| This week's sponsor is Globalstar. | 
| Webinar: Globalstar's New "Wi-Fi" Super Highway
Tuesday, January 22nd, 11:00 am EST/ 8:00 am PST
This webinar will discuss the innovative technology, public benefits, and regulatory outlook of providing a new 22 MHz channel under the existing 802.11 IEEE standard. Join to learn technical aspects of TLPS deployment and the outlook for near-term relief from the FCC. Register Now! |
Today's Top Stories
1. Comcast launches Xfinity X1 platform in Philadelphia, New Jersey
2. Charter Communications technician mugged on service call in East St. Louis
3. Time Warner Cable hires interior designers to pitch high-end SignatureHome service
4. Dish Network rips CBS for pulling Hopper from CNET's 'Best of CES' Awards
5. AT&T exec: 'We're going to expand U-verse' Editor's Corner:  Comcast, Time Warner Cable take lower profile at CES 2013 Also Noted: Akamai
Spotlight On... CES shines spotlight on enterprise mobile devices
CableLabs names HP veteran VP of communications; Time Warner Cable hiring 200 retention specialists and much more...  Follow @FierceCable on Twitter!
News From the Fierce Network:
1. Apple CEO Tim Cook sees China as company's largest future market
2. Windstream sees strong FTTT uptake
3. M2M communications come into their own, says Verizon chief
| This week's sponsor is Aricent. | 
| Webinar: Capitalizing SON – How to Implement SON for LTE to reduce OPEX and Increase Revenue
Tuesday, January 29th, 11am ET / 8am PT LTE is the fastest growing communication technology of all time. In this webinar our experts will discuss how Network Equipment Manufacturers can leverage the concept of Self Organizing Networks (SON) to not only manage highly complex LTE networks but also reduce operational expenditures and enhance customer satisfaction. Register Today! |
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Comcast, Time Warner Cable take lower profile at CES 2013
Compared to the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show, where Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and Time Warner Cable chief Glenn Britt appeared on stage with a top Samsung executive, the two largest cable MSOs took a much lower profile at this week's convention. No cable CEOs took the stage in Las Vegas. One reason why you didn't hear as much from Comcast and Time Warner Cable at CES 2013 is they still haven't launched the products they touted two years ago, when Roberts and Britt said their companies would soon deliver live TV, video-on-demand programming and even content storied on DVRs to connected TVs from Samsung, without requiring subscribers to use traditional cable set-tops. Roberts and Britt also said in January 2011 that they would deliver live cable programming to subscribers who bought a Samsung Galaxy tablet computer. While Comcast and Time Warner Cable now offer subscribers the ability to access live cable programming within their own homes on Apple's iPad and iPhone through their respective Xfinity TV and TWC TV apps, live programming still isn't available on the Galaxy.  Continue reading this Editor's Corner online
Read more about: Brian Roberts, CES2013, FiOS
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| Sponsor: Kontagent FierceLive! Webinars > Globalstar's New "Wi-Fi" Super Highway - Tuesday, January 22nd, 11:00am EST/8:00 am PST
> Capitalizing SON – How to Implement SON for LTE to reduce OPEX and Increase Revenue - Tuesday, January 29th, 11am ET / 8am PT
Events > Service Provider Conference at OFC/NFOEC - March 19-21 - Anaheim, CA
> Fierce Innovation Awards 2012 Live Announcement of this Year's Winners - Now Available On-Demand
Marketplace > Whitepaper: Who's Using My Directory - And For What?
