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Verizon hits 1.45Gbps 4G LTE speeds in New York
Verizon may be busy rolling out its 5G tech in several US cities, including its inbound 5G Home internet and TV service, but that doesn't mean it's forgotten 4G. With the help of Nokia's AirScale base station and a Qualcomm test device with a Snapdragon X24 LTE modem, Verizon says it's reached peak data speeds of 1.45 gigabits per second (Gbps) on 4G LTE in New York.
AT&T will power Airstream RVs' smart controls and mobile internet
Airstream revealed in early August that its 2019 Classic RVs will feature app-based smart controls and other high-tech features. Turns out the trailer-maker has teamed up with AT&T to provide the vehicles with LTE connectivity, allowing you to monitor and control your RV's temperature, lights, propane tank and battery levels through the Smart Control mobile app.
Verizon stops activating 3G phones
Verizon is no longer activating phones that aren't 4G LTE-capable. Recently, a few readers told Droid Life that Verizon had declined their requests to activate 3G devices, and the carrier has now confirmed that this will be the policy going forward. "For several years we've been been publicly saying that our 3G CDMA network will remain available through the end of 2019. Virtually all traffic on our network is on our 4G LTE network," Verizon told Engadget. "To facilitate a smooth transition to 4G LTE-capable products and services, we are no longer allowing devices that are not 4G LTE-capable to be activated on our network."
FCC approves additional funding for Puerto Rico hurricane recovery
The FCC approved a measure today that will make additional funds immediately available for ongoing hurricane recovery efforts in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico will receive $51.2 million for restoration efforts and the US Virgin Islands will have access to an additional $13 million. Additionally, the FCC is seeking comment on medium- and long-term funding proposals that will go towards improving broadband and 4G LTE access on the islands.
EE's next phone will be all glass and cost just over £100
It's been so long since EE launched a new own-brand smartphone, scan its online store and you won't find any handset bearing the carrier's logo on offer. It appears EE is planning to release such a device in the coming weeks, however, just in time to capitalise on the Christmas rush. A little birdie tells us it'll be an entry-level number available for free on cheap contracts, with a pay-as-you-go price of just over £100. (Apologies for the quality of the pictures -- little birdies aren't the best product photographers.) What we know so far is it'll have a 5-inch screen (likely a 720p panel given the price point), an octa-core MediaTek 6755 chip, a 13-megapixel primary camera and an 8MP front-facer.
There's something called 'Enhanced HD Voice' and EE supports it
Most weirdos people that actually use their smartphones to make calls will be aware of the eerily crisp connections of HD Voice. All major carriers in the UK support the standard at this point, which is technically known as Voice over LTE (VoLTE), since 4G frequencies are responsible for the improved call clarity. But apparently, there's something better. It's called Enhanced HD Voice, and EE is today boasting it's the first network in the UK to support it.
Three will sue to stop EE and Vodafone dominating connectivity
Three's dissatisfaction with how Ofcom plans to operate the upcoming 4G and 5G spectrum auction has finally gone beyond an exhausting war of words. The carrier has long threatened to take legal action against the UK telecoms regulator, should it not address what Three believes to be an anticompetitive set of rules to guide the auction. The Telegraph reports that Three has hand-delivered a letter to Ofcom, notifying the regulator of its intent to seek a judicial review. The letter is just another threat in and of itself, but it signifies the carrier is indeed preparing to take the matter to court.
Sprint tempts Verizon’s customers with a year of ‘free’ data
After ending its "half your bill" promotion earlier this year, Sprint is back with a new strategy to steal customers from its rivals. It's offering a year of free "unlimited" data, talk and text for those who bring their device over from other carriers, although it is targeting Verizon users in particular with its advertising and phone selection. The offer is available today through the end of June, and, as expected, there is plenty of fine print.
