As expected, spectrum and the Federal Communications Commission’s upcoming 600 MHz incentive auction were hot topics at this year’s Competitive Carriers Association Annual Convention, with both a significant portion if not the leading topic of conversation for most keynote addresses and panel events.
The CCA...
From automotive applications to virtual reality, millimeter wave spectrum could support data hungry applications
AUSTIN, Texas – Millimeter wave spectrum has gone from being a moonshot technology to a likely feature of next generation "5G" mobile networks. That’s what Professor Robert Heath of the University of...
The NFC Forum has released one new and three candidate specifications for near-field communications, which target improved radio frequency support, better interoperability and a new tag operation format that opens up new use cases, according to the organization.
The new NFC standard deals with NFC...
Swedish telecom equipment vendor Ericsson has signed onto the GMSA Humanitarian Connectivity Charter, which aims to use technology to bolster crisis response in afflicted areas.
The GSMA established the program in March. According to the trade group, the goal is "to support mobile network operators...
Hello! And welcome to our Friday column, Worst of the Week. There’s a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCRWireless.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way....
SoftBank upgrades White Cloud SmartVPN platform with NFV, SDN technology
Japanese telecom giant SoftBank said it plans to upgrade its White Cloud SmartVPN architecture using Cisco System’s Evolved Services Platform Orchestration, software-defined networking and network functions virtualization technologies.
SoftBank, which owns a controlling stake in U.S....
Following its $48.5 billion acquisition of DirecTV, telecom giant AT&T is now telling federal regulators a pending combination of Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks and Charter Communications will serve to decrease competition in the lucrative industry.
In an Oct. 13 letter to Federal Communications...
Paraguayan regulator Conatel released the final bidding terms and conditions for the country's planned 1700 MHz/2100 MHz spectrum auction in support of LTE services. Interested companies have until Dec. 3 to send in applications. The maximum spectrum each carrier can be assigned is set...
ETSI NFV work targets lawful interception, open source software, cloud-based reliability
The European Telecommunications Standards Institute’s Network Functions Virtualization Industry Specification Group this week released three new specifications targeting security and reliability for NFV deployments.
ETSI said the new specifications provide guidance on lawful interception implementation...
Emphasizes the importance of providing customers with time-shifted content
NEW ORLEANS – As cable and telecommunications companies continue to look increasingly alike, Ericsson has plans to capitalize with a new access point unveiled this week at the SCTE Cable-Tec Expo.
Let’s look at Time Warner Cable...
Remote radio heads, better antennas, digital DAS and shared baseband resources help operators reduce the cost of ODAS
Outdoor distributed antenna system solutions enable operators to offer coverage and support capacity requirements in places that the macro network cannot reach. In dense urban areas, especially those with...
Nokia signs LTE-A deal with China Mobile
LTE-Advanced is coming to China as Nokia prepares to roll out the technology it demonstrated this summer in partnership with China Mobile. LTE-A is part of the third phase of the carrier's LTE rollout. Nokia said it will...
Agreement covers joint work between SK Telecom and China Unicom on 5G development
SK Telecom and China Unicom signed a memorandum of understanding focused on working together to develop a range of mobile and enterprise technologies.
The MoU, signed this week at a GSMA board meeting...
1. Dell has agreed to buy EMC in what could be the biggest tech takeover in history. The size of the buyout will depend on the value of EMC's interest in VMWare, but Dell and EMC estimate that the deal will be worth $67...
AT&T Mobility announced the Federal Communications Commission has given it approval to offer Wi-Fi calling to customers on smartphones. This will start with the iPhone 6 and 6s, and I expect it to spread to other devices as well. While I am very happy...
This report reviews trends in network densification both indoors and outdoors. Key focus areas include cost control through new network architectures and intelligent optimization, small cells as a service, and new business models for small cells and DAS. In addition, report looks at converged...
Digital DAS is a way to cut costs by eliminating headend equipment
Many wireless deployments seek to minimize attenuation, or loss of signal strength, but for in-building systems operators actually invest in dedicated equipment to attenuate the signal from the macro network so it can...
Microsoft is facing reality in the smartphone world even as it launches another high-end device. Priced at $549, the new 5.2-inch Lumia 950 is powered by Qualcomm's top-of-the-line Snapdragon 808 processor and sports a 20-megapixel PureView camera. For Microsoft, the most important part of...
Hello! And welcome to our Friday column, Worst of the Week. There’s a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCRWireless.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way....
Intelligent Energy, a U.K.-based power technology company, signed a 1.2 billion pound ($1.8 billion) deal to convert 27,400 Indian telecom towers to use hydrogen fuel cell technology. The deal looks to strengthen the unreliable Indian power grid while at the same time reduce carbon emissions.
Essential Energy, an Intelligent...
In a new promotion, mobile virtual network operator and Sprint subsidiary Boost Mobile is rewarding customers who pay their bill on time with access to more mobile data for free.
Subscribers can get up to 3 gigabytes of additional mobile data when monthly payments arrive...
Xiaomi changes device sales strategy
Less than three months after launching in Brazil, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi tapped carrier Vivo to sell its Redmi 2 device. The move represents a change in Xiaomi’s strategy; initially the manufacturer said it would only sell its smartphones direct through...
As service providers seek to better understand their networks, operations and customers through the use of analytics, a number of factors are driving the desire to distill information into intelligence. Five forces driving the use of mobile network analytics include:
• Automation. As networks get...
Fiber networks to support gigabit Internet services are major trend in telecom space
Service providers are working to extend fiber networks to support ever-faster Internet speeds to meet the booming demand for mobile and streaming video applications. In its latest Mobility Report, Swedish telecom infrastructure...
