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broadband posts

LTE Connected Car redefines the 'mobile' in mobile broadband (video)

by Vladislav Savov posted Nov 6th 2009 @ 4:53AM

If you think cellphones have become overbearingly complex, look away now. A partnership of tech companies and content providers, known as the ng Connect Program, has revealed a prototype "LTE Connected Car," which, as you might surmise, combines 4G mobile broadband connectivity with a bunch of cloud-sourced facilities, such as video on demand, audio libraries, and multiplayer gaming. It can also serve as a Wi-Fi hotspot, connect directly to home automation or monitoring systems, and probably cook you scrambled eggs if you ask nicely. A Toyota Prius serves as the guinea pig for this new concept, and we've got video of the whole shebang after the break.

Read - ng Connect Program Puts Connectivity in the Fast Lane with the LTE Connected Car Concept Vehicle
Read - ng Connect Program Reveals the Long Term Evolution (LTE) Connected Car

Continue reading LTE Connected Car redefines the 'mobile' in mobile broadband (video)

Verizon broadband data goes prepaid

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 5th 2009 @ 9:45AM

Heavy users are still going to need the 5GB monthly postpaid option (and really, let's be honest, a lot of us need well more than 5GB), but the occasional "crap, I really have to grab that spreadsheet off the intranet" moment might be well-served by Verizon's new prepaid data option announced today. "Occasional" really is the key word here, because it's not cheap -- $15 per day for 75MB, $30 per week for 250MB, or $50 per month for 500MB -- but hey, we guess we've gotta get Big Red used to the idea of offering a la carte data for a while before it becomes affordable to the masses. In the meantime, it'll be offered bundled with a USB760 modem (pictured) in Verizon and Best Buy locations starting on November 16.

Sprint lights up WiMAX in NC, Chicago and Dallas, launches subsidized Mini 10

by Darren Murph posted Nov 2nd 2009 @ 9:44AM

Don't you just love it when a plan comes together? Or better yet, when a leaked roadmap doesn't get delayed in the slightest? After months upon months of waiting, broadband-lovin' citizens in the North Carolina Triangle and Triad will be celebrating alongside DFW residents and Chicago natives as Sprint's 4G WiMAX service rolls into town. As of right now (that's today, junior), consumers in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point and Charlotte, NC; Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas and Chicago, Illinois can roll into a Sprint store and snag a U300 3G / 4G WWAN modem on a $69.99 monthly data plan. We're told that San Antonio and Austin will get lit up later this month, while Honolulu and Maui, Hawaii; Salem, Oregon and Seattle, Washington will join the fray before 2010. Oh, and did we mention that Palm's favorite carrier finally snagged itself a WWAN-equipped netbook? 'Cause the Dell Mini 10 is available starting today for $199.99 at select Sprint stores in the metropolitan Baltimore area.

Update: Looks like Sprint changed "Baltimore" to "Bay Area." Odd.

Read - Sprint WiMAX in the Triangle
Read - Sprint WiMAX in the Triad
Read - Sprint WiMAX in Charlotte, NC
Read - Sprint WiMAX in Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX
Read - Sprint WiMAX in Chicago, IL
Read - Sprint's first netbook is Dell Mini 10

FCC keen on commandeering TV spectrum for wireless broadband

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 28th 2009 @ 7:12AM

We'll come right out and say it, we like Julius Genachowski. Whether you agree with the dude's policies or not, you can't deny he's pursuing them with gusto. Having already noted the insufficient carrying capacity of current mobile broadband airways to deal with incoming 4G connections, the FCC chairman is now reported to be moving ahead with plans to provide greater spectrum allocation for those purposes. Currently in the draft stage, the latest Commission proposals include a plan to reclaim airwaves from digital broadcasters (and pay them appropriately for it), which are to then be sold off to the highest bidder from among the wireless service providers. Executing the most extreme version of this plan could generate around $62 billion in auction revenues, though it would require transitioning digital TV viewers over to cable or subscription services and is therefore unlikely. Jules and his crew are still "looking at everything" and ruling out nothing, but we can probably expect to see a moderate shift of TV spectrum rights over to wireless carriers in the final plans when they're revealed in February.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Clearwire and Sprint slinging WiMAX to NC, HI and TX in November / December