Jobs > RF Engineer Job - Beaverton, OR, USA – Yoh
> Test Engineer Job - Overland Park, KS, USA – Yoh
> Implementation Manager II Job - Bellevue, WA, USA – Yoh
> Transport Engineer Job - Gardner, KS, USA – Yoh
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* General ad info: Click here | Today's Top News 1. Comcast launches Xfinity X1 platform in Philadelphia, New Jersey
Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) launched its Xfinity X1 platform in Philadelphia and the New Jersey region, a spokesman said Friday. Boston was the first Comcast market to launch X1 last May. The platform uses a cloud-based interactive program guide and offers subscribers access to apps for Facebook, Pandora Internet Radio and interactive news and weather apps. Comcast also launched X1 last year in Atlanta, Augusta, Ga., Chattanooga, Tenn., San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Stockton and Fresno, Calif. Pace (LSE: PIC.L) has been supplying Comcast with a home video gateway for X1 that contains six tuners and 500 GB of storage space. Arris (Nasdaq: ARRS) and Motorola Mobility have signed licensing deals with Comcast that could see the set-top vendors supply Comcast with gear for X1. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts has said the X1 platform and its cloud-based architecture could allow Comcast to rapidly deploy new applications to subscribers. For more:
- see X1 video from Comcast Year In Review 2012: Program guides get smarter Related articles:
Arris builds Gateway for Comcast's Xfinity X1 service
Comcast adding voice controls to X1 Remote apps for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch
Comcast expands Xfinity X1 rollout to California
Licensing deal could help Comcast deploy X1 on Motorola Mobility set-tops and gateways Read more about: Motorola Mobility, X1
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| This week's sponsor is Kontagent. |  | Whitepaper: 5 Lessons on Driving More Revenue, Loyalty and Lifetime Value to Your Mobile Apps
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2. Charter Communications technician mugged on service call in East St. Louis
Police are still searching for three gunmen who robbed a field technician working for Charter Communications (Nasdaq: CHTR) in East St. Louis on Tuesday as he left a residence following a service call. The technician, who is employed by Charter contractor Advanced Communications Incorporated, was struck in the head with a gun and forced to the ground, and had two mobile phones and a wallet stolen, East St. Louis Police Chief Michael Floore told the Belleville News-Democrat. Police said the technician was treated at a local hospital on Tuesday and released that day. "I understand the young man, who is a Charter service partner working with ACI, is doing fine. The situation that occurred is upsetting, and we are thankful he is safe and has been released from the hospital," Charter spokesman John Miller told FierceCable on Friday. The robbery comes less than one month after a UPS driver was kidnapped and robbed in St. Louis. Miller said Charter gives field personnel "the option of declining a job if they feel the area is unsafe." He said the company also assigns crews to work in pairs to increase their safety. For more:
- Belleville News-Democrat has this story
- CBS affiliate KMOX-TV has this story Related articles:
Comcast contractor burned in transformer explosion
Cox contractor shocked by power line sues Westar Energy
Comcast contractor dies after falling from ladder in Chicago Read more about: Charter Communications
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3. Time Warner Cable hires interior designers to pitch high-end SignatureHome service
Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) kicked off an ad campaign for its high-end SignatureHome service that features interior designers and architects walking viewers through their own homes. Charging subscribers about $200 monthly, Time Warner Cable launched SignatureHome in 2011. The product comes with DVRs containing 500 GB of storage, a 50 Mbps high-speed Internet connection, premium cable channels and a 24-hour customer service line. Time Warner Cable COO Rob Marcus said in November that the company counts 67,000 SignatureHome subscribers after picking up 7,000 subscribers during the third quarter. Time Warner Cable produced four different versions of commercials for its SignatureHome ad campaign for systems in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Austin. Rather than focus on technology, the spots show the interior designers touring their homes and only pitch the Time Warner Cable service at the end. "The things I choose for my home really matter to me, which is why my home is a signature home," designer Laura McGuire says in the Dallas commercial. For more:
- see the Dallas commercial
- see the release Related articles:
Time Warner Cable offers free Xbox to new triple play subscribers through Best Buy promotion
Time Warner Cable teams with American Express to hawk SignatureHome bundle
Time Warner Cable caters to upscale audience in SignatureHome ads Read more about: Time Warner Cable
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4. Dish Network rips CBS for pulling Hopper from CNET's 'Best of CES' Awards
