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Robocall 'strike force' sets out to end unwanted calls
The Federal Communications Commission is just as fed up with robocalls as you are. After opening the door for telecoms to offer robocall blocking services last year, and urging those companies to make them available for free last month, members of the FCC convened a meeting of the Robocall Strike Force this morning to figure out what should happen next. (And yes, that's really what it's called.)
Charter will axe the Time Warner Cable brand
As of today, Charter officially owns both Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks... and the newly expanded telecom giant isn't wasting much time making changes. A spokesman tells Bloomberg that Charter will eventually drop both the Bright House and Time Warner Cable names. Yes, that's right: Time Warner Cable, a name that's synonymous with terrible customer support and sub-par service quality, is going away. It's largely a symbolic move, but likely a welcome one -- especially if you're still trying to remember that Time Warner and Time Warner Cable are separate companies.
T-Mobile customers can roam in Cuba
As US-Cuban relations thaw, Western businesses have moved in and started paving the way for tourism. Sprint and Verizon made arrangements last fall with Empresa De Telecomunicaciones De Cuba, S.A. (ETECSA) last fall to get their vacationing customers can use text, data and voice within the country. T-Mobile just announced a similar deal with the government-owned Cuban telecommunications company for roaming privileges and cheaper calls into the island nation.
FCC hires a privacy guru to help lead its telecom investigations
If you want proof that the Federal Communications Commission is getting serious about privacy, you only need to look at its latest recruit. The agency has hired Jonathan Mayer, one of the masterminds behind Do Not Track browsing, as the chief technologist for its Enforcement Bureau. He'll help lead investigations into any shady behavior from telecoms and TV providers, particularly if they run afoul of your privacy or security.
Nokia just bought Alcatel-Lucent for $16.6 billion
Nokia could soon be the largest maker of mobile phone network equipment in the world ahead of Ericsson and Huawei. It just acquired French telecom equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent for 15.6 billion euros ($16.6 billion), or more than double the $7 billion Microsoft paid for its Windows Phone handset arm. The Finnish company also acquired Alcatel-Lucent's famous Bell Laboratories (established by Alexander Graham Bell in 1880) along with its numerous patents. With three major labs altogether, Nokia said "the combined company will be in a position to accelerate development of future technologies including 5G... as well as sensors and imaging." The merged businesses will run under the Nokia banner, but Bell Labs will keep the Alcatel-Lucent name.
Nigerian telecoms to face jail time over shoddy cell service
Nigeria's Consumer Protection Council (CPC), with the backing of the country's government, is threatening to throw telecom executives in jail unless they improve their call quality. The African nation has seen mobile phone adoption rates soar over the past four years thanks to a price war that has dramatically lowered prices. That may seem like a win for consumers but, in fact, the increased user base (combined with the telecoms' general unwillingness to invest in their infrastructure and capacity) has rendered many cell services nearly unusable. The CPC argues that network congestion and dropped calls are so common that it's starting to cost consumers money. What's more, regulators recently performed Quality Assurance tests (QAT) for operators throughout the region and failed to find a single one that actually achieved the connection promised in their consumer service agreements.
White House wants immunity for telecoms that surrender customer data
American telecoms already have legal immunity when they cooperate with the government's warrantless wiretapping, and they may soon be in the clear when they supply customer data, too. As The Guardian has learned, the White House is asking for legislation that would grant immunity to anyone obeying requests for phone records once companies are in charge of that information. The request isn't surprising, according to an unnamed senior official -- it's in line with existing measures that shelter companies when they respond to Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court orders.
Court rules that the EU's data retention law violates privacy rights
The European Union has argued that telecom companies must hold on to internet and phone records for long periods to help track down evildoers, but the European Court of Justice disagrees -- vehemently. It just ruled that the EU's Data Retention Directive, which preserves metadata for up to two years, is a "wide-ranging and particularly serious" violation of the EU's privacy rights. It collects more information than necessary, doesn't establish firm limits and lets companies send data outside of the EU, according to the ruling. While the Directive doesn't scoop up actual content, the court believes that the unrestricted collection allows too much insight into people's daily activities and social connections. Sound familiar? It should. The ruling acknowledges the privacy concerns that prompted the US' proposed metadata reforms, but goes one step further -- the court is contending that bulk data retention by itself is dangerous without serious restrictions.
