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DARPA's next challenge could lead to AI-powered radios
So far, the solutions to wireless spectrum crunches have involved either offering relatively untapped airwaves or reusing frequencies that were previously assigned to something else. However, DARPA knows this can't go on forever -- and it's looking for help to devise a clever way around the problem. The military research agency has launched a new Grand Challenge that will have teams develop artificial intelligence-powered radios that cooperate with each other to avoid wireless congestion. Rather than force devices to use narrow frequency ranges regardless of how crowded they may be, DARPA would like to see those gadgets negotiate frequency sharing whenever they need it.
The US wants the world to offer more airwaves for 5G and drones
The US doesn't just want to carve out space for 5G cellular service on its own frequencies -- it wants the rest of the world to follow suit. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is calling on other countries to free up more of their wireless spectrum for the sake of 5G, drones and flight tracking systems. Ideally, this would create a wide-enough demand for advanced wireless that the economies of scale make sense. Your favorite phone or robot makers might be more likely to embrace the technology if they know that it'll be useful across the planet, rather than one or two regions.
Sprint thinks its existing wireless spectrum is enough
Phone carriers usually have a voracious appetite for wireless spectrum, and for good reason: they don't want to lose your business because their networks are overloaded or missing coverage. Sprint isn't in a hurry, however. The provider just announced that it's passing on the FCC's upcoming 600MHz auction after determining that its existing airwaves are "sufficient" for its future needs. The goal right now is to improve service on the frequencies that Sprint already has by adding tons of extra cell sites and aggregating bandwidth.
Ofcom's spectrum licence fee increases: The carrier backlash begins
The UK's big four mobile providers -- EE, O2, Vodafone and Three -- woke up to a figurative punch in the gut this morning. Telecoms regulator Ofcom announced its final decision on increases to spectrum licence fees, and collectively, the carriers are looking at an annual bill of almost £200 million, compared with the £64.4 million they currently pay. The jump is said to realise the true financial worth of the mobile spectrum each provider licences; as the regulator puts it, spectrum "is a valuable and finite resource, and the new fees reflect that value." Ofcom's decision is set in stone, and mobile service providers have to come up with the money if they hope to continue, you know, providing mobile service. We can only speculate on how it'll play out, but you'd have to be incredibly optimistic to think consumers aren't going to be on the hook for at least some of the inflated bill. At this point, damage control and blame shifting are of primary importance to everyone involved. The backlash begins...
Bills could rise as Ofcom triples UK carriers' licence fees
After toying with the idea of quadrupling the amount providers must pay for mobile spectrum for almost two years, UK communications regulator Ofcom has finally arrived at a decision. It announced today that the big four -- EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three -- will now pay a total of £199.6 million annually for their allocations of the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz frequency bands, more than triple the £64.4 million they currently have to hand over.
Shure wants dedicated spectrum for wireless audio gear in the UK
The proliferation of mobile phones is great, and so is the availability of 4G in the UK. However, dwindling spectrum available for wireless audio gear could cause problems at your local music venue or playhouse -- especially in the UK. Shure, the pro audio company, wants a dedicated radio spectrum for wireless microphones, in-ear monitors and other tech. As the company puts it, the best area for the audio gadgets to work is UHF bands IV and V or 470 – 854MHz. In the UK specifically, the 800MHz band has been approved for use by 4G networks and 700MHz is next. Those bands were made available after television service switched from analog to digital a few years back.
Ofcom plans to auction more 4G spectrum later this year
Ofcom is planning a fresh spectrum auction that will improve 4G coverage later this year. The regulator has 190 MHz to allocate to the major mobile networks, and today it's launched a consultation with possible auction formats. The concern is that some of the biggest carriers are undergoing mergers -- BT is buying EE, while the owner of Three UK is trying to acquire O2. if Ofcom awards all of the spectrum now, the balance of power could change unexpectedly if the deals don't proceed as planned. However, it could be six months before they're approved, and even longer before the transactions are completed, and the regulator doesn't want to waste any time putting the spectrum to good use.
