Tammy Parker
Monica Paolini
Peter Jarich
MaravedisSlideshow: FirstNet's ace in the hole is the PSCR labs
At the time of FierceBroadbandWireless' visit to the PSCR labs in early May 2013, seven eNodeB vendors' equipment were being tested on site. PSCR also operates off-site systems scattered around Boulder County: Green Mountain, Table Mountain (one of the two "RF quiet zones" in the nation managed by NTIA) and a COW (cell site on wheels) in Gunbarrel. All of the sites use duplicate equipment from the same vendors--including the antenna systems, backhaul and RF switches--to provide apples-to-apples comparisons in different environments and enable repeatable results.
PSCR labs ready to share test results with FirstNet
Though they're in my own backyard, I only recently got a chance to tour the Public Safety Communications Research laboratories in Boulder, Colo. And now I realize what a big deal they are. PSCR is a joint effort of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. It has been instrumental in performing interoperability research on behalf of the First Responders Network Authority (FirstNet), which is overseen by NTIA and is charged with putting together the National Public Safety Broadband Network.
Nokia Siemens CEO: Little revenue from small cells till after 2015
Large-scale rollouts of small cells in the United States will likely start next year, but Nokia Siemens Networks' CEO Rajeev Suri believes it will be a couple of years at least before sales of the diminutive base stations deliver sizable sales revenues.
Advanced Wireless Group expanding free Wi-Fi in Detroit's airport
The Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA) selected Advanced Wireless Group (AWG) to upgrade and expand the existing free Wi-Fi service at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
IHS: 70% of handsets sold in 2015 will include Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi offloading from cellular networks is clearly no longer an afterthought, as evidenced by IHS iSuppli's forecast that nearly 1.2 billion handsets out of a total of 1.9 billion produced in 2015 will include Wi-Fi functionality.
Cablevision bullish about Wi-Fi but not smartphones
Commenting that he's "not a big believer in the quad play," Gregg Siebert, CFO of Cablevision, said the cable company abandoned the notion of marketing a smartphone that would leverage cellular networks as well Cablevision's network of 80,000 hotspots.
Connectify returns to Kickstarter to enable channel bonding in the cloud
Building on its earlier crowdfunding success, Connectify is trying to raise $100,000 via Kickstarter to boost development efforts for Connectify Switchboard, a cloud service that will let Mac and PC users combine multiple Internet connections for faster speeds and increased reliability.
Report: U.S. LTE opex to outpace capex starting in 2015
As U.S. mobile operators watch their LTE subscribers grow, they are also seeing their LTE operating expenses take off, meaning their opex will outpace capex spending starting in 2015, according to a new report from iGR.
T-Mobile iPhone 5 users get faster HSPA+ speeds via hacked software
Two hackers claim they can boost HSPA+ data speeds on Apple iPhone 5 smartphones being used on the T-Mobile US refarmed PCS 1900 MHz network.
FirstNet's future depends on state and local support, says Harris exec
For the First Responders Network Authority (FirstNet) to achieve success in building the nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN), it must meet the mission-critical needs of public safety, remain financially viable and ensure state and local buy-in for the network, according to Dennis Martinez, CTO of Harris' RF communications division, who helped craft the NPSBN's interoperability requirements.
Cablevision nears Wi-Fi deployments on trains in three states
Cablevision is close to wrapping up negotiations that will allow it to deploy Wi-Fi service on commuter trains in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut
Startup touts microwave LOS 4x4 MIMO for last-mile LTE backhaul
South Africa-based MIMOtech took the wraps of its Starburst Janus packet radio, which employs microwave line-of-sight (LoS) 4x4 MIMO multi-antenna technology and parallel radio processing.
Senator Franken targets indoor-positioning firm Euclid's privacy practices
Indoor-positioning technologies that can be used by retail establishments and other businesses to track and market to consumers are attracting growing scrutiny, as evidenced by a letter sent from Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) to Euclid, which markets Wi-Fi-generated shopper analytics.
Qualcomm plan for 500 MHz of in-flight broadband spectrum wins initial FCC nod
The FCC unanimously opened for public comment a proposed rulemaking that could result in the auction of 500 MHz of spectrum for a high-speed air-to-ground (ATG) broadband service championed by Qualcomm. However, the spectrum would be shared with incumbent users, including fixed satellite services and certain U.S. government agencies.
SDN: Ericsson, Huawei and others consider virtualizing the mobile network
The concept of software-defined networks (SDN) was all the rage at Mobile World Congress earlier this year in Barcelona, Spain, but efforts to virtualize the mobile network remain in a very nascent stage. Nonetheless, progress is coming fast and furious as customers increasingly push operators to find methods to open bandwidth or deploy applications on the fly.
The FierceWireless guide to upcoming spectrum auctions
The FCC is planning a number of auctions during the next two or three years that could free up as much as 200 MHz of spectrum. The TV broadcast spectrum incentive auctions have received the most attention during the past few years, but there are several other auctions on deck as well.
SDN's adoption in mobile ramping up quickly
Until recently, SDN and virtualization were not seriously considered for use in massive telecom networks, but that is rapidly changing. According to a recent report from Strategy Analytics, operators are virtualizing lower-layer network resources, especially for next generation 4G IMS networks that already separate the data and control planes as SDN does.
Nokia Siemens study shows why it's important to get VoLTE right
Nokia Siemens Networks' annual consumer survey reveals that globally the percentage of mobile customers likely to switch operators is 39 percent, and the result has jumped 20 percent in one year, surely a worrisome result for network executives. A related finding highlights how critical it remains for operators to deliver reliable voice service if they wish to attract and keep customers.
Ericsson confident of larger chunk of China TD-LTE business
Ericsson expects to expand its share of China Mobile's TD-LTE business via the operator's upcoming tender for network gear, said an executive for the infrastructure vendor.
Aereo's influence could open more spectrum for mobile broadband
Mobile broadband providers could gain access to more TV broadcast spectrum under a developing Senate bill that would essentially punish any broadcaster that moves certain programming from over-the-air availability to cable by requiring the FCC to auction that broadcaster's spectrum.
