3G

New Clearwire announces 'Clear' brand

Jim Barthold — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:38:27 -0500

It's all clear sailing now for the new Clearwire. Having managed to solidify its merger with Sprint's Xohm business unit and hold on to $3.2 billion in investment money from Comcast, Time Warner, Bright House Networks, Intel and Google in tough economic times, the mobile WiMAX pioneer is ready to go to market with a service branded "Clear."

Clear, said Ben Wolff, Clearwire's CEO, "is a natural choice because it is a simple, commonly used word that has significance as it relates to communications services and, of course, it is part of our corporate name."

Wolff used a brief media conference call to clear up a few items that were outstanding as the new company formed from the fourth generation network operations of Sprint Nextel and the old Clearwire. First, he said, the new Clearwire is taking a lot of money from its investors but it has "very little in common with a joint venture (because) unlike most joint ventures Clearwire is independent from its major corporate shareholders."

Those shareholders will contribute to the company's coffers with cash and will be major wholesale customers but "they do not have the ability to direct the activities of the company nor is their approval required to undertake major business initiatives such as where or when we build our network or future capital raising activities," Wolff said.

Secondly, he said that while committed to WiMAX, Clearwire considers this an open marriage. In other words, if LTE comes to fruition several years down the road it would not necessarily remain monogamous.

"Mobile WiMAX and LTE have a lot in common--far more in common than either of these technologies have with today's 2G or 3G technologies," Wolff said. "Consumers really don't care about the technology."

Apparently, if push came to shove, neither does Clearwire since, according to Wolff, "if it makes sense for us to do so several years from now when LTE becomes commercially available" the carrier will go in two 4G technology directions.

Wolff was a little less clear about how the nationwide 4G rollout will proceed. The first mobile WiMAX market, Sprint's Xohm in Baltimore, will be rebranded as Clear. However, the 46 pre-WiMAX networks now operating under the Clearwire brand in the U.S. will continue to carry that name. The next city to come to market will be Portland, Ore.. where the first customers will come online this month with a full commercial launch early next year. "Several additional markets are in various stages of design, development and construction," Wolff said

These, of course, include existing Sprint markets that have been under way in the planning and development stages.

"At this point one of our most important tasks is to integrate these assets with ours," Wolff said. "We intend to share more details about our network expansion plans early next year after we've had an opportunity to meet with our new board to discuss our new products."

In the meantime, he said, Clearwire will "dedicate most of our focus" to building a common back office system and deploying new markets based on common infrastructure.

For more:
- see this news release

Related articles:
Clearwire Stockholders Approve Transaction to Combine Clearwire and Sprint's 4G Mobile WiMAX Business
FCC clears Sprint-Clearwire deal to create "new" Clearwire

Motorola's Handset Strategy - Wireless Turkeys 2008

Phil Goldstein — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:45:44 -0500

Why is it a turkey?

Motorola started the year by confirming that it was considering spinning off its mobile devices business entirely. The company's prospects did not improve as the year went on. The first quarter saw Motorola post a $194 million loss as it shipped 27.4 million units. In the second quarter, the company posted a $4 million profit, but revenue dropped 7.4 percent to $8.08 billion, and the company's handset business continued to struggle.

In early August Motorola named former Qualcomm executive Sanjay Jha co-CEO and head its handset division. Jha was tasked with turning the flailing business around. The company's entrée into the smartphone market in the wake of the iPhone 3G was the Krave ZN4, which it billed as both a touchscreen phone and a flip phone. But excitement over the phone could not disguise problems with the company's handset strategy, and Motorola reported a $397 million third quarter loss, including an $840 million loss in the handset division. Jha said Motorola would focus on low-tier devices as well as mid-to-high tier devices based on Google's Android platform and Windows Mobile.

