An Ignoble Experiment

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It's no secret that the Internet of Things has generated a significant amount of buzz in the wireless industry. Indeed, the Internet of Things is now at the peak of its own hype cycle, according to research firm Gartner. (For comparison, the M2M market has already peaked and is on its way toward a "plateau of productivity" while virtual personal assistants are on the firm's pre-peak "innovation trigger" slope.)

But its top position on Gartner's hype cycle graph does nothing to limit the potential importance of the Internet of Things. As anyone in the IoT industry will tell you, it has the potential to completely change how users' business and personal lives operate.

Indeed, we're already beginning to see hints at the Internet of Things future. In its demonstration of its forthcoming iOS 8, Apple promised that its HomeKit software will allow users to say "get ready for bed" to automatically lock their garage door, dim their lights and lock their doors. And AT&T (NYSE: T) is getting ready to open its Digital Life home automation service to third-party developers, potentially setting the stage for a burst of innovation in the home automation space. These are both concrete examples of the progress in the wider Internet of Things industry, and may eventually be looked back on as milestones in the industry's maturation.

But, of course, obstacles remain. As Gartner points out in its critique of the IoT industry, standards for the technology remain cloudy at best, and the goalposts for those in the industry continue to move.

Thus, one of the key unanswered questions in the Internet of Things industry is: Which market segment should industry players target first? The home automation area continues to move forward, and some companies in the industrial sector have made some progress, but where should IoT companies target their energies next?

Where are the next top growth segments in the Internet of Things?

That's exactly the question that I'll be debating during the FierceWireless "Internet of Things: Uncovering the Top Growth Segments" executive breakfast on Sept. 10 in Las Vegas from 7 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. Held in conjunction with CTIA's Super Mobility Week at the Sands Expo & Convention Center, I'll be joined by industry heavyweights including:

Glenn Lurie, President—Emerging Enterprises and Partnerships, AT&T
Matt Thompson, GM, Developer Evangelism, Microsoft
Alec Saunders, VP, Cloud Business, BlackBerry, and member of the Industrial Internet Consortium
Larry Zibrik, VP of Market Development, Sierra Wireless
John Horn, President, RacoWireless

After a hearty breakfast, we'll discuss the future of the IoT industry and the segments where IoT technology could have the greatest impact. This will be a roundtable-type event where members of the audience will be able to engage directly with our speakers, so make sure to click here to register now to reserve your place at our event. I look forward to seeing you there. --Mike |+MikeDano | @mikeddano

Read more about: home automation
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Today's Top News

1. T-Mobile to combine GoSmart, Univision and Ultra Mobile brands under 'Simply Prepaid' offering

By Phil Goldstein

Comment |

Forward |

2. Report: AT&T's VoLTE-based HD Voice excees 3G voice, Skype in terms of quality

T-Mobile US (NYSE:TMUS) is planning to bring four of its prepaid brands under one heading called "Simply Prepaid," according to a description of the carrier's booth for CTIA's Super Mobility Week show next month.

The booth description, which was first reported by Wireless Week, does not give many details about what Simply Prepaid will entail, but it seems centered on letting customers choose easily between different T-Mobile-affiliated prepaid brands, perhaps in the same store. It's unclear when the Simply Prepaid offering will launch.

A T-Mobile spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"T-Mobile introduces Simply Prepaid, a new concept that brings together four amazing brands under one roof. Customers can choose from T-Mobile, GoSmart Mobile, Univision Mobile, or Ultra Mobile, easily finding the perfect wireless solution to suit their lifestyle and budget," the description reads.

It's unclear if T-Mobile's MetroPCS brand is a part of the Simply Prepaid offering or if it will remain a distinct brand. MetroPCS is not mentioned in the description.

T-Mobile has made prepaid a central part of its wireless offerings. The carrier recently crowed that it now has 15.64 million total prepaid customers, above Sprint's (NYSE: S) 15.19 million prepaid subscribers.

Ultra Mobile is a T-Mobile MVNO that launched in October 2012, and the company added support for T-Mobile's LTE network in June. T-Mobile launched the GoSmart brand nationwide in February 2013, and recently refreshed its plans to increase the data speeds of its mid-tier plan and cut the price of its high-end plan. In May, Spanish-language broadcaster and media company Univision partnered with T-Mobile to launch its own branded MVNO, Univision Mobile, aimed at delivering a mobile experience tailored to the needs and desires of Hispanic consumers.

Sprint also has numerous prepaid brands, including Sprint Prepaid, Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, its new customizable Virgin Mobile Custom brand and Assurance Wireless for low-income consumers.

AT&T Mobility (NYSE: T) maintains the GoPhone and Cricket Wireless brands while Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ) has its All Set prepaid plans.

For more:
- see this Wireless Week article

Related Articles:
T-Mobile launching new pay-as-you-go prepaid pricing, with $0.10 for calls and texts
T-Mobile's Legere predicts 'uncarrier' will pass Sprint in subs by end of 2014
Sprint launches personalized Virgin Mobile Custom prepaid brand using ItsOn technology
Verizon to bring LTE to prepaid starting Thursday, will offer calling, texting and 4 GB for $65
T-Mobile cuts prices, adds data to GoSmart Mobile prepaid plans
T-Mobile, Univision partner to launch Univision Mobile MVNO aimed at Hispanics

Read more about: Metropcs, prepaid
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Golden Age of Mobile \| September 24, 2014 \| Seattle, WA Click here for more info!

