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...
Canadian Parliament is considering so-called right to know legislation
WASHINGTON – Despite a preponderance of scientific evidence, there are still pockets of people holding onto the notion that radio frequency energy could present public health concerns.
In Berkeley, Calif., the city council unanimously passed a measure requiring stores...
That’s possibly the trickiest Wi-Fi industry question to answer right now. I’ve long held that Wi-Fi is the only technology that can keep pace with the free-falling (and unstoppable) price/performance curve that the tech industry has been racing down for 50 years – in...
Council Bluffs, Iowa, is rolling out free municipal Wi-Fi
WASHINGTON – Council Bluffs, Iowa, could soon become one of the first cities in the country to offer free Wi-Fi Internet as a public service to all of its residents.
The project, which began in 2014, started...
Lawyer: Berkeley ordinance violates the First Amendment
WASHINGTON – A major telecom lobbying group has filed suit to strike down a Berkeley, Calif., city ordinance that requires retailers to warn customers about dangers associated with RF radiation.
Berkeley city officials passed the so-called Right to Know...
Heterogeneous network support from Birdstep
Birdstep today announced enhancements to its existing SmartANALYTICS portfolio in support of heterogeneous mobile networks. Building on its existing data-collection platform, the enhancements are focused on data correlation and visualization. The platform will enable network operators and virtual network operators...
If you knew the real journey a mobile application makes from where you are standing to the application server, you would find it hard to believe that the entire mobile system actually works. If you realized how much of a mobile application's quality depended...
Prototype uses Wi-Fi for power without detracting from data throughput
With an eye on Internet of Things applications, a research team at the University of Washington Seattle’s Sensor Systems Labs have developed a method to use Wi-Fi to power a camera.
The tech is called power-over-Wi-Fi...
A new report from ABI Research concludes that the adoption of LTE is driving the market for network monitoring and optimization, and the market's size will reach more than $40 billion over the next five years.
"Mobile optimization is more important than ever," ABI noted, adding...
Coalition of lobbying and industry groups sent a letter in support of the pending Wi-Fi Innovation Act
WASHINGTON – Telecommunications lobbying groups want federal lawmakers to open up unlicensed spectrum in the 5 GHz band to create more capacity for Wi-Fi.
In an open letter to...
TWC partnered with Boingo and others to grow Wi-Fi network as cable companies add value for subscribers
In the mobile age, demand for Wi-Fi access is showing no signs of slowing and communications service providers are constantly deploying hot spots to keep up with demand.
Cable...
As mobile subscribers bring more bandwidth-hungry devices into public venues, offices and schools, makers of Wi-Fi network equipment are helping service providers find new ways to monetize Wi-Fi.
Ruckus Wireless is giving network operators a way to partner with retailers to make location-based offers to...
Japanese operator currently counts 400,000 Wi-Fi sites throughout the country
Japanese mobile telephony operator Softbank Mobile has made available its nationwide Wi-Fi network for visitors to Japan. The operator plans a July 1 launch of free Wi-Fi service for visitors dubbed "Free Wi-Fi Passport."
With SoftBank...
For enterprises in all industries, reliable wireless local area network connectivity is table stakes. It’s the backbone that delivers true mobility and, ultimately, worker productivity. But does your WLAN really drive productivity? That’s the million-dollar question. Initial WLAN investments were designed to accommodate growing mobility...
Avago Technologies has agreed to buy Broadcom for $37 billion in cash and stock. Although Avago's market value is higher than Broadcom's, Broadcom is the larger company by revenue. The California chipmaker had $8.4 billion in revenue last year, 70% more than Avago's $4.9...