Yet Samsung passed Motorola in the third quarter as the top handset maker in the United States for the first time. To top off a year of bad news for the handset division, the Motorola RAZR lost its spot as the top-selling U.S. consumer handset in the quarter to the iPhone 3G, according to the NPD Group. The fact that the RAZR had been the top phone for 12 straight quarters and no other Motorola phone had been at the top laid bare Motorola's lack of innovation, especially in the post-iPhone era.

iPhone 3G Glitches - Wireless Turkeys 2008

Phil Goldstein — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:33:35 -0500

Why is it a turkey?

When Apple launched the iPhone 3G on July 11, in conjunction with AT&T Mobility as the wireless service provider, it was heralded as an industry-wide game-changer. And that has proved to be the case, as the iPhone 3G was the top-selling consumer device in third quarter of 2008. But the phone faced a series of early setbacks, as some customers found that it could not connect in some cases to AT&T's 3G UMTS/HSPA network, and instead dropped them down to EDGE data speeds, or the signal dropped entirely. The reaction was, well, fierce.

After news reports began filtering in about the connectivity issue, some thought that perhaps design flaws were part of the problem. Apple released a software update that it said fixed the issue, but declined to specifically comment on what it was fixing, saying only that the update "improves communication with 3G networks."

The next day, Apple was hit with a lawsuit that claimed the iPhone 3G's network performance and reliability did not live up to what the company claimed in its marketing campaign. Users around the world claimed that the operators were to blame for the flub. A lawsuit to that effect was filed in early September against both AT&T and Apple, with the bulk of the complaint being against the network.

Will Cox finally get wireless right?

Sue Marek — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:51:38 -0400

Perhaps the third time will be a charm for Cox Communications. Earlier this week the cable company revealed some more details of its pending wireless deployment. The firm said it is going to build its own 3G network--using 1xEVDO Rev A technology--and use the wireless spectrum it has acquired by bidding in the 700 MHz spectrum auction and the AWS spectrum auction (in the AWS spectrum auction it bid as part of the SpectrumCo joint venture).

Cox, of course, is not stranger to wireless. It first deployed wireless back in the 1990s in some markets in California and Las Vegas but then sold its holdings to Sprint PCS. The cable company tried again to be a wireless player in 2005 when it became part of the Pivot joint venture along with Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Advance/NewHouse Communications and Sprint. Those companies teamed up to provide a bundled quad-play offering that was supposed to roll out across the country. Although Pivot launched in a few markets, it floundered from lack of interest and uptake and was finally dismantled earlier this year.

Cox now says it will build a wireless network in its cable service area--including cities such as New Orleans, Omaha and Las Vegas--serving about 23 million potential customers. It will use the Sprint Nextel network for roaming outside those areas. Although initially it will deploy EVDO Rev. A, Cox said it would begin testing LTE in 2009.

Cox is being cagey about what types of services and pricing plans it will unveil to differentiate itself from its competitors. I certainly hope it plans to do more than just offer a bundled quad-play offering. I don't think that alone will draw enough consumers to justify the network buildout.

I wonder if we will finally see the mobile DVR player that I've been hearing about since 2005 when the Pivot players talked about it but never launched it. Supposedly the mobile DVR that Pivot was going to offer would provide the consumer with the ability to remotely program their home digital video recorder from their phone and even use their phone to get some (or all) of their cable video content delivered to their handset.

Cox has said that it wants to control all aspects of this latest wireless offering, so it makes sense that cable company would integrate its cable TV content with the mobile phone. If Cox is able to do that, it might have the differentiated offering that it needs to succeed. - Sue

The downside of AT&T's iPhone 3G subsidies

Sue Marek — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:20:13 -0400

When AT&T made the decision earlier this year to subsidize the iPhone 3G and get the price down to a figure that would generate mass market appeal, Ralph de la Vega, AT&T Mobility's CEO, said that he expected a short-term hit to the company's margins. But de la Vega and the folks at AT&T didn't anticipate selling 2.4 million iPhone 3G devices during the third-quarter. That overwhelming sales figure boosted the company's net adds to 2 million, but caused its overall operating margins to fall to 33.8 percent down from 35.3 percent a year ago. AT&T said it spent $900 million in customer-acquisition costs related to the iPhone.

