| This week's sponsors are Neustar and Spirent. |  | eBook | Dissecting Telco Customer Data Analytics While the market for data-driven telecom analytics is expected to grow, service providers are still in the learning phase with data analytics. FierceTelecom explores the different tools and techniques that operators can use to analyze and mine their data. Download today. |
Also Noted: IneoQuest
Spotlight On... Yaliny turns to Indiegogo to fund ambitious satellite scheme
FirstNet's opt-out option for states presents its own set of challenges; 1800 MHz dominates LTE deployments and user devices ecosystem and much more...  AT&T, Sprint CEOs among the best paid in telecom
Every year Fierce checks out the highest-paid CEOs in the telecom space. This year, executives from Sprint and AT&T topped the list: AT&T's Randall Stephenson pulled in around $23 million in total compensation last year, and Sprint's Dan Hesse netted a whopping $49 million, largely thanks to Sprint's transaction with Japan's SoftBank last year. For a complete list of the highest-paid CEOs in the wireless industry, click here. And for a list of the highest-paid CEOs in the wireline sector, click here.
News From the Fierce Network:
1. FCC to add Sprint, Dish spectrum to spectrum screen
2. EE says on track to exceed 6M LTE users in 2014
3. Google documents hint at Wi-Fi component to Fiber buildout
More headlines...
| This week's sponsor is Ooyala. |  | eBook | Profiting from Over the Top Video Pay-TV providers are seeing programming costs increase while margins for their subscription video products decrease. Now they're starting to rely on broadband Internet service sales to grow profits. This FierceCable eBook offers insight from industry experts on how to benefit from subscribers that are relying more on Internet video for home entertainment. Download today. |
| Sponsor: PCIA FierceLive! Webinars > Self-optimizing networks deliver the new customer experience - Wednesday, May 7, 9:30 am ET/ 6:30 am PT
> Making Money From OTT - Thursday, May 8, 2014, 10am GMT / 5am ET
> Video Analytics Strategies for Monetizing the Video Experience - Thursday, May 15, 2014 11am ET / 8am PT
Events > Broadband Latin America 2014, June 3-4, 2014, Amcham, S?o Paulo - June 3, 2014 - Amcham, S?o Paulo
> GSMA Mobile Asia Expo 2014 - June 11-13 - Shanghai, China
Marketplace > Whitepaper: Customer Experience for Service
> Whitepaper: How to Transform Your Mobile Customer Care Strategy
> Whitepaper: Know What Customers Want Before They Do
> Whitepaper: Forbes: The Secret Sauce of Oracle's Commercial Success
> eBook: Ooyala's Q4 2013 Global Video Index
> Whitepaper: Making the Most of Your CRM: How Best-in-Class Sales Teams Maximize Revenue and Customer Service
> Whitepaper: MobileTrends Report Q1 2014: Measuring the Mobile Video Experience
> Whitepaper: Evolving from Static to On-Demand Connectivity Service
> eBook: Dissecting Telco Customer Data Analytics
> eBook: Profiting from Over the Top Video
> eBook: VoLTE and the Future of Mobile Voice
> Whitepaper: 802.11ac in the Enterprise: Technologies and Strategies
> Whitepaper: Enhanced Mobility
> Whitepaper: HP Mobility Management
> eBook: eBrief | MSOs See New Era for VoIP
Jobs * Post a classified ad: Click here.
