Sprint adds cheaper 3G/4G mobile broadband plans to undercut AT&T, Verizon

Sprint has added two new 3G and 4G mobile broadband data plans to its lineup that will replace more-expensive plans it previously offered, as well as undercut AT&T and Verizon, the company announced today.

As the distant third-place carrier in the U.S., Sprint is using every trick in the book to help distinguish itself as the best value versus its competitors, namely Verizon and AT&T. Recently, Sprint helped set itself apart from the two largest … Continue Reading

Mobile data subscribers to hit 5B in 2016, according to Ericsson report

Ericsson, a company providing technology to the world’s mobile operators, predicts mobile data subscriptions will hit five billion in 2016, 10 times larger than the current figure.

When you sign up for a smartphone, you are usually required to sign up for a data plan. The application you downloaded, the email you sent, the social app you updated, they all use the mobile web and whittle at the allotted amount of data allowed by your … Continue Reading

IHS iSuppli: Tablets to push 2011 mobile broadband shipments up 58%

Strong tablet sales this year will help increase the shipment of devices that connect to mobile broadband — basically everything connecting to cellular networks that’s not a smartphone — by 57.8 percent, research firm IHS iSuppli reports.

Other devices in the category include mobile broadband-equipped netbooks and laptops, but it appears that tablets will continue to be the driving force. Tablet shipments are expected to hit around 59 million units this year, up 239 percent … Continue Reading

Nevermind the GPS interference, LightSquared has a solution

Wholesale mobile broadband provider LightSquared issued a new plan today outlining a solution for the GPS interference problems caused by the company’s 4G LTE wireless network.

LightSquared says the solution will “protect the public’s stake in GPS” and won’t delay launching the company’s wireless network in the first half of 2012, which could be an overly positive estimate judging from the assessment of problems associated with correcting the interference problems.

“This is a solution which … Continue Reading

Uh oh, LightSquared’s network is screwing with GPS

New government tests conducted by two separate agencies have concluded that LightSquared‘s mobile broadband network interferes with the signal on all GPS devices.

The news doesn’t bode well for the Virginia-based wireless startup company, which needs the Federal Communication Commission’s approval to launch its LTE mobile broadband network. LightSquared’s business model relies on selling wholesale access to its network to outside companies.

Devices that use GPS technology like mobile phones, General Motors’ OnStar emergency response … Continue Reading

FCC boss says wireless spectrum allocation is key to making mobile broadband competitive

Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski said today he is hopeful that the government will be able to reallocate spectrum to satisfy the insatiable appetite for mobile broadband capacity.

But rather than seize the spectrum outright, Genachowski wants Congress to approve a plan that would allow the current owners of the spectrum to share in the proceeds as the government auctions it off to infrastructure companies. Once that spectrum is in the right hands, Genachowski … Continue Reading

Stoke scores $17M to help carriers deliver better mobile broadband

Stoke, a company that specializes in mobile broadband gateways to help carriers manage massive loads of mobile data, announced today that it has landed an additional $17 million in funding led by new investor Focus Ventures.

Given the explosive growth of mobile broadband data with the advent of powerful smartphones and tablets, Stoke’s success is to be expected. The company says it has shipped over 200 units of its SSX-3000 mobile broadband gateway since late … Continue Reading

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski says U.S. could lead in mobile broadband

Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, wants the U.S. to catch up with other countries in making sure a high percentage of the population has access to broadband communications. He believes the way to do that is to set aside more of the radio spectrum for mobile broadband services than is currently allotted. Speaking at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco on Wednesday, Genachowski talked about how to maximize investment in broadband … Continue Reading

Comcast invests in WiMax company Cartiza

Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, wants the U.S. to catch up with other countries in making sure a high percentage of the population has access to broadband communications. He believes the way to do that is to set aside more of the radio spectrum for mobile broadband services than is currently allotted. Speaking at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco on Wednesday, Genachowski talked about how to maximize investment in broadband … Continue Reading