Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

AT&T is making introducing new social media tools and platforms

JuiceCaster 6.0 and Buzzwire — that keep you connected to your online world. JuiceCaster 6.0 enables you to use your AT&T wireless device to instantly share and post your mobile videos and photos with your favorite online communities — including exclusive mobile video postings to YouTube and Flickr. With Buzzwire, you can access and customize an extensive streaming media library that spans popular video and audio content, as well as live Internet radio, directly from AT&T phones.

JuiceCaster 6.0

This unique application from Juice Wireless lets you share videos and pictures from your wireless device to the Web’s most popular social-networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. AT&T customers also have exclusive access to post directly to YouTube and Flickr as well. Family and friends can instantly view, rate and comment on content directly from their own phones or directly from an online social-networking site.

AT&T customers can use JuiceCaster to:

• Post mobile pictures and video to popular social-networking Web sites and blogs, including Blogger, Facebook, LiveJournal, MySpace, Twitter and Xanga

• Set your status to update automatically on Facebook and Twitter, and receive friends’ status updates on their own phones

• Broadcast existing or new mobile videos and photos to global audiences using YouTube and Flickr, without requiring a computer or Internet connection

• Make content public or create custom groups by adding and connecting with friends directly from AOL, JuiceCaster, Gmail, Hotmail, MS Outlook and Yahoo!

Meet new friends within the JuiceCaster community
JuiceCaster 6.0 is available for $2.99 a month on compatible 2G and 3G AT&T handsets. AT&T customers can simply text Juice to 386 to begin connecting and communicating in a rich social- networking environment that includes profiles, pictures, videos, friend lists, comments, ratings and personal status updates. For more information on JuiceCaster, visit www.att.com/mediamall. 

Source: www.voip-news.com

NextPhase Wireless is adding VoIP to its Summer Sizzle package.

“In keeping with our commitment to offering a full portfolio of best-in-class connectivity technologies, our ‘Summer Sizzler’ promotion represents a significant breakthrough in price/performance for wireline connectivity services. We’re continuing to deliver on our promise of making telecommunications simple and affordable for businesses, agencies and schools, while providing the best quality and personalized service,” said Robert Ford, President and Chief Executive Officer of NextPhase.

NextPhase Wireless is known for their WiMAX-ready wireless network.

“Customers within our on-net footprint will be able to take advantage of aggressive pricing with T1 Internet service at $299 per month and DS3 Internet service at $2,999 per month. For customers outside our on-net footprint, we’ll be offering tier 1 services at prices considerably more aggressive than those offered by our competitors. With pricing this low, we believe that we can reduce connectivity costs for our customers by as much as 25 to 50 percent each month,” said Ford.

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

As I anxiously await the pending announcement of the 3G iPhone, I am starting to examine just how fast is fast when it comes to 3G.


The phone company as we no longer know it, has announced that  a more than 20 percent increase to the top end of the company’s typical 3G network downlink speed range and a 50 percent increase to the top end of the typical uplink speed range for wireless laptop card customers¹. The upgrades are results of recent network enhancements, including the deployment of High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) technology across all existing 3G markets before the end of June.

In both transitioning and ramping up for the new iPhone and for other customers with 3G phones, AT&T’s 3G mobile broadband network is now available in more than 275 major U.S. metropolitan areas. Later this month, AT&T will become the first U.S. carrier to have fully deployed High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) technology across its entire 3G network. By year-end, the company plans to offer 3G service in nearly 350 major metropolitan U.S. areas.  Even by Texas standards, that’s a pretty big deal.

The new typical wireless broadband speeds for LaptopConnect customers¹:

Downlink — Between 700 Kbps (kilobits per second) and 1.7 Mbps (megabits per second), formerly 600 Kbps to 1.4 Mbps
Uplink — Between 500 Kbps and 1.2 Mbps, formerly 500 to 800 Kbps

Customers who use AT&T’s LaptopConnect wireless cards can use these new speeds to access large files and multimedia applications faster than ever before¹. The new typical speed ranges reflect the results of recent measurements performed during thousands of tests in multiple markets.

The number of AT&T LaptopConnect subscribers increased more than 83 percent between the first quarters of 2007 and 2008, showing strong demand for on-the-go data use.

