Filed under: Cellphones

We know, you’re just dying to say this is a complete shock, but we’re here to inform you that it’s not. If you’ll recall, Cox dug deep to snatch up a decent block of spectrum in this year’s 700MHz auction, and it even went so far as to promise a differentiated product that would eventually integrate with its other content and services. Sure enough, it’s keeping its word. After spending $500 million on wireless capacity in its markets, president Pat Esser says it’s time to turn things on. By relying on Cox’s own 3G network (along with Sprint’s, initially), the carrier will offer up an undisclosed amount of handsets that will “include a network address book that automatically synchronizes with home PCs” and allow remote programming of one’s DVR. Furthermore, users will be able to access e-mail and voicemail that they receive at home right on their mobile, and ideally, subscribers could watch TV shows right on their handsets. Get ready for an awkward new rival in the wireless space beginning, um, anytime now.

Cox to enter cellphone biz, link handsets to other cable-related services originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Cellphones

Not that Motorola’s Q11 comes as any big surprise, but it’s nice to see the Windows Mobile 6.1-packin’ smartphone get all official on us. Now boasting its very own dedicated page on Moto’s website, the Q11 comes to us with quad-band GPRS / EDGE (no 3G, for whatever reason), a 3-megapixel camera with LED flash, 64MB of RAM, microSD card slot, Bluetooth 2.1, a 320 x 240 resolution display, integrated GPS and a multimedia player with support for all sorts of file formats. You can also expect up to 450 minutes of talk time and up to 195 hours in standby, but you won’t be able to wrap your paws around it until December. As for carriers and pricing? Patience, friends, patience.

[Via UnwiredView]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Controlled LTE trials have been going pretty well of late, but the first test “under everyday conditions” has just gone down in Germany. We’re pleased to say that everything went off without a hitch, as a connection using the next-generation (4G) mobile communications standard was maintained while inside a moving car traveling at around 42mph. Aside from the thrill of not dropping in and out of Pidgin at random, experimenters were able to pull downloads of up to 170Mbps and upload at up to 50Mbps. According to Hamid Akhavan, head of T-Mobile, it will still be 2010 (at the very earliest) before any of its markets go live with LTE, but at least we’re moving in the right direction, eh?

[Image courtesy of ChrisHarrison]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Yeah, this does nothing for your own mobile surfing habits, but the FCC’s desires to create a much-needed national wireless broadband standard for various public safety agencies are seeing a much-needed push. The safety-allotted 700MHz “D Block” didn’t meet its reserve price in the auction earlier this year, since nobody thought they could manage a profit building and running a national public safety network. The new plan is to divvy up the spectrum space into regional licenses, but the FCC’s auction strategy is two-fold. They’ve reduced the reserve price on the national network, and if a single bidder hits that $750 million pricetag the FCC will be selling the spectrum whole. Meanwhile they’ll be running a piecemeal auction for 58 regional licenses, but they have to collectively pony up more than the single license auction nets. Mixed in with all this is an even more complicated winner-takes-all competition between WiMAX and LTE — a win either way in the public sector could give the commercial proponents that edge they need in the consumer market. The FCC’s going to decide on these crazy proposals on September 25th.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Just over a year ago, we were all making bitter beer faces at FCC chairman Kevin Martin for not going along with a delightful sounding “free internet” plan. Now, it seems the main man’s tune has changed. During a recent interview, Martin stated that there was a “social obligation in making sure everybody could participate in the next generation of broadband services because, increasingly, that’s what people want.” He’s reportedly looking to attach a free mobile broadband requirement to the AWS-3 spectrum that’s set to be auctioned next year, which would require the winner to allocate 25% for gratis access. ‘Course, we wouldn’t get our hopes us for this to actually go down like it surely is playing out in your mind just now, but we won’t fault you for dreamin’.

