September 19, 2010 22 Comments
Both AT&T and Verizon are moving forward with their 4G/LTE networks in 30 US cities, with one launching by the end of the year and the other going commercial by mid-2011. And, with the approval of the first LTE phone by the FCC, the door is opening for flood of new LTE devices. Read more of this post
July 17, 2010 16 Comments
The battle between WiMAX and LTE is getting very interesting and frankly very confusing – at least to me.
It was just last month Sprint rolled out their WiMAX in a handful of new metropolitan areas including Washington, D.C. According to Financial Times, Sprint is now considering an LTE strategy that could pave the way to a merger with T-Mobile USA. After spending all those $$$ Billion on WiMAX?
The talk of Sprint switching to an LTE based 4G future gives more credence to the ever circling rumors that T-Mobile USA parent Deutsche Telekom is considering a merger of its #4 T-Mobile USA division with Sprint, which currently is a distant number 3 in the U.S. market. In the past, the differing 3G technologies (CDMA vs. UMTS) made a merger seem unlikely, but if both were to plan ahead for LTE, then the two companies’ futures would be a bit more in step. Read more of this post
July 14, 2010 5 Comments
Time to yap about WiMAX. Yes, I know… what’s new this time?
Frankly, I am getting bored with all the mixed reports coming out about WiMAX by various analysts; we read one report saying WiMAX going down… the next day, we read another report saying WiMAX growth on the rise. I am just going to blog about it as each report released and leave it up to you guys to make your own conclusion. Your input is of course greatly appreciated in the comment section below.
It was just last month, In-Stat reported WiMAX could be in for some challenges as competing technologies like LTE begin coming to market. Maravedis also expressed similar concerns, noted that its research has shown carriers are concerned about the lack of support for the 802.16m standard, which could dampen enthusiasm for greater WiMAX deployments.
This month, it is Visant Strategies who is up on WiMAX. They have been covering the wireless industry since the mid 80’s. The firm noted in their recent report that new specifications for the technology and overall growth in fixed/portable WiMAX deployments around the world are creating a “sizable” market for WiMAX equipment for the next 10 years. This is pretty good News for Clearwire and Sprint who has been pouring boat load of $$$ into the technology during the past couple of years. Read more of this post
July 2, 2010 21 Comments
Good News for those of you loving iPhone, but hating its current and exclusive carrier, At&t. Bloomberg News recently reported Verizon Wireless to start offering iPhone in January of next year. The move will end the domestic exclusivity deal Apple has had with AT&T Mobility since the first iPhone launched in 2007. Although, you might have heard such a rumor many times since 2008, but I think it is real this time. Read more of this post
July 1, 2010 8 Comments
Early this week, Cisco unveiled its first tablet running Google Android operating system with full video conferencing, email and media access called The Cius, a 7-inch HD business collaboration device designed with the business user in mind.
Yes, A business collaboration device which is missing in iPad and I’d say in all other tablets to be launched by other vendors sometimes this year. The device will be part of Cisco’s Communications package that they sell to business users. Read more of this post
June 30, 2010 11 Comments
Apple sold more than 1.7 million iPhone 4 devices in the first three days of availability in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany and Japan. According to Piper Jaffray and one survey, more than 77% of the iPhone 4 were sold in the U.S., were upgrades and thus would not bolster the carrier’s net customer addition results.
It is even more impressive when you consider the initial pre-order system failures, the device shortages, and the fact that half of the family isn’t even available yet. And most impressive may be that those who bought it in the U.S. were willing to sell their souls to AT&T for another two years.
In support of the new iPhone’s flooding its network, AT&T Mobility claims they have increased capacity of its 3G network in the New York City area. The updates included the addition of new carriers to “nearly all cell sites in Manhattan and in other areas as needed throughout the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn,” as well as adding a “layer” of precious 850 MHz spectrum to support increased coverage. The carrier has been transitioning portions of its 850 MHz spectrum from its legacy 2G network to its 3G service over the past several years in an attempt to bolster the 3G network’s coverage and capacity. The 3G network originally launched using the carrier’s 1.9 GHz spectrum band. Read more of this post
June 6, 2010 12 Comments
With the retail stores Clearwire just opened only two blocks from Awesome DC headquarter 
in Dupont Circle last week, they are now covering 62 regions in the nation. Strategically, what’s next for them? Will they continue considering themselves to be alternative broadband providers which is supposed to be a DSL replacement that is cheaper and portable, or will they also be selling a 3G/4G handset?
Clearwire has been building its network without handsets (yet) because it doesn’t have a traditional wireless network to drop down from WiMax to whatever network available, so they use Sprint Nextel for their network. Read more of this post
April 12, 2010 35 Comments
Believe it or not, Wi-Fi is spreading faster in smartphones than Speedy Gonzales running after Cheese. Another News I forgot to blog about during the CTIA event last month is the fast spread of Wi-Fi in 4G mobile technologies.
According to ABI research, the number of phones shipped with Wi-Fi jumped to 139.3 million in 2009, up from 92.5 million in 2008. The annual shipping number will surpass 500 million units by 2014, when 90 percent of all smartphones will have the technology. And even as smartphones make up more of the handset market, Wi-Fi is expected to grow more common in less-expensive phones. read more…
March 29, 2010 2 Comments
by Elias Shams
I decided to take a break from Awesome Washington DC last week. So, I headed to Vegas for the CTIA event.
Ton of awesome wireless gadgets and technologies were unveiled during the event. Those of you couldn’t make the trip, here are some of the highlights that made the most buzz.
As a classic geek, first thing first – looked for the booths with the best looking babes. They were all fantastic looking, one hotter than the other one The angels were all over the place. Surprisingly, there were more brunettes than blondes this year which I like
As for the wireless phones, starting with Sprint and their glorious 4G WiMAX initiative:
More WiMAX markets
Sprint Nextel and Clearwire that currently offer WiMAX services in more than 20 markets covering more than 30 million pops, unveiled additional market for offering its “4G” service to cover 120 million potential customers by year-end. read more…
March 11, 2010 12 Comments
by Elias Shams
Not sure how many of you made it to the 2010 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month. In case you missed the show, here is the summary.
I had a chance to meet with many companies there and learned more about their new tech gadgets during my three days trip. I meant to write this a week after my return, but got bombard by ton of other articles that required more immediate attention, iPad was certainly one of them. Finally, got a chance last night to sit down in my favorite local coffee shop Tryst to summarize my report.
There were indeed several noteworthy product announcements with significant enterprise implications. In addition to Android and Windows Phone 7, there was big emphasis on new mobile security solutions for enterprises. Referring to my last article about the smartphones for enterprise, this was a perfect show.
This is going to be a long report. So, let me give you some mojo first. This dude is one of my favorite DJs. I go to most of his parties every time he is in DC. In fact, he will be in FUR this Sat. So, before you continue, if you are a club manic like me, watch this first. Otherwise skip this clip:
With the help from a few colleagues who were also in Barcelona with me, here is the list: Read more…
Elias Shams
Kamran Abdi
Tatiana Sorabi
