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| Rumor Mill: T-Mobile getting iPhone 3GS this year? T-Mobile USA is at the center of the latest rumor surrounding Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) popular iPhone. Chris Anderson, the editor-in-chief of Wired, sent out a message on Twitter last night that read: \"A T-Mobile manager casually mentioned to me that they're going to get the iPhone 3GS (but not 4, oddly) later this year. Common knowledge?\" Like many rumors of the iPhone expanding beyond AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T), this one is a little shaky. However, there is some additional evidence that T-Mobile might be in the running for the iPhone. As part of a broader report on how Deutsche Telekom CEO Rene Obermann sees the company's U.S. unit trending, the Financial Times reported in March that the carrier is looking to sell the iPhone this year or next year, though it didn't cite the source of the information. \"AT&T's problems stem partly from its status as the exclusive network for Apple's bandwidth-hungry iPhone,\" the report stated. \"The iPhone has provided AT&T with strong revenue growth, and T-Mobile USA is hoping to start selling the popular smartphone later this year or next year. In the meantime, it will focus on smartphones powered by Google's Android.\" Many carriers, of course, \"hope\" to land the iPhone, though T-Mobile Germany has been a carrier for the phone. A T-Mobile USA spokeswoman declined to comment. Recent iPhone rumors have centered on speculation that Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) will launch a version of the smartphone early next year. AT&T said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission in August that it does not expect the loss of handset exclusivity agreements--like the one it has with the iPhone--to hurt its wireless earnings. For more: Related Articles: |
| ZTE's Agent phone lands at MetroPCS; Palm's webOS 2.0 detailed in pictures Quick news from around the Web @FierceWireless: Check out the top mobile applications 2010: Ten #enterprise apps that work hard (so you don't have to). Article #apps #wireless | Follow @FierceWireless > Amdocs' CEO is set to retire next year. Article > A court ruling could make it harder for the government to obtain cell phone users' location information. Post > Verizon announced an investment in connected home vendor 4Home. Release > Energizer rolled out an inductive charger for mobile phones that relies on the Qi standard. Article > Jasper Wireless announced Jasper Link, which the company said is a software-based network adapter that simplifies the process of building and managing connected devices. Release > Apple's antenna foibles with its iPhone 4 could have cost the company 20 percent of sales. Article > Nokia Siemens Networks invested in OpenCloud. Release > Another ZTE phone arrived at MetroPCS, this time the Agent. Article > T-Mobile USA's new \"kids are free\" promotion has begun. Article > The FCC released some key APIs into its databases. Article > In-flight mobile broadband company Row 44 raised $37 million in funding. Article > Hewlett-Packard sued Mark Hurd for violating his severance agreement. Article > Pictures of the forthcoming webOS 2.0 platform have emerged. Article Mobile Content News > Sybase 365 announced it has processed more than a trillion mobile messages. Article > Amazon.com acquired independent music download website Amie Street. Article > MasterCard expanded its MoneySend person-to-person cash transfer solution to the BlackBerry platform. Article > CBS Mobile launched NCIS: The Game from the TV Show, a new mobile title. Article > Japanese regulators shot down Qualcomm's MediaFLO technology in the country. Article Broadband Wireless News > The U.S. Department of Agriculture rescinded a $19 million broadband stimulus grant/loan that was announced Aug. 18 to a Texas wireless company. Article European Wireless News > Vodafone plans to sell its 3.2 percent stake in China Mobile for $6.6 billion, according to Bloomberg. Article And finally... Control your iPhone with your brain. Article |
| An inside look at the net neutrality debate The debate over the future of net neutrality regulations is still very much up in the air. However, a crucial turning point came early last month when FCC-brokered talks between stakeholders collapsed. The talks, which were being managed by Edward Lazarus, the FCC's chief of staff, ended just ahead of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Google's decision to put forward their own public policy framework on net neutrality. In an in-depth article in Daily Finance, a picture of how Verizon and Google came together on the issue emerges as well as where the FCC can go from here. Article |
| Verizon, T-Mobile dish out Samsung Galaxy S promotions Samsung increased its smartphone sales target for the year, and it is banking on promotions like the ones Verizon Wirless (NYSE:VZ) and T-Mobile USA are pushing for its Galaxy S smartphones to meet those projections.