Investors never like to see a margin decline nor do they like to see customer acquisition costs rise. But that is the reality of AT&T's decision to subsidize the iPhone 3G. Nevertheless, the company remains confident that this margin hit is only short-term and will pay off in the form of better, higher paying customers. In yesterday's earnings call with investors, de la Vega said that the iPhone 3G customers generate better-than-average revenue per user--about 1.6 times that of the average for its postpaid base, or about $95 per month.

He also said that AT&T continues to attract new customers to its network because of the iPhone--an astonishing 40 percent of the iPhone 3G activations are from customers that are new to AT&T. That figure has to be causing some consternation among AT&T competitors and I have to wonder if we will see an increase in third quarter churn rates among some of the other operators as their customers defected to AT&T for the iPhone 3G.

It will be interesting to see how long it takes AT&T to recoup its iPhone 3G acquisition costs. Ultimately that will determine the success of AT&T's subsidy strategy.

By the way, AT&T's Ralph de la Vega was one of the the top 5 picks in our 25 Most Powerful People in Wireless list that we revealed last week. I'd like to thank all the readers who sent me their comments, criticisms and praise of our list. Many of you said that you were disappointed that our list was so U.S. centric. I apologize for not making it clear when we launched the list that we were looking at it from a U.S. angle--since that is the wireless market that we follow most closely.

We are in the midst of preparing our next feature--the Top Wireless Innovators of All Time. These are the folks who made the wireless industry what it is today. If you have any suggestions, send me a note and tell me why you think this person should be considered a top wireless innovator. -Sue

AT&T sells 2.4M iPhone 3Gs in 3Q, but margins suffer

Sue Marek — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:43:55 -0400

AT&T's debut of the iPhone 3G in July was a huge hit with consumers and big boost for AT&T in terms of subscribers, but the subsidies on the iPhone 3G wreaked some havoc on company's margins. The company said today that it sold 2.4 million iPhone 3G devices in the third quarter, and its total net adds were 2 million, bringing AT&T's total wireless customer base to 74.9 million. However, iPhone 3G subsidies reduced pretax third-quarter earnings by $900 million or 10 cents per share. AT&T's wireless operating income margin was 22.8 percent vs. 26.4 percent in the year-earlier quarter. AT&T wireless revenues were up 15.4 percent to $12.6 billion and wireless service revenues were $11.3 billion.

During this morning's call with investors Ralph de la Vega, CEO of AT&T Mobility and consumer market, said that the iPhone 3G will provide substantial long-term value for the company and said that already it has caused same-store traffic to increase, and contributed to strong data revenue growth. Here's breakdown of the third-quarter metrics:

Subscriber growth: Total wireless subscribers increased 2 million, with retail postpaid subscribers increased 1.7 million, which is the largest quarterly postpaid subscriber increase in company history. The company sold 2.4 million iPhone 3G devices and 40 percent of those activations were for customers that are new to AT&t.

Churn: Churn was 1.7 percent--the same as the year-earlier quarter. Postpaid churn was 1.2 percent, down from 1.3 percent in third quarter 2007.

ARPU: Average revenue per user was $58.99, up 2.6 percent vs. third quarter 2007.

Data: Data revenue increased 50.5 percent over the previous year for a total revenue of $2.7 billion. MMS volumes were more than double third quarter 2007 volumes. AT&T's UMTS/HSPA network is in 324 cities and will expand to 350 by year-end.

Devices: About 22 percent of AT&T postpaid wireless customers have an integrated device, up from 10.5 percent a year ago. About 17 million AT&T customers have 3G devices. Nearly 5.9 million customers use 3G LaptopConnect cards and broadband-speed integrated devices with a Qwerty or touchscreen keyboard.

For more:
- see this press release

Related articles:
AT&T adds 1.3M subs; wireless data revenue surges
AT&T will subsidize 3G iPhone

T-Mobile boosts 3G coverage ahead of G1 launch

Phil Goldstein — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:31:50 -0400

T-Mobile USA announced Friday that it was expanding its 3G network coverage, broadening its UMTS/HSDPA footprint in advance of the Oct. 22 of the G1, the first phone running on Google's Android OS.

