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Canada gets real wireless competition as a key carrier adds LTE
Canada was supposed to get proper, national-level cellular competition when Wind Mobile hit the scene in 2009, but that's not quite how it panned out. You see, Wind hasn't had LTE all those years -- if you wanted fast data beyond a regional carrier, you still had to go with one of the three main providers (Bell, Rogers or Telus) that have a tight grip on the industry. At last, though, you don't have to choose between low prices and high performance. Wind Mobile is rebranding as Freedom Mobile, and it's launching its first LTE networks in Toronto and Vancouver on November 27th.
AT&T and Dish were the big spenders in the FCC's wireless auction
There's no doubt that companies spent a ton of money in the FCC's latest wireless auction -- $44.9 billion of it, to be precise. But who was it that was so eager to part with their cash? You don't have to wonder for much longer. The FCC has revealed the winning bidders, and there's little doubt as to who the frontrunners are. AT&T was by far the biggest spender. It shelled out almost $18.2 billion for 251 licenses to use that coveted AWS-3 spectrum, or nearly three times what it spent on 700MHz frequencies back in 2008. Dish, meanwhile, made its broadband ambitions pretty clear by snapping up a sizable $13.3 billion in airwaves.
FCC chairman dreams of free mobile internet for all Americans
Just over a year ago, we were all making bitter beer faces at FCC chairman Kevin Martin for not going along with a delightful sounding "free internet" plan. Now, it seems the main man's tune has changed. During a recent interview, Martin stated that there was a "social obligation in making sure everybody could participate in the next generation of broadband services because, increasingly, that's what people want." He's reportedly looking to attach a free mobile broadband requirement to the AWS-3 spectrum that's set to be auctioned next year, which would require the winner to allocate 25% for gratis access. 'Course, we wouldn't get our hopes us for this to actually go down like it surely is playing out in your mind just now, but we won't fault you for dreamin'.[Via phonescoop]
FCC may put another 25MHz of spectrum on the block for "free broadband"
Looks like the FCC isn't quite done collecting on spectrum auctions just yet, and Chairman Kevin Martin has apparently scheduled a vote for June 12th to decide the eventual fate of the 25MHz swath of spectrum between 2155 and 2180MHz (affectionately referred to as AWS III, despite not being three times better than AWS). Apparently whomever snags the spectrum might need to be prepared to offer a "free service tier" (define that how you will) that would reach 50% of the population in the first four years and eventually 95% of the population by the time the license expires. But that's just one possibility for what may happen to AWS III, which, of course, we'll be tracking closely. Like hawks, Kevin, like hawks.