Between 2005 and the end 2008, AT&T will have invested more than $20 billion in network improvements and upgrades — an average of $5 billion a year. The company’s HSPA network is in the best position among American carriers to grow in line with customer demand, evolving to HSPA+ and providing next-generation speeds through a software upgrade without costly investments across the breadth of the network. As HSPA technology evolves between 2009 and 2010 to HSPA+, peak speeds could reach 20 Mbps. AT&T plans to adopt LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology to reach even higher speeds in the longer term.

¹ LaptopConnect customers must be using one of AT&T’s four current devices that support HSUPA technology or a laptop with embedded HSUPA technology. The four devices are: AT&T USBConnect 881, Sierra Wireless AirCard 881, Option GT Ultra and Option GT Ultra Express

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

D.C. based blogger, Cynthia Brumfield has a very concise post yesterday on why cable needs to have a mobile play in order to compete with the long established telcos.

She’s right. Here’s why from my point of view.

First the idea of ONE source provider is being proven to be very much the way the mass market wants to go. Look at the uptake for VOIP by cable customers who want one bill for video, data and phone. Now look at how Verizon is retaliating against CableVision, Comcast and Time Warner Cable with a very well thought out deployment of FIOS which for now offers higher speeds than cable, but has a series of limitations (i.e. DNS, the Search Gateway, a fixed use of Port 25 to send email using the FIOS SMTP server which begs the question, is Skype and third party SIP providers next to be snipped?)

Next look at the business opportunity with the enterprise market. Imagine the MSO (multiple system operators) offering fat fiber to business which they can deliver, plus mobile services as a single offering. Talk about leveling the playing field in a defined market area. The MSO’s can go literally door to door and deploy by block or zipcode.

Lastly, the MSO’s have direct marketing in a community that is far better than the Telcos can access. With FIOS and UVerse just getting started versus all the marketing tools available to the MSO’s, the ability to sell mobile and data through to the market is much easier for the MSO’s than the tired old telco.

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

Summer is just around the corner, and by June the phone company as we no longer know it, will deploy High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) technology in the six remaining markets across AT&T’s entire 3G (third-generation) wireless broadband network.

When done, AT&T will have completed its deployment of HSUPA technology, which complements existing HSDPA technology (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), making AT&T the only U.S. carrier to have fully deployed HSPA technology in its 3G network.

Today the superfast AT&T 3G network is available in more than 275 markets. By year-end, the AT&T 3G network will be available in nearly 350 markets.

With the new addition of HSUPA technology, AT&T 3G users (think iPhone 2.0) can enjoy uplink speeds between 500 and 800 Kbps. The technology is available in all but the few remaining AT&T 3G markets and will be included in all future deployments. The new upload speeds complement AT&T’s 3G download capabilities, which currently offer up to 1.4 Mbps across all markets for customers who have capable devices, such as AT&T’s LaptopConnect wireless modems.

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

Ever wonder which ringtones alert your favorite celebrities to a call from mom or management?

AT&T has announced the launch of the ‘Ringtone A-List’ - new Web site that unveils the sounds found on the wireless phones of today’s top stars.

From Lauren Conrad, Whitney Port and Audrina Patridge of MTV’s hit reality show "The Hills" to Panic at the Disco members to champion professional bull rider Justin McBride, the AT&T Ringtone A-List is the only place that fans will be able to learn which songs are blowin’ up the wireless phones of their favorite celebs.

Each month, the Ringtone A-List will feature a selection of stars from TV, film, music and sports. Fans will have the opportunity to learn which tones each celebrity has downloaded to his or her wireless phone, preview an audio clip and, if they wish, purchase1 the tone directly from the Web site.

Featured talent, which will be updated monthly, has included members of Panic at the Disco, Webbie, James Otto and Justin McBride. May’s featured celebrities consist of Conrad, Patridge and Port from "The Hills," Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and actor Mario and international pop vocalist Leona Lewis.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

Check this out. This may be the best darn deal on wireless data anywhere.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

With a hattip to Fierce Wireless, now led by executive editor Doug Mohney, one has to recognize just how much of an impact IP communications is having on the legacy, fixed line phone business. It’s starting to show.

This report, out of the UK, paints a very rosy picture for VoIP and Wireless, as well as the burgeoning broadband marketplace here in the USA, especially for fiber to the home and premise buildouts.

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

CNet News has an article on All you can eat Wireless plans.

Wireless operators hope all-you-can-eat pricing will prove appetizing to consumers still using their landlines.

The new pricing model could also help them in the protracted battle for customers with the cable industry.