Three prepares for spectrum race with UK Broadband purchase
Three announced today that it has agreed to buy UK Broadband Limited for £250 million, making Ofcom's impending spectrum auction altogether more interesting -- as interesting as spectrum auctions can be, anyway. UK Broadband isn't a household name, given it primarily builds bespoke 4G networks for the private and public sectors. The company does run the consumer-facing brand Relish, though, which offers flexible home broadband services using 4G-fed WiFi routers. While Relish seems like a good fit for millennial-chaser Three, and creates an immediate path for the company to get into home broadband, make no mistake: Three isn't after UK Broadband's 15,000 customers, but its spectrum licence.
EE's 4G coverage now bests all UK 3G networks
EE's 4G coverage now exceeds that of any 3G network in the UK, the carrier has announced, after it switched on 800MHz spectrum capacity at 700 cell sites across the country. This filled in 5,000 square kilometers of 4G 'not spots' and improved indoor coverage in half a million homes overnight, according to the provider (the low-frequency signals penetrate trees, walls and such better, you see). EE hopes to add 800MHz capacity to a further 3,000 sites before the end of next year, too.
EE begins rolling out a faster 4G network
Like any four-year-old, EE's 4G network hasn't yet fulfilled its potential. For its last major upgrade, the carrier flipped the switch on Cat 6 LTE-Advanced two years ago; and today, EE has announced it's begun rolling out even faster Cat 9 technology (the first UK provider to do so, it seems). This increases the maximum theoretical download speed on EE's "4G+" network from 300 Mbps to 450 Mbps, though real-world testing puts the max at more like 360 Mbps. The catch? Only a handful of phones can take full advantage.
EE's Max handset plans include free EU roaming and BT Sport
EE hasn't done a great deal to mix up its tariff options this year, and you know what that means. Correct... we've got a complicated new pricing structure to chew through. The carrier has revamped its pay-monthly handset plans specifically, splitting them into three tiers separated mainly by maximum data allowance and value-added perks. While the table above gives you a pretty comprehensive overview of the new status quo, let's break down the key differences briefly.
The story of EE has been turned into a book
Nothing says summer like lying on a beach and getting stuck into a good book. But what to read? A 19th century classic, or perhaps Murakami's latest surrealist tale? What about the fascinating story of how mobile provider EE came to be? Well, look no further than The 4G Mobile Revolution: Creation, Innovation and Transformation at EE, penned by former network CEO Olaf Swantee and now departed comms director Stu Jackson.
The People's Operator now has a super-cheap 4G plan
When The People's Operator (TPO) launched in the UK in 2012, it stood out for two reasons. On the one hand, a quarter of the company's profits are piped into a charitable foundation, and 10 percent of subscriber spend goes to a charity of their choice. Kudos where kudos is due, but initially high data costs seriously limited the MVNO's potential audience. In subsequent years, TPO -- which piggybacks on EE's network -- has improved the attractiveness of its tariffs, though they've remained 3G-only. Today, however, TPO has finally caught up with the times, announcing its first 4G plan with 2GB of data, 600 minutes and unlimited texts for £7 per month.
Three's Voice over LTE launch means better signal in more places
There's more than one way to wipe out a not-spot, and to compliment Three's inTouch app for WiFi calling, the carrier has today become the first in the UK to add Voice over LTE (VoLTE) support to its mobile network. Simply put, VoLTE -- or "4G Super Voice," as Three's branding team would prefer you call it -- uses your 4G connection to handle calls (when appropriate), instead of older 2G and 3G networks. That part isn't particularly important, however, but it means customers will be able to call, text and check Instagram in places they haven't been able to before. In addition to its existing 1,800MHz slice of 4G spectrum, Three's been building out an 800MHz network to support VoLTE services. These lower frequency airwaves probe further into underserved rural areas, and deeper into buildings, lavishing mobile coverage on previous dead zones.