The carrier, which has lagged behind the other incumbent wireless carriers in 3G deployment, said its network had gone live in Sacramento, Calif., this week. It also said coverage would be coming to Memphis, Tenn., and Tampa, Fla., next week and to Washington, D.C., and its surrounding metro area in November.

There has also been a slight semantic change to T-Mobile's rollout. When the operator announced an aggressive rollout of UMTS/HSDPA into new markets earlier this fall, it said it would have coverage in "27 markets" by year's end, and now declares that it will be operating in "120 cities" by the end of the year.

For more:
- see this release
- see this Unstrung analysis
- see pics of the G1

Related Articles:
T-Mobile will have 3G in 27 markets by year's end
T-Mobile needs to differentiate its UMTS network

Reviewing the G1 - Interface, keyboard increase appeal

Sue Marek — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:25:28 -0400

I've been testing T-Mobile's G1 by Google all week and I've been impressed with the device. I liked the physical keyboard that appears when you slide the screen up. I could type quickly and easily with a fair amount of accuracy. I also liked the touch interface and the trackball for additional navigation. The home screen has icons for applications and programs, allowing a lot of flexibility.

As the first phone using Google's Android operating system, the device is closely tied to Google's applications. You have one-button access to Google's map feature that includes a compass as well as one-button access to Google search, which was very handy.

I tested the phone in Denver (where T-Mobile's UMTS network hasn't been deployed yet) and in Chicago where UMTS is available. I definitely saw an improvement in data speeds in Chicago. T-Mobile currently has UMTS live in 20 markets and expects to have it available in 28 markets by year-end. Being in a UMTS market will definitely make the G1 more appealing to consumers.

Another downside to the phone was that I thought it was a bit clunky and thick. It didn't have the sleek feel of the iPhone 3G. The model I demo'd was a basic black but T-Mobile says that the G1 will also be available in bronze when it launches Oct. 22 and that more colors will follow.

Overall, I think T-Mobile has a winner with the G1 and I believe it will be a viable competitor to the iPhone 3G and the other smartphones on the market. With its price at just $179 with a two-year voice plan, this device should be a hit for the holidays. Check out our photos of the G1 here. --Sue

P.S. We're counting down our 25 Most Powerful People in Wireless and today we reveal No. 6-10. See who made the cut here.

T-Mobile dongles 3G mobile broadband sharing

Jim Barthold — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:46:12 -0400

T-Mobile International may have come up with the killer application to differentiate its 3G offering and fuel new demand for mobile broadband dongles: share the device bandwidth among multiple users.

One of the obvious drawbacks for those who want to slice landlines and go all-mobile is the inability to share that 3G data connection from a single input device or dongle. While common for DSL or cable modems to share in-building broadband with a WiFi link, a 3G dongle has generally been a one-user dead end. By launching a wireless router in the U.K., T-Mobile will be able to mirror landline services by letting up to three users connect using the dongle plugged into a Mobile Broadband Share Dock.

While there is speculation that the dock will be given away for certain users on packaged plans and available to existing customers via a separate purchase, T-Mobile has yet to define how the unit will be distributed other than to claim that up to three people can share a wireless connection "comfortably" with it.

For more:
- see this article

Related articles:
T-Mobile unveils 3G/WiFi docking station (femtocell?)
T-Mobile needs to differentiate its UMTS network

Apple iPhone 3G (8GB model) - Top Selling Smartphones

Phil Goldstein — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:34:30 -0400

The ubiquitous über-device seems to both have it all and have no peer--yet. Apple's revamped iPhone, which launched in July to much fanfare and then some sour reviews because of its sometimes-unreliable connection to AT&T Mobility's 3G HSPA network, remains popular. It is the top seller for a few key reasons: the scope of its functions (including being both a phone and an iPod, its accelerometer functionality and having Google Maps and a whole host of applications available from the Apple App Store); its style, including its sleek look; and in general, the aura around the brand. When analysts talk about an IPK--an iPhone Killer--they mean something that will have the same brand recognition as the iPhone. So far, in that respect, it remains peerless.

