Telephony Unfiltered
Verizon Scaling Back On FiOS Deployment?
Broadband Reports has seemingly stirred up a little trouble in the “FiOS-verse” with its reporting – and a subsequent blog-post from the company itself that addresses the issue – that Verizon is slowing or even halting fiber-fed FiOS deployment in smaller areas.
Topics: carrier, FiOS, DSL, Verizon, broadband, FCC, government
Level 3, Others Win Government Stimulus Money
Until now, most of the organizations receiving broadband stimulus funding have been relatively unfamiliar names–outside the Independent telco community anyway. But that changed yesterday when Level 3 Communications won a total of $14 million in grants to add a total of 47 new access points to its existing broadband network in six states, including California, [...]
City Changes Name to “Google”
Maybe I should call myself Rich “Chicago Bull” — I always wanted to play shooting guard next to Derrick Rose. That seems to be the strategy of Topeka, Kansas, which in a blatant cry for attention — and broadband funds — has announced it will change its name to Google for the month of March.
Topics: [...]
Nortel’s Name Likely To Disappear
Telephony Unfiltered
When Nortel Networks decided to auction itself off in pieces, its name was of the items on block. But now with its last business unit slated to go to Genband, Nortel hasn’t found anyone interested in taking up the moniker despite its long history in the industry.
Topics: VoIP, Nortel, Ericsson, telecom, Avaya, GSM, CDMA, wireless
The Problem With Google Voice
One of the problems with Google Voice (and really any unified communications platform) is helping would-be users figure out why they need it. Is there really something so fundamentally wrong with today’s paradigm of a phone line, caller ID, voice mail/answering machine? The answer is: probably yes. But helping a customer understand exactly what is [...]
Siklu’s Radio Backhaul Service a Bargain
Radio backhaul hasn’t made too many in-roads in the US compared to Europe. With the exception of Clearwire (NASDAQ:CLWR), carriers tend to use radio links to connect cell sites as a last resort, but a new IP radio company Siklu hopes to change US operators’ minds.
Topics: carrier, Clearwire, backhaul, wireless
Google Fiber Network a Product — Or a Prod to Carriers?
If Google’s announcement today that it plans to “enter the fiber business” or “take on ISPs” — as many news outlets hyperbolically reported — had a familiar ring to it, it should.
Topics: broadband, telecom, Google, carrier, net neutrality, spectrum, ISP, Android, government, wireless
Frontier Says IPTV Isn’t Selling, Offers New Web Service
Frontier Communications has launched a new Web site and service, my fitv that will act as a single source for Web content including local content, videos, entertainment and news. The service will be available to anyone, not just Frontier customers.
Topics: telecom, IPTV, central office, Google, Frontier, Verizon, telecommunications
AT&T: T-Mobile’s Perfect Merger Partner?
IPO and merger talks are again swirling around T-Mobile USA, the latest reports coming from the Wall Street Journal that parent Deutsche Telekom (NYSE:DT) is thinking about some sort of full or partial divestiture. So what would that mean for T-Mobile here? It depends on what approach DT takes.
Topics: IPO, Sprint, GSM, CDMA, AT&T, merger, regulators, [...]
AT&T spends ‘more than some states’ on health care
AT&T spends $5.5 billion annually on health care for 1.2 million employees, retirees and their dependents, AT&T’s senior vice president of compensation, benefits and policy Mike Coffey told participants on a teleconference with health care executives yesterday. “That’s more than some states [spend on] Medicare,” Coffey said.
Topics: Satio, AT&T
Latest Telecom Rumors and Speculation
Will Verizon get to support Apple’s new icon device alongside AT&T, and will Google deliver something as useful, if not as stylish, with their own tablet play? Also this morning: are Android devices finally coming to AT&T; Cisco offers some smart grid suggestions; and some VoIP versus TDM conjecture.
Topics: FCC, Android, spectrum, ILEC, Smart Grid, [...]
The Dangers of Cell Tower Copper Theft
Service disruptions caused by copper stolen from telephone poles have been widely publicized—less well known, and potentially more damaging, is the theft of copper bus bars from cellular towers.
Topics: telephone, cell tower, telecom, wireless, carrier, AT&T, Texas, cellular
Iowa Telecom Acquired by Windstream
Windstream (NYSE:WIN) is acquiring Iowa Telecom (NYSE:IWA), the company announced today, in its biggest acquisition since the initial merger that created the rural carrier in 2005.
Topics: carrier, telecommunications, CLEC, telecom, Frontier, merger, Windstream, broadband
Mobile Backhaul Market To Grow 60% in 2009
Mobile backhaul equipment has been a hot sector in wireless this year and last as operators invest more in high-capacity data technologies, according to a new research report by Infonetics. Backhaul gear investment among carriers grew 59% in 2008 to $3.7 billion globally and will jump an additional 60% in 2009, making it a $5.7 billion industry, [...]
T-Mobile Intros Prepaid BlackBerry
T-Mobile (NYSE:DT) has come a long way in competing on prepaid since releasing a half-hearted unlimited, contractless service available to some customers on a trial basis. Last month it launched two new Even More unlimited service plans, and today it announced that it would offer a BlackBerry Curve 8520 as part of a prepaid plan [...]