Most variants of the Galaxy S run on Android 2.1 and sport a 1 GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor, 4-inch Super AMOLED screen and 5-megapixel camera. Sprint Nextel's (NYSE:S) version, the Epic, is the company's second WiMAX smartphone and also has a full Qwerty keyboard. AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T) began pushing its version, the Captivate, last month. U.S. Cellular and Cellular South also plan to launch their own versions later this fall. J.K. Shin, the president of Samsung's Mobile communications division, told reporters at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin last week that Samsung expects to ship 25 million smartphones this year, up from a previous target of 18 million. That earlier target, announced in February, was triple the number of smartphones Samsung shipped in 2009. Samsung is planning on riding the Galaxy S through the holiday shopping season. For more: Related Articles: |
| Will Verizon's insistence on Bing upset talks with Apple for the iPhone?
The latest evidence of Verizon's continued presence in the UI lies in Samsung's new Fascinate smartphone. The Fascinate is one of Samsung's Galaxy S phones--other Galaxy S iterations are available from AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T), Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) and T-Mobile USA--and the line represents the spear tip of the vendor's smartphone push. All U.S. versions of the Galaxy S run Google's Android operating system and carry Google's standard lineup of services, including Gmail, Google Search and Google Maps--except for Verizon's Fascinate. Verizon confirmed that it required Samsung to replace Google Search with Microsoft's Bing search on the Fascinate. Further, there is no option to change it; Fascinate users are required to use Microsoft's Bing search. \"Customers can still get to other search engines through the browser, but Bing is the one that comes on the phone out of the box,\" a Verizon spokeswoman confirmed. Verizon's move drew the ire of a number of reviewers: \"Being unwittingly forced into Verizon and Bing's conjugal relationship is infuriating on its own, but the implementation also feels like the sloppy hack that it is,\" wrote Gizmodo's Matt Buchanan. \"Now, imagine buying an Android phone--a Google phone--only to discover that not only was Google not defaulted to as a search engine, it's not even an option!\" That Verizon replaced Google Search with Microsoft's Bing--while confusing--is not a total surprise. Verizon late last year conducted a similar campaign with Research In Motion's (NASDAQ:RIMM) BlackBerry devices, though in that case Bing was the default but not the only option. The actions stem from Verizon's mobile search deal with a pre-Bing Microsoft, inked in early 2009. Verizon's spokeswoman declined to provide me with any further details about Verizon's deal with Microsoft--including whether it would stretch to additional Android devices. Verizon's tinkering in the user interface of its phones is well documented. Indeed, the carrier in 2005 sparked widespread discontent among its feature phone suppliers when it announced it would require all phones sold through its retail efforts to run a user interface designed by Verizon. The move was intended to make troubleshooting easier for the carrier's customer service representatives and to smooth users' transitions from one phone to another--but it eliminated a major area in which handset vendors could differentiate their offerings. And though it seemed the rise of smartphones--with complex and distinctive user interfaces--would stymie Verizon's inclination to fiddle with the user interface of the phones it sells, that doesn't seem to be the case. Already the carrier has installed its own app store, search and navigation services into various smartphones, and that's likely just the beginning. But Verizon's actions on Samsung's Fascinate are particularly interesting for a number of reasons. First, the action reflects Samsung's do-whatever-it-takes approach to gaining smartphone market share. Indeed, the company recently boosted its global sales target to 25 million smartphones this year, up from a previous target of 18 million. To get into Verizon--the nation's largest wireless carrier and one of the world's 10 largest carriers --Samsung obviously was willing to make some concessions. For Microsoft, the installation of Bing into the Samsung Fascinate is part of the software giant's wider battle with Google on search. And Microsoft is making progress: Experian Hitwise recently reported that Bing accounts for around 25 percent of searching, and is gaining share in some