4G Global Update - January 27, 2012

 

Panasonic Offers Wireless Broadband Service to Connect Its Products
PCWorld
Panasonic launched a wireless broadband service in Japan this week that is intended to encourage customers to use its coming wave of Internet-ready appliances and services. Panasonic said its aptly named "WiMAX Service" will work with its wired TVs, audio equipment, refrigerators and washing machines, as well as future offerings in home energy management, health care and security. Panasonic will serve as an MVNO and work with UQ Communications, which operates a large WiMAX network across Japan. The company said its service will offer 40M bps download speeds with 15.4 Mbps upstream. It will cost ¥3,880 (US $50) per month on a one-year contract. There was no word about any plans to offer such a service internationally. More

Clearwire Quietly Discontinues New Activations for Legacy Pre-WiMAX Markets
PhoneNews.com
WCAI member Clearwire confirmed to PhoneNews.com that they have stopped activating new service for customers in pre-WiMAX markets. This does not affect markets that are selling CLEAR 4G WiMAX coverage, nor does it affect any customers who have already enrolled in Clearwire pre-WiMAX service. More

 

AT&T Banks on Broadband, Cries for Spectrum
Light Reading
Despite the $6.7 billion hit WCAI member AT&T took for its breakup with T-Mobile, the carrier's mobile broadband growth leaves little doubt it will bounce back. AT&T had its best quarter yet for mobile broadband growth, and CEO Randall Stephenson used its conference call on the results to reassure investors that growth will continue — provided it's allowed to acquire more spectrum. More

LTE-Advanced is the Future, but No Rocket Ship
ComputerWorld
The 4G network standards approved recently by the ITU may improve the mobile data experience soon, even if consumers don't actually see the 100 Mbps mobile speed for which they were designed. The International Telecommunication Union gave its seal of approval to the two new standards, LTE-Advanced and WirelessMAN-Advanced, at the ITU Radiocommunication Assembly in Geneva last Wednesday. WirelessMAN-Advanced, the second generation of WiMAX, is not expected to be widely deployed. More

 

LTE Spectrum: How Much Do the Big Carriers Have?
PCWorld
The top U.S. carriers over the past year have stepped up their efforts to grab more spectrum for 4G wireless data services needed to accommodate a seemingly insatiable and exploding population of iPhone, iPad and other mobile device users. More

Juniper Points to the Economy
Light Reading
Juniper Networks is blaming the tough macroeconomy for its downhill run. The company said Thursday that revenues for the first quarter, which ends March 31, will dip below $1 billion, the first time that's happened to Juniper since June 2010. More