(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/KathyDewar) From an outside perspective, the FCC’s recent AWS-3 spectrum auction looked like a landmark success. The auction generated a record $44.9 billion for the U.S. Treasury, and major carriers secured spectrum assets to support both current operations and future network upgrades. However, T‑Mobile’s outspoken CEO John Legere publicly criticized the auction’s outcome, … Read more

Whoever you side with in the ongoing Samsung versus Apple rivalry, Samsung’s momentum is undeniable — the company reported nearly triple the smartphone sales in the last quarter compared with the same period a year earlier. (Yes, Apple did not introduce a major new smartphone during this timeframe.) According to Strategy Analytics, Samsung sold 107 … Read more

(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/eustockimages) Two of the UK’s largest mobile operators, Three and O2, announced plans earlier this year to merge, a deal that remains subject to regulatory approval. Because the merger’s outcome is still undecided, both companies face uncertainty about how much spectrum to bid for in an Ofcom auction that had been planned for … Read more

They say our friends shape our tastes and personalities—or maybe we simply choose friends who are like us. Either way, real humans often give far better recommendations than any algorithm can. Netflix, the leading streaming service for TV shows and movies, is exploring deep learning to develop an artificial intelligence capable of providing the kind … Read more

BT has announced an updated timetable for retiring its 2G network, a technology first introduced in the early 1990s. The company’s remaining 2G traffic, managed through its EE brand, now represents just 0.1% of the total data flowing through its infrastructure. With 4G, 5G and IoT services increasingly dominant, BT’s decision to phase out 2G … Read more

Google shares plunged yesterday after the company reported Q4 2011 results that fell short of market expectations. Although Google posted a 27% year-over-year increase in revenue, its stock dropped about 10% on the news. For the final quarter of 2011, revenue reached $10.6 billion, while net profit rose 6.4% to $2.7 billion. In contrast, Microsoft … Read more

Nokia and Tencent have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly conduct research and development into 5G technologies that could benefit hundreds of millions of internet users in China. Under the agreement, the two companies will build an end-to-end 5G test environment in Shenzhen. They will explore how 5G’s AI and automation management capabilities can … Read more

(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/mel-nik) Researchers at Ericsson are developing technologies that will shape the next generation of mobile networks, and one of the most promising innovations is “Multipoint Connectivity with Distributed MIMO,” which the company showcased recently. This approach enables devices to connect simultaneously to multiple base stations, maintaining multiple data streams for improved throughput and … Read more

Australian telecommunications company Optus reports it has completed what it describes as the world’s first 5G data call using the 2300 MHz spectrum band. The trial took place in Sydney using Ericsson equipment. Optus says it is the only Australian carrier holding spectrum in both the 2300 MHz and 3500 MHz bands, positioning it to … Read more

In his most recent budget, UK Chancellor Philip Hammond announced a £250 million investment to bring superfast broadband to rural areas. Poor connectivity in the countryside has left many communities and businesses lagging behind urban areas. The new funding is intended to close that gap by prioritising hard-to-reach locations. The money will be used to … Read more