Dish Network (Nasdaq: DISH) complained Thursday that its Hopper DVR was dropped from CNET's "Best of CES" awards program because of a legal battle with CBS Corp. (NYSE: CBS), which owns the tech media publisher.  | | Dish's Hopper DVR: snubbed at CES. (Image source: Dish) | The satellite TV provider launched Hopper early last year. Its multiroom DVR contains an AutoHop function that can automatically remove all of the commercials from primetime programs on CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox when activated by subscribers. CBS and several other broadcasters sued Dish for alleged copyright infringement last year, and CBS president Les Moonves has threatened to pull CBS owned-and-operated stations from Dish unless it deactivates the AutoHop feature. While CNET gave Hopper a positive review, it announced earlier this week that it pulled the DVR from its Best of CES Awards program because of Dish's litigation with CBS. "We will no longer be reviewing products manufactured by companies with which we are in litigation with respect to such product," CNET said in an editor's note. Dish criticized CBS for the move. "We are saddened that CNET's staff is being denied its editorial independence because of CBS' heavy-handed tactics," Dish said in a prepared statement. "This action has nothing to do with the merits of our new product. Hopper with Sling is all about consumer choice and control over the TV experience. That CBS, which owns CNET.com, would censor that message is insulting to consumers," the company added. For more:
- see the Dish release
- see the CNET review and editor's note Related articles:
CBS threatens to pull stations from Dish over Hopper dispute
Dish Network adds Sling capabilities to Hopper DVR
Mark Cuban backs Dish's Hopper ad-skipping DVR Read more about: CES2013, CNET
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5. AT&T exec: 'We're going to expand U-verse'
AT&T (NYSE: T) is "going to expand U-verse" within its regional footprint and, when necessary, use LTE wireless as a delivery mechanism, John Donovan, senior executive vice president of AT&T Technology and Network Operations, promised during a presentation to the Citi Global Internet, Media & Telecommunications Conference in Las Vegas yesterday.  | | Donovan (Source: AT&T) | "We anticipate that LTE will be a broadband coverage solution for a portion of the country; we just haven't yet gotten to the point where we have enough experience under our belt to know exactly what that footprint is going to be," Donovan said during a question-and-answer period. The carrier also is going to expand its IPDSLAM footprint, he added, noting that all the moves are part of Project VIP, the multi-billion-dollar investment plan the carrier announced last year, and that the expansion will be within the AT&T regional footprint. Questions about how to expand the service--and when and how to use LTE--are still unresolved. "I think it's going to be an excellent technology," Donovan said. On the other hand, the carrier must be sure to have sufficient spectrum, price plans, speeds and consumption models before it moves forward. Most importantly, he added, "we have to make sure that the technology works." The end goal is to "extend ourselves from 75 percent of the footprint to 99 percent of the footprint [and] we're going to be using LTE for some of that broadband," Donovan said. Speed, overall, is also a consideration. AT&T is taking a "calibrated approach" to how much speed it offers to consumers as well as where and how soon. Project VIP, Donovan said, included "five plays we can run to enhance the speed: pair bonding to either increase your reach or speed up your rate; vectoring; add channels; put small form electronics closer to the customer; and [offer] adaptive bit rate modems." Even with all that, there's a general qualifier that "a segment of the population… just wants to buy the fastest thing whether they're going to use it or not." "If you bundle it up, sell it right, it works well and you support it in your care channels, customers are generally happy," Donovan said. That means, he added, the carrier is comfortable with a ceiling of 100 Mbps as "a pretty good number." Donovan also explained briefly AT&T's decision to partner with Akamai Technologies for its content delivery network (CDN) rather than go it alone. While conceding the AT&T network is "a video delivery network whether we're in a retail CDN business or not," Donovan said, handling it in-house had its limitations. "How do you take a big network and provide the benefits of scale?" he asked. "How do you build reliability and performance? And how do you develop very specific features at a very rapid innovative pace?" By partnering with a CDN specialist, he concluded, "We really feel that it gives the top end of this the ability to move at the pace of the market and get the features for our customers but provide the scale and economics." For more:
- listen to this webcast Year in review: Year-in-Review 2012: AT&T commits billions to wireline, plots U-verse IPTV apps Related articles:
AT&T uses CES to reaffirm U-verse commitment
AT&T and Akamai enter CDN business solution pact Read more about: U-Verse, Citi
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Also Noted | This week's sponsor is Akamai. |  | "Innovating at the Pace of Mobile" Discover ways to successfully capitalize on the mobile opportunity and how a comprehensive mobile delivery platform can help maximize your organization's chances of success. Download Now.
