Airline partners with ViaSat to harness satellite-based Wi-Fi rather than ground-based connectivity
Airline Virgin America, owned by billionaire Richard Branson, this week announced a partnership with ViaSat that promises to bring in-plane Wi-Fi with enough throughput to support streaming-video applications like Netflix or HBO Go.
At...
Let’s face it: airplane Wi-Fi is a total bummer. Entire jets full of people share a miniscule level of throughput that’s generally not even close to the threshold needed for video streaming. And you have to pay for it.
Not the case, according to one...
MVNO Republic Wireless credits cash for unused cellular data
Following up on a trial earlier this year, mobile virtual network operator Republic Wireless expanded the availability of new rate plans that refund costs associated with unused cellular data as a credit on a customer’s bill.
Republic...
As cellular and wireless networks become more integrated indoors, network architects are designing systems that can work together, and recruiters are looking for engineers and installers who have skill sets in both areas.
American Tower is hiring distributed antenna system RF optimization engineers to maintain...
New report from Juniper Research predicts 55% increase in adult video consumption by 2020
Adult video content is set to explode across the mobile space, with a new report suggesting each smartphone user that accesses such content will watch nearly one adult video each day...
Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes all in for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the top headlines from the past. Fire up the time machine, put on the sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories!
Verizon updates...
As the use of LTE over unlicensed spectrum moves toward field trials expected later this year, LTE-U testing results that show mixed results as to its ability to co-exist fairly with Wi-Fi have been presented by a number of industry players. Even the basic...
For a successful startup, finding out that Google is the newest competitor in the space could be a little bit like learning that the "Jurassic World" Indominus rex is out of its cage. Escape may seem like the only option, but not for North Carolina's...
Pay phones are being replaced by Wi-Fi access points in LinkNYC project
An ambitious project to bring super high-speed public Wi-Fi to all five boroughs of New York City envisions replacing some 10,000 antiquated phone booths with so-called Links.
The LinkNYC project, which has the full...
As Wi-Fi hot spots proliferate and mobile operators transition to IP-based networks, voice over Wi-Fi is emerging as a viable way for service providers to increase coverage. Regional operators and mobile virtual network operators are looking at Wi-Fi as a way to compete with...
Ruckus Wireless to provide equipment, Alepo to provide software for Wi-Fi to support 20 million Sri Lankans
Service provider Sri Lanka Telecom today announced a plan to deploy an islandwide Wi-Fi network to serve some 20 million people with the help of Ruckus Wireless and...
The comment period for the Federal Communications Commission's query on the use of LTE over unlicensed spectrum ends this Friday, but companies are heatedly dueling over the technology in the industry comments submitted thus far.
The debate falls along unsurprising fault lines: The companies that have...
When entering a new place – restaurant, gym, home or other location – it’s just a matter of time before someone asks for the Wi-Fi password.
It’s becoming commonplace for public facilities to offer free Wi-Fi to their customers, allowing them to browse online free...
To solve the problem of poor indoor coverage, service providers and enterprise IT managers are increasingly relying on denser nodes of faster wireless technologies, leveraging the latest developments in small cells and next-generation Wi-Fi. However, the wired portion of these networks face bottlenecks as...
New service combines LTE and Wi-Fi technologies
South Korean mobile telephony operator KT announced it will commercialize the world’s fastest mobile network, branded GiGA LTE, which combines LTE networks with Wi-Fi connections.
The operator said that the new network service offers a maximum download speed of 1.17...
Microsoft Wi-Fi will include 10M hot spots in 130 countries
It looks like Microsoft may have accidentally leaked details of a planned worldwide Wi-Fi network reportedly comprised of some 10 million Wi-Fi hot spots in 130 countries.
Details of the plan were briefly available on June...
MVNO looks to hit nearly 1M customers by year end
Mobile virtual network operator FreedomPop said it has scored $30 million in financing in a move to boost growth and scale operations. The company said the financing comes “following months of speculation.”
The series B...
Promise of increased spectral efficiency with LTE-U small cell deployments is balanced with potential for Wi-Fi interference
WASHINGTON – Earlier this week federal regulators solicited input from telecom stakeholders regarding feedback on LTE-Unlicensed, particularly as the emerging technology relates to Wi-Fi networks.
LTE-U, which was developed...
Small cells in transition to opex-based operations
As more people use their mobile devices in the workplace, there is an opportunity for the mobile operators to offer cloud and mobile managed services to enterprise IT to ease the management of corporate and mobile solutions as...
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This week on HetNet Happenings, RCR Wireless News Managing Editor Sean Kinney takes you inside the Small Cells World Summit event, which also included portions on carrier Wi-Fi and backhaul, from the ExCel Centre in...
This year has been predicted to be the year of the small cell, which should come as no surprise – there have been similar predictions for several years.
There are, however, indications that 2015 will be different and the prediction may be accurate. The end of 2014 saw...
One of the biggest challenges facing communications service providers today is how to best monetize mobile data and avoid data becoming a commodity. To do so effectively, CSPs need to look at the value that data enables and not just think of pricing based...
Wi-Fi can be a welcome relief for networks that are overwhelmed by mobile data traffic, and some mobile network operators are exploring carrier-driven Wi-Fi offload. Moving a user off the network may seem counterintuitive, but in today's pricing environment it often makes sense. Most...
As the world's largest maker of switches and routers prepares for a change in leadership after 20 years, the company is upping its game in three of the hottest areas in wireless: SDN, "Internet of Things" and Wi-Fi.
This week at Cisco Live, the company announced an...
