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Daily news and top headlines for broadband communications engineering and design professionals
Nielsen to begin counting broadband viewing homes
February 21, 2013 12:49 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsThe company that measures television viewership will soon begin counting people who watch programming through broadband instead of a traditional broadcast or cable hook-up. The move is a significant step toward recognizing a world where the definition of TV viewing is swiftly changing.
FCC moves to open more unlicensed spectrum
February 21, 2013 12:46 pm | by Andrew Berg, Wireless Week | CommentsThe FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to make more unlicensed spectrum available for robust public Wi-Fi networks. The Commission proposed to make up to 195 MHz of additional spectrum in the 5 GHz band available to unlicensed wireless devices.
Ergen: Dish has time to mull many options for wireless
February 21, 2013 12:43 pm | by Andrew Berg, Wireless Week | CommentsDish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen said his company has seven years to use its spectrum, which was recently approved by the Federal Communications Commission for use in deploying an LTE-Advanced wireless network. Clearwire is still mulling its options.
FCC adopts new guidelines for signal boosters
February 21, 2013 12:40 pm | by Ben Munson, Wireless Week | CommentsThe FCC issued a Report and Order concerning cellular signal booster use and preventing them from interfering with wireless networks. Under the new rules, consumers are required to obtain permission from and register their signal booster with their wireless carriers in order to continue using it.
Comcast debuts cloud services market for SMBs
February 20, 2013 3:18 pm | by Brian Santo | CommentsComcast is now making available a suite of third-party cloud-based products and services that its business customers can purchase directly through an online portal. The MSO has partnered with other companies that provide storage, security, and Web and document collaboration.
Suddenlink pushes TiVo Mini into 100+ communities
February 20, 2013 3:09 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsSuddenlink Communications is the first cable operator in the nation to offer its subscribers access to TiVo’s Mini, which is a small device that lets users view live and recorded video content in secondary rooms of a home. Suddenlink also got its hands on the Mini devices before they hit retail outlets.
Dish video subscribership flat in 2012
February 20, 2013 3:03 pm | by Brian Santo | CommentsDish Network added about 14,000 net new video subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2012, ending the year with 14.05 million, compared to 13.96 million at the end of the prior year. Dish also added about 78,000 net broadband subscribers in 2012.
Hesse: Sprint looking for more spectrum
February 20, 2013 3:00 pm | by Ben Munson, Wireless Week | CommentsSprint CEO Dan Hesse said his company is seeking to acquire more wireless spectrum in order to stay competitive with AT&T and Verizon. Sprint hopes to scoop up more of the precious commodity by either buying it from other companies or from the government.
Mexico’s Totalplay picks Envivio for IPTV, VOD services
February 20, 2013 2:53 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsTotalplay Telecomunicaciones, an IPTV service provider in Mexico, has deployed Envivio Muse encoders to provision its live and on-demand services. Totalplay is also using software-based Muse encoders on the Envivio 4Caster Gen III platform.
Cisco debuts mobile targeted ad system
February 19, 2013 2:02 pm | by Brian Santo | CommentsThe vendor’s new Cisco Quantum software suite is designed to handle any sort of new monetization scheme; combining Cisco Systems' software with new small cell products, cable operators can create a system for mobile targeted advertising.
Aurora strikes $46M deal to buy Harmonic’s Cable Access division
February 19, 2013 1:27 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsOptical networking equipment provider Aurora Networks has reached an agreement to buy Harmonic’s Cable Access unit for $46 million in cash. The deal is subject to the customary closing conditions but is slated to close by the end of the first quarter.
TWCBC connects schools in N.C. with gigabit speed
February 19, 2013 1:22 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsTime Warner Cable Business Class has broadened the reach of its fiber-optic network in North Carolina in order to offer schools systems a gigabit-per-second service. TWCBC is the largest school data provider in North Carolina, serving 25 school systems across the state.
Rogers nets $455M in Q4 on $3.26B in revenue
February 19, 2013 1:18 pm | by The Canadian Press | CommentsA record quarter for smartphone sales helped Rogers Communications exceed analysts’ expectations in the fourth quarter. The company reports a 3 percent gain in quarterly revenue to $3.26 billion and 88 cents in earnings per share – beating estimates of $3.19 billion and 72 cents per share.
Windstream returns to profit in Q4
February 19, 2013 1:16 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsWindstream posted fourth-quarter net income of $10.1 million, reversing a year-ago loss, as the company grew its broadband business. Windstream, which was spun off from Alltel, has been transforming its business to provide more lucrative broadband and data services.
Sprint LTE live in parts of San Fran, NYC, D.C.
February 19, 2013 1:13 pm | by Andrew Berg, Wireless Week | CommentsSprint is turning on LTE in some parts of San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and New York City. While these markets haven't officially launched, a Sprint spokeswoman confirmed "more and more reports of Sprint customers discovering LTE on their 4G LTE devices in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and New York City."


