4G Global Update - June 14, 2011

 

Italy Regulator Urges Quick Action On Broadband, 4G Mobile

The Wall Street Journal

Italy's telecommunications regulator urged operators and public funds to act together to help Italy develop a fast fiber-based network, warning that failure to do so could be costly for the country's economic growth and competitiveness as Italy still lags the rest of Europe in broadband penetration. In the regulator's annual speech to parliament, AGCOM Chairman Corrado Calabro also urged quick action to boost Italy's coffers through auctioning new mobile spectrum for the country's 4G mobile network, following in the footsteps of Germany, the Netherlands and the U.K. The German auction netted EUR4.4 billion for the government last year, and Calabro reiterated the Italian proceeds may be above the initial forecast of EUR2.4 billion, with all exceeding funds to be used for much-needed broadband investment. More

 

 

Verizon Adds 19 New 4G LTE Markets in US

Light Reading Mobile

Verizon Wireless said that it is launching its 4G LTE service in 19 new towns and cities in the U.S. this Thursday and expanding the reach of the networks already deployed in Detroit and San Francisco. Users can expect downloads at speeds of 5 Mbit/s to 12 Mbit/s from the new network. The operator's 4G market footprint now matches the WiMAX deployment used by Sprint Nextel. Sprint's 4G partner, Clearwire, says it has WiMAX in over 70 cities in the U.S. today. Verizon says it will have LTE in over 170 cities by year's end. AT&T, meanwhile, plans to launch LTE this summer. It will be in 15 cities by year's end. More

 

 

Mandarin Brings WiMAX to More Sicilian Towns

TelecomPaper

Italian regional WiMAX operator Mandarin has signed a series of contracts with small municipalities in Sicily to bring wireless broadband services to areas suffering from limited Internet access. The first project will be implemented in Sicamino Gualtieri, a town with 1,849 inhabitants near Messina, which will see Mandarin providing wireless connectivity throughout the municipality. More

 

 

Celcom Enlists NSN for DC-HSPA+ Upgrade in Klang Valley, Malaysia

TeleGeography

Malaysian mobile operator Celcom Axiata has selected Nokia Siemens Networks to expand and modernize its existing 3G network in the Klang Valley as part of its ongoing plans to enhance its infrastructure in the region. As part of the deal, the Finnish vendor will deploy Dual Carrier HSPA+ technology offering theoretical downlink speeds of up to 42Mbps, with a view to meeting the increased demand for mobile data services spurred by rising smartphone use in the country. More

 

 

Telia to Share Danish Network, Repeats Outlook

Reuters

TeliaSonera said it will share mobile phone networks with rival Telenor in Denmark to protect margins as it repeated its 2011 forecast of only slight growth in its markets. Strong economic recovery, surging smartphone and mobile Internet use and strong emerging market growth have helped Telia bounce back quickly from the global downturn. More

 

 

Microsoft Objects to Nortel Patent Sale Terms

Reuters

Google should not be allowed to buy thousands of patents belonging to bankrupt Nortel Networks under current sale terms, Microsoft said, the deadline for bids in a closely watched auction. Microsoft, which claims a "worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free license to all of Nortel's patents" following a 2006 deal, said in a filing with a Delaware bankruptcy court that existing agreements should be transferred to any new owner of the intellectual property, which spans many fields. Google has offered to pay $900 million for more than 6,000 patents and patent applications belonging to Nortel. The sale will likely face competing bids from many of the world's largest tech companies and is expected to raise more than $1 billion for Nortel's creditors. More