Report: Base station sales down sharply in 2008

Phil Goldstein — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 11:01:31 -0400

A report by the research firm InStat has found that base station sales for 2008 dropped off sharply compared to 2007, mostly due to a worldwide drop-off in network expansion, despite increased 3G expansion in the United States. Release

T-Mobile USA removes 1GB data limit

Phil Goldstein — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:10:28 -0400

A day after it was reported that T-Mobile USA would have a 1GB limit on data usage for its 3G UMTS network, the company said it has removed that limit from its policy statement and is currently reviewing all details and terms for its new data plans.

Earlier this week T-Mobile launched the G1 phone in conjunction with Google, which prominently features web and data access as some of both its flashiest and primary functions. The phone will be available Oct. 22. Data plans for the G1 range from $25 to $35 per month, with the $35 per month being touted as offering unlimited web, email and messaging access. Initially the fine print on the contract said that customers who exceeded the 1GB limit in a given billing cycle would have their throughput reduced to 50 Kbps for the remainder of the billing cycle, effectively ending their 3G connection.

T-Mobile has removed the 1GB limit and says it wants to ensure that all customers receive equal access to its 3G network. In addition, the company says that "a small fraction of our customers who have excessive or disproportionate usage that interferes with our network performance" would be facing punitive action.

To see the full company statement:
- click here

Related Articles:
T-Mobile USA to cap 3G data usage at 1GB
Google, T-Mobile USA launch the G1 Android phone

T-Mobile USA to cap 3G data usage at 1GB

Phil Goldstein — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:32:10 -0400

A day after T-Mobile USA launched the G1 in conjunction with Google, it appears the carrier will be capping the data usage on its 3G UMTS network at 1GB, according to a report on Engadget Mobile.

The wireless carrier, in fine print on a link about its 3G UMTS/HSDPA data plans, said that if users exceed 1 GB of data usage in their billing cycle, their throughput speeds may be reduced to 50 Kbps for the remainder of the billing cycle, effectively ending a 3G connection.

Data plans for the G1 run between $25 and $35 per month, with the $35 plan being touted as offering unlimited web, email and messaging access.

For more:
- see this post
- click here for the T-Mobile link

Related Articles:
T-Mobile USA's 3G: Better late than never?
T-Mobile USA expands UMTS footprint

3G Americas: HSPA today, LTE tomorrow

Phil Goldstein — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:05:20 -0400

For 3G Americas, the future actually is now.

With Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology still on the horizon but not being implemented on a large scale until 2013 at the earliest, speakers at the 3G Americas Wireless Broadband Technology briefing in Washington, D.C., on Thursday extolled the virtues of the current HSPA network and said there was a lot of room to grow.

Kris Rinne, AT&T's senior vice president for architecture and planning, said there were three reasons there are more than 250 million UMTS/HSPA subscribers worldwide. The network is available in more countries than ever before. There is a variety of devices that work on the network. And there has been a massive proliferation of applications that work on those devices. She cited the fact that since the debut of Apple's iPhone 3G in July, there have been more than 100 million application downloads.

Rinne also projected that the number of UMTS/HSPA subscribers would reach 315 million by the end of 2008 and would reach 1 billion by 2011. Currently there are 700 HSPA-capable devices on the market today.

Nevertheless, there are challenges ahead for the GSM community, she said. She cited a statistic by Informa Telecoms and Media that projected 1000 percent growth in mobile traffic by 2012, which, she said, will require greater spectrum allocation and network management. One of her architects surmised the situation succinctly and said: "We have to make the plumbing bigger."

Rinne emphasized that the next generation of HSPA, HSPA+ (or, alternatively, HSPA Evolved or Release 7), was essentially a software update that allowed for backward compatibility and the potential for global roaming that could offer download speeds of between 28 and 42 Mbps.

