T-Mobile US got in on the recent voice over LTE fun, announcing today that it has launched the data-based voice service in the Seattle area.
T-Mobile US CTO Neville Ray explained in a blog post that the VoLTE service allows for call set-up times twice...
The long-wait for commercial voice over LTE services could be coming to an end as a pair of substantial carriers announced plans to launch VoLTE services in the coming months.
Japan’s NTT DoCoMo reported yesterday that beginning in late June its “extra-high speed” XiTM service...
As wireless network capacity demands skyrocket, carriers are using WLAN (wireless local area network) or Wi-Fi technology to offload traffic. As those networks evolve toward more extensive LTE deployments, Wi-Fi is trying to keep pace by moving to next-generation services in order to provide...
Expectations are high for the needs of LTE backhaul: high capacity, high speed, and high quality of service. Providers are building out their new LTE networks at a fast pace, necessitating investments in LTE backhaul as those networks are turned on across the country.
LTE...
Welcome to this week’s edition of cell tower industry news, created by Jarad Matula and brought to you by Towercrews.net. Tower companies and carriers are certainly getting their day in court lately. Last week it was a federal court debating police use of cell tower...
Facebook is set to offer more voice and data services once it completes its planned purchase of mobile messaging service WhatsApp. WhatsApp is now selling prepaid SIM cards in Europe. Voice calls on WhatsApp were first announced at Mobile World Congress, but at that...
ABI Research is arguing that operators should deploy carrier-grade Wi-Fi at the same time that they are rolling out cellular-technology small cells, looking for an integrated solution in order to maximize the investment return from small cells.
The analyst firm noted that China Mobile and AT&T...
Welcome to this week’s edition of cell tower industry news, created by Jarad Matula and brought to you by Towercrews.net.
The plague of copper thefts continues for tower companies. This time a thief in the Chattanooga, TN area stole $300 worth of copper from a local...
Wireless trade association CTIA announced that industry veteran and former Federal Communications Commission commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker will take the reins of the trade group effective June 2. Baker will replace current CTIA President and CEO Steve Largent, who announced his retirement plans last...
Today “5G” is not yet a newborn; and we, as its parents, are still trying to define its genetic makeup. As it is impossible to predict all the use cases of the future, we need to ensure that the DNA of 5G is as flexible as
This week in small cell, distributed antenna system and Wi-Fi news:
-- Time Warner Cable has added HotSpot 2.0 technology on most of the Wi-Fi access points in its national network, and says that it is "the largest Passpoint-enabled network in the country."
The company is...
The concept of service provider security is undergoing a significant shift due to changes in several key areas: business, technology and the profile of the attacker.
Editor’s Note: Wireless operators are a busy bunch, and as such RCR Wireless News will attempt to gather some of the important announcements that may slip through the cracks from the world’s largest carriers in a weekly wrap-up. Enjoy!
--Sprint announced in a recent Securities...
Quantenna's 10G Wi-Fi chip
Hot on the heels of Qualcomm's MU-MIMO announcement, Quantenna Communications says it is at work on the next generation of Wi-Fi chipsets, the world’s first 10G Wi-Fi chip. The company says the first 10G Wi-Fi chipsets will be available in 2015,...
To recap a couple of themes that we have discussed since the beginning of the year, first quarter earnings are going to highlight a) the disruptor role of T-Mobile US in the wireless marketplace
--Comcast said its Xfinity Wi-Fi network now contains one million hotspots around the country, including its outdoor hotspots, hotspots for patrons at enterprises that Comcast includes for free with its business Internet service, and neighborhood hotspots where Comcast enables residential customers to have a second...
Gogo Inc. said today that it will begin rolling out Wi-Fi service on Air Canada's entire North American fleet next month.
The airline already has two Wi-Fi equipped aircraft, Airbus 319 models, which are operating in Canada and the U.S. Gogo expects to outfit an...
Freescale has agreed to purchase Mindspeed's communications processor unit for an undisclosed amount. Mindspeed was acquired by MACOM last year, and at the time the RF and microwave specialist said that it would try to sell Mindspeed's Comcerto communications processor business, or wind it...
Wi-Fi connectivity is the first thing many people look for when they enter a hotel, restaurant or airport waiting area. But many Wi-Fi access points are facing the same challenge that plagues cellular networks: too many people downloading too much data.
"We're starting to see...
SAN ANTONIO - Sprint VP of technology Ron Marquardt told an audience at CCA Global Expo 2014 that the carrier's current CDMA network's voice delivery is comparable to VoLTE (voice-over-LTE) in terms of spectral efficiency, and that in the near term Sprint is more...
An estimated 45% of global wireless traffic was offloaded to Wi-Fi hotspots or femtocells last year, according to Cisco, and this amount is projected to increase each year until offloaded traffic surpasses that which stays on the mobile network. Cisco's VNI projects that by...
Quantenna Communications, which specializes in Wi-Fi chipsets including 802.11ac, announced recently that it has two new investors.
Vivint Wireless has completed a strategic investment in the company, as has NTT Finance, which is part of NTT Group. Other investors in the company include Swisscom and Telefonica.
Vivint...
Wi-Fi vendor Xirrus is boasting a new 802.11ac access point that it says will bring the new Wi-Fi standard to the mainstream with a price point comparable to the fastest 802.11n APs.
Increased competition on price may signal a new phase for the 802.11ac market,...
Agilent Technologies released a series of 30-second demos based on engineers' use of its Advanced Design System 2014 software, which is designed to enable electronic design automation for RF and microwave applications.
The company said it listened to ADS user ideas and feedback to create...