[Via phonescoop]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

3G is so Monday. Today, NXP Semiconductors is getting down with the “world’s fastest high-bandwidth cellular soft modem,” which will obviously be aimed at smartphones, MIDs and other handhelds thirsting for WWAN. Notably, the PNX6910 supports multi-mode LTE / HSPA / UMTS / EDGE / GPRS / GSM capability, and it’s reportedly capable of achieving data transfer rates of 150Mbits down and 50Mbits up. To put things in perspective, NXP suggests that users could download an “entire HD movie in less than 7 minutes,” though we’re not sure what constitutes an “entire movie.” Oh, and before you get too excited in here, you should probably know that the chip won’t even be available until Q2 2009 at the earliest.

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Filed under: Cellphones

Remember how the BlackBerry Thunder (RIM’s rumored touchscreen device) was said to possibly come LTE-ready? An eye-brow raiser for sure since the US networks won’t deploy LTE until 2010. Nevertheless, here’s how it could be done. ASOCS and Fujitsu just announced what they are calling the “world’s first wireless Multicomm processor.” The system-on-chip can run up to three wireless air interfaces such as GSM/EDGE/GPRS, WiFi, HD Mobile Digital TV, and GPS concurrently. Better yet, device manufacturers “using ASOCS ModemX technology can ship a single-chip mainstream MultiComms baseband solution in parallel with LTE development and later add LTE as a low-risk software upgrade.” Get that? LTE or pretty much any other wireless service added via software update. Hot damn!

[Via Thumb Report]

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Verizon just announced its plans for the open-access “C block” and other chunks of the 700MHz spectrum it purchased from the FCC for almost $10B. As expected, it’s going to provide high speed, 4G services in the form of LTE in the newly acquired spectrum. Of course, the 2010 launch is the same target stated by AT&T. Verizon also claims to have increased its spectrum inventory by about 60%. Before and after auction coverage shots in the gallery below.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

The same week that Nokia Siemens Networks unveiled its LTE solution for North America comes a little nugget from Ericsson: the M700. Hailed as the “world’s first commercially available LTE-capable platform,” it promises peak data transmissions of 100Mbps down and 50Mbps up, which will undoubtedly be the next best thing since sliced bread. Reportedly, initial devices based on the unit will be ExpressCards, USB modems, etc., and of course, it supports bandwidths between 1.4 and 20MHz and the oh-so-exciting 700MHz bands. Unfortunately, a commercial release isn’t set to happen until 2009 — with products “based on the platform” not scheduled until 2010 — but to its credit, samples of ASICs will be ready to roll sometime this year.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Late last year, we were still wondering whether LTE even had the backing to keep up with WiMAX. Fast forward to CTIA 2008, and my, how the tables have turned. Vodafone, which already teamed up with Verizon in order to initiate an LTE trial in 2008, urged the rest of the wireless sector to put its support squarely behind Long Term Evolution. Vodafone Group’s CEO, Arun Sarin, suggested that we could all see mobile internet speeds more similar to those enjoyed on the PC today if the industry “rallied around one broadband standard,” specifically noting that “we need to look at LTE as an all-encompassing standard.” The push comes hot on the heels of Sprint’s unfortunate delay of its XOHM WiMAX network, but it should be noted that infrastructure vendors in attendance tended to feel that the two would coexist at least in the short term. Sheesh, let’s just forget this whole LTE / WiMAX spat and place our bets on TD-SCDMA.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