verticals. However, I personally tried Bing for more than a month after Microsoft released it and I still prefer Google. But for Verizon the action is especially interesting considering the carrier's wide-ranging deal with Google. The two companies unveiled a major partnership last year, a teaming reflected in Verizon's support for Android and, more recently, the companies' partnership on net neutrality. But Verizon swapping out Google's search for Microsoft's Bing on the Samsung Fascinate directly cuts into Google's mobile strategy. The whole reason Google is offering Android for free to handset makers is to increase its advertising revenues, which are dominated by its search offering. The removal of Google Search from the Fascinate is a direct stab at the heart of Google's mobile business strategy. I would expect that Google knew of Verizon's five-year mobile search deal with Microsoft when it started working with the carrier, but I wonder exactly how this latest action is being viewed in Mountain View, Calif. Now, this brings me to my final observation: What does this all mean for a possible Verizon iPhone? Verizon and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) are rumored to be in discussions over such a teaming, with a possible Verizon iPhone scheduled for a January release. The rivalry between Apple and Google has reached epic proportions, with executives from each company going out of their way to take jabs at the other. Further, Apple recently installed Bing as an option for search on its iPhone. But will Apple be as flexible as Samsung when it comes to Verizon's user interface requests? Both Apple and Verizon have plenty of momentum in the mobile market, and I suspect each is intent on staying the course, so I would say it's unclear which company will blink first. Or whether they will blink at all. --Mike |
| Crown Castle acquires NewPath, expands into distributed antennas Tower firm Crown Castle completed its purchase of distributed antenna system maker NewPath Networks from Charterhouse Group, a deal which effectively extends Crown's business beyond the traditional tower model. Crown executives believe that DAS systems are growing in importance as wireless operators strive to improve their network capacity and coverage--factors that are growing in importance due to the surge in smartphones and the increased demand for mobile broadband. NewPath Networks CEO and co-founder Mike Kavanagh will join Crown as the the firm's president of U.S. DAS operations. The acquisition, which was first announced July 30, is valued at $115 million. NewPath was the eleventh platform investment made from the Charterhouse Equity Partners IV fund. Distributed antenna systems are a collection of small antennas spread over a specific geographic area and connected by fiber back to a central location or power source, usually a base station. Wireless operators use these systems indoors to improve coverage in large buildings such as shopping malls or stadiums. They are also deployed outdoors in areas where carriers need to fill coverage gaps and dead spots in their macro network. Crown Castle owns, operates and manages tower sites in 92 of the top 100 markets in the U.S. For more: Related Articles: |
| Qualcomm demos TDD-LTE chipset solution Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) said it is on track to release TDD-LTE chipset products next year. The announcement is targeted at markets like China and India, where TDD-LTE could play a major role. The company, which has been a major proponent of TDD-LTE in India, said its MDM9200 solution is being used to demonstrate TDD-LTE over-the-air with 2x2 MIMO in the 2.3 GHz band. The chipset supports both FDD and TDD modes of LTE. Qualcomm conducted the effort at the Shanghai Expo, and the company is working with China Mobile on the solution; China Mobile has been a key backer of the TDD-LTE standard in China. In India, CDMA giant Qualcomm has sold stakes to two Indian partners for its broadband wireless access joint venture, which the company plans to use to promote TDD-LTE network technology. Global Holding Corp. and Tulip Telecom each purchased a 13 percent stake in the venture for $28.9 million. Jim McGregor, an analyst at In-Stat, said Qualcomm's announcement is a key step in the maturation of LTE, but does not change the market dramatically. He said this announcement will have a greater impact on China and India, but is also a crucial step in Qualcomm's embrace of LTE. \"I would expect that in the same timeframe they're going to have FDD or dual-mode parts available,\" he told FierceWireless, Qualcomm is \"trying to get parts out there as quickly possible,\" he said. Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) and MetroPCS (NYSE:PCS) are launching FDD-LTE networks this year. \"It's kind of like watching a puzzle come together,\" McGregor said of the Qualcomm announcement. \"We're finally seeing the pieces.\" For more: Related Articles: |
