4g lte

RIM expands licensing deal with InterDigital to cover 4G LTE tech

Research In Motion and InterDigital have extended an existing patent licensing agreement to cover 4G LTE technology.

Under the deal announced today, RIM will be able to use InterDigital's patents in its upcoming line of BlackBerry 10 products, which are set to debut later this month.

The deal comes just a few weeks after RIM settled a patent dispute with Nokia. In that case, RIM agreed to a one-time payment to Nokia and ongoing royalties for the use of its technology.

RIM is clearing the decks of any complications as it focuses on what is possibly the most important … Read more

Dish faces challenges ramping up its LTE network

Dish was recently given a thumbs up by the FCC to build its own LTE network, but the company is up against some stiff obstacles along the way.

Last week, the Federal Communications Commission granted Dish's request to allow it to use 40 MHz of spectrum in the 2 GHz band to create a 4G LTE network. At the time, the FCC indicated that some restrictions would apply, though it didn't reveal the specifics... until now.

The satellite TV provider must finish 40 percent of its LTE network within the next four years, and 70 percent within seven … Read more

Sprint's 4G LTE network reaches 49 markets

Sprint announced 4G LTE coverage today in six new areas, bringing the total to 49 markets.

Effective immediately, subscribers in parts of Indiana, Pennsylvania, and California will find the faster data speeds awaiting them.

Reaching 49 markets in total, Indianapolis/Carmel, Ind.; Santa Rosa/Petaluma, Calif.; Vallejo/Fairfield, Calif.; York/Hanover, Pa.; and Franklin County, Pa. are the newest members of the club. Parts of southern Puerto Rico, including Ponce, Coamo, and Guayama are also seeing 4G LTE coverage today. In addition to these new cities, Sprint is also celebrating expanded LTE coverage in Chicago.

After having just launched the … Read more

AT&T brings 4G LTE to five more cities, but still lags Verizon

AT&T said today that it has brought its faster 4G LTE network to five more cities, as well as expanded coverage in a few major cities.

Green Bay, Wis.; Springfield, Mass.; Tucson, Ariz.; Melbourne, Fla.; and Oxford, Miss. are the newest additions to AT&T's LTE network. That brings the total to 125 cities.

Customers in Phoenix, Los Angeles, New York, and Salt Lake City should all benefit from better coverage as well.

The faster connection enabled by a 4G LTE network has been a chief selling point for the carriers this year. Verizon, however, has … Read more

Sprint to buy out Clearwire: Why it matters (FAQ)

Sprint Nextel took another step toward securing its future by coming to an agreement with Clearwire to buy all of the remaining shares it doesn't already own.

The deal gives Sprint full control of Clearwire's impressive swath of spectrum, as well as its existing 4G WiMax network, which the company was planning to upgrade to 4G LTE next year. It also ends years of drama between the two companies, with Clearwire getting absorbed into Sprint.

So why does this matter? This deal has ramifications for consumers of both Sprint and Clearwire, and could have an impact on the … Read more

Sprint's HTC Evo 4G LTE joins the Android 4.1 club

The HTC Evo 4G LTE is the newest member of the Sprint family to receive an Android 4.1.1 update.

Sprint will release Jelly Bean in stages over the next few weeks, but anxious users can manually install the update starting today.

As is the case with other 4.1 updates of its kind, the Sprint smartphone will see new features such as enhanced notifications, camera improvements, and a smarter keyboard.

The Evo 4G LTE will get a few HTC-specific tweaks as well, such as the Tap and Go function that pairs the handset with select Beats Audio speakers. … Read more

AT&T expands 4G LTE to seven more regions

The holiday season may be in full swing, but that hasn't stopped AT&T from keeping busy. The carrier announced today that it has expanded its 4G LTE data network to seven additional metropolitan areas.

Ma Bell's most advanced cellular network now covers Reno, Nevada; Richmond, Virginia; Allentown-Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Hattiesburg and Starkvillle, Mississippi; Moscow, Idaho; and Pullman, Washington. That's not a bad day's work. Still, while AT&T says it now blankets 3,000 cities more than its arch-rival Verizon with 4G, an area that includes over 160 million people. That claims AT&… Read more

Sprint: It'd cost us $2.1B to buy Clearwire

Talks between Sprint Nextel and Clearwire are heating up.

Sprint confirmed via a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission made public today that it is in talks with Clearwire to buy out the remaining stake in the upstart wireless provider that it doesn't already own.

The company said it believes that it would cost $2.1 billion to buy out the remaining 49 percent stake in Clearwire, valuing the company at $2.90 a share, or a 5.5 percent premium to its closing price on Wednesday.

Clearwire also submitted a filing confirming the talks, but declined to … Read more

FCC approves Dish's plans for high-speed wireless

Dish has been given the official green light to fire up its wireless spectrum. The satellite TV provider announced today that the Federal Communications Commission has approved its request for wireless spectrum use.

"The FCC has removed outdated regulations and granted terrestrial flexibility for most of the AWS-4 band," Dish senior vice president and deputy general counsel Jeff Blum said in a statement today. "The Commission has taken an important step toward facilitating wireless competition and innovation, and fulfilling the goals of the National Broadband Plan."

Dish started talks with the FCC earlier this year. Initially, … Read more

Sprint in talks to buy out Clearwire, report says

Sprint Nextel may be moving closer to taking full control of 4G wireless provider Clearwire, according to CNBC.

The two companies are in active negotiations, and Sprint has been talking with some of Clearwire's big-name shareholders, including Intel and Comcast, in taking full control of the company, CNBC reported, citing unnamed sources.

A deal isn't imminent, but an announcement could come by the end of the year, the report said.

Representatives from both Sprint and Clearwire declined to comment.

Sprint is looking to scoop up the remaining 49 percent of Clearwire's stock it doesn't already hold, … Read more