Intel's success in China hinges on budget phones and tablets
"China is the number one market with connected products." That was how Intel's Senior Vice President Kirk Skaugen kicked off his keynote at IDF in Shenzhen, citing China's staggering 30 percent share of worldwide connected-device purchases in 2014. The country gobbled up 40 percent of the 46 million Intel-powered tablets shipped globally. Not bad, but 46 million is hardly anything compared to the 420.7 million smartphones shipped in China alone in the same year -- only a tiny percentage of which packed an Intel chip. Most others relied on Qualcomm, MediaTek and Samsung. Intel's smartphone market share is so small that it never dared to share the stats; it could be as low as 2.81 percent in the Android space, according to benchmark specialist AnTuTu.
FCC vote clears the way for lower-cost mobile data
Don't look now, but you may soon have more options for mobile internet access beyond the usual wireless carriers. The FCC has voted in favor of rules that not only make a wide 100MHz slice of 3.5GHz spectrum available for mobile data, but makes that data more accessible. Rather than simply parcel out the airwaves to the highest bidders (which are usually telecoms), the FCC has a "General Authorized Access" tier that lets any device use these frequencies, similar to WiFi's license-free scheme. The move would still let conventional carriers bolster their networks, but it also paves the way for cheap or free over-the-air broadband. Companies ranging from Google to Verizon are interested, so you should expect an eclectic mix of services once the devices are ready.
Ofcom declares unused TV spectrum open for business
The switchover to digital delivery of terrestrial TV completed in the UK several years ago, but even before analogue signals were put fully to rest, airwaves regulator Ofcom was thinking about potential uses for these newly liberated slices of spectrum, known as TV white spaces. Ofcom and partners have been conducting tech trials ever since, the most recent of which hooked a few of London Zoo's cutest attractions up with webcams that broadcast over white space frequencies (the streams are still live, by the way). And, with lessons learnt and successes counted, Ofcom has today formally approved TV white space technologies for use. That's not to say Ofcom's done playing its part, though, as it now has the job of managing the airwaves and telling devices how to behave. Regulators gotta regulate, you know?
Verizon FiOS will be an East Coast exclusive as of 2016
If you're a customer of Verizon's TV, internet or phone services (fiber or otherwise) in California, Florida or Texas then sometime next year you won't be. That's because as part of a $10.54 billion deal, it's selling "wireline" businesses in those states to Frontier so it can focus on a group of Eastern states. It made a similar move dumping services across many states in 2009, and many of the customers we heard from afterward were not happy because while Frontier had different policies on how to run the service. In a separate deal, it's leasing or selling a majority of the cell towers it operates to American Tower Corporation for $5 billion. Why make all these moves? Other than kicking off a $5 billion share repurchasing program, word is this money will go to pay for some $10 billion in wireless spectrum Verizon won at auction last week.
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.
Government raked in $44.9 billion from wireless auction
The FCC's latest wireless auction brought in far more money than anyone expected. The Chairman, Tom Wheeler, set a goal of raising $10.6 billion by selling off 1,600 licenses to blocks of wireless spectrum. In the end, the government not only blew past its goal, but also its previous record of raising $19.1 billion in 2008, when it auctioned off significant pieces of the 700Mhz band that delivers LTE for a number of carriers. This auction ended with the government raising $44.9 billion, which surprised many observers, especially since even smaller markets like Portland, ME received sizable bids worth tens of millions of dollars.
Ofcom's opening up more spectrum to cope with UK mobile data demands
While Ofcom is busy soliciting opinion on whether it should open up more 4G spectrum to carriers, it's already taking the necessary steps to ease mobile data congestion in the UK. The regulator today announced that it will open up the 700 MHz spectrum, allowing mobile networks to enhance their data services for lower cost. With its longer wavelength, the 700 MHz band is particularly well suited for data. It can travel longer distances without degrading but also penetrate further into buildings, meaning it's useful in both rural and urban environments. It also helps that the UK isn't alone in wanting to utilise the frequency, with France, Sweden and Finland all announcing plans to use band. Ofcom plans to make spectrum available by 2022, but will first need to reallocate digital TV and wireless event communication signals to let carriers tap it for mobile broadband. Luckily, you won't need to do anything until 2019 at the very latest, and even then you'll probably only need to retune your television.
