BROWSING: Opinion

A cost-effective way to double LTE site capacity without massive MIMO (Analyst Angle)

A critical challenge facing 4G LTE fixed wireless operators is how to cost-effectively increase site capacity.   Although there are many options available, including Massive MIMO, sectorization is one of the most cost effective, expedient and practical means of doubling site capacity.   Most LTE base...

Kagan: What to expect at MWC19 Barcelona

Mobile World Congress 2019 in Barcelona, Spain, is coming soon. This is the largest international wireless trade show and MWC19 is expected to be full of big announcements from the global leaders in wireless. Let’s take a sneak peak, regarding what we can expect...

2019 to welcome 5G devices: An overview of MIPI interfaces enabling 5G readiness (Reader Forum)

5G is finally here. Carriers have launched networks, and the first mobile devices that can use them are hitting the market. Fortunately, so are the high-speed mobile interfaces that devices need to keep up with 5G and the new applications that are set to...

Get ready for even smarter business software (Reader Forum)

AI will make expense reporting, sales, manufacturing and other work applications  a lot more useful—and hopefully less annoying It’s not just your home appliances that are getting smarter. Artificial intelligence (AI) is making its way not only into homes via Internet-connected speakers, thermostats, and insert-your-favorite-kitchen-gizmo-here. It is also...

Kagan: So is 5G wireless here or is it coming soon?

There seems to be quite a bit of confusion around 5G so let’s try and clear things up. AT&T Mobility say’s it’s here now since they are the first carrier to offer mobile 5G services. Verizon say’s it’s here since they offer 5G Home....

Driving the mobile future with open C-RAN (Reader Forum)

As mobile network operators (MNOs) prepare to integrate 5G wireless technology and services, they are taking the opportunity to evolve their network architecture with three goals in mind: reduce costs; improve deployment efficiency, service flexibility and velocity; and open the market to innovation to...

How network operators can capitalize on 5G (Reader Forum)

5G is coming and represents a transformational opportunity for network operators The arrival of 5G capabilities will present tremendous opportunity for network operators to grow if capitalized on correctly. Conversely, the trend could damage the growth prospects of these same companies if they miss the...

Kagan: The real reason Apple iPhone sales are weakening

Apple presented bad news last week about iPhone sales, and their stock came tumbling downhill. While this crisis does not have to be permanent, as a wireless analyst, I have been following this company and their key product the iPhone for more years than...

Terrestrial and extraterrestrial 5G: How are data center preparing for unlimited connectivity (Reader Forum)

The term “logging off” may soon cease to exist thanks to the much-anticipated arrival of 5G. The newest mobile network is set to roll out next year, with promises of flexible, reliable and secure wireless network access from just about anywhere. And we mean anywhere....

Opportunities in the TMT market; a TMT operator’s 2019 to-do list (Reader Forum)

2018 was a year of progress, of consolidation, and of intense introspection as Technology, Media and Telecom (TMT) companies get themselves, their networks and their internal processes ready for the arrival of 5G. The industry has weathered large-scale mergers as media and telecoms converge,...

Four ways CSPs can use AI to gain new subscriber insights, out-market OTT competitors and deliver a better customer experience (Reader Forum)

Service providers are sitting on more marketable data than even Google -- but they’ve been slow to harness it for profit. Here are some ways they can turn things around Not even Google can rival the wealth of consumer data that communication service providers (CSPs)...

AI in the arms race, the arrival of 5G, and the future of digital identity (Reader Forum)

A lot can happen in a year, especially in a telecoms year. The industry has seen consolidation, disruption and innovation, all at a dizzying pace. 2018 saw the hype around technologies such as AI and blockchain reach fever pitch, and in 2019, we will...

2019 wireless test trends: The year of enabling 5G (Reader Forum)

5G: Are we there yet? In 2019, hype meets reality for 5G devices and services.  After several years of discussions on use cases and exotic technologies, “real” 5G products will start to scale on 3GPP Release 15 5G NR networks.  On the use-case front, the...

Network transformation in the digital age (Reader Forum)

The evolution of the enterprise Enterprise network connectivity is no longer limited to Wi-Fi access points (APs) and LAN switches that support devices such as laptops, printers, tablets and smartphones. We are seeing ever-increasing types of IoT devices in enterprises: both low-end low-power devices but...

FCC takes bold steps to win the race to 5G (Reader Forum)

A bit of background The deployment of the new 5G network presents a unique challenge to our regulatory system.  Far from the 100-foot lattice towers and monopoles of 3G and 4G past, 5G capability will largely be the task of small cell deployments in the...

What’s next for the wireless industry? Technology predictions for 2019 (Reader Forum)

The wireless industry has undergone dramatic changes this year. We’re moving ever-closer to 5G availability. The FCC held a vote on eliminating the personal use restriction in Part 20.21 for cell signal boosters, and LEED-certified buildings, while rising in popularity, contain materials that block...

Fob replication, software patching and the future of connected car security (Reader Forum)

Connectivity is a key aspect of daily lives for many of us and this is increasingly true of our vehicles as well. This is emphasized by Counterpoint Research’s Internet of Things Tracker, which forecasts that more than 125 million passenger cars with embedded connectivity...

Automating the network—let’s go! (Reader Forum)

Virtualization and software-defined networks have been the industry’s pre-occupation for almost a decade. It’s all part of a journey toward the deployment of 5G, which will be our next focus for the coming decade. Along the way, one of the key dimensions of the...

Performance management is not enough: Analytics and automation define the new service assurance platform (Reader Forum)

Digital transformation for communication service providers(CSPs) can be tedious to achieve if not supported through efficient transformation tools. Compared to the existing provisioning and management of services (service lifecycle), the digital environment requires a real-time engagement with the customer and a real-time management of...

The edge internet: Balancing the market power in the mobile internet value chain (Reality Check)

June 29th, 2007, a day of infamy in the world of telco’s.  On that day, the vestiges of “walled gardens” and premium data services crumbled like the Berlin wall did 16 years earlier. On that last Friday of June, the iPhone was first released in...

Analyst Angle: Thoughts from the edge–the IoT edge that is

What is the IoT edge?  Where is the IoT edge? I want to put a stake in the sand on my definition of this oft misunderstood term. Having just completed a podcast with Qualcomm discussing IoT edge computing (take a listen here), I was struck...

Kagan: Use wireless to grow your Twitter, LinkedIn follower list

So, you want more social media followers? Who doesn’t? Whether you use Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or any other platform, it seems everyone is focused on building their social media follower list. I have had discussions with many successful people who have earned tens...

Will operators miss the 5G mobile video gold rush? (Reality Check)

On October 18, a group of operators including BT, EE, Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica, MTS, Telus, KPN, Orange and Vodafone gathered in London for the Mobile Video Industry Council (MVC) to debate the future of mobile video and 5G. ABI Research, Strategy Analytics and Analysys...

Addressing the threats posed by 5G (Reader Forum)

Promising super-fast download speeds, ultra-low latency, and increased connectivity, the imminent rollout of 5G network technology is set to deliver a host of benefits to consumers, businesses, and mobile operators alike. In addition to these advantages, however, the introduction of 5G will bring with...