* General ad info: Click here
* Post a job: Click here. | Today's Top News 1. Ericsson tips its hat to virtualization, splits networks division
Highlighting the growing need for traditional telecom infrastructure providers to develop technology solutions involving virtualization, Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) has split its former networks division in two, creating one unit targeting just radio and another solely focused on cloud and IP.  | | Vestberg | While Ericsson remains a leader in radio-based technologies, it needs to reposition to meet the competition when it comes to virtualization, including software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV). "In the cloud and IP space, which are vital for the evolution to 5G, we have made significant progress but are still a challenger. In a transforming market we will now intensify our work to capture opportunities in virtualization and cloud, building on our leading position in core networks," said Hans Vestberg, president and CEO. Ericsson noted that splitting its networks division should help the vendor bring a clearer focus to the needs of each business area while maintaining an end-to-end view of the full networks operations. The company also created a new networks segment, an umbrella organization that will comprise the two new business units and ensure they have synergies in R&D and an alignment of product portfolios as well as marketing. Johan Wibergh, who headed the former networks business unit, will be chief of the networks segment. He will remain a member of Ericsson's executive leadership team. "A top priority for me initially is to ensure that we keep momentum in current business while we make the transition," Wibergh said. The two new organizations will become effective on July 1, 2014, though the complete transformation will not be finalized until 2014's third quarter. Ericsson is also undergoing other changes. It recently announced that Doug Gilstrap, the vendor's global head of strategy and one of Vestberg's top lieutenants, will resign from his role as of Aug. 1, ending a five-year stint at the company. For more:
- see this Ericsson release Related articles:
Ericsson exec: VoLTE deployment delays not surprising due to network complications
Ericsson bounces back to stronger Q1 profit, but N. American sales plunge 23%
Ericsson's Vestberg: 5G networks will be defined by how they are used
Ericsson's strategy chief and M&A guru Doug Gilstrap to leave company
Ericsson's new lab aims to open the door for OpenDaylight, SDN applications
SDN: Ericsson, Huawei and others consider virtualizing the mobile network Read more about: Ericsson, NFV
back to top |
| This week's sponsor is PCIA. | | 
| | Register Today - 2014 Wireless Infrastructure Show |
2. NSN's Silicon Valley contest seeks big data, telco cloud innovations
Nokia (NYSE:NOK) Solutions and Networks (NSN) wants to spark "disruptive advancements for mobile networks" via a contest in Silicon Valley that is open to individuals and companies that think they have an innovative idea for "colossal" data analytics and telco cloud, which NSN describes as "two transformations enabling the mobile Internet of the future." The winner of NSN's Silicon Valley Open Innovation Challenge will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to collaborate with the company at its headquarters in Europe. Submissions may also become candidates for grooming and venture funding via Nokia Growth Partners, Nokia's VC arm. Applications will be reviewed by a multi-disciplinary panel of experts. The contest will run through May 10, 2014, "after which there will be multiple rounds of engagement and coaching with a cross-functional jury," wrote NSN spokeswoman Kanika Atri in a blog entry. Winners will be announced at an event scheduled for early July. Nokia promises 125 industry experts will be on hand for that event, as well as representatives from Nokia Growth Partners, other VCs, and NSN management and decision makers. "The whole purpose of open, collaborative outside-in innovation is not just to speed up how our industry evolves, or disrupts itself in the future but also to innovate smartly. Smart innovation means not reinventing the wheel, but taking what's been done before and applying it meaningfully to new domains," said Atri. In other news, NSN also announced a substantial donation, which will be made over two years, to help the OpenSSL Project battle future vulnerabilities similar to the Heartbleed bug. NSN has become the project's first platinum sponsor and will also provide the effort with support from its new Mobile Broadband Security Center in Berlin, which will become fully operational in the second half of 2014. For more:
- see this NSN release, blog entry and release Related articles:
Ericsson, NSN and NYU Wireless ramp up 5G efforts
NSN: VoLTE better than OTT VoIP for carriers, customers
NSN on path to 5G, but LTE still watchword for Europe
