AT&T, Verizon dominate wireless auction
AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless, the two largest cell phone companies, bid a combined $16 billion out of the $19.6 billion in total bids at the government airwave auction. Verizon’s bids totaled $9.4 billion, while AT&T’s were $6.6 billion. The results of the auction raised concern over the lack of new competitors, such as Google, that could challenge the dominant cell phone companies. However, one new company, Frontier Wireless LLC, won enough licenses to potentially create a significant nationwide presence, bidding $712 million. The wireless spectrum was made available due to the nationwide changeover to digital broadcasting.
Verizon, Sprint introduce unlimited phone plans
Verizon Wireless and Sprint both recently introduced new unlimited phone plans. Verizon’s Nationwide Unlimited Anytime Minute Plan begins at a flat rate of $99.99 per month and covers calls to anyone at any time, including land lines; the plan also includes domestic roaming. Sprint’s Simply Everything Plan is also $99.99 per month and includes unlimited calling, text messaging, GPS navigation, Sprint TV, Sprint Music, and data.
Sprint upgrades Mogul to EV-DO Rev. A
Sprint recently released a EV-DO Rev. A software upgrade for the Mogul, making it the first mobile handset in the U.S. that accesses the new high-speed data network (wherever available). The EV-DO Rev. A network should provide users with average download speeds of 600 Kbps-1.4 Mbps, up from an average of 400-700 Kbps. Average upload speeds should increase from 50-70 Kbps to 350-500 Kbps.
Sprint’s Family Locater available to all subscribers
Sprint recently opened their Family Locater service to any subscriber with mobile access to the Web. The service uses GPS to give customers the whereabouts of a loved one, and is set up to protect privacy by requiring both the locater and the one being located to be involved in the sign-up and consent process.
Verizon improves peer-to-peer file sharing
Verizon Wireless recently collaborated with Yale University researchers and file-sharing software companies to improve the speed of peer-to-peer file sharing. The test results will reportedly show that average download speeds will increase by 60 percent when an ISP cooperates with a file-sharing software maker, which has not been the trend in the past. ISPs have traditionally banned, blocked, and slowed peer-to-peer traffic to thwart it from overwhelming their networks, but Verizon’s tests may illustrate a turning point in this approach. As for the issue of illegal software being shared, Verizon has stated that they do not accept a police-type role in governing their network.
AT&T to expand coverage in Alabama
AT&T plans to invest more than $76 million to expand wireless coverage in Alabama. The plan will add 17 new cell sites to the state and will roll out a high-speed wireless network in Montgomery and Mobile by the end of the year. Other plans include expanding 3G coverage in the Huntsville metropolitan area.
Printer-friendly version
