and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. … Read More
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