Companies

The Deciding Factor Between WiMAX and LTE? Data Plans.

Kristina Tsamis on December 2, 2010 | 7 comments

With Verizon’s LTE launch coming up in just three days, the new talk among 4G aficionados is no longer exclusively about WiMAX vs. LTE. The new concern? Costly data plans.

In a press conference today, Verizon announced that its LTE data plans will run at $50 for 5GB of coverage and $80 for 10GB. Go over those data caps and you could be charged ten dollars per GB. With Verizon touting LTE’s lightening-fast speeds, one PC Mag tester ate through his 5GB data cab in just 32 minutes. So how can 4G plans function when they are being offered with 3G pricing?

Engadget offers a comprehensive overview of current 4G data plans, comparing offerings from Verizon, Sprint, Clearwire and others. While there are advantages and disadvantages in terms of coverage and hardware, the disparity in data plan costs is most staggering.

While most reviewers are hesitant to define a clear leader in the data plan race, Sue Marek of Fierce Wireless points out that, for most consumers, $80 for just 10GB–along with the prospect of hefty overage fees–is just too much. With CLEAR offering unlimited data on its WiMAX network for just $45/month, budget-conscious users have a much clearer choice. … Read the rest

Clearwire Brings 4G to Cyber Monday

Kristina Tsamis on November 30, 2010 | 4 comments

Just in time for Cyber Monday, CLEAR launched its commercial WiMAX service in Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland and South Florida. This launch expands Clearwire’s reach to over 110 million individuals.

While Ohio and LA-area residents will be able to purchase CLEAR at its own dedicated retail stores or via CLEAR retail partners–Best Buy and RadioShack–the company’s South Florida launch was accompanied by significantly less fanfare. In an effort to streamline marketing and advertising budgets, South Florida residents will only be able to purchase CLEAR services over the phone or online.

CLEAR’s South Florida network blankets over 3.8 million residents and extends from Fort Lauderdale to Miami, including Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Hollywood and Dania Beach. In conjunction with Cyber Monday, the company offers new users 50 percent off for the first two months of service in addition to waiving activation and shipping fees.

CLEAR’s next 4G launch is slated for December 28, 2010 in the San Francisco Bay area.… Read the rest

STC selects Alcatel-Lucent for major broadband access network expansion in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Alcatel-Lucent on November 26, 2010 | 1 comment

Leveraging Alcatel-Lucent’s expertise in GPON, VDSL2, voice over broadband and professional services

Paris, November 23, 2010 – Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) today announced that it has signed multi-million Euro frame contracts with STC (Saudi Telecom Company), the main telecommunications carrier in Saudi Arabia, to expand its broadband access network.

This large-scale project – leveraging Alcatel-Lucent’s leading VDSL2 and GPON technologies – will enable STC to provide state-of-the-art, bandwidth-demanding applications to its customers and expand the reach of its network while benefiting from enhanced aggregation and transport capabilities.

“As a major operator, STC is committed to provide its customers with the latest high-speed broadband services with the highest quality of service,” said Dr. Zeyad Al-Otaibi, STC’s vice president Networks. “We are confident that Alcatel-Lucent’s unique network expertise and the high technical competence of its local team will provide us with a superior – though cost-effective – upgrade of our broadband network, enabling us to continue to achieve this goal.”

Alcatel-Lucent will deploy the industry’s most renowned IP access solution: the Intelligent Services Access Manager (ISAM) platform – supporting DSL and GPON technologies and a cornerstone of Alcatel-Lucent’s High Leverage Network architecture. Alcatel-Lucent’s ISAM family of IP access products enables the seamless and cost-effective delivery of high-speed broadband multimedia services to mass markets – such as high-speed data, IPTV, VoIP and content-on-demand.

Next to the deployment of its 7302 ISAM with advanced voice capabilities and its 7342 ISAM FTTU, Alcatel-Lucent will also provide a comprehensive range of professional services to STC – including network design, deployment, installation, commissioning, testing and full project management support.