| IDC: Smartphone shipments to surge 55% this year Smartphone makers have a reason to celebrate. Research firm IDC said it expects the smartphone market to grow 55 percent this year, a greater increase than its previous prediction. IDC said it now expects handset vendors to ship 269.6 million smartphones this year, compared with the 173.5 million units shipped in 2009. The estimate is 10 percent higher than IDC had previously estimated. The research firm said the introduction of several new smartphones--including Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone 4, Research In Motion's (NASDAQ:RIMM) BlackBerry Torch and the HTC Evo--caused it to increase its forecast. The smartphone market also will be crowded by more phones running Google's Android platform, IDC said. Overall, IDC said it expects the wider handset market to grow 14.1 percent in 2010, or 1.5 percent higher than its previous forecast. Last year the market fell by 2.8 percent, according to the firm. IDC also predicted that in 2014 Android will blossom from 16.3 percent market share today to 24.6 percent in 2014. Appple's iOS will drop from 14.7 percent this year to 10.9 percent in 2014. According to IDC, Symbian, BlackBerry and Microsoft's platform will still make up 60 percent of the market in 2014. As Harry McCracken of Technologizer notes, however, these long-term predictions should be taken with a grain of salt. In 2006, IDC failed to predict the 2010 picture because it did not account for the rise of the iPhone or Android. For more: Related Articles: |
| Jarich: The problems network vendors face when selling convergence
I ended the session with a discussion of the challenges facing the vendor. In part, I wanted to deliver more value than just reiterating the market realities we're all familiar with: IP and mobile data traffic is on the rise; operators are struggling with monetization; vendors are increasingly tasked with being everything to everyone. In part, I've always felt that the implications beyond the trends are always more interesting. As I moved through my slide deck, the audience was filled with a standard mixture of nods, disagreement and ambivalence. Then I got to my final point. \"Convergence,\" I argued, has evolved from an interesting concept to something that's essentially expected in both the service and network layers. Yet, as much as infrastructure vendors might be able to explain the convergence value proposition, selling it is another matter. Convergence, after all, implies products and services that stretch beyond any one business unit within an operator while purchase decisions are still mostly made by those individual units. At this point, the room lit up. What had been a handful of nods became a much broader set of agreement. You could almost tell that there were specific stories, or anecdotes behind each nod. I've spent the last few weeks asking myself why the challenge of selling convergence resonated so well. It's not an issue endemic to any one vendor. Instead, a handful of realities seem to elevate it above the standard challenges of fierce competition, new technologies and evolving market demands. Universal Appeal: The classic examples of sales complicated by operator business silos include IMS being sold as an unified--fixed and mobile--service architecture or convergent fixed-mobile billing solutions. In each case, the fact that fixed and mobile business decisions are often made in a vacuum makes it hard to get \"buy-in\" for the broader value proposition. The convergence value proposition, however, stretches beyond sophisticated, new service models. Consider a multi-standard base station sold and an operator with distinct 2G, 3G, LTE infrastrcutre divisions. Consider a converged packet core and transport platform going up against an operator that makes these decisions from a distinct viewpoints. Consider AT&T's decision to split its IP and optical Domains despite the convergence of IP and optical networking. It's tempting to look at operators as cohesive entities; any vendor selling new technologies or products into them, however, must understand that this isn't always the case. Beyond Technology: Telecom vendors are in the business of selling technology. That's obviously not all they do, but where they spend substantial time on innovations they feel meet specific operator needs, it's only natural to proudly