By: Jesse Cryderman
As we begin 2015, global mobile network operators have launched 360 commercial 4G LTE networks in 124 countries, and this number will likely reach 450 by the end of the year. The next
evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) is also rapidly taking shape, with 49 commercially launched LTE-A systems in 31 countries. The commitment to 4G LTE is clear, the investment is massive, and the
results are obvious in terms of mobile data usage-- 4G users consume about twice the mobile data as non-4G users. With all of the activity around 4G, and so much work left to be done (the
average global penetration of 4G LTE is just 3…
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By: Jesse Cryderman
"Technology businesses are like sharks too. You either move forward ambitiously or poof, you become small or irrelevant or both."--Steve Ballmer Former CEO, MicrosoftSteve Ballmer’s
pronouncement, in part an explanation for Microsoft’s failure to crack into mobile, is at the crux of the many challenges facing enterprises and communications service providers today. Hesitation,
which was once defined by sluggish movement during a three-month quarter, is now defined by days, or even hours…
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By: Zvika Delman
Service providers are continually striving to reduce churn and increase wallet share. The traditional and most common method to do this is through aggressive advertising campaigns and price
reductions. Ironically, these tactics often lead to price wars that actually cause revenue loss! Recent research by Coleman Parkes on behalf of Amdocs found that for consumers, price is not
necessarily the bottom line. Looking at how the user experience influences customer satisfaction and the willingness to purchase, thousands of consumers were surveyed across the globe…
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By: Patrick Rhude
In order to achieve the commercial promises of SDN and NFV, the industry will have to understand and address the operational considerations of rolling out these technologies in scale, while at
the same time dealing with the realities of continuing to run and expand traditional network architectures. Assuring network performance, integrity and security in this dynamic, complex environment
is vital, yet it has been overlooked, for the most part, in all discussions to date. SDN and NFV change how networks are built and managed in unprecedented ways…
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By: Jesse Cryderman
It’s no secret that mobile network operators (MNOs) are bleeding revenue from traditional services and, as a result, are retooling their service portfolios to capitalize on the new digital
economy. High on the list of potential new verticals is mobile money, which has been implemented in developing countries, but has yet to catch on in the developed world. Unlike, say, driverless
cars, the barrier to widespread mobile money services is neither user demand nor device capability. The chips that make contactless payment possible--NFC--are standard issue in most mobile
devices…
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By: Bernard Breton
To mobile users, the rollout of next-generation networks has meant a drastic improvement in the performance of mobile services. As of September, 2014, 373 million people have discovered the
benefits of high-speed LTE connections, and for each one of these users, turning back to a network standard 3G or lower probably seems unfathomable. Behind the scenes, this technology
evolution has produced an equivalent rise in customers’ performance expectations, and pushed mobile operators to redouble their efforts to deliver around-the-clock, consistently high quality of
service (QoS)…
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By: Jesse Cryderman
“Technology is supposed to make our lives easier, allowing us to do things more quickly and efficiently. But too often it seems to make things harder, leaving us with fifty-button remote
controls, digital cameras with hundreds of mysterious features and book-length manuals, and cars with dashboard systems worthy of the space shuttle.” --James Surowiecki The New Yorker They
are coming. By the billions. A horde of devices that will usher in a hyper connected era, in which everything from the parking meter to the microwave oven is linked into communications networks and
outfitted with basic “intelligence"…
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By: Thomas Vasen
The debate over net neutrality is hotter now than ever, but one critical angle constantly left out is how to guarantee and protect the subscriber’s experience.The latest FCC proposal
expected in Q1 is based on: “No blocking, no throttling, no paid prioritization,”as hinted by Chairman Tom Wheeler recently at CES in Las Vegas, “except for reasonable network management.” And
there is good reason for that last point. The debate on allowing sponsored content delivery or prioritization is likely far from finalized, but differentiating to perform congestion control is
clearly a necessity…
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By: Israel Nov
The challenge and potential in connecting the unconnectedAs the internet access becomes entrenched in our daily lives, broadband connectivity is increasingly perceived at the national level as
a fundamental need, along the lines of basic utilities and public education, rather than a luxury. Dozens of countries have rolled out ambitious plans to provide broadband coverage - usually
2G or 3G - to all their residents, no matter how remote. Even those countries with no formal governmental universal service obligations (USO) program make no secret of their desire to provide
nationwide broadband coverage…
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By: Tim Young
“Done laid around, done stayed around this old town too long And it seems like I’ve got to travel on” -Bob Dylan, Gotta Travel OnAlmost six years ago, I traded in my bachelor’s
lifestyle in Chicago for the more serene landscape of the American South. In the time since, I’ve gotten married, become a father, earned a graduate degree, moved into a new home an alarming five
times, and experienced all sorts of pleasant and not-so-pleasant milestones of aging. Now, instead of having my morning coffee in a paper cup on a moving (mostly) train, I have it overlooking a
rarely-snow-covered backyard while feeding yogurt to a protesting toddler…
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By: Jesse Cryderman
T-Mobile's Uncarrier movement has paid off. The company added nearly nine million new customers last year, and is poised to pass Sprint for the number 3 spot in the U.S. market. Customers
have flocked to T-Mobile to enjoy features like unlimited data, free international texting and data, free streaming music, low-cost family plans, Wi-Fi- calling, free in-air texting, and rapid
device upgrades. In fact, many of the competitive strategies T-Mobile has employed have been adopted by other leading U…
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