BROWSING: Policy

Spectrum cap to make a comeback?

Are spectrum caps set to make a comeback? They are if some rural trade associations have their way. The Rural Telecommunications Group this week filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission asking that regulators set firm limits on the amount of spectrum a single company...

Clear Talk to acquire 10 licenses from Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless’ plans to sell off 700 MHz spectrum licenses seems to be generating plenty of interest and deals as the carrier announced it has recently agreed to sell 10 B-Block licenses to Clear Talk for an undisclosed sum. The licenses cover approximately 2.1...

Brazil to certify femtocells, vote on new antenna law, prepare for 700 MHz auction

Aiming to evolve telecommunication services in Brazil, minister of communications Paulo Bernardo, told members of the press that some important measures might be taken in upcoming months, such as voting on antenna regulation, certifying femtocells and auctioning 700 MHz spectrum bands.  Be sure to follow...

Dish argues case against proposed limits on spectrum use

Dish Networks looks to be getting out ahead of government regulators this week as it sent out a press statement condemning reported constraints being bandied about by the Federal Communications Commission regarding the company’s spectrum plans. Dish noted in its statement that the FCC has...

Wireless taxes top 15% for most Americans

As Washington and the cash-strapped state governments look for new sources of tax revenue, wireless service could be a potential target. Consumer advocacy group mywireless.org is trying to head off efforts to increase wireless taxes by showing how much most Americans already pay. Wireless tax...

Verizon Wireless sells 700 MHz license to Panhandle

Verizon Wireless continued to move 700 MHz spectrum assets it deems unnecessary, announcing a deal today to sell a lower B-Block license covering 12 counties in Texas to Oklahoma-based Panhandle Telecommunications. Terms of the agreement were not released. Verizon Wireless last week unloaded a lower...

Worst of the Week: Chuck Norris wants you to buy spectrum

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....

MetroPCS to decommission 10,000 sites as part of T-Mobile USA deal

MetroPCS and T-Mobile USA provided some more insight into their proposed merger during an analyst conference this morning in Barcelona, Spain, which is expected to be followed up with a filing at the Securities and Exchange Commission in regards to the benefits of their...

Sprint Nextel, Softbank file petition with FCC

Sprint Nextel and potential majority owner Softbank took the next step in consummating their proposed merger with the filing of license transfers with the Federal Communications Commission. The filing is a necessary step in Softbank’s proposed $20 billion acquisition of a 70% stake in...

Time Trippin’: Ericsson powered by Symbian; Verizon pays price for spectrum … 12 years ago this week

Editor’s Note: The RCR Wireless News Time Machine is a way to take advantage of our extensive history in covering the wireless space to fire up the DeLorean and take a trip back in time to re-visit some of the more interesting headlines from...

Verizon Wireless begins promised sales of 700 MHz licenses; Nortex is first buyer

Verizon Wireless is making good on its promise to start selling off some of its "excess" 700 MHz spectrum licenses, announcing today that it will sell its Texas RSA 6-Jack 700 MHz lower B-Block license to Nortex Communications for an undisclosed sum. Verizon Wireless...

U.S. Cellular to sell Chicago, St. Louis, other Midwest markets to Sprint Nextel

In a move that marks a significant operational shift, U.S. Cellular Corp. said it was selling its operations in Chicago, St. Louis and a handful of markets in the Midwest to Sprint Nextel for $480 million. The transaction, which is expected to close mid-2013,...

European Commission to add 120 megahertz of spectrum to pot

The European Commission said it plans to add 120 megahertz of new spectrum near the 2 GHz band in support of next-generation mobile broadband services. The move requires member countries to provide access to the new spectrum by July 2014. The decision looks to unify...

Bluegrass Cellular launches LTE services as part of Verizon Wireless rural program

Nearly two years after signing up for Verizon Wireless’ LTE in Rural America program, Kentucky-based Bluegrass Cellular today launched its initial service from that agreement in the cities of Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, Glasgow, Radcliff and Bardstown, Ken. The service provides customers in those areas...

Worst of the Week: Chicken and Bacon

Is anything ever easy for Clearwire? Late last week, everyone’s favorite WiMAX provider reported yet another quarter of “things will be better tomorrow … if …” results that have become all too common for Clearwire.

Colombia postpones LTE auction to February, allows Claro to bid

Colombia's LTE auction has been postponed again. The government announced that it will take place in February next year, and América Móvil's Claro will be allowed to bid in the 2.5 GHz. The main reason for so many delays was the polemic debate over the...

Brazil’s regulator approves telcom competition rules

The board of directors of Brazil's telecommunications agency, Anatel, has approved the General Plan for Competition (PGMC—the acronym in Portuguese), aimed at encouraging and promoting free competition in the telecommunications industry, as well improving regulation. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and subscribe to our free periodic newsletters The PGMC establishes rules for sharing, interconnection...

Short on mobile numbers, Brazil to add digit by 2016

All Brazilian mobile line numbers will have one more digit by December 2016.  The digit "9 "will be added to the left of the current eight digit numbers of each mobile phone, according to the implementation roadmap released by the telecom agency Anatel yesterday. Follow...

Ecuador to adopt APT standard for 700 MHz to LTE

Ecuador's national telecom regulator, Conatel, announced that the country will adopt the 700 MHz spectrum band, also known as the digital dividend, to deploy the next generation of telecommunication services using LTE technology. Conatel also released that it has chosen the Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT) segmentation...

Colombia moves toward LTE in 700 MHz; Huawei, ZTE and Ericsson to conduct tests

Colombia telecom regulators seem to be moving toward enabling spectrum in the 700 MHz band, internationally known as the digital dividend, to enhance high-speed mobile Internet benefits in rural areas. The National Spectrum Agency (ANE) announced that Huawei, ZTE and Ericsson will conduct tests in...

Reader Forum: How can we achieve a truly global LTE smartphone?

The launch of the iPhone 5 last month has highlighted a major issue for all 4G smartphones – that no one handset can cover all of the global LTE frequency bands.

Ntelos on track for second-half 2013 LTE launch

Regional wireless operator Ntelos is set to begin rolling out LTE services across its network during the second half of next year, and to have 70% of its potential customers covered by the end of 2014, according to an investor filing by the carrier....

Futurecom 2012: Brazil’s leaders optimistic on LTE deployment, adoption

RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazil's public authorities claimed this is the right time to deploy LTE and move onto the next telecommunication technology, during the opening session of the Futurecom event (read all pieces), held this week in Rio de Janeiro. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and subscribe to our...

Brazil’s ICT minister claims tax breaks will promote country’s development

Brazil’s Communication minister Paulo Bernardo has claimed the most efficient way to promote country’s development is reducing taxes by imposing counterparts to the private sector. “We need to tax relief and stimulate companies in Brazil,” he noted during the Brasscom Global IT Forum, held...