WCS
Latest
StarCraft II: An MMO player's perspective
StarCraft is of immense importance to the world of online gaming. It's one of the franchises responsible for establishing Blizzard Entertainment as a titan (get it!?) of the games industry. It serves, for many, as the ideal example of what an RTS game should aspire to be. And it was among the first titles to transcend one-off competitions and contests to become a global e-sport featuring pros who make the big bucks and events watched by millions. Without StarCraft, there would be no Dota 2, no League of Legends, perhaps no SMITE or Infinite Crisis. The MOBA niche, now one of the most profitable areas of online gaming, might not exist if not for the original StarCraft's custom three-lane Aeon of Strife map. StarCraft and its sequel, StarCraft II, represent the quintessential essence of small-scale online warfare. As a fan of MOBAs and an ardent lover of clicking things quickly, I took a spin in StarCraft II in an effort to better understand the foundation of the games I enjoy. What I discovered was a difficult, punishing game that demands your full attention and gives you plenty of reasons to keep coming back.
AT&T scores WCS spectrum victory, covers 608 markets and 82 percent of Americans
The wireless landscape shifted a bit today, as the FCC has made good on its promise to allow AT&T's deployment of LTE service over the WCS band. In all, the regulatory agency approved Ma Bell's acquisition of licenses to the underutilized 2.3GHz spectrum from Comcast, Horizon, NextWave and San Diego Gas and Electric, along with additional AWS spectrum from NextWave. The licenses cover 82 percent of the population across 608 markets within the continental US. If you're an AT&T subscriber, however, don't expect to benefit from the deal overnight. By the carrier's own admission, it'll take at least three years to build up the proper infrastructure and introduce devices that support WCS, which means you're likely to go through a new iPhone or two between now and then. In the meantime, feel free to soak in the nitty gritty details at the source. [Cell tower photo credit: Ashish Sharma / Flickr]
Mobile Miscellany: week of October 15th, 2012
If you didn't get enough in mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This past week, we received further evidence of an imminent replacement for the Galaxy Nexus and the Optimus 4X HD found a new home in Canada. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of October 15th, 2012.
FCC chairman green-lights AT&T's use of WCS spectrum for LTE with proposed order
AT&T is close to securing a major victory in its battle against the spectrum crunch. While it's not quite a done deal, FCC chairman Genachowski has submitted a proposed order to FCC commissioners that would authorize AT&T's deployment of its LTE service within a 20MHz portion of the 2.3GHz (WCS) band. The deal is unique in that the spectrum is currently reserved for satellite radio, and the reallocation would mark the first of its kind within the WCS band. As you may recall, AT&T previously conceded to a 5MHz dead zone on both ends of Sirius XM's operating frequency in order to mitigate interference concerns, and it seems the move was sufficient to gain the chairman's support. Also looming on the FCC's to-do list is the decision of whether to approve AT&T's purchase NextWave and its unused WCS spectrum. If it's any indication, however, Chairman Genachowski seems bullish on the reallocation and has suggested that the agency may authorize another 30MHz of the WCS band for mobile broadband use. AT&T has previously said that it could feasibly deploy LTE over the 2.3GHz spectrum within the next three years. One group fighting the deal is the Competitive Carrier Association, which posits that AT&T's purchase of such a significant chunk of spectrum on the secondary market is anti-competitive in nature. It'll no doubt be interesting to see if the argument gains any traction with the FCC. In the meantime, you can view remarks from the agency's spokesperson after the break.
AT&T agrees to acquire NextWave for $600 million, gobbles up WCS and AWS spectrum
AT&T's making no secret of the fact it wants to snatch up as much spectrum as it possibly can, so news of the company's proposed acquisition of NextWave Wireless doesn't result in much of a shock. AT&T has agreed to purchase the company -- and all of its WCS (Wireless Communication Service) and AWS spectrum licenses and equity along with it -- for $25 million, pending FCC approval. If you count $25 million in contingency costs and the outstanding debt the big blue globe has also picked up, however, the total bill climbs to $600 million. The deal comes shortly after AT&T partnered with Sirius XM to petition the FCC in the hopes that it would allow WCS (2.3GHz) spectrum to be opened up for LTE use -- mobile data is currently restricted by the federal body to prevent any interference with satellite radio. The government hasn't given the green light for this proposal yet (additionally, the NextWave deal isn't likely to be approved until later this year), but that's not stopping AT&T from its preparations just in case -- it plans to have WCS LTE ready for deployment in three years if everything works out in the carrier's favor.
AT&T strikes a deal with Sirius XM to make 2.3GHz LTE a reality, pitches it to the FCC
AT&T has been a little more eager than usual to get spectrum after a certain big deal fell through, and we now know that Big Blue has been willing to bury a few outstanding hatchets to make that happen. The carrier has filed with the FCC to propose a deal with Sirius XM that would get its LTE-based 4G running on the 2.3GHz Wireless Communications Service (WCS) that, normally, satellite radio intersects. Rather than stay at an impasse, AT&T has agreed to a 5MHz dead zone on either end of Sirius XM's frequencies that would mitigate the risk of that Internet video stream colliding with Howard Stern. The provider still needs clearance to go ahead, and might not exactly get a resounding thumbs-up from WCS holder NextWave, which stands to lose more than a small piece of its airwave pie. An FCC all-clear would nonetheless raise the chances that AT&T keeps LTE flowing freely as subscribers pile on the network, even after the telecom behemoth conceded spectrum to T-Mobile.
XM acquisition of WCS fails, hurts XM's video chances
Bad news for anyone banking on video content from XM any time soon: XM's deal to acquire WCS has been terminated due to an inability to gain government approval for the purchase. The plan, which the companies agreed upon in July of last year, had XM buying WCS for around $200 million, in order to acquire the meaty spectrum WCS holds in the 2.3GHz band. After waiting around for nearly a year, the two companies have called it off so that WCS can search for another suitor. XM, who has adjacent spectrum, was reportedly hoping to use the WCS to start offering video and data services, but they claim they do have a way to provide such things even without WCS. The friendly NAB folks have been the loudest detractors from the merger, scared of the extra competition from XM, and claiming XM's localisation efforts violate its FCC licenses. Luckily, it doesn't seem XM has given up on expanded services yet, so sit tight and keep on Photoshoppin' those video players.