Smartphones become the most popular device for keeping Brits connected
It was only a matter of time, but smartphones are now officially the UK's most popular internet-connected device. For the first time, more people are choosing smartphones to get online than laptops, according to stats published today in Ofcom's annual Communications Market Report. Smartphones are now considered the most important way of staying connected by 33 percent of Brits, with 30 percent preferring their laptops. That's a significant change from last year, when laptops were favoured by 40 percent of people and smartphones by only 22 percent. This coincides with smartphones also becoming the most widely owned web-connected device, with a presence in 66 percent of households compared with a 65 percent figure for laptops. Shipments of PCs have been declining for many years as mobile devices have become increasingly popular windows onto the web, and in the UK, tablet ownership is growing faster than anything else. In another first, Ofcom notes that over half of UK households (54 percent, to be exact) now have at least slate for the family to poke at.
EE's Rook is a £49 4G smartphone for pay-as-you-go punters
It seems like we can't get through a single month these days without one UK carrier or another launching an own-brand device. And, since the last device bearing a network provider's name came from Vodafone, it's only fitting that its own-brand nemesis EE gets to make the next announcement. So, without further ado, let's take a gander at the EE Rook, the carrier's newest home-grown handset aimed specifically at pay-as-you-go (PAYG) punters. Launched today for £49 for new customers and £39 for existing ones, EE calls it "the UK's lowest priced 4G smartphone." Technically, that epithet's correct, though it's only a lone pound cheaper than Vodafone's Smart 4 Turbo on PAYG. As EE's Harrier Mini is available for free on the provider's lowest-price contracts, it makes sense that the Rook be a PAYG-only affair, but what exactly do you get for that kind of money?
EE's own-brand action cam livestreams over 4G
With own-brand smartphones, tablets, MiFis and portable chargers, you would think EE's starting to run out of relevant products to stamp its logo on. After showing a recent interest in remote livestreaming by funding the Skeegle app, however, the carrier has today announced it's branching out into cameras. The 4GEE Action Cam, as it's inventively named, is a GoPro-style camera with the ability to broadcast directly over LTE without a smartphone conduit. The Action Cam can record 1080p video at 30fps, 720p clips at 30 or 60fps, and takes stills at up to 13MP (with an 8fps burst capture mode). Livestreaming over 4G is limited to 720p/30fps, though actual quality will depend on connection strength, and no points for guessing that Skeegle is where you'll find Action Cam broadcasts (settings and features are controlled through a separate companion app). The camera sports 2.5GB of internal storage, with a microSD slot to increase space by up to 64GB, and a 2,260mAh battery that's said to be good for three hours of streaming.
Three's launching Voice over LTE support this autumn
Three's hellbent on continually improving network reliability and coverage, and as part of that, the carrier has today announced it's gearing up to add Voice over LTE (VoLTE) support to its network this autumn. The provider is currently on track to switch its VoLTE service on in September, facilitated by tagging additional 800MHz spectrum onto its existing 1800MHz network. This new slice of bandwidth is expected to significantly improve coverage in problem areas, particularly inside buildings, where 800MHz airwaves can penetrate more easily than other frequencies. Three expects roughly 1 million of its 8.5 million customers to be reaping the benefits of VoLTE by the end of the year, taking calls in places 2G and 3G signals can't reach. The only catch is you're going to need a VoLTE-compatible handset, such as the iPhone 6 or Galaxy S6. Any relatively new handset should do, though.
EE to launch its seamless WiFi calling feature on April 10th
EE's been talking about adding WiFi calling to its list of customer conveniences since last summer, and though slightly delayed, the feature is now ready for prime time. Well, almost, as WiFi calling will officially launch on April 10th, coinciding with the release of Samsung's Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. These flagships, alongside Microsoft's Lumia 640, will be the first phones capable of using the feature, though it'll become available to a slew of compatible handsets "in the coming weeks." You may be wondering why so few devices are supported at launch, and the answer lies in how EE has implemented WiFi calling on its network. Where O2 and Three have created smartphone apps that let their customers make calls over WiFi, EE's solution is completely seamless. No intermediary app is needed, meaning you'll be able to make and receive calls and texts over WiFi as you would normally, using your phone's regular dialer and messaging app. Provided you're a pay-monthly customer, that is, since the feature's not available to pay-as-you-goers.