market and sell solutions based on this innovation. None of this matters, however, if an operator's organizational structure makes it nearly impossible to execute on those innovations. The frustration of dealing with service provider inertia that cannot be overcome with R&D budgets or even end-user know-how is understandably acute. Thought Leadership: Let's return to technology marketing. It's not always about the latest and greatest widget. Take Cisco's Visual Networking Index or Ericsson's vision of a future with 50 billion connected devices. Neither campaign is about specific products. Instead, they are about thought leadership--about painting the companies as visionaries who have a handle on where the market is going and what their customers really need (whether or not the customers know it). Thought leadership, in turn, puts vendors in a position to sell at an executive level above any narrow network or service silos. Cultivating this type of image is something vendors take seriously, and with good reason. Beyond architecting solutions that can be sold on a convergent or standalone basis, thought leadership is one of the best ways of executing on their convergence strategies. Peter Jarich is the Service Director leading Current Analysis telecom infrastructure practice. Follow him on Twitter: @pnjarich. |
| Verizon launching Samsung Fascinate Sept. 8; MetroPCS plans $500M offering Quick news from around the Web @FierceWireless: RT @gigaom: The Smartphone Is the Computer - Or It Will Be. Article | Follow @FierceWireless > AT&T Mobility spent around $8 million on Google search advertising during the month of June, partially to support the launch of Apple's iPhone 4. Article > Red Bend acquired VirtualLogix. Article > MetroPCS announced plans to offer up to $500 million. Release > Google plans to announce Chrome OS tablet partnerships later this year. Article > Samsung may use Google's Android software in its TVs. Article > Morgan Stanley upgraded Nokia. Article > Apple's iPod touch accounts for 38 percent of all iOS devices, according to new figures. Article > Verizon Wireless will sell Samsung's Fascinate, a Galaxy S Android smartphone, starting Sept. 8 for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and with a two-year contract. Release > The Mobile World Congress trade show plans to add MacWorld Mobile to its slate of events in an effort to woo iPhone proponents. Article > Samsung announced a dual-core mobile processor for smartphones. Article >Hewlett-Packard's former CEO Mark Hurd landed at Oracle. Article Mobile Content News > AT&T will partner with MTV Networks Digital to expand the multimedia giant's Posted cross-platform initiative. Article > Research In Motion reportedly acquired DataViz. Article > Tyfone closed a Series B financing round totaling $5 million. Article > Rovio Mobile introduced Angry Birds Lite Beta, a free edition of its blockbuster iPhone application optimized for smartphones running Google's Android mobile OS. Article Mobile Developer News > Apple seeded the iOS SDK 4.1 Gold Master to registered developers. Article > Free apps dominate Android, but at what cost? Commentary > Hewlett-Packard's Palm released webOS SDK 2.0, which highlights new Synergy APIs. Article > Rhomobile introduced version 2.1 of its Rhodes open source mobile application development framework. Article Broadband Wireless News > BSNL in India is considering both WiMAX and LTE, reported The Economic Times. Article > British Telecom has introduced a smartphone app that automatically connects its Total Broadband customers to its WiFi hotspot network. Article > Alcatel-Lucent said it completed what the vendor calls the first data call using an LTE network operating on the 700 MHz spectrum reserved for public-safety mobile broadband use in the U.S. Article > The U.S. Department of Agriculture rescinded a $19 million broadband stimulus grant/loan after a Texas wireless company was accused of federal securities violations. Article European Wireless News > The French research lab CEA-Leti claims to have demonstrated a contactless interface for RFID cards that operates at 6.8 Mbps. Article > What will Vodafone do with its cash? Commentary > Tetra devices are poised to support WiMAX and LTE. Article > Orange Spain announced a €500 million upgrade plan. Article > Orange UK will join the network sharing agreement already in place between 3UK and T-Mobile UK. Article > Vodafone Germany used IFA Berlin, the giant consumer electronics show, to unveil details of its LTE deployment plans. Article And finally... Apple mixed up its iPhone and iPod touch products. Article |
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