Ofcom to expand 4G in the UK with new spectrum auction next year
The UK's four main carriers may steadily be building up their 4G coverage, but regulators don't want to leave the future of Britain's superfast networks to chance. UK communications regulator Ofcom today announced that it intends to auction more 4G spectrum late next year (or early 2016), giving operators to opportunity to expand their LTE networks with more high data capacity spectrum. It expects to raise between £50 and £70 million from the sale, which will then line the pockets of the government.
Super-speedy light detector gives x-ray machines a run for their money
It's very tough to find light beyond certain frequencies. If you want to see elusive terahertz waves, for example, you have to get a system that's either really slow or needs to be kept at a temperature near absolute zero -- not exactly practical. The University of Maryland's scientists have a better way, however. They've developed a graphene-based detector that not only works at room temperature, but should be over a million times faster than previous tech. The very nature of graphene is what makes it work so well; since the material doesn't absorb the heat from incoming light, you can use it as a sensor without having to keep it chilly or otherwise jump through hoops to get an accurate reading.
Working As Intended: The unfortunate conflation of sandboxes and PvP
A certain perplexing belief about sandboxes pervades the blog comments, forums, and general chats of MMOs: All MMO sandboxes are free-for-all PvP games. If it doesn't have free-for-all PvP, it's by definition not a sandbox because sandboxes let the players make all the rules and decisions. Free-for-all PvP adds the necessary spice to keep you on your toes and keep a game fresh. Without it, you may as well be playing The Sims. All of these statements are wrong.
T-Mobile wraps up deal that promises LTE in more places
After champing at the bit for months, T-Mobile has finally closed its deal to buy $2.4 billion in wireless spectrum from Verizon. The UnCarrier now has the all-clear to roll out LTE data on the 700MHz band, which will help it upgrade its 2G-only areas to 4G speeds; you won't have to settle for pokey mobile internet access just because you're visiting friends in the countryside. The expanded wireless support is also coming to big urban centers like New York and Los Angeles, so existing LTE users should see more consistent coverage both indoors (where lower frequencies excel) and in otherwise patchy places. T-Mobile has already said that all its network should have LTE by mid-2015, but you may notice improvements by the end of this year.
Cellular competition shrinks as Verizon swallows another small-time carrier
While many have been fretting over the possibility of reduced cellular competition if Sprint buys T-Mobile, some real reduction has just taken place. Cincinnati Bell has sold all of its spectrum to Verizon for $210 million, removing itself from the wireless industry. The regional carrier's network will run as usual until the deal's expected closure in the second half of 2014, but the company plans to move customers to other providers shortly after that. It's bowing out because it simply can't afford to compete -- it's too "economically challenging" to build an advanced network, CEO Ted Torbeck says. The move should help Cincinnati Bell concentrate on its fiber internet and TV plans, but it's not great news for subscribers who'd like to hold on to as many carrier choices as possible. [Image credit: Robert Donovan, Flickr]
The government is about to make outdoor WiFi faster
Just over a year ago, the FCC said it was working on a proposal to make outdoor and public WiFi faster, and, well, it's finally come to pass. Today, the outfit announced that it has freed some 100 megahertz of spectrum in the 5 gigahertz band, which will make wireless connections faster. By how much? Well, this could allow transfer rates of up to a gigabit per second for the likes of laptops, smartphones and tablets. It'd also immediately benefit beefy 802.11ac networks, according to Gigaom. If you're thinking that your favorite coffee shop's network could get faster as a result, that's only part of the plan: the ruling also allows for the deployment of speedier outdoor WiFi hot spots. As FCC commissioner Ajit Pai tells it, this could push the price of related gizmos down, too. If you want to see government employees liken licensed and unlicensed spectrums to peanut butter and jelly, or data transfers to Tom Selleck's moustache (yes, really), hit the source links.