By Phil Goldstein

Comment |

3. MVNO shakeout: RadioShack discontinues wireless service, Spot Mobile shuts down

AT&T Mobility's (NYSE: T) Voice over LTE-powered HD Voice solution provides much better call quality than traditional circuit-switched fallback voice or voice service from an over-the-top application, according to a new research report.

The report, from Signals Research Group, is based on a multi-day evaluation of the AT&T deployment of VoLTE-based HD Voice in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., using equipment from Spirent Communications and others. The tests were conducted in mid-June with some subsequent tests taking place in mid-July.

In May AT&T launched the service in select areas in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin, and said it would expand to additional markets later, though it has not indicated when it will do so.

Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) is the infrastructure vendor for AT&T in the Minneapolis market, supporting the radio access network, the core network and IMS, including the primary VoLTE functionality. AT&T loaned Signals Research two Samsung Galaxy S4 mini smartphones but otherwise had no involvement in the study.

According to the report, Signals Research concluded that "VoLTE is pretty much everything that we hoped it would be."

The study found that call quality on the VoLTE system "greatly exceeded" that of 3G circuit-switched fallback voice "and it was measurably higher than Skype Voice," the OTT voice application that was tested. The tests included network loading, background applications running on phone and data transfers, and found that VoLTE calls were not impacted but the Skype Voice calls "frequently failed to deliver the voice packets," the report said.

In terms of how VoLTE compares to 3G circuit-switched voice, the study found that VoLTE's "other big advantage was the call setup time." A circuit-switched call took nearly twice as long to set up as a VoLTE call, the report said.

Further, the report found that VoLTE requires much fewer network resources than Skype and presumably other OTT voice apps, and VoLTE calls also required less battery power. The report concluded that "continued improvements in LTE network coverage will give VoLTE an even greater advantage in the future," including fewer handovers to 3G networks using Enhanced Single Radio Voice Call Continuity (eSRVCC).

The report's findings, though based on a single market over a relatively short period of time, could bolster the case for a quicker move to VoLTE and away from 3G-based voice services. AT&T rival Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ) has taken its time in deploying a nationwide VoLTE solution because of concerns that its VoLTE service needs to be just as reliable as its CDMA voice network. The carrier has said it is working to densify its network in order to properly address VoLTE handoffs. Verizon plans to launch VoLTE near the end of this year on a nationwide basis, rather than via a market-by-market approach.

For its part, T-Mobile US (NYSE:TMUS) recently said it now has 200 million POPs covered with Voice over LTE technology on it network, though it doesn't sell many VoLTE-capable phones yet. Sprint (NYSE: S) has not yet given a timetable for when it will launch VoLTE, though there are rumors it may do so in the first half of 2015.

For more:
- see this report (PDF)

Read more about: VoLTE, Circuit Switched Network
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By Mike Dano

Comment |

4. T-Mobile wants FCC to reserve up to half of all 600 MHz spectrum for smaller carriers

RadioShack confirmed that it has discontinued its RadioShack No-Contract Wireless brand, which it launched in 2012 through a partnership with Leap Wireless. In separate but related news, the T-Mobile US (NYSE:TMUS) MVNO Spot Mobile said it has decided to wind down its business and will shut off service to customers by Sept. 7.

The actions point to continued turmoil in the MVNO and prepaid wireless space as Tier 1 network operators lower their prices to compete more directly with the smaller, prepaid MVNOs and wireless brands that typically chase the cost-conscious segment of the market.

For RadioShack, the shuttering of its prepaid brand comes as little surprise. The company overall has struggled with sluggish sales, leading it to contemplate shutting down hundreds of retail stores. Moreover, Cricket provider Leap Wireless was earlier this year acquired by AT&T Mobility (NYSE: T).

"We continually refine and evaluate our product mix and make changes to our offerings to better align with customer demands," RadioShack said in a statement to FierceWireless. "As part of these on-going evaluations, we will no longer offer the RadioShack No Contract devices. Customers who purchased the service will be able to continue using the current devices and RadioShack will honor the 30-day return policy in store."

"Customers who purchased service from RadioShack will continue to receive excellent service from Cricket Wireless," said a Cricket representative in an email to FierceWireless.

RadioShack No Contract Wireless launched with feature phones and smartphones, and offered plans ranging from $25 a month for 300 voice minutes plus unlimited messaging and Web access to $60 per month for unlimited talking, texting, Muve Music and 2.5 GB of data before throttling. While the offering was branded as RadioShack and sold through the company's channels, Leap Wireless provided the service as well as the billing. Thus, RadioShack No Contract Wireless wasn't a standard MVNO service because MVNOs typically purchase network access in bulk from network owners, and then the MVNOs handle the subscriber billing and customer management.

