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The Sunday Brief: Fiber always wins (until it doesn’t)–2020 edition

Hazy, hot and humid July greetings from Lake Norman, NC where we recently social distanced with an evening swim/ float.  This week, we will be revisiting the fiber thesis developed a year ago (Sunday Brief here and Deeper Brief here).  We have been very bullish on fiber...

Kagan: How wireless internet keeps us connected during COVID-19

Meredith Attwell Baker, President and CEO of CTIA, helps us better understand what we have been experiencing on the wireless networks in the last few months through the COVID-19 pandemic. The CTIA says our wireless networks kept American’s connected through the coronavirus in new...

Samsung’s 5G vRAN adoption could be a key turning point for the industry

The virtualization of cellular networks has been ongoing for some time. But virtualizing the Radio Access Network (RAN) has always been an enigma and was the final frontier for the trend. The rising star of 5G infrastructure business—Samsung—jumped on to the virtualized RAN (vRAN)...

Kagan: How 5G will transform every company and industry

A growing number of wireless companies are showing how they are still on target with their rollout and continual advancement of 5G wireless services. Let’s take a look at some of these leading companies in the 5G race and what we can expect moving...

3GPP Rel. 16–Stage set for the next phase of 5G, but who is leading?

After a week-long marathon session of online meetings, 3GPP finalized Release 16 (Rel. 16) paving the way for the next phase of 5G. Kudos to the grit of the leadership team, who, while fighting the COVID-19 disruptions, and defying the skeptics, delivered the specification...

The Sunday Brief: 2Q earnings preview–Buzzword bingo (Part 2)

Quarter-end greetings from Houston and Lake Norman.  We will be continuing this week’s Buzzword Bingo edition as we preview second quarter earnings.  As a reminder, in last week’s Sunday Brief (here), we discussed a series of events impacting T-Mobile (including the naming of their new...

Kagan: Xfinity vs. Spectrum high-speed internet differences

When traveling I like to compare the high-speed Internet service we use at home to other places. I have learned there is a big difference in the performance of internet services. Sometimes the difference is in the service itself. Other times the difference is...

4G is where the money should be (Analyst Angle)

The current telco market is dominated by discussions surrounding 5G and geopolitical competition as countries strive to dominate in future technologies and cellular generations. However, these discussions fail to focus on the fact that most of the data being delivered through mobile networks utilize...

The Sunday Brief: 2Q earnings preview–Buzzword Bingo (Part 1)

Summer greetings from Charlotte and Lake Norman, NC.  This has been a news-filled week.  In our Q1 2020 preview, we described a “bingo card” that a few Sunday Brief faithful use as more of a tongue-in-cheek way to manage through hours of earnings calls. ...

Kagan: Qualcomm leads in wireless patent quality

There is a battle being fought in the wireless industry between patent quality and quantity. The confusion lies in the fact that the two leaders, Qualcomm and Huawei are presenting their side in a way that makes each look like the leader. This is...

5G operator dilemma: Focus on coverage or capacity? (Analyst Angle)

5G has seen unprecedented traction; many flagship devices are already in the market, and many more are on the way, including the much-rumored and anticipated iPhone 5G. After the excitement of limited initial launches, when operators are starting the large-scale deployments, the basic question...

The Sunday Brief: Summer 2020 edition–three up-and-comers

Warm summer greetings from Houston, Texas, and Charlotte, North Carolina, where we are starting to see the first fruits of our “stay at home” garden.  This week also featured our first airplane trip since late February and, despite the mask-wearing in 95-degree humidity, everything...

Kagan: Retailers hurt their own brand with COVID-19 rules

We are starting to get back to normal. My morning coffee group is back together. OK, not quite the same as we were. Today, we grab a cup of coffee and sit in the parking lot in lawn chairs rather than sharing a booth...

CBRS investments accelerate in 1Q20–adds confidence to forecast (Analyst Angle)

Preliminary estimates suggest 1Q20 CBRS RAN revenues were in line with expectations, accounting for 1% to 3% of the overall 1Q20 North American RAN market. Even if the regulatory process has taken significantly longer than expected, the results are encouraging given that the ICDs...

How important is Huawei for the 5G industry? (Analyst Angle)

Huawei’s success and market evolution are a contested topic nowadays, with critics arguing that the vendor is a front for the Chinese government, while several telco operators claim the Chinese vendor is continuously innovating in the industry and setting a new standard for client...

The Sunday Brief: Deloitte talks wireless adoption rates

Greetings from Lake Norman, North Carolina, where temperatures are not waiting for the official start of summer (June 20) – school is out, commute times are more often measured in feet for many of us than miles, and many boats and swimmers (as pictured)...

Kagan: Huawei facing growing problems in 5G wireless upgrade

Canada and the U.K. have changed their minds. They now want to cancel their Huawei agreement to upgrade their 5G wireless networks. As a wireless analyst I closely follow all the players and have for more than 30 years. Over the last decade, Huawei...

Get ready for the PAL auction (Analyst Angle)

In July, the FCC will begin an auction for Priority Access Licenses (PALs) in the CBRS band.    In each county, bidders will be seeking access to spectrum that won’t be disrupted by general (unlicensed) users.    They can use the band already General...

The Sunday Brief: The Intel Trinity

Greetings from the Kansas City and Willard, Missouri (dogs at play pictured), as well as Lake Norman/ Charlotte, North Carolina. The caravan of goods and furniture started Friday and continues through June 1, hence the later distribution of this week’s Brief.  Our son, Jimmy,...

Kagan: MedSign Qortex TV-based telehealth systems for elderly

There seems to be an explosion of new companies and technologies in the telehealth or telemedicine arena. Recently I met with MedSign International CEO Tom Conroy and VP of Marketing Robin Sharp. They briefed me on their new service called Qortex, which is a...

Outlook for 4G and 5G with COVID-19 and climate change

The long-term growth trajectories, to 2025 and beyond, for all telecommunications, including mobile and 5G, are significantly elevated by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the looming climate change crisis, that will also make us stop traveling around so much in motorized transport. Since...

Kagan: Hayver Guard app helps with re-entry to life after COVID-19

What’s the next step in our COVID-19 journey? As we begin to re-open, re-enter life, go back to work, go to ball games and everything else, we need to do it smart and focus on safety. Hayver is a company who is actively focused...

The Sunday Brief: Acceleration after the storm

Memorial Day Greetings from Lake Norman/ Charlotte, NC where cold spring rains gave way to a Carolina summer filled with heat and humidity.  That means more boats on Lake Norman (boat purchases increased during the pandemic) and making homemade strawberry ice cream.  We hope...

Kagan: How to unlock iPhone, Android faster with a face mask

COVID-19 is a real pain in the… well you know. We have noticed how difficult and time consuming it can be to simply unlock and use our smartphone when we are wearing a face mask. Let me share two secrets that may help you. One...