Two weeks ago, Verizon Wireless was the first major U.S. wireless operator to announce a $99.99 unlimited voice plan. Within days, AT&T and T-Mobile followed with their own plans. And last week, Sprint Nextel announced its plan, which also includes unlimited data and a slew of premium wireless services.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

You would think…that with a partnership that includes Vodafone that VZW would understand the growing mobile data market better. They don’t. Dean Bubley (who drives a very slick TVR Roadster) has the details why.

This is a case of too many years of the network being run by the voice guys who really don’t understand why people would want to do more than just talk over a digital data network…DUH!!!

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

Sorry, I know I’m on a forced vacation but I can’t resist.

Verizon Wireless pressing the button on unlimited (well lets all read the fine print) calling is a sign that mobile is racing to the bottom just like land line voice and VoIP have already basically done.

It also means they are anticipating all kinds of new competition (read mobile VoIP) and striking the first blow in a race that will be won by applications and new services, not on minutes. Does that sound familiar?

What I’m waiting for is the shoe to drop on Wireless data plans. I’m also seeing the lessons learned by Vodafone in the UK, perhaps the most fiercely competitive wireless market around, being applied here.

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

AT&T announced via a news release on Wednesday that it’s planing to expand its 3G wireless broadband footprint and completing the upgrade of its network to the fastest 3G technology available. AT&T will upgrade its 3G network to HSUPA, or High Speed Uplink Packet Access, to provide Internet upload speeds that range from 500 kilobits per second to 800Kbps. The faster uplink speeds will be particularly useful for AT&T’s wireless DATA customers. The speed increase will allow them to access large files from the Internet more quickly and upload bandwidth-intensive content such as videos via their laptops, PDAs and Internet enabled phones. May be more better VoIP over this network unless they decide to filter this network as well.

San Antonio, Texas, February 6, 2008

AT&T is casting a wider Net for mobile customers this year by building out its network to make catching a high speed wireless Web connection easier coast-to-coast.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) today announced highlights of the company’s 2008 wireless network expansion plans, including the deployment of third-generation (3G) wireless broadband service to more than 80 additional cities in the United States through the course of the year. The planned expansion is expected to deliver AT&T 3G services to nearly 350 leading U.S. markets by the end of 2008, including all of the top 100 U.S. cities. The 3G initiative will include the roll out of more than 1,500 additional cell sites nationwide.

Other plans for the new year include completion of the nation’s first High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA)-enabled network by the middle of the year. The AT&T 3G network now delivers typical downlink speeds ranging between 600 and 1,400 Kilobits per second (Kbps), as well as faster uplink speeds, ranging from 500 and 800 Kilobits per second (Kbps). The faster uplink speeds allow AT&T’s HSUPA-enabled laptop users to more quickly send large files and take full advantage of the latest interactive Internet and business applications.

The company’s wireless network is based on GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) technologies, the most open and widely used wireless network platform in the world, supporting 86 percent of the people worldwide who use wireless devices. This platform also positions AT&T to continually adopt next-generation technologies.

"Fast wireless broadband is the foundation for a whole range of new and emerging applications that our customers are adopting, including everything from social networking to sending live video and large business files," said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO for AT&T’s wireless unit. "With these aggressive initiatives, we’re expanding the scope and the speed of our 3G capabilities, connecting people with their world and enabling more customers to do more with their wireless devices, wherever they may be.

"We’re also planning for the future by establishing a clear path to a 4G network that will meet the needs of our customers for years to come," said de la Vega.

The deployment of HSUPA this year is the next step in the evolution of AT&T’s 3G network, with further enhancements and speed boosts expected in the near future. This year’s HSUPA deployment will complete the transition of the AT&T 3G network to High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) standards, marking the only full transition by any wireless provider in the United States to this latest generation of wireless broadband capabilities.

As customer needs continue to evolve and grow in the future, AT&T’s global leadership in deployment of GSM technologies positions the company to continuously evolve its network to meet those needs. The evolution towards HSPA+ and LTE technologies will enable the company to continue to deliver higher speeds and capacity in the years to come.

"From the beginning, our wireless network has been designed with the future in mind," said de la Vega. "The capabilities of 3G standards will continue to expand over the next several years, enabling us to stay well ahead of our customers’ broadband needs. And looking even further into the future, our existing technologies provide the ideal platform for a smooth transition to next-generation platforms."

AT&T’s GSM technology also offers customers the largest international roaming footprint. AT&T devices work in 196 countries and regions — accounting for more than 90 percent of the planet. All GSM customers in those countries can roam on the AT&T network in the United States as well.