“Thanks to the flexibility of Alcatel-Lucent’s ISAM platform we can help our customers manage and evolve their networks cost-effectively and make sure they meet end-users’ growing bandwidth needs,” said said Adolfo Hernandez, president of Alcatel-Lucent’s activities in Europe, Middle-East and Africa. “This project further strengthens Alcatel-Lucent’s long-term relationship with STC as we remain committed to deliver our best-of-breed solutions and global services expertise to the Saudi market,” he added.

Alcatel-Lucent is the worldwide leader in fixed broadband access, supporting the largest mass deployments of video, voice and data services. Today, one out of three fixed broadband subscribers around the world is served through an access network provided by Alcatel-Lucent. Alcatel-Lucent is currently involved in over 100 FTTH projects worldwide, over 85 of which are with GPON, and is the driving force behind the world’s most … Read the rest

Dubliners Imagine a Future with WiMax

Evan Kessler on November 24, 2010 | 2 comments

Ireland may be in the throes of a major financial crisis, but even with the economy teetering on the verge of collapse there’s still room for a business success story here and there. While Clearwire struggles to make a dent with its WiMax network in the U.S., a home-grown Irish company Imagine is having a splendid go of it in the capital city of their homeland and beyond.

By offering their mobile broadband and phone service at a rate that’s fifty percent cheaper than their competitors, Imagine is pulling in customers at a rate of 5,000 per month. While that may seem like small potatoes to many, Ireland isn’t exactly China in the population department. Industry experts think the cheaper plans and faster broadband capabilities could result in the migration of 50,000 customers from Eircom, one of the nation’s leading service providers, in the coming year. Many consumers stand to save as much as EUR400 per year, which during this period of recession is no small change.

Imagine has, in effect, turned Dublin into an Internet hotspot with it’s mobile broadband. The city is ahead of other prominent European capitals in terms of wireless connectivity, leaving places like Berlin, Paris, and London lagging behind. Their service isn’t just for big city folk.It extends far into the countryside to the far corners of Wexford, Dundalk, and Killarney. Imagine has also focused on extending the 4G network to places traditionally devoid of signal, so called black-spots like Blackrock and Killester. While many well-to-do nations and providers spend money building out LTE networks, WiMax is fast proving a cost effective solution to high-speed internet in places where dollars and sense are at a premium.… Read the rest

Sprint to Get New ‘HTC Knight’ in Shining 4G WiMax Armor

Evan Kessler on November 23, 2010 | 40 comments

Until now, customers of Sprint’s 4G WiMax network have had precious few devices with which to valiantly navigate the speedy mobile broadband terrain offered them. The HTC Evo 4G and Samsung Epic 4G have performed admirably in the kingdom of next-generation wireless, so you’d think consumers would be content wielding their net surfing phones in the most perilous situations where a blazing fast connection is all that stands between them and certain doom–or in this case the important text message they need to respond to. Sure those devices do the trick just fine, but in this era where having just two options is akin to insanity, Sprint customers may soon get a third– their very own “Knight” in shining armor.

The FCC has just approved HTC’s latest 4G WiMax-enabled handset with an impressive set of specs for Sprint to tack onto a growing roster of 4G-ready hotspots, modems, laptops and phones The smartphone, presently dubbed the “HTC Knight,” is equipped with Froyo, an 8-megapixel camera, 1GHz processor, 3.7 inch display and a most appealing sliding QWERTY keyboard.

Several blogs are predicting the latest member of the Sprint 4G WiMax phone family will get to stores in time for the holiday rush. We’re not so optimistic as that day as fast approaching, but it could make for a nice present for those last-minute shoppers. If it does hit the stores in the next few days, keep your eyes peeled for a few different monikers, as the ” HTC Knight” name is not set in stone strong enough to keep Excalibur. The alternate names are thought to include the “Sprint HTC Desire Z,” “HTC Speedy,” and the “HTC Evo Shift 4G.” We prefer the “Knight” if only because it brings a certain amount of valor to the act of using our cell phone for something as common as downloading a ringtone. … Read the rest

