BROWSING: LTE

Case study: Huawei enables rural carriers to compete

In the Rocky Mountains, learn how Union Wireless upgraded to LTE with no downtime in extremely challenging conditions MOUNTAIN VIEW, Wyoming—While the U.S. carrier market is dominated by Tier 1 operators, there are smaller, rural service providers delivering comparable quality of service—in incredibly challenging environmental...

Regional carriers remain alert to 5G; diversify with drones, coffee shops

A CEO panel made up of CCA carrier members highlighted varying degrees of interest in 5G and unique diversification efforts SEATTLE – Regional and rural wireless carriers, which make up a bulk of the Competitive Carriers Association’s membership, have shown significant resiliency in a market...

FCC Chairman Wheeler pledges move on data roaming, BDS, Mobility Fund

Attendees at this week’s CCA event heard a pledge from FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to tackle several hot-button topics for rural and regional carriers SEATTLE – Just weeks after taking the stage at the CTIA Super Mobility event in Las Vegas to speak, Federal Communications...

T-Mobile 5G plans gain color, speed; offers LTE roaming, VoLTE support

T-Mobile said it has expanded 5G work with vendor partners Ericsson and Nokia, while telling CCA members it wants greater LTE roaming, offers VoLTE support SEATTLE – T-Mobile US continues to flesh out its “5G” network plans, with CTO Neville Ray noting recent trials with...

Report: 5G the future, but LTE the financial now

A new report from SNS Research expects 5G to drive spending long term, but LTE-based networks will generate significant cash in the near term The topic of most wireless telecom conversations may be related to what’s coming down the road in terms of “5G” technology,...

Reader Forum: IoT wireless design challenges – testing makes a difference

In today’s multitrillion-dollar IoT market, establishing a test-oriented environment for RF is a critical investment in the success of a product Without a doubt, the “internet of things” is going to be huge. A 2015 McKinsey Global Institute report states the economic impact for IoT...

Worst of the Week: 5G hype – don’t believe it

5G hype is everywhere, but can’t we all just take a breath and let the engineering folks figure out what it means before the marketing folks take over? Hello! And welcome to our Friday column, Worst of the Week. There’s a lot of nutty stuff...

Utilizing hybrid approaches to increase rural broadband access

Huawei discusses ways in which rural and regional wireless operators can increase broadband access using hybrid network models Rural broadband connectivity remains a significant challenge for mobile operators faced with trying to conceive of business models allowing for broad network deployments of advanced technology in...

Ericsson targets emerging markets with new suite of solutions

Ericsson said the new launch will help boost broadband coverage in underserved areas by decreasing total cost of ownership Swedish vendor Ericsson said it has unveiled a new set of solutions to target emerging markets with a goal to help bridge the digital divide and bring mobile...

T-Mobile IoT plans target AT&T 2G shut down

With AT&T’s plans to shutter its 2G network set for year-end, T-Mobile is offering free SIM cards and service in attempt to lure connections T-Mobile US is looking to exploit AT&T Mobility’s upcoming plans to shutter its 2G network in an attempt to bolster its...

Analyst Angle: Smartphone innovation will increase in the run-up to 5G introduction

Innovation in cellular and other supporting technologies as well as in applications will sustain the rate of smartphone improvements Press and industry analyst response to the recent announcement of the iPhone 7 has been lukewarm. For example, The Economist notes the “main novelty” is it...

Pioneer Cellular gains LTE roaming access in TNS deal

Regional carrier joins TNS LTE Roaming Hub; gains access to CCA Data Services Hub, which also includes T-Mobile and Sprint Oklahoma-based regional wireless operator Pioneer Cellular is set to support LTE roaming for its customers through an agreement with Transaction Network Services. The deal sees Pioneer...

Cricket matches MetroPCS at low end as AT&T and T-Mobile continue prepaid battle

Cricket Wireless and MetroPCS, prepaid proxies of AT&T Mobility and T-Mobile US, respectively, both now offer $30 entry-level plans with “unlimited” services AT&T Mobility’s Cricket Wireless prepaid brand unveiled a new entry-level smartphone plan that includes “unlimited” domestic talk, text messaging and data services for...

Verizon zero-rates NFL Mobile content

In an expansion of its zero-rating program, Verizon is now allowing postpaid customers to stream NFL Mobile content without hitting data buckets Verizon Wireless is expanding its zero-rating of data to its NFL Mobile application, allowing customers to watch live local and prime-time games via...

Global LTE subscriptions reach 1.45B at the end of Q2

Asia leads in LTE subscriptions with a 57.7% share Global LTE subscriptions totaled 1.45 billion at the end of the second quarter of the year, after a net addition of 160.3 million LTE connections during Q2, according to the latest report by the Global mobile Suppliers...

Reader Forum: The race to 5G and setting a new standard

Antenna design and measurement are at the heart of the race to 5G In a world where mobile devices have outnumbered people, it is easy to forget we lived without smartphones 15 years ago. From 1G to 4G, each new generation of mobile networks has...

5G standards, spectrum and software all on top of mind for carrier network execs

Panel discussion involving carrier network execs from Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular digs into 5G standards, spectrum challenges and software LAS VEGAS – Few events at this week’s CTIA Super Mobility show allowed for greater insight into current mobile network operations than a...

Verizon recognizes the risk, views significant rewards in IoT space

Verizon exec John Stratton laid out hurdles still facing the telecom market in cracking the IoT space, but noted benefit awaits LAS VEGAS – Verizon Communications is looking to expand its position in the expansive “internet of things” space, which was one of the main...

T-Mobile 5G plans ensnare Samsung into 28 GHz trial

Samsung is set to join T-Mobile 5G plans, tapping into the 28 GHz spectrum band and beamforming technology beginning later this year LAS VEGAS – T-Mobile US’ “5G” plans continue to gain momentum, with the carrier announcing plans to work with Samsung later this year...

5G and internet of things in spotlight at CTIA

AT&T Mobility CEO Glenn Lurie focused keynote speech on use cases, benefits of IoT and 5G for consumers LAS VEGAS – The “internet of things” and “5G” may still be technology advances on the horizon, but at this week’s CTIA Super Mobility event you would...

Sprint pushes 3CCA for LTE networks in Chicago, Kansas City

In a move set to bolster network capacity and speed, Sprint has moved on network trials of three-channel carrier aggregation Sprint recently made an aggressive move to take advantage of its deep 2.5 GHz spectrum holdings by launching network trials of three-channel carrier aggregation technology...

Will the new iPhone support T-Mobile’s 400 Mbps?

T-Mobile is touting 400 Mbps download speeds for Samsung Galaxy users, but what about the new iPhone? T-Mobile's recent blog post about LTE speeds may offer a clue about what to expect from Apple's newest smartphone. On Tuesday T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray said the carrier's...

Analyst Angle: Why I am not rushing to one of the new unlimited plans

Recent unlimited data moves from T-Mobile US and Sprint garnered headlines, but don’t expect them to impact churn The wireless industry in the U.S. recently got all excited – again – about a new range of unlimited plans from T-Mobile US and Sprint. Just as...

Verizon steers clear of T-Mobile and Sprint ‘unlimited’ with new ‘tweener’ plan

New Verizon promo plan slots in between 'L' and 'XL' options with 12 GB of shareable data, touts access to 'LTE Advanced' carrier aggregation update Verizon Wireless is looking to take advantage of the buzz surrounding its recently launched LTE-Advanced capabilities with a new data...