While she touched on LTE, and said it was another entire ecosystem that could be tapped, with theroetical speeds of over 100 Mbps, she reiterated that it was a long way off for wide commercial use, noting that HSPA was first adopted in 2005, but it was not until this year that it was available on more than 50 percent of potential handsets. At this point, what is holding LTE back is not the technology itself, but the necessary infrastructure and devices to support it.

T-Mobile USA expands UMTS footprint

Phil Goldstein — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 09:58:36 -0400

T-Mobile USA is expanding the reach of its UMTS footprint by pushing into 13 new metropolitan areas. The company said it was on track to expand to 27 major markets by the end of 2008.

The move came as T-Mobile also announced a series of new backhaul agreements to transport the high-speed data traffic.

T-Mobile currently has UMTS access in Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, the New York metro area, Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio and San Diego and plans to expand to Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Orlando, Philadelphia, Sacramento, San Francisco and Seattle later this fall. The backhaul agreements are meant to increase bandwidth and access of applications using HSDPA technology as well as to expand service in Tampa, Orlando, South Florida, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Memphis.

All of this is meant to boost T-Mobile's 3G presence as it fights with AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless for market share and plays catch up in deploying high-speed data services.

For more:
- see this article and release

Related Articles:
T-Mobile USA's 3G: Better late than never?
With little fanfare, T-Mobile launches 3G in New York

Largent outlines industry growth

Phil Goldstein — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:00:29 -0400

In the beginning, there were statistics.

CTIA President and CEO Steve Largent opened the CTIA Wireless I.T. and Entertainment conference in San Francisco by outlining the state of the industry in the association's mid-year data survey, noting that total six-month revenues topped out at $72.7 billion and data service revenues accounted for nearly $15 billion of that as of June 2008.

In an industry in the midst of a transfer to 3G network technologies and with 86 percent market penetration, Largent described a period of continued growth. The number of wireless customers in the United States now stands at 262.7 million, up 7.9 percent from 243.4 million as of mid-year 2007, and up 2.9 percent from 255.4 million at the end of 2007.

The total service revenue figure was a record, up 7.1 percent from $67.9 billion in June of last year. Data revenue, at $14.78 billion, accounted for 20.3 percent of all total revenue. The average local monthly bill was $48.54, down 28 percent from $49.94 as of June 2007, a continuing trend in the U.S., where monthly bills have consistently been lower than those for customers in Europe.

In another contrast with Europe, Largent pointed out that the U.S. adoption of 3G network technology outpaced that of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Click here for photos from today's keynote...

Related Article:
CTIA: 243M mobile users in U.S.

AT&T, Panasonic will support Qualcomm's Gobi chip

Phil Goldstein — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:08:53 -0400

Qualcomm just received more support for its Gobi embedded laptop chipset. AT&T has certified the technology to be used on its HSPA network along with two of Panasonic's Gobi-enabled rugged notebooks. In addition, HP's refreshed line of notebooks, which have built-in Gobi technology, are also certified for AT&T's network.

On the CDMA front, two of Panasonic's Gobi-enabled laptops received certification from Verizon Wireless for use on its EV-DO network.

Gobi allows users to switch seamlessly between 3G networks around the world, including GSM, EDGE, HSPA, and EV-DO. Vodafone, which operates an HSPA network in Europe, has backed the project, complementing partner Verizon's U.S.-based EV-DO network.

Yesterday at Andrew Seybold's Wireless University before the opening of the CTIA Wireless I.T. and Entertainment conference in San Francisco, Qualcomm's vice president of strategic products for their CDMA division, Michael Concannon, extolled the virtues of Gobi.

One of the keys to Gobi's innovative design, Concannon said, is that it standardizes API, and allows developers to develop a potentially endless variety of applications that sit above the card firmware, while providing no problem with certification.