Global WiMAX Device Developer Greenpacket Committed to Supporting Southeast Asia’s WiMAX Deployments

Greenpacket on November 23, 2010 | 1 comment

23 Nov – Kuala Lumpur, Greenpacket, a leading developer of next generation mobile broadband and networking solutions, fully supports WiMAX Forum’s call for Southeast Asia to adopt WiMAX to raise the region’s low broadband penetration levels at the WiMAX Forum Southeast Asia Regional Focus conference, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

This inaugural conference themed, “4G WiMAX in Emerging Markets – Innovation and Evolution in Delivering Broadband for All” addresses the viability of deploying successful WiMAX networks in emerging and developing markets through the region’s success showcases from the regulators, operators, and investment community perspectives.

Greenpacket, which supply WiMAX devices to 50% of the active commercial deployments in the Southeast Asia region, with the third largest WiMAX devices market share worldwide; affirms its commitment to advance WiMAX worldwide by continuing to expand its portfolio of high performance products and solutions to meet the needs of WiMAX operators globally.

According to Kelvin Lee, Senior General Manager of Green Packet Berhad, with a robust and flourishing ecosystem in place, the WiMAX technology can offer global economies of scale lowering cost for operators and end-users compared to other wireless technologies. He said that the cost of WiMAX devices has come down by 30% over the past two years.

Lee said, “There is tremendous potential for WiMAX growth in Southeast Asia because the technology presents compelling propositions for operators to meet this region’s high speed broadband needs and at the same time, cater to the varied market segments with fixed to nomadic and quad play offerings including mobile wireless VoIP.

As a leading vendor in the WiMAX ecosystem, we understand the connection needs and operation management for different market segments. We also understand operators’ needs at different levels in their WiMAX deployment cycle.”

Lauding the launch of SIRIM QAS International WiMAX Forum Designated Certification Lab at the conference, Lee commented that Greenpacket was thrilled to see WiMAX Forum working with SIRIM for the first WiMAX certification lab here in South Asia and the seventh in the world.

“We believe that this development greatly underlines increased demand for WiMAX and the technology’s healthy device ecosystem. We hope to see a further boost to the number of WiMAX products coming out in the market in the near future. We are also proud to have a certification lab here where Greenpacket is headquartered, marking the recognition of Malaysia as the region’s 4G WiMAX … Read the rest

Clearwire Hits San Francisco Snag

Evan Kessler on November 19, 2010 | 1 comment

Clearwire is slated to rollout their service on December 15th in San Franciso, and while they’ve not announced any delay in their efforts, some parts of the “City by the Bay” might not exactly be swimming in signal when that date hits. The Board of Supervisor’s in San Fran’s Bernal Heights neighborhood recently repealed a conditional user permit given to Clear way back in July.

The purpose of the permit was to allow for the installation of five internet switch antennas in the region that would have provided better coverage in the Excelsior, the Mission, Mission Dolores, and Silver Terrace areas. Not being able to provide quality service as promised is sure to put a dent in Clearwire’s local efforts if not on a larger scale. San Francisco is after all, a major metropolitan area ranking 13th in U.S. population. Above all though, failure to impress in the region known for hosting technological innovators won’t help them shed the nail from their proverbial coffin.

There has been a growing backlash by many local residents concerned with health issues as service providers move to upgrade their networks and install new antennas, but this was not necessarily the key factor in the denial. Rather, it was due to the fact that the conditional use standards agreed upon when the original permit was signed between the American Tower Corporation for use by T-Mobile had not been met. Those conditions included landscaping, keeping the tower graffiti-free and the adding of proper fencing. It was also demanded as part of the agreement that T-Mobile legalize their antennas, which they have yet to do, but still have 3 years to comply with.… Read the rest

Malaysians Saying ‘Yes’ to YTL WiMax Service

Evan Kessler on November 17, 2010 | 7 comments

Demand for WiMax may be lacking in worldwide markets where the impending promise of LTE lingers, but not in Malaysia where the populace is craving dramatic improvements in their broadband access. Service provider YTL is benefitting from that demand as the pre-registration for their WiMax network, slated to roll out November 19th, has surpassed their initial estimates threefold.