NSN CEO wants to expand Juniper partnership, is open to small M&A opportunities
NSN stakes out a telco cloud beachhead with NFV-compliant automated application management Read more about: Kanika Atri, Nsn
back to top |
3. Qualcomm demos robot with neuromorphic chip
Qualcomm's (NASDAQ:QCOM) Zeroth neuromorphic chip program is focused on signing up researchers this year to test its technology as the company eyes the commercial introduction of brain-mimicking chips as soon as 2015. But early robotics applications show how far Qualcomm's technology development has already come. The Zeroth neural-networking chips program was named after science fiction writer Isaac Asimov's zeroth law of robotics, which directs: "A robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm." So it makes sense that an early demo features a robot equipped with a Qualcomm "neural processing unit" (NPU) and specialized software. As reported by MIT Technology Review, the demo stars a small robot named Pioneer, which rolled up to a Captain America action figure placed on the carpet, picked it up with its front-mounted scoop and pushed it along toward a set of three pillars meant to represent toy bins. Upon "seeing"--via its camera--a Qualcomm engineer sweep his arms toward a pillar where Captain America should be placed, Pioneer complied and subsequently proceeded to also pick up and deposit in the same place a Spider-Man action figure. Not only was this impressive because Pioneer had already learned its clean-up chore, but the robot was also able to discern the difference between the action figures and a nearby chessboard, which it ignored. Deep learning applications that enable cutting-edge object identification in smartphones already exist. One example is the Deep Belief Object Recognition app from Jetpac, which enables smartphones to identify objects in photos. But neuromorphic computing platforms go beyond mere object recognition to enable devices to take action based on information they have learned. Qualcomm's Zeroth project is not the only high-profile effort aimed at creating neuromorphic computing platforms. According to Technology Review, IBM Research and HRL Laboratories are each working on neuromorphic chips under a $100 million project for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Europe also has numerous neuromorphic projects going on, including efforts that are part of the 10-year-long Human Brain Project, which aims to make fundamental contributions to neuroscience, medicine and future computing technology. "Devices and systems, modeled after the brain, will overcome fundamental limits on the energy-efficiency, reliability and programmability of current technologies, clearing the road for systems with brain-like intelligence," according to the project's website. One of the HBP's programs includes the design, implementation and operation of a neuromorphic computing platform that allows experiments with configurable neuromorphic computing systems. Qualcomm's NPUs could be used in medical devices that not only track a person's vital signs but adjust medication dosages in response. Similarly, the new processing architecture would enable smartphones to become smarter, adapting to their owner's habits. For instance, a handset might perceive when the owner usually goes to bed, so it automatically sends calls to voice mail at that time. Smartphones could also become situationally aware, so they know not to ring when their owner is in a conference room, even if their "silent" button has not been manually switched on. "If you and your device can perceive the environment in the same way, your device will be better able to understand your intentions and anticipate your needs," Samir Kumar, a business development director at Qualcomm's research lab, told Technology Review. "We're blurring the boundary between silicon and biological systems," noted Qualcomm CTO Matthew Grob. For more:
- see this MIT Technology Review article
- see this Human Brain Project web page Related articles:
Qualcomm, Ericsson and AT&T execs tout wearables, neuromorphic computing and more
Brain chips offer a new approach to crunching data
Eyeing up connected implants Read more about: Matthew Grob, Qualcomm, brain
back to top |
4. Award will help professor attract investors to underwater wireless communications system
