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AT&T announces 30-, 40- and 50 GB shared data plans
March 19, 2013 2:48 pm | by Ben Munsen, Wireless Week | CommentsThe plans start at $300 per month—plus a $10-$30 per device fee, depending on the type of device—and go up to $500. In addition, AT&T will now offer new data-only plans for business customers bringing more than 25 devices into the fold.
Intel offers reference for IPTV set-top
March 19, 2013 2:34 pm | by Brian Santo | CommentsIntel has a new reference design kit for set-top boxes and media servers based on its own Atom CE5300 processor, Futarque’s DVB-T2/T/C broadcast and media sharing stacks, Videon Central’s aVia media engine, and Hillcrest Labs’ Freespace Motion Engine software.
Liberty Media plunks down $2.62 billion for 27% stake in Charter
March 19, 2013 12:08 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsJohn Malone’s holding company, Liberty Media, has bought a 27.3 percent stake in Charter Communications for about $2.62 billion. The deal is slated to close in the first half or second quarter of this year. Liberty expects to fund the purchase with a combination of cash on hand and new loan arrangements.
S3 Group appoints O’Carroll to board
March 19, 2013 11:54 am | by Mike Robuck | CommentsS3 Group announced that it has appointed former Rogers Communications executive Dermot O’Carroll to its board of directors. O’Carroll spent 17 years at Rogers Communications before retiring last year as senior vice president of network engineering and operations.
Disney, News Corp. finalizing plans for Hulu
March 18, 2013 2:14 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsAt issue is whether Hulu should completely dedicate itself to the free streaming of TV shows with ads, or whether its value lies in paid subscriptions for viewers. Disney is said to prefer the ad-supported model, while News Corp. prefers a paid service. The two might put the operation back up for sale.
Ciena sets up CenturyLink for GigE
March 18, 2013 2:07 pm | by Brian Santo | CommentsCenturyLink has upgraded its metro networking capability with packet optical technology from Ciena, in order to target business customers with Gigabit Ethernet access services up to 100G. The upgrade allows CenturyLink to offer a 1GE, 10GE, 100GE and equivalent wavelengths to businesses.
Vandals bedevil Suddenlink in NoCal
March 18, 2013 2:02 pm | by Brian Santo | CommentsSuddenlink has experience a rash of vandalism that has cut off service in parts of northern California. Local law enforcement believes the same people are responsible for all the crimes, and suspect the the vandals are would-be thieves, looking for copper that could be sold for scrap.
AT&T begins new broadband promo
March 18, 2013 1:56 pm | by Brian Santo | CommentsNew customers signing up for U-verse High-Speed Internet are eligible to get one of the following Wi-Fi-enabled products: an Xbox 360, Sonos Play:3, Kindle Fire or a Nexus 7 Tablet. The promotion aims to underscore Wi-Fi based connectivity that AT&T offers, first through the company’s gateways with Wi-Fi.
Comcast cues Ethernet up in Vermont communities
March 18, 2013 12:54 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsComcast Business announced today that over the coming weeks its Ethernet services would be available across six communities in Chittenden County, Vermont. The six towns in Chittenden County feature a large number of the state's businesses, ranging from snowboard manufacturers to global high technology.
Cablevision promotes Pillai
March 18, 2013 12:40 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsCablevision has promoted cable industry engineer Pragash Pillai to senior vice president, network management and operations. Prior to his new title, Pillai was senior vice president, digital network technology at Cablevision. Three years ago, Pillai came to Cablevision from Bresnan Communications.
Few breakout tech hits at SXSW
March 15, 2013 2:40 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsThe event, which helped launch Twitter and FourSquare, was quieter on the technology front this year. There weren't any hot apps that everybody immediately downloaded, but Google showed its Google glasses (it didn’t let anyone actually use them), and Foursquare displayed a number of data-tracking bracelets.
San Jose fires up free Wi-Fi network
March 15, 2013 2:23 pm | by Brian Santo | CommentsThe city that considers itself the capital of Silicon Valley is offering free connectivity via a network built by SmartWAVE Technologies using 802.11n Wi-Fi products from Ruckus Wireless. San Jose also has one of the best acronyms ever for its metro area network exchange (see story).
Suddenlink ups Archer to VP of service delivery, CAO Group
March 15, 2013 8:44 am | by Mike Robuck | CommentsSuddenlink Communications has promoted Tim Archer to vice president of service delivery for the company’s commercial and advertising operations (CAO) organization, which is headquartered in Dallas. Prior to his promotion, Archer was senior director of operations for Suddenlink systems in Amarillo, Texas, Clovis, N.M., and some California systems.
Popcornflix available on Sony devices
March 14, 2013 1:50 pm | by Brian Santo | CommentsSony Entertainment Network customers with Internet-connected Bravia TVs, Blu-ray players, and Blu-ray Home Theater devices can now access the Popcornflix for free. Popcornflix has been available to people who use Roku and Boxee set-tops.
Rogers’ security service rolls into Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe area
March 14, 2013 12:18 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsRogers Communications has expanded the availability of its Smart Home Monitoring service into Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe, which includes Hamilton, Oakville, Burlington, Niagara Falls, St. Catharines and other areas. Rogers was the first cable operator to launch a home automation and security platform in Canada in September of 2011.