What if Toshiba were to produce a Blu-ray player? If there’s one surefire sign that a company is recognizing the mortality of its own standards, it’s throwing some support behind the competition’s — and that’s exactly what Qualcomm has done in announcing new roadmaps for its mobile and cellular base station chipsets that include LTE. LTE, one of several 4G standards competing for the hearts and minds of carriers across the world, has a huge leg up on Qualcomm’s own UMB and WiMAX (which is technically a pre-4G standard, anyway) by having the blessing of the GSM Association, the global juggernaut of mobile industry organizations. Anyway, Qualcomm’s new plans call for future chipsets to support various flavors of UMTS, HSPA, and EV-DO, theoretically making it easier for carriers of all creeds to migrate to LTE while still supporting legacy cells and devices. The new silicon is expected to be available next year, and without a single major carrier having signed up for UMB, we’d say that’s not a moment too soon.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Kind of makes those New Years resolutions of yours seem a bit silly now, but AT&T has some high hopes for 2008. While it mulls its own 700MHz options and leaves the C block to the likes of Verizon, the company plans to build out its 3G network into 80 more cities, which boosts the number to 350 “leading” markets in the US, a rollout AT&T has been sluggish to compete with Verizon and Sprint on. AT&T also pledges to complete its HSUPA network by the middle of the year for speedier uploads. AT&T’s not giving many specifics on its future network plans, just that existing infrastructure improvements pave the way for HSPA+ and LTE in the “years to come.” Let’s hope those years come fast, these HD downloads we keep hearing about are liable to set a few cell towers on fire by year’s end.

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Filed under: Wireless

The decision to move to LTE for their next-gen network is old news. However, Vodafone and Verizon’s coordinated trial set to launch in 2008 is most definitely new. Suppliers will include Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia-Siemens, and Nortel with devices anticipated from the usuals (LG, Samsung, Motorola, Nokia, and Sony Ericsson) in addition to non-traditional consumer electronics companies looking to get a foothold on the nascent wireless broadband service. Presumably the latter is a nod in the direction of Verizon’s suspect, Open Development initiative announced earlier this week. No word on dates or locations but we’ll certainly let you know how this trial network, with a theoretical 100Mbps download and 50Mbps upload capability, unfolds.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Chalk up another one for the LTE team, as it has yet another big proponent in the ever-raging 4G war. Not even two months after Verizon gave LTE the nod over WiMAX / UMB, the board of the GSM Association has now voted to support Long Term Evolution as the mobile broadband solution to follow HSPA. The GSMA also noted that it would be interfacing with other outfits / organizations that are developing LTE technology and begin work with the NGMN (Next Generation Mobile Networks) initiative. Furthermore, Rob Conway, the entity’s CEO, reportedly called on the International Telecommunication Union to “ensure the industry wins the spectrum needed to offer mobile broadband.” ‘Course, we’ve already heard that things are shaping up nicely (in testing) for the standard, but winning over the GSMA is likely to incite some serious celebrating in the offices of LTE backers everywhere.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

We’ve already seen a number of ultra-high speed alternatives to LTE trialed and drooled over, so it’s about time that Long Term Evolution had its 15 minutes, too. The LTE / SAE Trial Initiative, founded by a gaggle of companies including Nokia, has recently revealed that initial testing “confirmed that the technology will deliver high levels of data throughput both for stationary and mobile devices.” More specifically, it was suggested that peak 100Mbps downlink / 50Mbps uplink rates could indeed be met, and we’re told that confirmation was “achieved using an agreed set of common transmission profiles, test procedures, and analysis methods.” Beyond the hip, hip, hooray, there’s not a lot of details to share, but those interested in basking in the glory of one darn fine trial can hit the read link and have at it.

[Via Physorg, image courtesy of LetsGoMobile]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones

In a wrap-up of the state of 4G networks over at BusinessWeek, the battle between the three competing 4G network standards — WIMAX, Long Term Evolution (LTE), and Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) — is appraised, with WIMAX clearly edging out its other rivals. This could be a two horse race before long if Verizon chooses to back GSM’s successor LTE over CDMA’s sequel, UMB. That would leave Qualcomm without one of its most significant backers for CDMA’s spiritual sibling, although it’ll do just fine thanks to the multiple 4G patents it holds. Ultimately though, in all of this space there’s very little discussion about what the consumer wants: do we really need two or three different standards that probably won’t inter-operate, leaving us back at the square we’ve always been at? Frankly, for all the benefits that 4G is purported to bring, we’d like something a little more imaginative than the usual bickering amongst the big shots.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!