AT&T Launches New Hotzones, Advances WiFi Strategy
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, July 26, 2010 · 
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AT&T announced today that it is expanding its WiFi hotspot initiative, launching another free “hotzone” in Charlotte, N.C., with another hotzone to be deployed in Chicago in the coming weeks.
AT&T initially launched its hotzone concept back in May with a massive network in New York City’s Times Square.
The free (if you are an AT&T customer) WiFi hotspots are intended to supplement AT&T’s mobile broadband coverage in areas with consistently high 3G traffic and mobile data use. Read more
Rumor: Verizon to Launch Usage-Based 3G Pricing
Posted by Jesse Ward on Friday, July 23, 2010 · ·
Update: John Killian, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Verizon, reported on the carrier’s annual earnings conf call that VZW has no no immediate plans to migrate to usage-based data pricing plans. However, Killian said Verizon is studying the possibility of adding such plans for 3G.
Verizon Wireless is planning to introduce new usage-based mobile data pricing plans on July 29, according to a post at Engadget. The tech blog cited an unnamed source which offered few details except that Verizon is preparing to announce the pricing changes at the end of this month.
Numerous media outlets have repeated the 3G usage-based pricing rumor, but Verzion has declined to comment. However, just yesterday, Verizon business development executive director Jennifer Byrne was quoted in media reports stating that new Droid X users are consuming 5X the amount of data as compared to other device users, perhaps laying the groundwork for the yet-to-be confirmed pricing changes. Further, Verizon executives have repeatedly noted that the carrier likely will release 4G usage-based data pricing when it launches its LTE network in the fourth quarter.
AT&T paved the way back in June when it switched from a flat-rate pricing scheme to a usage-based model for mobile data. Analysts have speculated that other carriers might follow suit. Of note, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile USA have indicated they have no plans to change their current pricing structures.
For more, view the Engadget post.
LightSquared to Build Nationwide, Wholesale 4G Network
Posted by Jesse Ward on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 · ·
LightSquared, backed by Harbinger Capital Partners, is investing billions to create a nationwide, wholesale, 4G wireless network, using satellite and terrestrial technology. The new company, which was launched just yesterday, has received $2.9 billion in assets from Harbinger, and raised a portion of $1.75 billion in debt and equity from unnamed sources.
LightSquared does not plan to compete directly with retail providers, but rather offer wholesale access to a variety of other mobile broadband providers. ”As the nation’s first wholesale-only integrated wireless broadband and satellite network, LightSquared will provide wireless broadband capacity to a diverse group of customers, including retailers; wireline and wireless communication service providers; cable operators; device manufacturers; web players; content providers; and many others,” LightSquared said in a release. LightSquared plans to offer its partners three coverage options: satellite-only, terrestrial-only or a combination of the two.
The company has selected Nokia Siemens Network to build, operate and maintain the wireless network in an eight-year deal valued at $7 billion. The network will consist of approximately 40,000 cellular base stations, and the company plans to cover 92% of the U.S. population by 2015. LightSquared controls 59 MHz of nationwide spectrum. Read more
Engadget: Verizon’s LTE Rollout is Imminent
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, July 19, 2010 · ·
Tech blog Engadget got its hands on some (alleged) internal Verizon documents late last week which detail the carrier’s 4G network plans.
The documents confirm what Verizon, and the New Edge, have already reported — Verizon’s LTE network will offer 5-12 Mbps downstream, aircards will be available before smartphones, and the carrier is still on track to serve 100 million connections and 30 cities by year-end.
But the docs also claim that the planned LTE isn’t just fast, it offers a minimal 30 ms latency too. The docs also note that we can expect 4G tablets in 2011 as well.
A pair of loyal Engadget readers and tipsters supplied the blog with (real?) shots of Verizon LTE SIM cards.
If the documents and devices are indeed legit, it suggests that Verizon is in the final preparation stages for its LTE network launch.
See the documents for yourself at Engadget.
Windows Phone 7 Preview
Posted by Kevin McGuire on Monday, July 19, 2010 · ·
While I would love to say we have a review of the developer’s version of Windows Phone 7 , unfortunately we do not. However, we have found several reviews out there if you are interested:
Overall it is getting pretty decent reviews. While most bloggers have suggestions for improvements, it’s not likely it will come out before the fourth quarter, so they still have time to polish it up. I just wonder if MSFT is too late in the game to get any traction.
Nokia Siemens Networks to Acquire Certain Wireless Assets of Motorola
Posted by Kevin McGuire on Monday, July 19, 2010 · ·
Nokia Siemens Networks today announced a $1.2B deal in which they will acquire “the majority of Motorola’s wireless network infrastructure assets.” As with acquisitions of this size, it is subject to closing conditions and regulatory approval, but they expect the deal to be done by the end of 2010.
So what does a majority of assets mean? Read more
Goodbye Nexus One
Posted by Kevin McGuire on Monday, July 19, 2010 · ·
Google’s Nexus One has been one roller coaster of a ride. You’ll remember from the initial announcement, confirmed earlier this year, that Google had intended to sell the N1 directly to consumers, bypassing the pesky issue of dealing with carriers. Then in April, Google announced that the N1 won’t be coming to Verizon. Now we can say goodbye to the N1 saga, at least here in the U.S. Here’s what Google had to say:
Earlier this year, we announced that we will be closing the Nexus One web store. This week we received our last shipment of Nexus One phones. Once we sell these devices, the Nexus One will no longer be available online from Google. Customer support will still be available for current Nexus One customers. And Nexus One will continue to be sold by partners including Vodafone in Europe, KT in Korea, and possibly others based on local market conditions.
So there you have it. I suspect the next announcement will be the complete end to the N1, in all countries. Methinks that Google will focus on their core competencies and abandon hardware altogether. Given the success of the iPad, I’d be shocked if they didn’t devote more resources to their Chrome OS product.