Professor Andrew Singer of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who developed a high-speed underwater wireless communications system, was one of five recipients of awards from the 2014 Illinois Proof-of-Concept (I-POC) Fund. I-POC's goal is to enable further development of projects to highlight their market viability to potential investors and partners. "The I-POC program supports university innovations by bridging the gap between research and business, with a goal of making important technologies visible to the marketplace," said Lesley Millar-Nicholson, director of the university's office of technology management, which announced the awards. One of the other award winners was Heinrich Taube, from the university's college of fine and applied arts, who created Harmonia, which aims to replace paper-based music theory instruction with an app that allows musical content to be created, edited, searched, annotated and automatically graded. Singer, who is the director of the university's Technology Entrepreneur Center and a professor of electrical and computer engineering, collaborated with other researchers on a 2009 paper about underwater communications that was published in IEEE Communications Magazine. The article noted that while underwater communications were once of interest primarily for military and deep-sea research applications, a 10,000-fold increase in achievable data rates over the past few decades has opened up more potential for the field. Emerging applications include commercial fishing and oil exploration, where remotely controlled vehicles and equipment are used to probe, sense and actuate apparatus from a surface vehicle or station. In addition, there are potential uses in environmental sensing and wildlife monitoring and tracking, as well as continued exploration of the potential for research, commercial and scientific applications, the paper said. The article looked at signal processing methods and advances in underwater acoustic communications, including single-carrier and emerging multicarrier methods, along with iterative decoding and spatial multiplexing methods. It noted that electromagnetic waves used in radio-frequency communications (RF) do not propagate over long distances through the ocean because the water's salinity induces conductivity, resulting in rapid attenuation of electro-magnetic signals, especially at higher frequencies. Therefore, acoustic waves are required to carry information underwater over long distances. At the time of the paper, Singer and his fellow researchers noted that systems employed to date included "state-of-the-art signal processing methods, including multichannel equalizers, with explicit embedded phase tracking and symbol timing, Doppler tracking and signal resampling, and spatial multiplexing methods in MIMO-turbo equalization transmitter/receiver systems." Other researchers have made recent breakthroughs in underwater communications. Late last year researchers at New York's University at Buffalo announced an IP-compatible protocol stack that will enable deployment of deep-sea modems and creation of an underwater Internet accessible via laptops, smartphones and other wireless devices. For more:
- see this university release Related articles:
Wireless underwater Internet coming to fruition Read more about: underwater, acoustic
back to top |
5. Global femtocell market to top $3B in 2020, report says
Technological advancements and falling device costs will drive the global femtocell market to a market value of $3.712 billion in 2020, up from $304.8 million in 2013, according to Allied Market Research.  | | Click here to view a larger version of this image. | In a new report, the firm noted that growing adoption of broadband services and mobile phone usage for video conferencing, software/music downloading and online gaming are driving growth in the femto market. The firm predicts the United States will be the fastest-growing femto market through 2020. However, femto installation costs have proven too expensive for the Asia-Pacific to readily accept the technology. The region is also impacted by a lack of awareness, Allied said. Though femtos can be used in commercial, consumer and public access areas, most deployments have been made in residences, Allied noted. That trend may be changing, however, as recent reports from both ABI Research and Infonetics Research indicate a shift from home deployments to enterprise rollouts. Further, the Small Cell Forum--formerly the Femtocell Forum--has been actively encouraging deployments of femtocells and other small cells in enterprises and urban areas. Allied looked at the two femto categories: those using an SIP/IMS approach as well as the Iuh (Iu home) interface. The former is catching on in small- to medium-size enterprises as well as residences, Allied said. However, Iuh technology has the larger market share "due to its multiple applications in networking services," and the costs of Iuh-based technology are falling, the firm added. Infonetics also released a new report looking at the global market for 3G microcells, picocells and metrocells as well as LTE mini eNodeBs and metrocells.
"As we anticipated, the great small cell ramp did not happen in 2013 as many in the industry had hoped. Testing activity remained solid, but actual deployments were modest. Small cell revenue was just $771 million last year, a sharp contrast to the $24 billion 2G/3G RAN market," said Stephane Teral, principal analyst for mobile infrastructure and carrier economics at Infonetics.
