Wireless
FREE Email Newsletter
Daily news and top headlines for broadband communications engineering and design professionals
Broadcasters counter Aereo with aerial dongles
April 11, 2013 1:55 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe miniature TV antenna picks up free, mobile broadcast signals. It attaches to iPhone and iPad power ports and extends about 7 inches, allowing users to view live local TV channels at not-quite-high-definition quality. The antenna doesn't sap a user's data plan or rely on Wi-Fi signals, but it does need to be recharged.
Report: NTT top telecom service provider for spending, revenue
April 11, 2013 1:04 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsWhen it comes to revenue and capital expenditures, NTT still ruled the telecom service provider roost worldwide last year, according a recent study. Infonetics Research’s report said the world’s top-three service providers in 2012 by revenue were, in order, NTT, AT&T and Verizon.
Deutsche Telekom could delay final tally in T-Mobile, Metro Vote
April 10, 2013 12:55 pm | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsDeutsche Telekom (DT) could potentially halt the final tally of the shareholder vote to approve the T-Mobile-MetroPCS merger if things don’t appear to be swinging in its favor. A Bloomberg report is citing people familiar with the matter as saying the delay could provide DT a chance to sweeten its bid.
Cox, Verizon Wireless combo bundle drops into Vegas, Arizona
April 10, 2013 12:39 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsCox Communications and Verizon Wireless have launched their combined offering of cable, phone, Internet and wireless services in metro Phoenix, Southern Arizona and Las Vegas. The bundling deal, which was first announced in December of 2011, allows subscribers to pick their service preferences from a range of offers that include video, Internet, home phone and 4G LTE wireless services.
Ericsson to acquire Microsoft Mediaroom
April 8, 2013 12:53 pm | by Brian Santo | News | CommentsMicrosoft will invest its full attention on the Xbox as a vehicle for its consumer TV strategy. Ericsson, meanwhile, further solidifies its position in the IPTV market, picking up ongoing support for Mediaroom customers, including AT&T (U-verse), Deutsche Telekom (Entertain), Telefonica, Telus (Optik TV), and Swisscom.
Cablevision up to 75,000 hotspots for Wi-Fi service
April 8, 2013 12:09 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsCablevision announced this morning that its Wi-Fi service, Optimum WiFi, was now enabled across more than 75,000 hotspots in its New York Metropolitan footprint. Cablevision also said its Wi-Fi service has been used more than one million times by its subscribers since it was first launched in Long Island back in 2008.
Internet from lamps one step closer
April 5, 2013 2:20 pm | by Brian Santo | News | CommentsTransmitting data using simple LEDs is still a research technology, but it took another step closer to practical implementation when the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute used off-the-shelf LED room lights for data transmission with data rates up to 800 Mbps in one laboratory experiment.
Motorola sets practical demos of HEVC
April 5, 2013 2:09 pm | by Brian Santo | News | CommentsOne of Motorola’s demos next week will feature a real-time HEVC encoder delivering streaming content to a Google Nexus 10 tablet for real-time decoding and playback, the company said. A second demo will showcase real-time HEVC HTTP live streaming to an Apple iPad (4th generation). A third will show an IP set-top box decoding HEVC.
Simple.TV draws $5M in venture money
April 4, 2013 2:27 pm | by Brian Santo | News | CommentsReally Simple Software said it closed $5 million in Series A funding from New World Ventures. Simple.TV is based on a DVR that streams both live and recorded TV shows to tablets, phones, or connected TVs. The system is designed for consumers looking to supplement over-the-air (OTA) broadcast TV with over the top (OTT) services such as Netflix and Hulu.
Broadcom launches first 5G WiFi hotspot
April 3, 2013 1:59 pm | by Andrew Berg, Wireless Week | News | CommentsBroadcom continues its push to support 5G WiFi with the announcement today of a router that supports the technology; it has made the 5G WiFi hotspot available through SK Telecom. Broadcom's 802.11ac Wi-Fi boasts speeds up to three times faster and up to six times more power efficient than previous generations of Wi-Fi.
Cisco intends to buy Ubiquisys
April 3, 2013 1:49 pm | by Ben Munsen, Wireless Week | News | CommentsUbiquisys provides 3G and LTE small cell technologies to help close the seams in wireless connectivity. The Ubiquisys purchase will mesh with other recent Cisco acquisitions, like Intucell and Broadhop, and further strengthen the company’s mobile strategy.
Report: VZW, AT&T crafting bid to buy Vodafone
April 2, 2013 1:11 pm | by Andrew Berg, Wireless Week | News | CommentsVerizon Communications and AT&T are said to be mulling a breakup bid for Vodafone that would value Vodafone at approximately $245 billion. Verizon entered into a joint venture with Vodafone back in 2000, creating what is now Verizon Wireless. Verizon currently owns 55 percent of the company, while Veodafone holds the remaining 45 percent.
Appeals court: Aereo is legal
April 2, 2013 1:06 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsAereo, which offers inexpensive live broadcast television feeds to computers, tablets and smartphones, doesn't violate U.S. copyright law, a divided federal appeals court said Monday. The decision was based in part on Cablevision's landmark court case that established the legality of the networked PVR system.
MetroPCS shares up as T-Mobile deal is criticized
March 29, 2013 12:39 pm | by Associated Press | News | CommentsInvestors bet Thursday that T-Mobile USA will have to sweeten its proposal to merge with smaller cellphone carrier MetroPCS Communications Inc. after an influential shareholder advisory firm came out against the deal. Shares of Dallas-based MetroPCS, the fifth-largest U.S. cellphone company, rose 42 cents, or 4 percent, to $10.95 in midday trading.
Media: Sprint, Softbank near U.S. deal to restrict Huawei
March 29, 2013 12:28 pm | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsSprint and Softbank, the Japanese cellular company that intends to buy 70 percent of the U.S.’s third largest carrier, are expected to allow the U.S. government oversight in its choice of network suppliers. The New York Times reports the deal would enable the government to monitor changes to the combined company’s network and possibly prevent it from using equipment manufactured by Chinese companies, particularly Huawei.