by Darren Murph posted Oct 23rd 2009 @ 4:27PM

We knew Clearwire would be snaking its 4G services to select markets in North Carolina, Hawaii and Texas before the year's end, but it's always reassuring to hear a corporation come right out and affirm that those leaked dates are still solid. What's interesting about the latest announcement is that both Clearwire and Sprint will be offering 4G in these same cities under their own brands, even though the signals and towers used will be the same. Starting next month, WiMAX will officially land in Greensboro and Raleigh, North Carolina (Charlotte is already lit up, despite these companies' claims) and Austin; Dallas/Fort Worth; San Antonio, Texas. In December, the companies will get things fired up in Honolulu and Maui, two areas where we're certain techs from Sprint / Clearwire are more than eager to go "test things out." So, now that this has all panned out, how's about another leak sheet for 2010 rollouts?

Samsung and TeliaSonera bringing LTE to vikings in 2010

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 22nd 2009 @ 9:06AM

Scandinavian folks tend to be a pretty cheerful bunch during the summer, and now Swedes and Norwegians will have reason to smile through the cold dark winters as well, with Samsung announcing an agreement to provide TeliaSonera with "mobile broadband devices for commercial service next year." This agreement relates to Sammy's Kalmia 4G USB modem and adds to the Swedish operator's LTE push, which already counts Ericsson and Huawei among the contracted hardware providers. So that's 100Mbps mobile broadband, coming to a snow-covered nation near you within the next dozen months or so. All we would ask of our viking friends now is that they remember their world-conquering ways of the past and start spreading that goodness globally. Come on, it's our right! Full press release after the break.

Continue reading Samsung and TeliaSonera bringing LTE to vikings in 2010

Captain Obvious reports: AT&T sees surge in WiFi use post-iPhone OS 3.0

by Darren Murph posted Jul 31st 2009 @ 5:04AM

You know, there's something to be said about making something easy: people usually take advantage. So seems to be the case with AT&T's WiFi connections after the release of iPhone OS 3.0, which finally became useful when users could seamlessly connect to one of the thousands of AT&T hotspots around the nation rather than having to stumble through a painfully long process on iPhone OS 2.x. According to an AT&T spokesperson speaking with AppleInsider, the amount of iPhone users linking up with AT&T's WiFi network tripled in June, and overall, it saw a 41 percent increase in connections compared to the prior quarter. It comes as no surprise to hear that AT&T is working feverishly to expand said network in order to relieve strain from its house of cards-styled 3G network, and while we'd definitely prefer a bit more reliability with the latter, we'll happily accept more WiFi in the meanwhile.

Clearwire sneaks WiMAX into Las Vegas, won't admit it until Summer

by Ross Miller posted Jun 10th 2009 @ 3:51AM

Clearwire's been slowly planting its WiMAX seeds around the country, and with nary a peep, it's rolled out the service into the Las Vegas area, designated by the image above. According to a company rep, the "official" launch -- including new store openings and a marketing blitz -- will begin this summer, but for now, it's operational and ready for those in the know. Portland and Atlanta vacationers, you can now watch your online bank account dwindle faster than you ever could before.

[Via Fierce Wireless; thanks, Zachery]

Read - Clearwire Goes Soft in Vegas
Read - Clear coverage map

Verizon Wireless to light up LTE in 20 to 30 markets in 2H 2010

by Nilay Patel posted May 15th 2009 @ 10:13AM

Looking for some LTE news that's harder than those wishy-washy vibes you've been getting thus far? Listen up. On a recent conference call, Verizon Wireless President and CEO Lowell McAdam (shown) stated that its LTE network would launch commercially in around 20 to 30 US markets during "the second half of 2010." He continued by noting that a "nationwide buildout would be complete in late 2013 to early 2014," but failed to elaborate on the whens, whos and whys in between. For those locked into the 4G movement, you'll notice that these dates are slightly different than ones tossed out in April by the outfit's CFO, which leads us to believe that we could hear something else in just a few month's time if things don't go perfectly to plan. At any rate, McAdam did confirm that a tiny group of VZW testers would have access to 4G this year, with one "pre-commercial" network per US coast being activated during 2009. Bring on the bytes, baby.