For more:
- see this article

Qualcomm executive pushes Gobi chipset

Phil Goldstein — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:17:01 -0400

Michael Concannon, Qualcomm's vice president of strategic products for Qualcomm's CDMA division, revealed more details about the Gobi chipset at the Andrew Seybold University, co-located at the CTIA Wireless I.T. and Entertainment Conference in San Francisco. Concannon billed the chipset as the multimode solution to global 3G network compatibility issues.

Gobi allows users to switch seamlessly between 3G networks around the world, including GSM, EDGE, HSPA, HSDPA and EV-DO. Vodafone, which operates an HSPA network in Europe, has backed the project, complementing partner Verizon's U.S.-based EV-DO network. Concannon said the chipset streamlines notebook manufacturer supply logistics and provides mobile GPS functionality on laptops.

The concept was first announced last fall and more details began emerging about the aims of the chipset this spring. Concannon said the Gobi solution arose in response to both a rising number of 3G subscribers globally--now estimated at 630 million--as well as 3G technology not being embedded and deployed fast enough in laptops.

Concannon said consumers were forced into carrier selection at the time of purchase, and that had restricted global mobility for business travelers. In response, he said, IT managers told Qualcomm they wanted a solution that would provide easy end-user access, provide coverage anywhere they could use a cell phone, gave them investment protection and allowed for global roaming.

One of the keys to Gobi's innovative design, Concannon said, is that it standardizes API, and allows developers to develope a potentially endless variety of applications that sit above the card firmware, while providing no problem with certification.

Behind the slick marketing roll-out is a clear business model. If Gobi is adopted largescale in laptops it will give Qualcomm a foothold in an expanding market as they hope to pivot and move beyond their CDMA standard.

Related Articles:
Qualcomm aims to replicate dominance in laptop market
Qualcomm Introduces Gobi Global Mobile Internet & GPS Solution for Notebook Computers

LTE networks still years away

Phil Goldstein — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:10:24 -0400

The adoption of 4G wireless and Long Term Evolution (LTE) network technology is a long way off and will probably not be adopted on a large scale by network operators until around 2015, according to the host and panel participants at Andrew Seybold's Wireless University, a co-located conference held in conjunction with the CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment conference in San Francisco.

Andrew Seybold, along with panelists Vicki Livingston, the head of communications for 3G Americas, and Joe Lawrence, the VP of marketing for the CDMA Development Group, said that LTE will not be a common data standard for years to come and that 3G technology still has a lot of life left.

If LTE technology does come online, Seybold said, it will be at hotspots where there is an incredibly high demand for data, pointing out repeatedly that for carriers voice services still pay the bills and data does not.

Lawrence emphasized that market forces and demand would determine whether LTE is implemented on a large scale, and Livingston said there was no need to rush to LTE.

Though LTE may provide 30 percent to 40 percent greater network efficiency in a 10 MHz spectrum over HSPA and EV-DO technology, Lawrence questioned whether or not that was sufficiently efficient to justify a multi-billion dollar investment in an entirely new network when 3G technology is just hitting its stride.

Seybold said that just like projections for the next generation of 3G technologies -- 1X Advanced and EVDO-Advanced--LTE download speeds of 71-143 Mbps are entirely theoretical lab tests and will be considerably slower if, and when, they are applied to the real world.

Seybold also said although handset and chip-makers are pushing LTE, there remains a great deal of uncertainty over where and when LTE will be adopted. "If you say there are four things that can happen," he said, "what will happen is the fifth thing."

Click here to see the Andrew Seybold Wireless University photos...

Can the U.S. be the wireless innovation leader?

Sue Marek — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 09:02:49 -0400

At conventions and trade shows companies often disparage the U.S. for being "behind the times" when it comes to wireless technology. Devices and applications that skyrocketed to popularity in Asia and Europe were often slow to take off here in the states. But now the competitive balance is shifting and the U.S.--thanks in part to companies like Google and Apple--is starting to lead the way in wireless innovation. The U.S. has surpassed Europe in terms of 3G subscribers and U.S. consumers are flocking to smartphones. Article