Quick news from around the Web.
Auction Watch: After 125 rounds, the last of which included 60 new bids, the FCC's AWS-3 auction has raised a total of $ 44.439 billion in provisionally winning bids. Page. AWS-3 auction primer.
Cable's Yin and Yang: Comparing Comcast and Charter's different approaches to user guides. http://t.co/9jrJIG66Sf via @FierceCable
— FierceWireless (@FierceWireless) December 22, 2014
> China's Xiaomi is reportedly preparing to raise $1 billion in new funding. Article
> -Sierra Wireless announced it will acquire M2M company Wireless Maingate AB in Sweden for $90 million in cash. The transaction is expected to close in February 2015. Release
> AT&T Mobility rebranded its Alltel stores in South Carolina. Release
> Truly Wireless scored $1.4 million in funding; the company hopes to turn users' smartphones into true business phones. Article
> Apple is increasing its prices in Russia in response to the country's economic turmoil. Article
> Microsoft removed unofficial Snapchat apps from its Windows app store. Article
> Asus appears poised to release a new smartphone at the upcoming CES show. Article
> ZTE is reportedly planning to scale down the number of smartphone models it will release. Article
Wireless Tech News
> The Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) is expected to complete its work on a broad reference architecture for the Internet of Things (IoT) early next year, according to EE Times. The group is also ramping up three test beds and will start identifying gaps where new standards might be needed. Article
> Service provider-centric network functions virtualization (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN) investments are expected to reach nearly $21 billion by 2020, according to SNS Research. Article
> The LoRa Alliance is preparing to tackle the Internet of Things with its new LPWAN standard. Article
Telecom News
> Level 3 Communications is implementing a fully meshed MPLS network for international satellite provider Globalstar Communications' worldwide ground station locations. Article
> Windstream is taking the next step in its 100G journey, selecting Cyan's Z-Series packet-optical hardware to upgrade its regional and metro networks to 100G. Article
Cable News
> Media conglomerate 21st Century Fox has removed Fox News and Fox Business from the programming guides of over 14 million Dish Network subscribers. Article
> Cox Communications has announced major progress of its aggressive Wi-Fi buildout, with 1,700 hotspots being rolled out across Las Vegas and Phoenix. Article
European Wireless News
> Qualcomm Technologies (QTI) and Huawei said they achieved download speeds of up to 410 Mbps on the LTE Advanced (LTE-A) network of UK-based operator EE by aggregating three separate frequency blocks or carriers. Article
> Ericsson is taking the next step in the evolution of the 'connected' vehicle, teaming with Volvo Cars and sports safety equipment maker POC to develop technology to help cyclists avoid collisions. Article
And finally… South Korea's nuclear plant operator said its computers have been hacked. Article