The “Yes” wireless Internet and voice service is said to be as much as 5 times faster than most users’ current 3G network. The new WiMax network also allows customers to pick their own ID and number. While we’re sure that greater download speeds are a major factor in the exceeding of business expectations, one can never underestimate the power and promise of personalization played in the buoying the service sign ups. Although it may be an ultimately arbitrary factor for the service provider, the appeal of having a say in one’s own number might be construed as “kinda neat” for customers. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the service is that it will be billed like most utilities, not on a fixed monthly rate, but on an as used basis.

Parent company YTL Power International Bhd. will spend RM2.5 bil on its initial push to bring the service to 65% of Malaysians upon its debut this week and 80% by mid 2011. The corporation is getting assistance from Clearwater Corp, Intel Corp, Cisco Systems Inc and International Business Machines Corp on the rollout.

YTL’s executive chairman,Tan Sri Francis Yeoh, sees parallels between this new WiMax network and past technological innovations, saying that ““when people have tasted mobile Internet, they’ll never go back to mobile phone; same as when people have tasted colour television, they’ll never go back to black-and-white.” … Read the rest

WiMax Coming to LaLa Land

Evan Kessler on November 12, 2010 | 2 comments

Sunshine, occasional earthquakes, beautiful people; there are a lot of benefits to living in the nation’s number two market. Notice among those positive attributes, nowhere was speedy Internet mentioned. Well that’s because until now the City of Angels was saddled with run-of-the-mill 3G networks. That’s all slated to change on December 1st as Sprint and Clearwire flip the switch on their “4G” WiMax network.

Though there’s been foreboding news as of late regarding Clearwire’s WiMax rollout plans, it just wouldn’t seem right for LA to be lagging behind four other Golden State cities in the 4G race. Merced, Visalia, Modesto and Stockton have already been fiddling around on the network for some time and San Francisco is slated to follow in Mid-December. How long that good thing lasts remains to be seen, with Clearwire’s future finances in question. For now we’re keeping our eyes on the prize and saying hooray for arrival of WiMax networks in Hollywood. If anyone needs the increased streaming capabilities of Clearwire’s mobile broadband networks it’s those entertainment executives who are always on the go.… Read the rest

Sprint, Clearwire Duke It Out Over WiMax Phone Funds

Evan Kessler on November 11, 2010 | 2 comments

Things are getting a little testy between WiMax business partners Clearwire and Sprint as of late. With the recent 3rd quarter assessment that Clearwire is not monetarily equipped for the long-haul, the former best friends of WiMax technology in the U.S. are in a bit of a spat over the money Sprint pays Clearwire to have their WiMax-equipped smartphones operating on the latter’s network.

The ability to charge their chief stakeholder for each 4G handset means big business for Clearwire, with 3 million HTC Evo 4Gs and Samsung Epic 4Gs expected to ship by the end of 2010. Sprint is supposed to pay $4.46 to Clearwire per 4G user, but complications arise when the amount of customers living in places where access to WiMax 4G has yet to be activated is taken to account. 810,000 Sprint phone users of 4G phones are without a technology to take advantage of, and Sprint is withholding funds accordingly.

In order to resolve this situation, Sprint and Clearwire have entered arbitration, but things stand to get uglier for Clearwire if things don’t go their way. A company spokesman admitted that the loss of these per handset payouts in areas still unequipped with WiMax could result in an inability to fulfill their previously drawn up plans for further WiMax rollout across lacking U.S. markets. While from a customer’s perspective Sprint’s reluctance to payout the $4.46 makes sense, you have to wonder whether Sprint is interested in seeing the WiMax network completed so that they might continue to compete with other upcoming 4G offerings from Verizon, AT&T and MetroPCS; or whether they’re just slowly backing away from the whole scene and hoping some big company with a lot of money buys them off and makes the WiMax experiment all just go away. … Read the rest

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