Network access

Sprint announced today that it will unveil two Windows Phone 8 devices by this summer -- one from Samsung and another from HTC.

The mobile carrier made the announcement with Microsoft at the Consumer Electronics Show today.

"Sprint has had a strong relationship with Microsoft for many years so we are excited to reinforce our commitment to the Windows 8 platform by sharing the details and timing for our first Windows Phone 8 smartphones," Sprint senior vice president of product development and operations Fared Adib said in a statement. "These smartphones combine a robust new operating platform … Read more

LAS VEGAS -- In a prelude to his keynote at CES here, Verizon chief executive Lowell McAdam told investors that the company's fourth quarter was its best quarter ever. Verizon added 2.1 million net subscribers during the quarter, a historic high for the company, he said.

"Thirty percent of our net adds are new to Verizon," McAdam said.

McAdam, who made the remarks at the 2013 Citi Global Internet, Media & Communications Conference that's also taking place in Las Vegas, stated that Verizon's base of LTE devices grew from 16 percent to 23 percent … Read more

The smartphone industry will ship more than 1 billion units before the year is over, according to a preview of a Deloitte report due out next week.

And that number could actually come closer to 2 billion, at least based on Deloitte's definition of a smartphone. Most analysts and industry watchers consider a smartphone a device that runs a specific operating system, such as iOS or Android. But Deloitte has expanded that definition to consider phones "smart" if they have touch screens, use full keyboards, and run apps, regardless of what OS they run internally.

"In … Read more

InterDigital is on the patent warpath again.

The company, famous for holding a boatload of patents on wireless products, filed a complaint yesterday with the United States International Trade Commission against the usual round of tech players.

Citing infringement against seven of its patents, InterDigital wants the ITC to ban the U.S. import of products made by Samsung, Nokia, ZTE, and Huawei.

Specifically, InterDigital alleges that the companies in question have engaged in unfair trade practices by selling certain 3G and 4G wireless devices that violate the seven patents. Without naming any specific products, the complaint points to mobile … Read more

The Federal Communications Commission announced new rules today designed to speed deployment of Internet services on aircraft.

Since 2001, the FCC has authorized a number of companies on a case-by-case basis to offer in-flight Internet service via Earth Stations Aboard Aircraft, which carry two-way signals from an aircraft-mounted antenna to geostationary satellites. The FCC said the new rules define ESAA as a licensed application and sets a framework for processing applications, allowing airlines to test and win approval for systems that meet FCC requirements for not interfering with aircraft systems.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said the new rules will help … Read more

Dish was recently given a thumbs up by the FCC to build its own LTE network, but the company is up against some stiff obstacles along the way.

Last week, the Federal Communications Commission granted Dish's request to allow it to use 40 MHz of spectrum in the 2 GHz band to create a 4G LTE network. At the time, the FCC indicated that some restrictions would apply, though it didn't reveal the specifics... until now.

The satellite TV provider must finish 40 percent of its LTE network within the next four years, and 70 percent within seven … Read more

Verizon has added 29 new LTE markets to its service.

The company announced today that Selma, Ala., and Port Angeles, Wash., are among the many markets getting access to its LTE service today. With those cities added, Verizon now offers its LTE service in 470 markets across the U.S. Verizon said today that it's also expanding its LTE availability in 36 existing markets, bringing its total coverage to more than 250 million people.

Verizon's announcement comes just a couple of days after AT&T announced that it has brought its LTE network to five cities, bringing … Read more

Shipments of 4G LTE smartphones will triple next year, research firm Strategy Analytics predicts.

The research firm sees shipments rising to 275 million next year from this year's 91 million, a rise of 203 percent resulting in a record year for LTE phone vendors. Companies that stand to benefit the most include Apple, Samsung, and LG, with the iPhone 5 and Samsung's Galaxy S3 among the most popular handsets.

But other vendors will participate in the LTE push, such as Nokia, HTC, Motorola, Blackberry, Huawei, ZTE, and Pantech. Growth in LTE smartphones will be driven by demand in … Read more

Defense researchers are looking to update the wireless platform currently used for military communications to deliver 100Gbps connections.

While fiber-optic cables provide the long-haul backbone for most data and voice communications networks without issue, radio signals often face electronic interference and degradation over long distances, resulting in reduced communications efficiency to soldiers in the field.

The current Common Data Link, the U.S. military's secure communications protocol created in 1991, operates at data rates of up to 274Mbps. To boost that speed, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is inviting input on creation of a new wireless communications platform … Read more