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- AT&T bolsters network with $1.9 billion spectrum buy from Verizon
AT&T will pay Verizon Wireless $1.9 billion for 700 MHz spectrum that it will use to bring 4G wireless service to 18 states. The total includes the value of Advanced Wireless Services licenses that AT&T will provide its rival in some markets in order for Verizon to expand its own Long-Term Evolution network. Verizon agreed to sell chunks of its spectrum last year when federal regulators were debating whether to approve the carrier's $3.6 billion spectrum purchase from cable companies. Bloomberg
(1/25), TechCrunch
(1/25)      
- RovAir claims Verizon deal for hourly data broadband service
Yet another company is trying to tinker with the economics of mobile broadband, this time reportedly with the help of Verizon Wireless. RovAir, a five-year-old firm that rents cellphones, now wants to sign up people for broadband accounts and charge them about $1 an hour without any fees or contracts. The company will open standard data accounts and sublease them to end users, who will pay only when their phones are plugged in. RovAir, which says it has a deal with Verizon, hopes to launch in February. All Things D
(1/26)
- Mayer offers insight into Yahoo's mobile vision
Marissa Mayer gave her most detailed interview yet on Yahoo's plans in a 30-minute talk with Bloomberg Television in which the CEO discussed how mobile fits in with her strategy. The former Google executive discussed the importance of personalization without intruding on the privacy of users and said she believes consumers should have full control of the personal data companies glean from searches. Yahoo wants to "provide a feed of information that is the Web ordered for you and is also available on your mobile phone," she said without getting into details. eWeek
(1/27), Business Insider
(1/25), Advertising Age (tiered subscription model)
(1/25)
| Wireless Inspires | | |
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- FarmLogs puts a crop management app in farmer's hands
Startup FarmLogs has raised $1 million for a cloud-based software application accessible through a mobile device or Web browser that is aimed at helping small farmers to maximize their crop yields by tracking inventory, curtailing paperwork, monitoring their bottom line and providing weather forecasts. Co-founder Jesse Vollmar said he realized the farming niche was wide open when he was helping his parents on their homestead. GigaOm
(1/25), Crain's Detroit Business (free registration)
(1/25)
| Technology | | |
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- ITU standard could reduce network burden by half
Wireless and wireline networks would get immense relief from bandwidth constraints under a new standard -- H.265 -- that an International Telecommunications Union working group has approved, a standard known as High Efficiency Video Coding that is the successor to the H.264 codec. The next-generation compression technology would consume half the bandwidth now required and open the door for HD video on wireless networks with limited capacity. TechCrunch
(1/25), Network World/IDG News Service
(1/25)
- Canonical's mobile chief lays out Ubuntu smartphone plans
Richard Collins, the head of mobile for Canonical, detailed his company's plans for building Ubuntu-based smartphones, an extension of the Linux-based desktop operating system. In an interview, Collins describes the company's relationship with Android developers, explains why Canonical will not prepare mobile applications for its smartphone launch and assesses the competition in the low-cost arena. Engadget
(1/25)
| Public Policy | | |
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- Library of Congress order makes unlocked phones illegal
As of Saturday, unlocking a subsidized cellphone purchased from a carrier without the approval of the carrier became a crime in the U.S. under a Library of Congress ruling that noted consumers still have a broad range of "unlocked phone options" open to them. In his notice, Librarian of Congress James Billington quoted CTIA-The Wireless Association® in asserting that "locking cell phones is an essential part of the wireless industry’s dominant business model" because carriers need to keep subscribers in contracts in order to make back the massive subsidies they pay handset makers for smartphones. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/The Biz Beat blog
(1/26), All Things D
(1/25), Bloomberg
(1/25)
| CTIA News | | |
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- What's really happening with unlocked devices
Consumers who pay the full price for a phone can take that phone to the carrier (or carriers) of their choice. However, if a carrier subsidized the price of the phone in exchange for the consumer’s agreement to use the phone on that carrier’s network, the consumer can only transfer the phone to a new carrier once the terms of the contract (or the carrier’s unlocking policy) have been satisfied. Consumers who do not want a contract plan with a carrier, but want an unlocked phone, may buy unlocked devices directly from the manufacturer, retail stores and wireless carriers and can take their device to whatever network they want. CTIA explains the copyright protection for "locked" subsidized phones, which is governed by DMCA, in this blog post.
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