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Posts Tagged ‘spectrum’

Intel’s WiMax invades Sweden

Friday, May 9th, 2008

After Intel and Google’s WiMax antics earlier this week it looks like Sweden is next in the chipamker’s sights. The Scandinavian country awarded four “mobile broadband licences” this week – and Intel is confirmed as one of the lucky winners.

According to AP, it paid around $26 million for its WiMax licence which will go for 15 years. Intel apparently plans to rent the licence to another network operator, according to AP.

While it’s good news for the WiMax lobby to see Intel putting its stake in the ground and ringfencing some spectrum for future WiMax networks, I can’t help but feel Intel should be shouting about its network operator partner as soon as it’s got the licence in its hand, rather than securing the licence and then hunting down someone to run the network at some point in the future.

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Posted in Mobile | Comments

Verizon Wireless, AT&T get going on LTE

Monday, April 7th, 2008

More news off the back of the 700 MHz spectrum auction – licence buyers were forbidden from talking about their plans for their purchases until last week – with Verizon and AT&T have announced they’re going to use spectrum to launch LTE (long term evolution networks).

“In the future, AT&T’s 700 MHz spectrum holdings will provide the foundation for deployment of next-generation wireless broadband platforms such as HSPA+ and LTE. While standards for emerging technologies such as LTE are still being developed, these technologies could enable peak broadband speeds of 100 Mbps or more,” said AT&T, while Verizon Wireless is heavier on the facts, saying: “Verizon Wireless plans to launch its LTE network in the 700 MHz spectrum in the 2010 timeframe”.

It’s so good to hear some real numbers being put on LTE rollout dates, but the word timeframe makes me a little nervous – sounds like Verizon Wireless is giving itself a little wriggle room for delays, while AT&T is giving itself all the time in the world.

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Posted in Operators | Comments

Qualcomm gives MediaFLO a $558m boost

Monday, April 7th, 2008

Remember all the discussion over what the recent 700 MHz spectrum auction would yield for the mobile industry? Well, at least part of that question has been answered: Qualcomm is using its newly won spectrum to broaden the capacity of its MediaFLO TV service, after spending $558.1 million in the auction.

The company said Qualcomm said the licences will let it offer more MediaFLO content in areas including Boston, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and San Francisco. The company has also got new spectrum around its office to help with R&D efforts.

Mobile TV is still an uncertain bet – anything that can help whip up some more interest from users can only be a good thing. Hopefully the capacity boost will let Qualcomm do some serious work on differentiating its content from what’s available on the home TV.

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Posted in Mobile TV | Comments

Verizon Wireless starts paying out for Vodafone

Friday, March 28th, 2008

After the sale rumours that followed Vodafone last year over its stake in Verizon Wireless, it looks like the decision to hold onto 45 percent of the US operator has paid off. According to the Financial Times, Vodafone has revealed it expects to start receiving dividends from its share in Verizon Wireless again from next year.

The paper reports Verizon Wireless last issued dividends back in 2005, it handed over £923 million, with the company deciding subsequently to pay down debt rather than issue dividends and quotes an analyst as suggesting that Verizon should indeed start paying out next year but at a lower level than previously.

So does this make it more or less likely that Vodafone will sell? After all, if it holds on longer, it’ll get to see some pay back for its investment. But, the resumption of dividends also means that its stake could fetch a higher price if Vodafone decided to put it up for sale. And then there’s the question of the 700Mhz spectrum auction, which Verizon Wireless emerged victorious from. While it got itself a juicy section of spectrum, it also shelled out a lot for the privilege. There’s got to be some heads being scratched at Vodafone right now.

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Posted in Vodafone | Comments

US to Dish up next mobile TV offering?

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

The US could be getting another mobile TV service, according to The Financial Times. The paper quotes analysts as saying broadcaster Dish Networks “could be considering launching a mobile TV service to compete with the leading US mobile phone companies” after bidding at the US 700 Mhz spectrum auction and winning enough licences to “create a nationwide footprint”.

The speculation the spectrum will be used for mobile TV rather than voice or data stems from the nature of the spectrum Dish, through a company called Frontier Wireless, bought: the spectrum is suited to video but can’t handly two way communication.

But whether that actually translates to mobile TV remains to be seen. After all, few broadcast mobile TV services are up and running commercially, let alone are bringing in the revenue. Dish so far has refused to comment on its plans for the spectrum. I guess we’ll have to wait and see if there’s more mobile TV on the way.

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Posted in Mobile TV | Comments

Google wants to reuse TV spectrum for fast mobiles

Tuesday, March 25th, 2008

Following the release of Android, it looks like Google has no intention of leaving the mobile world alone. According to Bloomberg, the internet search giant submitted a plan to Federal Communications Commission asking it to open up unused TV airwaves for mobile use.

Bloomberg reports that Google’s plan says that the vacant spectrum or “white spaces” could be used for high-speed mobile access without causing interference without disrupting TV signals.

Google has long been tinkering with acquiring spectrum of its own, and lost out last week to Verizon Wireless in a spectrum auction. Now its got the handsets ready and mobile search is opening up, making sure consumers have speedy mobile networks at their disposal would be a boon to Google. It seems, though, that despite Google’s pleas the “white spaces” won’t be opened up any time soon.

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Posted in Google | Comments

Ofcom ready to start bidding for mobile TV spectrum

Monday, March 17th, 2008

Mobile TV could soon be coming to the UK, with the news that Ofcom is planning to release spectrum which it says is appropriate for mobile telly. It plans to sell off the spectrum by auction, scheduled for the end of this April, while operators will need to get their applications in by 10 April.

The so-called L-Band spectrum, 1452 – 1492 MHz, can be used for “mobile multimedia services including mobile TV which could be deployed using a variety of technologies” Ofcom said. The spectrum will be sold off on a technology neutral basis and licences will be tradeable.

With almost all of the operators piloting some form of broadcast TV, I wonder if this release of spectrum will the auction winner move from test phase to a full-on commercial service launch.

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Posted in Mobile TV | Comments

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