Alcatel-Lucent
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Alcatel-Lucent's lightRadio shoves a base station in a box, minimalists cheer
They've been fashioned after palm trees, Christ on the cross, and what look to be Dyson Ball vacuum attachments. But now, Alcatel-Lucent is giving cellphone towers a makeover that might actually stick. The company's new broadband base station solution, known as lightRadio, eliminates the need for cumbersome huts at the base of cellphone towers and packs antennas into a series of 2.5-inch boxes, while simultaneously improving capacity and reducing cost. These so-called radio cubes combine 2G, 3G, and LTE antennas with an SoC for processing, making them small enough to prop up on a lamp post. They're firmware upgradable, and utilize beamforming to more efficiently connect to wireless devices; according to the company, groups of 'em can not only increase broadband capacity by 30 percent, but also cut operation costs and CO2 emissions in half. Clearly, lightRadio makes a compelling case for narrowing the digital divide, but it won't be available broadly until 2012, which means the creative cover ups will just keep on coming. Sorry, JC. [Thanks, Nathan]
UK and French carriers working on cellular coverage for Channel Tunnel, aim to finish by 2012 Olympics
If you live in a technophile city like Taipei, you'll have been enjoying underground 4G for a long time now, but in London the rule is that you have to bid adieu to your mobile connectivity when diving into a tunnel. The city's Mayor has been active in encouraging (forcing?) the major British carriers to install the necessary equipment to provide coverage on the Tube, and now we're hearing that ambition has stretched beyond the nation's borders as well. The Daily Telegraph reports that Vodafone, O2, Everything Everywhere, and Three from the UK along with Orange, SFR and Bouygues from France have agreed to share the cost of putting together a £20 million ($30.8m) project for making cellular coverage possible while traveling through the 31.4-mile Channel Tunnel between the two countries. The goal is to get things up and running by the Olympics in 2012, though we've no indication as to what speeds those wireless data transfers will reach. Still, having some bars is better than none, right?
Sprint phasing out Nextel's iDEN network, selects vendors for $5b network upgrade project
Looks like the Motorola i1 Android set (not pictured above) will stand as the highest-end Nextel phone ever -- Sprint just announced that it's phasing out the iDEN network sometime in 2013 as it begins a new four to five billion dollar network enhancement project called "Network Vision." We've expected this for a while -- the Sprint / Nextel merger has been beset by subscriber losses and rumors of a breakup for years now -- but this is the first time we've gotten a date. Sprint's rolling out push-to-talk on its own network to support its 10.6 million Nextel customers, but we don't have a schedule for that yet. Sprint's also announcing vendors for Network Vision: Alcatel-Lucent, Samsung, and Ericsson will each handle a region and be tasked with expanding and fortifying Sprint's existing 1900MHz 3G network while buying 800MHz, 1900MHz, and 2.5GHz spectrum for future use. Interestingly, Sprint's definitely hedging its WiMAX bets a little -- it can upgrade its new gear to LTE with swapping in a baseband card and issuing a software patch, which certainly gives the company some 4G flexibility should Clearwire not pull things together. We'll see what happens -- the underdog's making some moves.
AT&T deploying software fix for slow upload speeds over next few weeks
Looks like AT&T and Alcatel-Lucent have finally sorted out the software glitch that's resulted in slow HSPA upload speeds in certain markets -- we were just told on the record that a patch is being rolled out and the update will be completed over the next two to three weeks. That should mean iPhone 4 and laptop data modem customers should start to see their upload speeds creep back to higher levels after being capped at UMTS rates for the past few weeks, so that's good news -- let us know if things are getting better for you, yeah?
AT&T identifies Alcatel-Lucent as slow upload culprit, fix in the works
As we'd suspected, AT&T isn't intentionally limiting upload speeds on iPhone 4s in some markets where things suddenly got slow over the weekend. Or that's the company's claim, anyhow -- and seeing how they're actually calling out a supplier in the process, we tend to buy it. Specifically, AT&T says that some Alcatel-Lucent equipment (which isn't used in all markets) is causing uploads to fall back to non-HSUPA UMTS speeds "under certain conditions" affecting "less than two percent" of the company's customers, and that they're working on developing a fix. "Less than two percent" seems a bit optimistic, but regardless, at least it shouldn't be a permanent condition for anyone. Here's the full statement: "AT&T and Alcatel-Lucent jointly identified a software defect -- triggered under certain conditions – that impacted uplink performance for Laptop Connect and smartphone customers using 3G HSUPA-capable wireless devices in markets with Alcatel-Lucent equipment. This impacts less than two percent of our wireless customer base. While Alcatel-Lucent develops the appropriate software fix, we are providing normal 3G uplink speeds and consistent performance for affected customers with HSUPA-capable devices."