The firm expects the small cell market to grow 65 percent by year's end, reaching $1.3 billion. It noted that developed countries such as Japan, South Korea, the UK and United States are driving early adoption of these small cells. Half of the 642,000 small cell units shipped in 2013 were 3G devices, but starting this year LTE metrocells will become the industry's main growth engine, Infonetics said. For more:
- see this Allied Market Research release and webpage
- see this Infonetics release Related articles:
ABI: Consumers outpaced by enterprise in the $4B femtocell market
Small Cell Forum makes the case for urban deployments
Small Cell Forum clears the path for enterprise deployments
Infonetics: Femtocell focus is moving from consumer market to enterprise Read more about: small cells
back to top |
Also Noted | This week's sponsor is IneoQuest. |  | Webinar: Video Analytics Strategies for Monetizing the Video Experience
Thursday, May 15th, 11am ET / 8am PT As consumers have more ways to watch video than ever before, video providers are looking at new business strategies for monetizing their video services, to reduce churn, increase subscriber base, reduce capital and operational expenditure and optimize investments. This webinar will provide an overview of how providers can monetize their video services through video analytics strategies. Register Today! |
SPOTLIGHT ON... Yaliny turns to Indiegogo to fund ambitious satellite scheme Moscow startup Yaliny is hoping to raise $1 million on Indiegogo so it can jump start its plan to create a satellite-based phone and Internet service that offers unlimited on-network service, Internet access and incoming calls for only $10 per month. The company promises outgoing calls "will be cheaper than usual VoIP rates (like Skype)." Yaliny's Indiegogo FAQ does not mention what spectrum its service would use or which country's telecom regulator would oversee it. Key to the company's plan is the Yaliny Point, basically a mobile hotspot for satellite service that will sell for $150. It is a small, pocket-size device that uses Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to pair with a smartphone, linking it directly to its planned network of 135 small, low-earth-orbit communications satellites. "One of the most important points about our satellites is they should be fairly light and small enough to be stacked in one large rocket such as Falcon Heavy. We're designing them exactly that way - to do just one launch. This will cut initial funding required to create an infrastructure, so we'll be able to provide cheaper services," the company said. Yaliny's Indiegogo campaign started on April 22 and will close on June 6, 2014. As of April 27, Yaliny had raised just under $1,200. For more, see this Indiegogo web page. Wireless tech news from around the Web. > FirstNet's opt-out option for states presents its own set of challenges. Article > Operator spending on deep packet inspection (DPI) solutions grew 23 percent to $728 million in 2013 and should top $2 billion in 2018, Infonetics said. Release > GSA says 1800 MHz dominates LTE deployments and user devices ecosystem. Release > China is leading in carbon nanotube and graphene research and manufacturing, according to Lux Research. Article And finally… Kittyo gadget and related app lets cat owners play "chase the red dot" with their felines remotely. Article News From the Fierce Network:
> New Jersey regulators: Verizon can use DSL, wireless to deliver broadband to rural areas Post
> Self-optimizing networks deliver the new customer experience - Wednesday, May 7, 9:30 am ET/ 6:30 am PT In this presentation, the speakers will discuss the strategic move towards automation, the impact of current and future self-optimizing network (SON) use cases on the customer experience, and identify key differentiators among the leading SON providers. Register Today! > Making Money From OTT - Thursday, May 8, 2014, 10am GMT / 5am ET With rising programming costs, pay-TV providers are looking at ways they can benefit from OTT entertainment. This webinar will look at how Pay-TV providers can embrace OTT and not erode their core subscription TV services. Register Today! > Video Analytics Strategies for Monetizing the Video Experience - Thursday, May 15, 2014 11am ET / 8am PT As consumers have more ways to watch video than ever before, video providers are looking at new business strategies for monetizing their video services, to reduce churn, increase subscriber base, reduce capital and operational expenditure and optimize investments. This webinar will provide an overview of how providers can monetize their video services through video analytics strategies. Register Today!
| > Broadband Latin America 2014, June 3-4, 2014, Amcham, S?o Paulo - June 3, 2014 - Amcham, S?o Paulo This year at Broadband & TV Connect Latin America will be taking place on 3-4 June 2014 at Amcham, São Paulo. All eyes will be on Latin America, as Brazil prepares to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup. And with preparations already underway for the 2016 Olympics, and an exponential growth in Broadband and Pay-TV subscriptions predicted, there couldn't be a more exciting time for the connected entertainment industry. Operators are free to attend. Register today! > GSMA Mobile Asia Expo 2014 - June 11-13 - Shanghai, China Mobile connects us to new information, possibilities, people, ideas and experiences. Mobile Asia Expo showcases the mobile solutions that are transforming our lives today and into tomorrow. Register now to join us 11-13 June 2014 in Shanghai, China, where we are Making Global Connections.
