BROWSING: 3G

Bharti Airtel ends Q2 with 235M mobile subs in India

The telco reached 334 towns and cities with its 4G service by the end of September Indian telecom operator Bharti Airtel said it served 235.2 million mobile phone subscribers in India at the end of the fiscal second quarter of 2015, up 11.1% compared to...

Reader Forum: 5G – enabling the TV-anywhere world

The next step in the evolution of mobile broadband is "5G," and its arrival will be a watershed moment for the entire TV and media industry, delivering the flexibility and high reliability needed to deliver video to billions of users across the globe. Over...

Verizon unlimited data customers to remain high speed, at a price

Verizon said it has no plans to throttle unlimited data customers, will simply charge more Verizon Wireless plans to go its own way in terms of how it treats data throttling for its unlimited data customers, claiming it has no plans to curtail network speeds or...

Nokia Networks signs framework agreement with Arab operator Ooredoo

Nokia to provide technology and services for Ooredoo’s 2G, 3G and LTE-A networks Nokia Networks signed a framework agreement with Qatar-based telecom operator Ooredoo Group to support the operator's long-term development strategy across its footprint in the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia. Under...

Verizon updates prepaid data packages for connected devices

New prepaid data packages said to make choices easier for consumers Verizon Wireless updated its prepaid data plans for “connected” devices like mobile hot spots and tablets in a move the carrier said should make it simpler for customers to select the correct offer. The new...

Sprint prepaid brand Virgin set to join T-Mobile with free music offer

Virgin Mobile to offer free music streaming service Oct. 9 on data plans T-Mobile US is set to be joined in the free streaming music space by Sprint prepaid brand Virgin Mobile USA, which announced that beginning Oct. 9 it will support free streaming of...

Mobilink, Warid Telecom to merge in Pakistan

The two telcos are expected to complete the merger agreement by year-end Pakistani mobile operators Mobilink and Warid Telecom have agreed to merge their operations to create a mobile service provider with a presence in both the 3G and 4G segments, according to a report...

Singapore ISP MyRepublic eyeing mobile operator move

Small cells deployment would be key part of potential new mobile network Singapore-based Internet service provider MyRepublic has completed a funding round for a total of SG$23 million ($16.1 million) in a move to finance the launch of mobile services and become the country’s fourth...

T-Mobile expands global roaming to 145 countries

Latest T-Mobile expansion adds 20 countries to international roaming program T-Mobile US said it has added 20 countries to its Simple Global international roaming service, bringing the total to 145 countries where customers can access free text messaging, data and low-cost calling from their mobile...

Three launches first VoLTE service in the UK

The service will be available for 1M subscribers by the end of 2015 Hutchison 3G, the smallest mobile operator in the U.K. and provides services under the Three brand, has become the nation’s first mobile service provider to launch a commercial voice-over-LTE service. The new service,...

Ericsson: Global LTE subs reach 740M in Q2

3G mobile subscriptions grew by 50M during the second quarter of 2015 Global LTE subscriptions reached 740 million connections at the end of the second quarter, surging from 280 million a year earlier, according to Swedish vendor Ericsson. During Q2, the number of LTE subscribers...

Reality Check: Managing network complexity from 2G to 5G – beyond human capability?

Wireless network complexity Wireless networks are becoming more complex. This raises a question: Are we nearing a point where network complexity is moving beyond the capability of humans to manage? Are we already there? Let’s look at just two data points to get a feeling for...

Fixed, mobile broadband demand driving routing and switching market

Top routing and switching vendors include Alcatel-Lucent, Brocade, Cisco, Huawei Growing consumer demand for fixed and mobile broadband services is driving significant growth in the carrier routing and switching market, according to a new report from ACG Research. The firm noted a 9.2% sequential and 3.1%...

Zain CEO: Telco to invest nearly 17% of revenue this year

The telco created new business units to launch services Kuwait-based telecom operator Zain ended June with 46.3 million customers in its global operation, which includes networks in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Sudan, South Sudan, Jordan and Bahrain. By the end of the second quarter, Zain...

Verizon Wireless stops throttling 3G data

The carrier targeted customers with unlimited data plans, ended practice in June Much was made of Verizon Wireless' plan (which wasn't put into practice) to throttle data speeds for 4G LTE customers with unlimited data plans. Perhaps not as widely publicized is Verizon Wireless' practice...

Sprint Open World counters T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon roaming moves

Sprint targets rivals with rollout of Open World international roaming package Sprint officially announced a new international roaming service that takes aim at recent updates offered by rivals T-Mobile US, AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless. Leaks surfaced last week of the new offering. The Sprint Open...

Google to bring nationwide, free Internet to Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is looking to take advantage of Google’s initiative to outfit the world with Internet access. The remote Asian country of about 20 million people has signed a deal with Google to take part in Project Loon. Officials said Google's Project Loon will outfit the country...

Sprint fires back at T-Mobile US, Verizon, AT&T with latest family promotion

Aggressively priced multiline account targets potential switchers, Sprint’s stock rebounds Sprint looks set to redirect some of the pressure currently emanating from its stock price and operational performance toward its rivals, announcing a new rate plan targeting customers looking to swap wireless brands. The plan, which...

Sprint prepaid brands Boost, Virgin Mobile add high-speed data bucket option

Sprint prepaid brands offer high-speed data buckets for customers in need of more speed Sprint unveiled extra-cost data buckets for its Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile USA prepaid brands that allow customers to add either 1 gigabyte or 2 GB of access to the carrier’s...

Telenor makes half its money in Asia

Highest growth rates recorded in India and Malaysia Norway-based telecom group Telenor reported that its Asian operations accounted for 52.4% of the company’s overall revenue in the second quarter of the year, up compared to 46.2% in the year-ago period. For Q2 2015, Telenor generated revenue...

Verizon video play on deck; remains coy on spectrum auction plans

Verizon video play expected by late summer; comfortable with current spectrum, technology options Verizon Communications is set to unveil its oft-discussed “over-the-top” video service in a move expected to jolt the current video delivery model, but does not seem concerned about the impact such an...

Verizon Wireless growth slows, churn improves; T-Mobile US impact moderates

Verizon Wireless reported a slowdown in Q2 customer growth, though a lessening impact from T-Mobile US Continued strong results from at least one rival seemed to have impacted Verizon Wireless' second-quarter results, though the carrier did surpass some expectations. Verizon Wireless said it added just over...

Indian carriers polled on customer satisfaction

Aircel stand out winner with MTNL and Reliance bringing up the rear Business newspaper LiveMint conducted a survey of 4,000 Indian cellphone customers to measure customer satisfaction as it relates to cellular providers. The poll found most people were happy, or at least content, with...

Worst of the Week: Sprint and its wild Wall Street ride

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....