AT&T selects LTE equipment suppliers, 'commercial deployment' planned for 2011
Aw, snap. We knew good and well that the iPhone's exclusive home in America (cue groans) was planning to hopscotch right around HSPA+ and move straight to LTE, but it's always good to see a little confirmation from the carrier, you know? AT&T has today confessed to selecting its two LTE suppliers (Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson), and better still, that it will begin its LTE rollout in 2011. As expected, field trials are slated to get going later this year, and for those of you concerned about the outfit's (admittedly lacking) 3G network, we're hearing positive things on that front as well. Purportedly, 3G equipment delivered to AT&T by the suppliers starting this year will be "easily convertible to LTE," and Ma Bell has assured us that it "plans to make the nation's fastest 3G network even faster in advance of LTE networks and devices scaling." Shame that whole "plans" thing can change without notice, but we won't jump to any conclusions just yet.
Major infrastucture supplier calls it: LTE over WiMAX
If you're Clearwire or Sprint right now, the last thing you want to hear is one of the world's major suppliers of wireless infrastructure badmouthing the very technology that underpins your next-gen network -- so we imagine there's some groaning in the hallways and boardrooms of the world's WiMAX carriers today. Why? Alcatel-Lucent's COO of its wireless business, Patrick Plas, has pulled no punches in a statement this week that the firm is "not putting a lot of effort into [WiMAX] any longer" after noticing that there's "a clear direction taken by the industry towards LTE." Of course, it doesn't take an analyst to notice that Europe, Asia, and virtually every carrier in the Americas have all taken on a decidedly pro-LTE slant in the past couple years, and these guys are just following the money -- which in turn makes it harder (and more expensive) for the handful of WiMAX proponents with deployed networks to build out and stay technologically current. In the race to actual 4G commercialization, LTE's still got a ton of catching-up to do -- but once it does, it's looking poised to blow past WiMAX pretty quickly here. In the meantime, we'll be loving our Overdrives.
LTE Connected Car redefines the 'mobile' in mobile broadband (video)
If you think cellphones have become overbearingly complex, look away now. A partnership of tech companies and content providers, known as the ng Connect Program, has revealed a prototype "LTE Connected Car," which, as you might surmise, combines 4G mobile broadband connectivity with a bunch of cloud-sourced facilities, such as video on demand, audio libraries, and multiplayer gaming. It can also serve as a Wi-Fi hotspot, connect directly to home automation or monitoring systems, and probably cook you scrambled eggs if you ask nicely. A Toyota Prius serves as the guinea pig for this new concept, and we've got video of the whole shebang after the break. Read - ng Connect Program Puts Connectivity in the Fast Lane with the LTE Connected Car Concept Vehicle Read - ng Connect Program Reveals the Long Term Evolution (LTE) Connected Car
Microsoft's $358 million damage award overturned, Alcatel-Lucent likely perturbed
We won't go so far as to compare this to the epic multi-year Broadcom vs. Qualcomm saga, but this is certainly shaping up to be the case that never ends, part II. Microsoft and Alcatel-Lucent have been at each other's throats over various things since August of 2007, and while we've seen damages awarded and overturned a few times since, the latest ruling to be handed down by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has A-L waiting a wee bit longer to get its (maybe) due. This past Friday, the court decided that while a $358 million damages award against Microsoft for "violating patents relating to technology that allows users to enter dates into calendars in its Outlook e-mail program" was somewhat legitimate, the damages were "unjustified." The result? The whole thing has to be retried, giving the contracted law firms for both companies immense joy.