[Via phoneArena]

Cisco signs on to provide infrastructure, build Linksys WiMAX routers for Clearwire

by Darren Murph posted May 14th 2009 @ 8:41AM

Clearwire may not be as ubiquitous as you'd like it to be, but it's taking a huge step forward in hopes of wildly expanding by linking up with Cisco. In essence, the two have joined hands in order to "enhance and expand CLEAR 4G mobile WiMAX services throughout the United States," with Cisco providing the core infrastructure and Clearwire providing the guidance. Potentially more interesting is the notion that Cisco's Linksys brand will soon be delivering "new mobile WiMAX devices," such as routers that will presumably tune to WiFi and WiMAX waves. Specific product details are sorely absent, though Clearwire does reiterate that it's hoping to have WiMAX service to more than 80 markets across the US by the end of next year.

Verizon Wireless closes Alltel acquisition, lays out path forward

by Darren Murph posted Jan 14th 2009 @ 9:20PM

Welp, that's that. But not really, because acquiring a company as big as Alltel and shoving it into a company as gigantic as Verizon Wireless simply can't be easy. To that end, VZW has issued a release that details the steps forward now that the deal itself is closed. For starters, Alltel employees below executive level will continue in their present jobs as Verizon Wireless assesses staffing needs, and Verizon intends to re-brand Alltel operations in retained markets (read: the ones not divested by force) in phases, beginning in the second quarter and continuing through the third quarter of 2009." As for Alltel subscribers, they won't need to take any action at this time, with everything in their current plan -- My Circle included -- remaining the same throughout the transition period. If you're interested in the rest (we're looking at you, loyal Alltel user), hop on down to the read link.

[Via phonescoop]

Sierra Wireless intros 'ruggedified' AirCard 501 and 502 modems

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Dec 17th 2008 @ 1:07PM

Sierra Wireless has just announced two new ExpressCard modems for HSUPA wireless users. Sporting download speeds up tp 7.2Mbps and upload speeds up to 5.76Mbps, the AirCard 501 supports 850 / 1900 / 2100 MHz bands, while the AirCard 502 covers 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz. Both are backward compatible with UMTS, EDGE and GSM networks world 'round, and they're being touted as "durable," meaning there are no little antennas or plastic pieces to break on you. That last part should be good news to all of you post-apocalyptic Road Warriors out there (or not -- they're still just regular ExpressCards, as far as we can tell). The AirCard 501 is slated for release later this month, while those of you interested in the AirCard 502 will have to wait until the first part of 2009.

[Via Slash Phone]

Ericsson partners with 3 Scandinavia to deliver 21Mbps HSPA network

by Darren Murph posted Dec 10th 2008 @ 7:14AM

We're not quite sure if you really understand just how quick 21Mbps is, but it's fast -- really fast when you consider that we're talking about mobile broadband speeds. Ericsson and 3 Scandinavia have hooked up to upgrade the operator's current HSPA network to hit the aforementioned speed, though it'll be just Sweden and Denmark seeing the enhancements at first; of course, the duo has promised that the upgrade will eventually expand out to other locales, but details are scant beyond a 1H 2009 planned launch date.

[Via UnwiredView]

Sprint, Clearwire to finally get hitched thanks to FCC approval

by Samuel Axon posted Nov 5th 2008 @ 3:31PM

We're relieved, here's why: we don't have to report on this on-again / off-again relationship like we're a celebrity tabloid rag anymore. Around the same time it gave the thumbs up to Verizon and Alltel, the FCC also decided that tumultuous lovebirds Sprint and Clearwire can finally get hitched. Their eventual offspring will be the WiMAX network they've been promising with a bunch of other partners -- the plan is to offer wireless broadband to 140 million people within 30 months' time, so today's a big day for WiMAX and corporate romantics everywhere.

Cricket offers EV-DO access for $40 per month... with no contract

by Darren Murph posted Sep 13th 2008 @ 1:21PM

We'll be honest -- we weren't all that jazzed about Cricket's unlimited video clip service at $5 per month, but this is something we can get into. The animalistic carrier has just launched an unlimited mobile broadband package in several Texas cities, Las Vegas, Oklahoma City and St. Louis (all of its other cities will get gifted by year's end) which users can tap into for just $40 / month. Interestingly, the company is actually encouraging consumers to really take advantage of that "unlimited" bit, noting that it is aiming to put EV-DO (read: broadband) into the hands of lower-income (or budget-minded) citizens that can't afford to be strapped down by a contract. Of note, there are two big limitations: you can't use the service to make VoIP calls, and you can't run a server. Fair enough, Cricket!

[Via phonescoop]