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SPOTLIGHT ON... CES shines spotlight on enterprise mobile devices  In today's spotlight, FierceEnterpriseCommunications editor Fred Donovan takes a look at the interest in enterprise mobile devices at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The convention included a surprise appearance by Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) Steve Ballmer, who took the stage during a speech by Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs that had the theme, "born mobile." The born mobile theme was carried throughout the show, including the keynote speech by Verizon (NYSE: VZ) CEO Lowell McAdam, who focused on Verizon's efforts in the 4G LTE and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications areas. Read more
Cable industry news from across the web: > Time Warner Cable is hiring 200 "retention representatives" to staff a customer care center in Milwaukee, Wis. Article > Netflix said it will report fourth quarter and 2012 results on Jan. 23. News release > CableLabs named former Hewlett-Packard executive Wayne Surdam VP of communications. Article Telecom News > Equinix plans to build its fourth data center in Tokyo for $43 million. Article > FairPoint Communications says it will add over 1,300 connection points on its fiber-to-the-tower backhaul network in the New England region. Article Enterprise Communications News > CIOs at larger enterprises reported that their salaries grew an average of 6 percent in 2012. Article And finally …Concurrent said that CEO Dan Mondor will give a presentation at a Noble Financial Capital Markets conference at the Hard Rock Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. on Jan. 22. News release > Globalstar's New "Wi-Fi" Super Highway - Tuesday, January 22nd, 11:00am EST/8:00 am PST This webinar will discuss the innovative technology, public benefits, and regulatory outlook of providing a new 22 MHz channel under the existing 802.11 IEEE standard. Join to learn technical aspects of TLPS deployment and the outlook for near-term relief from the FCC. Register Now! > Capitalizing SON – How to Implement SON for LTE to reduce OPEX and Increase Revenue - Tuesday, January 29th, 11am ET / 8am PT LTE is the fastest growing communication technology of all time. In this webinar our experts will discuss how Network Equipment Manufacturers can leverage the concept of Self Organizing Networks (SON) to not only manage highly complex LTE networks but also reduce operational expenditures and enhance customer satisfaction. Register Today!
| > Service Provider Conference at OFC/NFOEC - March 19-21 - Anaheim, CA Hands-on workshops, discussion panels, the Ethernet Alliance program and many more programs to help telecoms evolve their Next Generation fiber networks. Free admission to expo with more than 550 exhibitors. Network with fellow entrepreneurs and experts. Learn More. > Fierce Innovation Awards 2012 Live Announcement of this Year's Winners - Now Available On-Demand Please join Jason Nelson, Publisher of FierceWireless, FierceTelecom, and FierceCable as we announce the winners of the Fierce Innovation Awards 2012. Click here to RSVP today.
| > Whitepaper: Who's Using My Directory - And For What? Active Directory (AD) is the heart and soul of your enterprise, so monitoring access - knowing who can get to the information and how they're using it - is critical. But tracking and examining access is difficult, if not downright impossible. Or is it? Read More.
| > RF Engineer Job - Beaverton, OR, USA – Yoh Yoh has a (12) months contract opportunity for a RF Engineer to join our client in Beaverton, OR. Job responsibilities include designing RF system block, creating specifications and characterizing subsystem from antenna through digital conversion. Minimum three (3) plus years RF engineer experience...Learn more. > Test Engineer Job - Overland Park, KS, USA – Yoh Yoh has an exciting contract opportunity for a Test Engineer II to join our client in Overland Park, KS. The Test Engineer II to provide technical support in the execution and maintenance of the production network. The Test Engineer II candidate should have a thorough understanding of IP routing, switching and the OSI model...Learn more. > Implementation Manager II Job - Bellevue, WA, USA – Yoh Yoh has a contract opportunity for an Implementation Manager II to join our client in Bellevue, WA. Responsibilties include to manage all aspects of telecom equipment deployment from: customer relationship, project plan of record, project schedule, cost, and inventory. Minimum of five (5) years of experience...Learn more. > Transport Engineer Job - Gardner, KS, USA – Yoh Yoh has an exciting contract opportunity for a Transport Operations NOC to join our client in Gardner, KS. This position understands in-depth equipment specific maintenance procedures and can assist field operations in card swaps and equipment restoration. Ability to manage multiple tasks on time, including ticket administration, communications, and follow up activities required...Learn more. | |
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