Wireless
FCC approves AT&T's bid to buy Comcast spectrum
December 19, 2012 3:13 pm | by Ben Munson, Wireless Week | News | CommentsThe FCC approved AT&T's bid to soak up spectrum from Comcast, stating the "proposed transactions would serve the public interest." The deal gives AT&T licenses to AWS-1 and WCS spectrum in 608 markets, covering 82 percent of the U.S. population in 48 states.
FCC limits Dish spectrum, sets 4-year timetable for rollout
December 19, 2012 3:12 pm | by Andrew Berg, Wireless Week | News | CommentsIn its order, the FCC said it declined a proposal presented by Dish Network that would have included shifting the AWS-4 uplink spectrum up five MHz to protect the adjacent H-block, a piece of spectrum in which Sprint has expressed an interest.
Report: Global LTE smartphone shipments to hit 275M in 2013
December 19, 2012 3:06 pm | by Andrew Berg, Wireless Week | News | CommentsLTE has arrived. According to new research from Strategy Analytics, global LTE smartphone shipments will grow threefold to reach 275 million units in 2013. Companies leading the growth spurt will include Apple, Samsung, LG Electronics and others.
Suddenlink’s TiVo Stream service drops into southern states
December 18, 2012 3:13 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsSince Suddenlink Communications became the first cable operator to offer the TiVo Stream service in Lubbock, Texas, in October, the nation’s seventh-largest cable operator has deployed it in more than 60 communities across its footprint.
ThePlatform integrates smart workflow with transcoding vendors
December 18, 2012 3:08 pm | by Mike Robuck | Products | CommentsThe sheer volume of multi-screen videos, along with the proliferation of the devices used to watch the content on, can be overwhelming at times, but Comcast-owned thePlatform has added “smart workflow” features to its mpx offering to help solve those issues.
Cisco agrees to acquire BroadHop
December 18, 2012 3:07 pm | by Andrew Berg, Wireless Week | News | CommentsCisco announced plans to acquire Colorado-based policy control and service management provider BroadHop. Specifics of the deal were not immediately available. BroadHop’s policy control solutions for mobile and fixed networks will be integrated into Cisco’s mobility group.
Time Warner Cable certifies 2 modems for purchase program
December 17, 2012 2:16 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsTime Warner Cable has given its stamp of approval on two Zoom Telephonics cable modems for use in its cable modem purchase program. The two DOCSIS 3.0-based Zoom modems, 5350 and 5341J, were tested and certified to be used across all five of its data tiers.
Sprint seals deal to buy 100% of Clearwire
December 17, 2012 2:12 pm | by Ben Munson, Wireless Week | News | CommentsSprint's bid to own 100 percent of Clearwire has been accepted at $2.2 billion, which equals the $2.97-per-share cap that Sprint majority stakeholder Softbank placed on the deal. Sprint said the deal takes the enterprise value of Clearwire to approximately $10 billion.
AT&T adds more Starz to TV Everywhere menu
December 17, 2012 2:08 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsAT&T has beefed up its TV Everywhere roster with the addition of Starz Play, Encore Play and MoviePlex Play from Starz Entertainment. AT&T subscribers that are signed up for the Starz Encore and MoviePlex premium channels can now view the content on iOS devices through their Wi-Fi and broadband connections.
Avail-TVN launches white-label SVOD
December 17, 2012 2:05 pm | by Brian Santo | News | CommentsAvail-TVN’s ViewNow, which is being used by Verizon FiOS for Redbox Instant, is now available to other service providers that want to offer a branded subscription VOD service of their own. Using ViewNow, service providers will be able to offer titles from Avail-TVN’s library.
OTI report: Data caps the result of decreasing competition
December 17, 2012 2:01 pm | by Andrew Berg, Wireless Week | News | CommentsA new report from the Open Technology Institute (OTI) suggests that carrier-implemented monthly data caps and tiered pricing are unnecessary and are a result of decreasing competition in the wireline and wireless markets in the United States.
Comcast app to let viewers store, replay movies
December 14, 2012 3:06 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsComcast says its tablet and phone app now lets subscribers download and store movies and TV shows from some channels for offline viewing. Cable companies have rushed out applications that let viewers stream TV content, but this is the first one that allows offline viewing.
Disney strikes long-term carriage deal with Cox
December 14, 2012 3:00 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsThe Walt Disney Co. began the year with a long-term carriage deal with Comcast, and it’s ending it with a similar agreement with Cox Communications. Cox is now able to carry Disney programming across televisions, computers, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles and Internet-enabled televisions.
Softbank caps Sprint's bid for Clearwire; investors ask for more
December 14, 2012 2:57 pm | by Ben Munson, Wireless Week | News | CommentsSprint’s bid to buy the remaining portion of Clearwire is proving more complicated than originally thought, as Softbank, which plans to acquire a 70 percent stake in Sprint next year, draws a cap on Sprint’s bid for Clearwire, and investors say they want a lot more per share than that bid will allow.
Verizon expands NFL coverage to Web portals
December 14, 2012 2:55 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsVerizon has extended the reach of its NFL coverage with the addition of “Watch NFL Network” to its FiOS TV Online Web portal. “Watch NFL Network” provides FiOS TV customers with live streaming access to NFL Network and RedZone programming.
