Hasta La Gadget!

In an effort to get LTE broadband access to those in the US located in smaller cities and towns, Verizon created the Verizon Wireless LTE in Rural America, aka LRA, program. As part of that program, Bluegrass Cellular, a Kentucky-based wireless company, has begun rolling out the first round of its LTE network. This initial rollout will bring service to 348k+ people.

President of Bluegrass Cellular Ron Smith had this to say. “This initial launch covers a population area of over 348,000 people in our largest markets and includes the I-65 corridor providing continuous 4G LTE coverage between Louisville and Nashville. We are particularly proud to provide LTE service to Fort Knox and its population of more than 40,000 soldiers, family members and civilian employees.”

The rollout will be for Bowling Green, Glasgow, Elizabethtown, Bardstown, and Radcliff, among others. This includes counties Hardin, Nelson, Barren, and Warren. Bluegrass Cellular’s partnership with Verizon started two years ago, and according to the press release, the wireless company will be expanding the LTE network throughout 2013.

What can customers expect? LTE goodness, which includes faster downloads and overall data speeds. According to the statement, upload speeds range from 2 to 5mbps, while download speeds range from 5 to 12mbps. Presently, the Verizon LTE in Rural America program has spread to fourteen states, with a total of 18 carriers on board.

Bluegrass Cellular begins roll out of LTE network is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

AT&T has received approval from the Federal Communications Commission that allows the carrier to use a section of unused airwaves for its expanding 4G LTE network. A section of the 2.3GHz spectrum band known as Wireless Communications Services (WCS) will be handed over to AT&T, while also cutting down on interference for Sirius satellite radio subscribers.

The decision was approved today by the Federal Communications Commission on a 5-0 vote, but the decision didn’t come lightly. The main reason why the airwaves remained unused by mobile carriers was the fact that it would cause interference problems with Sirius XM’s satellite radio signals if a carrier ended up using the airwaves.

However, AT&T and Sirius have come up with an agreement that would turn 10MHz of the Wireless Communications Services airwaves into “guard bands” on either side of Sirius’s spectrum. This will leave AT&T with 20MHz of spectrum that is free and clear, and Sirius satellite radio broadcasts won’t be interrupted.

It turns out the FCC auctioned off the spectrum back in 1997, but it’s never been claimed by a wireless carrier due to the risk of interferences with other services. However, in order to effectively work properly, AT&T must own the entire spectrum band, so the carrier will still be struggling to consolidate the remaining airwaves that are still owned by other services.

[via Washington Post]

The UK is almost ready to flip the switch on its first LTE network, but it’s determined to be at the forefront of the next-generation, setting up a “5G Innovation Centre” at the University of Surrey. The government announced it’s putting up £11.6 million (around $18.6 million) in funding, but another £24 million (around $38.5 million) will be coming from an industry group comprising the likes of Huawei, Samsung, Telefonica, Rohde & Schwarz, Fujitsu and others. The money will allow research to go beyond concept and theory, with the aim that all partners work together to develop and standardize 5G technology, which the university has been looking into for a number of years already. They will focus on energy and spectrum efficiency as well as speed, and although it’s early days, 10Gbps has been banded around as a per-tower target, translating to roughly 200Mbps for each connection. Unfortunately, we’ve also got a number to kill your geek buzz — it’s upwards of a decade away. Still, at least you’ve got a long time to think about which case you’ll be picking up for your 5G-ready Galaxy S XV.

Continue reading UK government and industry heavyweights set up 5G Innovation Centre, want to go one better

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Internet, Mobile, Samsung

UK government and industry heavyweights set up 5G Innovation Centre, want to go one better originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Oct 2012 18:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The international mobile hotspot rental market just got a lot more interesting. While Xcom Global‘s offerings are still broader, Tep Wireless is expanding in a major way. Previously reserved for European nations, the upstart is now serving a full 50 nations, adding Brazil, the United States, South Africa, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Australia, Bahrain, Israel, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and UAE to its repertoire. For those in need of a refresher, the company enables customers facing an international trip to order their hotspot and get it delivered prior to departure, with a prepaid envelope included to ship it back once they’ve returned.

The company’s made clear that its hotspots will track data usage in real time right on the inbuilt display, and they’re programmed to hop onto different networks as borders are crossed. (If you’re curious, we confirmed that it all works as advertised in a recent jaunt across European borders.) The full pricing chart fo is hosted up after the break, with those needing unlimited buckets able to pay a $6.95-per day surcharge. (It should be noted that the preexisting EU-wide pricing options remain for those sticking to that region.) It’ll probably look a touch pricey to light users and common tourists, but business travelers unwilling to take chances on connectivity when heading overseas will find the rates far more palatable than roaming fees from their home carrier.

Continue reading Tep Wireless expands mobile hotspot rental plan to 50 countries, revamps pricing

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile

Tep Wireless expands mobile hotspot rental plan to 50 countries, revamps pricing originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 06:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

Continue reading FCC chairman green-lights AT&T’s use of WCS spectrum for LTE with proposed order

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

FCC chairman green-lights AT&T’s use of WCS spectrum for LTE with proposed order originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 07:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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