| > Whitepaper: Customer Experience for Service This Executive Brief explores the role of service and support in creating great customer experiences, the service goals market leaders use related to customer experience and the Oracle approach for empowering new service experiences. Download today! > Whitepaper: How to Transform Your Mobile Customer Care Strategy It's all about the SCI: the smart, connected interaction. It's not easy - mobility increases the number of variables going into each interaction, requires the preservation of context across channels, but it allows each interaction to naturally evolve. Read this document to learn how to go SCI and naturally connect with your customers. > Whitepaper: Know What Customers Want Before They Do Today's consumers only want interactions that are relevant, personalized, and based on a customer’s situation and preferences. Discover the framework for creating effective NBOs for B2C and B2B companies. Download today. > Whitepaper: Forbes: The Secret Sauce of Oracle's Commercial Success This whitepaper addresses how the Sales Cloud is rapidly becoming a strategic asset that delivers better intelligence, social collaboration, and native mobile apps for Sales and Marketing professionals. Learn how Oracle Sales Cloud helped Oracle increase annual revenue to $37 billion. Download Now! > eBook: Ooyala's Q4 2013 Global Video Index If you thought mobile video was growing fast, think again: it’s growing incredibly fast. Ooyala’s Q4 Video Index reports that time spent watching video on tablets and mobile devices is up an astounding 719% since Q4 of 2011. Ooyala has just released its Global Video Index for Q4 2013, loaded with numbers and useful tips that will help publishers and broadcasters earn more. Download the report today! > Whitepaper: Making the Most of Your CRM: How Best-in-Class Sales Teams Maximize Revenue and Customer Service This Research Brief combines research from a number of Aberdeen Sales Effectiveness research data sets, to create a holistic view of the most effectively deployed CRM systems. Download today. > Whitepaper: MobileTrends Report Q1 2014: Measuring the Mobile Video Experience Mobile subscribers tend to evaluate the overall quality of their broadband network based on their video viewing experience. What influences video delivery quality over mobile data networks? It's not just about bandwidth. Is it the device? Is it the video container? Find Out by Downloading the Report Now: Click here. > Whitepaper: Evolving from Static to On-Demand Connectivity Service This paper shares valuable insights that can help service providers design on-demand connectivity, with a strong ROI. Download this paper and learn how you can innovate and differentiate your services. Download this whitepaper today. > eBook: Dissecting Telco Customer Data Analytics Analysts expect the data-driven telecom analytics market to grow at an astounding rate over the next five years to become a $5.4 billion revenue market by the end of 2019. FierceTelecom will explore the different tools and techniques that operators can use to analyze and mine their data. Download this eBook today! > eBook: Profiting from Over the Top Video With rising programming costs reducing margins for their subscription video product, pay-TV providers are relying on sales of broadband Internet service to grow profits. This eBook will look at ways cable operators can benefit from subscribers that are relying more on Internet video for home entertainment. Download this eBook today! > eBook: VoLTE and the Future of Mobile Voice Despite more than two years of anticipation, the U.S. is still waiting for the widespread deployment of voice over LTE as major operators delay deployment. Experts say this shouldn't come as a surprise given the complexity of the technology. FierceWireless will take an in-depth look at VoLTE as well as explore HD voice and other advanced services made possible by VoLTE. Download this eBook today! > Whitepaper: 802.11ac in the Enterprise: Technologies and Strategies Download the White Paper "802.11ac in the Enterprise: Technologies and Strategies" to learn from industry expert Craig Mathias about the technologies behind 802.11ac, deployment misconceptions and review steps that every organization should take in getting ready for 802.11ac.
Download today! > Whitepaper: Enhanced Mobility Discover how HP NonStop solutions, powered by Intel® Itanium® processors, enable you to meet the growing demands of mobile subscribers while lowering costs and better positioning your business for change. Download today to learn more. > Whitepaper: HP Mobility Management See how HP Mobility Management with HP NonStop solutions, powered by Intel® Itanium® processors, helps you better manage subscriber data across 3G/LTE/WiFi networks while delivering a consistent service experience and personalized services with added efficiency. Download today to learn more! > eBook: eBrief | MSOs See New Era for VoIP This FierceCable eBrief will explore that while cable MSOs may be struggling to retain video customers, several Tier 2 and Tier 3 operators are growing their revenues by bundling VoIP services with their existing video and high-speed Internet packages. Download this eBrief today! | |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Keep a civil tongue.