Sunday, September 9, 2012

Singapore's M1 Readies LTE Launch

Singapore's M1 is preparing to launch its LTE service this week.  The carrier is promising download speeds of up to 75 Mbps and uplinks of up to 37 Mbps.
http://m1.com.sg

  • Last year, M1 awarded a five year contract valued at S$280 million to Huawei to provide the turnkey LTE solution , including installation of macro base stations, distributed base stations and Evolved Packet Core (EPC), for M1’s island-wide next generation network.

Sequans Gains LTE Baseband Chip Approval from China’s MIIT


Sequans Communications' 2nd gen LTE baseband chip has been officially approved by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) for use in China. Sequans’ first generation LTE technology was approved by MIIT last year.

Sequans said this clears the way for it to participate in the phase 2 large-scale LTE trials of MIIT now being deployed by China Mobile. The trials demonstrate the operation of LTE Release 9 and dual-mode TD-SCDMA and LTE as required in China.

http://www.sequans.com

FCC Targets First Spectrum Incentive Auction


FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski circulated a proposal to his fellow commissioners regarding the first incentive auction aimed at freeing up significant spectrum for mobile broadband.

Genachowski said his proposal would also free up a significant amount of unlicensed spectrum for innovative WiFi-like uses, and create the first uniform, national low-band unlicensed spectrum in any country.

“As smartphones and tablets proliferate, the opportunities to benefit consumers and businesses become clearer every day. In freeing up licensed and unlicensed spectrum for wireless broadband, incentive auctions will drive faster speeds, greater capacity, and ubiquitous mobile coverage. The mobile experience for millions of consumers and small business owners will improve as a result of successful incentive auctions. These are essential ingredients for innovation and leadership in the 21st century economy where smartphones and tablets powered by 4G LTE and Wi-Fi networks are proliferating, and the mobile Internet becomes more important every day. Over the last few years, the U.S. has regained global leadership in mobile innovation – and we must not let up now," stated FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.

A vote on the proposal is expected on September 28.

http://www.fcc.gov

Intelsat Connects Gogo’s International In-flight Wi-Fi Service

Intelsat will provide broadband satellite capacity for Gogo's in-flight Internet access service on transoceanic air routes and other areas around the globe starting in early 2013.

Specifically, Gogo signed a multi-year, multi-transponder contract to use Ku-band satellite capacity on Intelsat 19, Intelsat 21, Intelsat 22 and Intelsat 27. These satellites cover portions of the Atlantic and northern Pacific oceans, as well as routes over South America, Asia, Africa and Australia. Intelsat 22 and Intelsat 19 are currently in service. Intelsat 21 was launched on August 19, 2012 and will operate at 302° East. Intelsat 27 is planned for launch in early 2013 and will be positioned at 304° East.

"We believe Intelsat brings to the table a long term commitment to providing Aero solutions for the aviation market, including the recently announced Intelsat EpicNG, which we expect will allow us to provide the reliable and seamless satellite coverage our current and prospective airline partners must have to meet passenger demand for high-speed Internet access on transoceanic and other international flights,” said Michael Small, Gogo’s president and CEO. “This agreement is expected to enable Gogo to provide a broad range of aircraft with a variety of technology solutions. Whether it’s our exclusive air to ground and ATG-4 technologies, or advanced satellite technologies, we expect to offer a full range of connectivity solutions for any aircraft type or mission."

http://www.intelsat.com