BT CEO Ian Livingston to leave in September, accept government role
The CEO position is usually the last rung on the career ladder -- after that, it's either retirement or a less-than-graceful ouster. It's not the end for BT CEO Ian Livingston, however, as he's moving to the even bigger leagues of government. The executive will step down in September to accept a role as the UK's Minister of State for Trade and Investment. The company's current head of retail, Gavin Patterson, will take the reins from that point on. Livingston leaves BT mostly better off than when he took the lead in 2008: questionable patent lawsuits notwithstanding, the telecom giant has been forward-thinking with its plans for ultra-fast fiber and LTE service. Let's just hope that Patterson can deal with fiercer competition.
Huawei has lost interest in US market for its network gear after inquiries
In recent months scrutiny has intensified over the involvement of Chinese companies in US networking infrastructure, and as a result Huawei announced it's through trying to crack the market. Financial Times quotes VP Eric Xu saying that it is "not interested in the US market anymore" after years of efforts to count US operators among its customers. Ranked as the world's #2 telecom equipment maker, it's now recalibrating sales expectations for the next few years down to $10 billion by 2017 from the $15 billion it projected in more optimistic times. Reuters reports Xu didn't answer questions about any expansion of its handset business, so while Europe may be looking forward to new phones, we doubt the A199 is coming over here.
Harvard makes distortion-free lens from gold and silicon, aims for the perfect image (or signal)
Imaging has been defined by glass lenses for centuries, and even fiber optics haven't entirely escaped the material's clutch. Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences might have just found a way to buck those old (and not-so-old) traditions. A new 60-nanometer thick silicon lens, layered with legions of gold nanoantennas, can catch and refocus light without the distortion or other artifacts that come with having to use the thick, curved pieces of glass we're used to -- it's so accurate that it nearly challenges the laws of diffraction. The lens isn't trapped to bending one slice of the light spectrum, either. It can range from near-infrared to terahertz ranges, suiting it both to photography and to shuttling data. We don't know what obstacles might be in the way to production, which leads us to think that we won't be finding a gold-and-silicon lens attached to a camera or inside a network connection anytime soon. If the technology holds up under scrutiny, though, it could ultimately spare us from the big, complicated optics we often need to get just the right shot.
AT&T suspends 2G in Oakland after cell towers step on police frequencies
An $18 million dollar radio system purchased by the Oakland Police Department has been giving static instead of 10-30s in progress, and the interfering party has now been collared -- AT&T. Local officials and the FCC told the mobile network that its towers were blocking police communication, particularly when patrol cars were within a quarter-mile of one. However, some local pundits have said the problem is of the PD's own making, claiming it invested in an inferior system and didn't check carefully enough for interference before making the buy. As a result, AT&T has temporarily shut down 2G frequencies around the city -- giving the telecom giant an unplanned sneak preview of the upcoming phase-out.
SK Telecom utilizing Multi Carrier technology to improve LTE service, roaming
South Korean wireless carrier SK Telecom has officially begun the commercial rollout of its Multi Carrier (MC) network. The technology, which will be available in twenty-three cities by the close of 2012, will allow equipped devices to seamlessly wander between the 800MHz and 1.8GHz LTE frequencies (while also adding 20MHz of uplink/downlink spectrum). Aside from improving throughput and coverage within the country, SK hopes the addition of the 1.8GHz frequency to its handsets' repertoire will provide customers with a better LTE roaming experience when abroad -- a handful of Asian and European nations have settled on 1.8GHz as their Long Term Evolution band of choice. New devices, with compatible radios, will be necessary to leverage the Multi Carrier goodness, although the carrier did note that Samsung's ever-popular Galaxy S III would support the hotness. We would like to raise our glass to SK Telecom and offer a toast to the bright future of multi-band high-speed wireless networks. Cheers!
