News
First News Briefs for February 27, 2013
February 27, 2013 10:11 am | by Wireless Week Staff | CommentsDigi International today announced it will offer Android support for the ConnectCard for i.MX28 module, a compact wireless system-on-module for developing connected devices based on Freescale Semiconductor technology. Embedded application development kits will include drivers and unique Digi software extensions allowing customers to get to market fast using Android.
Clearwire Draws Sprint Funding, Could Complicate Dish Offer
February 27, 2013 9:46 am | by Ben Munson | CommentsClearwire has elected to accept the $80 million draw from Sprint for March, while continuing to discuss acquisition offers from both Sprint and Dish. Dish has said that it will withdraw its offer of $3.30 per share to buy the remaining 50 percent of Clearwire if the WiMAX provider drew any of the funding offered by Sprint.
Wireless Connections Creep Into Everyday Things
February 27, 2013 9:33 am | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer | CommentsA car that tells your insurance company how you're driving. A bathroom scale that lets you chart your weight on the Web. And a meter that warns your air conditioner when electricity gets more expensive. Welcome to the next phase of the wireless revolution...
Momentum Grows for Alternative Phone System Tizen
February 27, 2013 9:30 am | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer | CommentsThe junior league of smartphone operating systems is getting more competitive. Phones from yet another contender — Tizen — will go on sale this year with a view to eventually competing with the industry leaders, Apple's iOS and Google's Android...
Ex Wireless Exec Hagel Confirmed as Secretary of Defense
February 26, 2013 5:23 pm | by Andrew Berg | CommentsThe Senate has confirmed military and wireless industry veteran Chuck Hagel as the next Secretary of Defense. Hagel was a co-founder of Vanguard Cellular systems. At one time, Vanguard was the largest independent wireless carrier...
Pentagon Looks to Support iOS, Android in Addition to Blackberry
February 26, 2013 3:41 pm | by Ben Munson | CommentsThe Department of Defense today issued its Commercial Mobile Device Implementation Plan geared toward securely opening up its networks to devices from multiple platforms. Lt. Col. Damien Pickart said the initiative is not a BYOD program, but simply a more cost-effective solution and a move toward mobile interoperability for both its unclassified and classified devices.
Telephone & Data Systems Shares Fall on 4Q Loss
February 26, 2013 11:46 am | by Associated Press | CommentsShares of Telephone Data and Systems Inc. fell Tuesday after the company posted a larger-than-expected fourth-quarter loss and announced the acquisition of Baja Broadband in New Mexico for $267.5 million. The owner of U.S. Cellular and TDS Telecom, posted a loss of $41.9 million, or 39 cents per share, compared with a loss of $6.2 million, or 6 cents per share, in the same quarter of 2011.
VZW: International LTE Roaming Partnerships Coming Soon
February 26, 2013 10:44 am | by Andrew Berg | CommentsVerizon Wireless customers could be in luck when it comes to overseas roaming. According to a report from Reuters out of Mobile World Congress, Verizon expects to sign its first international LTE roaming agreement later this year. Verizon Wireless Chief Technology Officer...
LG Acquires WebOS From HP
February 26, 2013 10:30 am | by Ben Munson | CommentsThe Korean electronics company just acquired HP’s now defunct mobile operating system and plans to implement the platform in connected home appliances. With the deal, LG gets the source code and an HP team of engineers who work with WebOS, as well as patents HP acquired when it bought the operating system from Palm.
MetroPCS Reports 117% Growth in LTE Subs in 4Q
February 26, 2013 10:18 am | by Andrew Berg | CommentsMetroPCS is making good on its promise to quickly migrate customers over to LTE, a strategy that should ease the complexity of merging with GSM carrier T-Mobile. During the fourth quarter, MetroPCS surpassed over 2.2 million LTE subscribers, an increase of 117 percent...
Signal Boosters: The “Robin Hoods of the Industry”
February 26, 2013 10:13 am | by Ben Munson | CommentsHongtao Zhan seems relieved by the FCC’s recent ruling on wireless signal boosters. The CEO of Cellphone-Mate, a company manufacturing both commercial and residential models of signal boosters, believes the Commission made the right decision and made it clear that signal boosting is an important part of the U.S.’s wireless infrastructure.
Raco Will Offer Customers Sprint CDMA, LTE Connectivity
February 26, 2013 8:53 am | by Andrew Berg | CommentsCompanies looking to embed wireless modules in everything AND the kitchen sink are prevalent at events like Mobile World Congress (MWC), which kicked off yesterday in Barcelona, Spain. Raco Wireless, an end-to-end M2M provider, today announced that...
Verizon CFO Talks Vodafone Buyout, Growth in 2013
February 25, 2013 4:56 pm | by Andrew Berg | CommentsVerizon CFO Fran Shammo reiterated comments previously made by CEO Lowell McAdam that the carrier is open to buying out the 45 percent of the Verizon Wireless joint venture that is currently owned by Vodafone. "I think we've been very open saying we'd love to own the other 45...
Visa Announces Mobile Payment Partnership with Samsung
February 25, 2013 11:08 am | by Ben Munson | CommentsUnder the agreement, financial institutions will be able to securely upload customers’ payment account information onto NFC-enabled Samsung phones using Visa’s Mobile Provisioning Service. Also, Samsung has agreed to pre-load Visa’s payWave app onto its NFC-enabled devices, allowing end-users to make touchless payments.
Boost, Virgin Mobile Announces LTE Service, New Phones
February 25, 2013 10:33 am | by Ben Munson | CommentsBoost and Virgin Mobile are making the jump in speed up to LTE. Both operate on Sprint’s LTE network. The postpaid providers have each announced the first phones that will run on their new faster offering, with Samsung’s Galaxy Victory coming to Virgin and the HTC One SV coming to Boost.