Verizon rolling out more apartment-friendly hardware
We can't imagine who would turn down Verizon's FiOS service because the required hardware to get fiber right into their home was too big; given the option, we'd make room -- like an addition to the home if necessary. Still, we won't argue with anything that opens FiOS up to more people, and Verizon is dropping new, smaller optical network terminal (ONT) hardware that should make the fiber service more attractive to MDU (multi-dwelling unit) properties in particular. Two new models convert the data-laden light pulses into electrical signals suitable for home consumption and measure a scant 1.25x8.5x5.5-inches and 2.5x9x8.25-inches from Alcatel-Lucent and Motorola, respectively; good news for space-conscious apartment dwellers. The good news for installers is that these new boxes are easier to install. Unfortunately, not so easy that Verizon is expanding FiOS into our market yet, but maybe you'll have better luck.
Video: Novatel Wireless' GSM MiFi 2352 launches on Telefonica Espana
Remember that Novatel MiFi 2352 we got our hands on a few months back? Well, it looks like it got a little makeover just in time for yesterday's launch on Telefonica Espana. While we're digging the look of the thing, it's what's going on under the hood that really piqued our interest: Adding to the usual WiFi connectivity and encryption, this guy sports two processors, a separate Linux OS and additional flash RAM for hosting and running third party apps accessible to its WiFi clients. If anything, this suggests that Novatel has "big plans for the platform," as SlashGear notes. While available apps are currently limited to Alcatel-Lucent's Nonstop Laptop Guardian (a user admin package for enterprise users) we're looking forward to seeing what the company and its partners cook up in the future. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's commence with the unboxing. Shall we? Video's after the break.
Viettel, Alcatel-Lucent and RIM bring BlackBerry solution to Vietnam
It's a good week internationally for BlackBerry lovers. First we hear that South Korea finally has unbridled access and its own Bold to toy with, and now we're hearing a similar story for the people of Vietnam. Viettel (a mobile operator in the country), Alcatel-Lucent and RIM have all joined hands to make it happen, with "it" being the launch of BlackBerry wireless service. Speaking of launch, prospective buyers can look forward to wrapping their palms around the Pearl 8100, BlackBerry 8700 or the Curve 8320 initially, though we wouldn't be surprised to see even more flavors roll out soon. There's no talk of price just yet, but feel free to phone up your nearest Viettel shop and see what's up.[Image courtesy of thugian]
Alcatel-Lucent cuts 1,000 jobs
It's not an easy time to be a provider of wired and wireless network infrastructure. Actually, let's be honest -- it's not an easy time to be in most any line of work -- but the infrastructure guys are having a particularly tough time right now, and it's definitely showing in Alcatel-Lucent's latest unfortunate move. The Paris-based company is trimming a grand worth of heads out of its 75,000-plus workforce and culling some 5,000 contractors, a move that it hopes will stop a cash hemorrhage that's been persistent since Alcatel's purchase of Lucent in 2006. The embattled CEO already stepped down earlier this year in a quest for profitability in a desperately brutal economy, so it stands to reason that there'll be some belt-tightening down below until they can right the ship -- but it's always sad to see the parent company of what remains of Bell Labs struggle to keep its head above water.
Alcatel-Lucent's CEO and chairman to exit
Shortly after Alcatel-Lucent posted yet another quarter of net losses, two of its biggest bigwigs have decided that enough is enough. Chairman Serge Tchuruk and CEO Patricia Russo have both announced plans to exit the company, and while the former will be clocking in for the final time on October 1st, the latter has agreed to stay on until a new CEO is found. According to Tchuruk, the time has come for the outfit to "acquire a personality of its own, independent from its two predecessors." The search for replacements has already begun, though analysts assert that filling the holes won't be a lesson in simplicity. Something Motorola would likely agree with entirely.[Via RCRWireless, image courtesy of The New York Times]Read - Announcement of resignationsRead - Search for replacements
Microsoft loses appeal, owes Alcatel-Lucent $512M in patent damages
Sorting out the various Microsoft / Alcatel-Lucent patent infringement cases isn't exactly fun or easy, but here's another Post-It for that chart we know you're keeping at home: US District Judge Marilyn Huff has just upheld an earlier $368M damages ruling against Microsoft, and calculated that MS owes A-L a total of $512M for infringing those video-encoding patents that are obviously still so relevant to the proceedings in these cases. That's not the same as that earlier ruling that A-L hadn't infringed an MS patent, mind you -- and Redmond says it's going to appeal this decision as well, so this giant mess isn't going anywhere soon. Hey, guys? We're betting that working out a cross-licensing agreement would be way cheaper than all these legal fees you're racking up, you know? Just a thought. Okay, keep fighting. We totally care.