Canada relaxes rules on foreign ownership of wireless companies, plans spectrum auction for first half of 2013
The Canadian government made a major announcement on telecom policy late this afternoon, revealing a change that opens the door to more foreign ownership of wireless companies -- an issue that's been a point of contention for some time. As The Globe & Mail reports, the new rules will allow for 100 percent ownership of companies with a market share of ten percent or less -- something that can then grow beyond ten percent, so long as it's not done through mergers or takeovers. Previously, total foreign ownership in telecom companies has been restricted to 46.7 percent. Along with that news, the government also confirmed that the anticipated 700MHz spectrum auction will take place in the first half of 2013 (with a 2500 MHz auction to follow within a year), and that there will be caps in place that are said to "effectively ensure that new wireless entrants and regional providers have access to prime spectrum." The auction will also have some conditions intended to bring service to rural areas, and there will be a block of spectrum reserved for public safety use. All of this, the government says, is intended to "provide Canadian families with more choices at low prices," although we'll naturally have to wait and see if that last bit pans out. [Tower photo via Shutterstock]
China Telecom eyes network expansion in France, Germany and US
The world's largest CDMA mobile operator, China Telecom, is looking to further expand its network footprint in Europe. With wireless assets already secured in the UK, Bloomberg reports that France and Germany may be next on the communication giant's proverbial hit-list. CT hopes to win the wireless business of jet-setters and Chinese citizens living outside of The People's Republic with competitive international roaming rates and its familiar brand. A separate report states that the company's interest is not confined to the Euro Zone and China Telecom may try and bring its services to the US sometime in 2012. Something tells us AT&T won't make a play to buy 'em, though.
AT&T, Deutsche Telekom withdraw FCC application for T-Mobile merger, look toward DoJ
Now that FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has called for an administrative hearing on AT&T's proposed buyout of T-Mobile, the two parties have decided to formally withdraw their application to the Commission. The confirmation came today, with an announcement from AT&T and Deutsche Telekom, which owns T-Mobile USA. In a statement, the two companies reiterated their commitment to the deal, adding that they're looking to receive final approval from the DoJ: "This formal step today is being undertaken by both companies to consolidate their strength and to focus their continuing efforts on obtaining antitrust clearance for the transaction from the Department of Justice." AT&T also reaffirmed that it would incur a $4 billion hit should the deal fall through, and that it expects to take out a pretax charge for that amount during the fourth quarter of this year. Of course, Genachowski's decision must still obtain approval from the full Commission, but it certainly looks like both parties are gearing up for a courtroom battle.
The iPhone user's Down Under travel guide
If you own an iPhone and you're traveling to Australia or New Zealand, you might be wondering how your handset will work Down Under. The good news: as long as you have a GSM-model iPhone (i.e., not the Verizon iPhone), and as long as it's unlocked, your iPhone will work just fine down here. But there are still some tips you'll need to get the most out of your iPhone on our corner of Earth. First of all, if you want to use your iPhone's voice and data features overseas without hunting for WiFi hotspots, you have two options. First, you can stick with your current SIM and pay your carrier's international roaming fees, but these are usually extortionately expensive, especially for data. For instance, with AT&T you'll pay over a dollar per megabyte for data on a DataConnect Pass-Global plan. Things are even worse with many international carriers; my carrier, Vodafone NZ, charges NZ$5 per megabyte to roam in Australia, and $10 per megabyte in most other countries. Given the high cost of international roaming, even very light overseas usage can add up to more than your monthly bill; heavy usage (and poor planning) can lead to charges in the thousands of dollars. A much cheaper alternative is to unlock your iPhone and buy a pre-pay SIM from an overseas carrier, then switch back to your normal SIM when you return to your home country. Ask your local telco nicely if they'll unlock your iPhone for international travel; if you're with AT&T, well, good luck with that. Alternatively, just jailbreak the thing and unlock it that way. You can always revert to standard firmware when you return home. It's important to note again that the Verizon iPhone is completely incompatible with all networks in Australia and New Zealand, and it will basically be nothing more than an expensive iPod touch for the duration of your stay. Click "Read More" for some country-specific tips on getting the most out of your iPhone in Oceania.