Open Patent Alliance WiMAX consortium formed, Qualcomm not so interested
As WiMax-powered 4G networks remain the stuff of holding companies and litigation, a group of providers have gotten together to form an (evil?) alliance that they say will help speed up both development and deployment. In other words, they want Qualcomm on board, which holds the juiciest 4G patents. The Open Patent Alliance (OPA) includes Intel, the recently-formed Clearwire, Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Samsung, and Sprint. Similar to the Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, NextWave Wireless, Nokia Siemens Networks, Sony Ericsson coalition that is backing Long Term Evolution, this WiMAX group looks poised to take on Qualcomm with some serious collective patents, boardroom politics, and investor cash. Meanwhile, Qualcomm is sitting in the corner saying, "We already have 4G, and it's very nice." This should be interesting. Stay tuned.
Jury says Alcatel-Lucent didn't infringe on Microsoft patents
Okay, so remember two months ago when a jury in the District Court for the Southern District of California ruled that Microsoft had infringed two Alacatel-Lucent patents and that MS owed A-L some $367M? Well, a different jury in the same court today ruled that Alcatel-Lucent didn't infringe on four patents that Microsoft was crying over, that one of Microsoft's video-encoding patents is invalid, and the Microsoft didn't infringe on another Alcatel-Lucent patent. Got all that? Yeah, it's confusing, in an extraordinarly dull sort of way -- and it's just the latest twist and turn in this case, which has been going on since 2006 and features around 10 hotly-disputed patents. Don't worry, though, the good times don't appear to be ending soon: there's an appeal of that first decision coming up, and you know we'll be there sound asleep to let you know what happens.
DISH Networks teams with Alcatel-Lucent for DVB-SH trial in US
Ah ha! So this is what DISH Network was planning on doing with its recently-purchased swath of spectrum. Just under two months after analysts pondered what the firm was thinking throwing out bids for a smidgen of bandwidth -- and not even a fortnight after the ICO G1 successfully launched in order to bring DVB-SH to America -- out comes the whole truth. The satcaster is teaming up with Alcatel-Lucent to test the Digital Video Broadcasting - Satellite services to Handhelds technology right here in the US, with A-L providing the equipment, test tools and training. The evaluation will be taking place at a DISH facility in Atlanta from May until August, with the ultimate goal to "validate the performance and cost-efficiency of the DVB-SH standard." As expected, we're only given crumbs of information as to where this partnership may lead, but we should be much more clear on everything by the time the summer concludes.
Jury says Microsoft owes Alcatel-Lucent $376M in patent damages
Hey, remember that Microsoft / Alcatel-Lucent patent fight from 2006? Yeah, we didn't think so -- but the two companies have been duking it out in court over about ten different patents for a couple years now, and a jury ruled today that Microsoft infringed two user interface-related patents and owes damages to the tune of $376M. The two patents both cover touchscreens, with one describing a system of form data entry, and the other describing stylus data interpretation. Sexy, we know. The jury also found that the Microsoft had not infringed two other Alcatel-Lucent video-decoding patents, but the rulings doesn't mean this is all finally over -- Microsoft is planning on immediately appealing the decision, and there are still several other video-related patents being litigated. Yeah, we're on edges of our seats here -- tune in next time for another excitingly dull installment of Marshall Justice.
Alcatel-Lucent sends data 1600 miles at 16.4Tbps
Sure, the researchers at Alcatel-Lucent have already sent data 50 miles at 25.6Tbps, but it looks like now they're going for distance rather than speed: the company announced yesterday that it's now pumped bits over a 1584-mile long link at 16.4Tbps. Sure, that's slightly slower than the record, but being able to firehose bits at distances like that is even more impressive, if you ask us (you didn't). The core tech is essentially the same as used in the earlier speed record: bundling several 100Gbps optical signals at different wavelengths into one multiplexed transmission, shooting it down fiber, and splitting it up at the end. This latest test used 164 different channels and updated transmitters and multiplexers to hit the record -- which is fine and all, but guys, if you're not using that old school 25.6Tbps gear anymore we know a few people who are interested.[Via Slashdot]