Confirmed: No FaceTime in UAE, reported working in SA unless phones are updated
We just got some confirmation on our story earlier this week that FaceTime had gone missing in parts of the world, mostly around the Middle East. @dutweets is the official Twitter account for du, the telecom operator for the iPhone in the United Arab Emirates, and in a tweet just a little while ago, the account confirmed that FaceTime is currently unavailable in that country. The iPhone hasn't even officially launched there yet, but the account also says that FaceTime "won't be working as of the launch" (which takes place tomorrow), so even official customers there won't have access to the video chat feature. Unfortunately, there's no detail yet on why -- we've heard that there may be local restrictions on VoIP technology that would block these kinds of communications. And this is only confirmation for the UAE, though it's probably a pretty good guess that other outages are legit as well. Stay tuned -- we'll keep an eye out for official confirmation in other areas, as well as a reason why this decision was made. Thanks, Joe! Update: The Next Web Middle East has a confusing writeup that suggests Apple pulled FaceTime because it was assumed assumed the feature would run afoul of the region's regulations around VoIP. The suggestion is that Apple made this move unilaterally, without consulting the carriers. Update 2: We have a report from a Saudi Arabian source that FaceTime is working in the kingdom. However, subsequent reports show that once the iPhones are updated from the shipping iOS version, 4.02, to the current 4.1 version, the FaceTime feature drops away.
The #1 thing I want in the next iPhone: support for 900 MHz UMTS/HSDPA
The next iPhone is widely expected to debut sometime in the next few months, most likely at WWDC, which is rumored to kick off on June 28. Even though that's only a hair over three months away, so far there's been very little revealed about the next iteration of the iPhone either in terms of its appearance or likely features. Apple can put a better camera in it, add more capacity, a better processor, a front-facing camera for videoconferencing, and a dozen other things -- but quite honestly, I'd be perfectly happy if none of that made it into the next-gen iPhone so long as one feature does find its way in: support for 900 MHz UMTS/HSDPA. The iPhone 3G and 3GS, as well as the forthcoming iPad, all contain 3G antenna/chipsets that support UMTS/HSDPA at 850, 1900, and 2100 MHz. UMTS/HSDPA is an alphabet-soup way of referring to the GSM flavors of 3G. In other words, high-speed broadband works at those frequencies, and only those frequencies. If high-speed broadband isn't available at those frequencies, the iPhone will fall back to GSM/EDGE at 850, 900, 1800, or 1900 MHz. For those of you living in the US and on AT&T, the iPhone's 3G frequency range is especially tailored for your use. Most of AT&T's 3G network runs on 850 MHz, while T-Mobile runs at 1700 MHz -- this is why the iPhone only works at EDGE speeds with T-Mobile, because the iPhone's 3G chipset isn't tailored for the 1700 MHz band. 3G networks in many other areas of the world, including portions of Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand function at 900 MHz. This creates several problems for users in those regions; read on to find out why.
Research finds iPhone hurting operators, Boy George unavailable for comment
We've long since known that Apple (as opposed to AT&T) was getting the better end of the pair's exclusive partnership here in America, but new research from Strand Consult has found that the situation is fairly similar all around the globe. According to the report, nary a one of the telecom operators it studied had seen a boost in market share, revenue or earnings as a result of introducing the iPhone, and some carriers even issued profit warnings due to the heavily subsidized handset. The study goes on to shed pity on firms like SingTel and TeliaSonera, both of which are purportedly seeing margins and ARPU (average revenues per subscriber) sink due to Apple's darling joining the fray. But really, we can't help but express our doubts about the all encompassing, almost sensationalized nature of this; we've watched AT&T's profits soar ever since it snagged the iPhone, and considering that every iPhone buyer also coughs up a significant monthly fee for a data plan, we can't imagine revenues tanking that severely. Or, you know, maybe we're all just getting a really good deal on our bloated iPhone plans.