Spot Mobile though was a standard MVNO. On its website, the company announced that it will discontinue service next month. "Spot Mobile had a contract with an underlying carrier that matured and was going through a sale which did not materialize," the company wrote on its site. "The Company has made the decision to wind down its business and will no longer be processing refills. Customer's account/services will terminate effective September 7th, 2014 at 11:59pm (EST)."

The details of Spot's shutdown are unclear and attempts to reach company officials were unsuccessful.

RadioShack and Spot aren't the only companies having trouble in the MVNO and prepaid space. T-Mobile MVNO Solavei announced in June that it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Company officials explained that Solavei launched with a structure built to support millions of customers, but that it had only garnered 101,500 customers as of May 31.

For more:
- see this PrepaidPhoneNews article
- see this Spot Mobile website

Read more about: MVNO, radioshack
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By Phil Goldstein

Comment |

5. Sprint's Claure intends to cut costs, compete aggressively on price

T-Mobile US (NYSE:TMUS) thinks the FCC's decision to reserve up to 30 MHz of spectrum for smaller carriers in next year's incentive auction of 600 MHz broadcast TV spectrum is not sufficient. The carrier wants the FCC to set aside at least half of all of the spectrum that is cleared in a given market for smaller carriers, and argues setting aside just 30 MHz of the low-band airwaves for smaller carriers is "insufficient to protect competition or meaningfully advance the stated goal of ensuring four robustly competitive nationwide carriers."

T-Mobile's petition to the FCC is notable in light of Sprint's (NYSE: S) reported decision to drop its bid to merge with T-Mobile, largely because of expected regulatory opposition from the FCC and Department of Justice. It also comes shortly after the FCC signaled it would block joint bidding arrangements for the auction, like the one that was rumored to be proposed between Sprint and T-Mobile before Sprint dropped its efforts to merge with T-Mobile.

In essence, T-Mobile is arguing that 20 MHz blocks of spectrum are the ideal amount for LTE deployments. And the carrier said that reserving only 30 MHz total for smaller carriers isn't enough to maintain competition, given the FCC's preference for four national wireless carriers.

Depending on how much spectrum the FCC gets broadcasters to give up, T-Mobile noted, "the current reserve policy deprives all--or, at best, all but one--of the non-dominant carriers of the ability to acquire the amount of contiguous low-band spectrum resources needed for an efficient nationwide broadband deployment without exposure to the foreclosure risk posed by the two dominant incumbents."

Under the current 600 MHz auction plan, broadcasters will give up their spectrum in the "reverse" part of the auction. Then the FCC will conduct a more traditional "forward" auction in which wireless carriers will bid for the freed spectrum.

In May, the FCC approved 600 MHz auction rules designed to prevent Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ) and AT&T (NYSE: T) from acquiring all the available spectrum up for grabs. The rules reserve up to 30 MHz of spectrum for smaller carriers like Sprint, T-Mobile and others.

Crucially, however, in situations where broadcasters have given up only 60 MHz of spectrum, only 20 MHz can be reserved, and where broadcasters have given up 50 MHz of spectrum, only 10 MHz can be reserved.

It is that last element of the rules that T-Mobile is objecting to most strenuously now. T-Mobile said the current system "preserves the right of AT&T and Verizon to divide the unreserved spectrum and acquire 20 MHz each" while blocking smaller carriers.

T-Mobile notes in that in markets where AT&T and Verizon would be unable to bid on reserved spectrum, "they generally already own two contiguous 20 MHz blocks of low-band spectrum (and, of course, would have access to all the unreserved spectrum, so would face no real constraints). By comparison, few competitive carriers--and neither of the two other national providers--have more than 14 MHz of low-band spectrum available for broadband use" in most markets.

To remedy this, T-Mobile wants the FCC to "reserve at least half of the available 600 MHz spectrum under different clearing scenarios instead," because doing so "would promote robust competition among service providers and ensure the continued vitality of four nationwide providers."

Under T-Mobile's plan, if broadcasters give up 100 MHz or 90 MHz of spectrum, 50 MHz would be reserved; if 80 or 70 MHz is given, 40 MHz would be reserved; if 60 or 50 MHz is given, 30 MHz would be reserved; and if 40 MHz is given, 20 MHz would be reserved.

"The smaller the reserve, the greater the disparity in access to 600 MHz spectrum becomes, and moving below a 30 MHz reserve would deprive all other carriers of a meaningful opportunity to increase their low-band spectrum holdings," T-Mobile wrote.

For more:
- see this FCC filing (PDF)

Related Articles:
Sprint, T-Mobile could be barred from joint bidding in 600 MHz under FCC proposal
FCC's Wheeler lays out plan to draw broadcasters into 600 MHz incentive auction
FCC bars package bidding in 600 MHz auction, dealing another blow to Verizon and AT&T
Mosaik: Verizon could face bidding restrictions across much of country in 600 MHz auction
AT&T to buy up to 40 MHz of spectrum in incentive auction, but Verizon remains aloof
FCC incentive auction rules likely to benefit Sprint, T-Mobile and smaller carriers

Read more about: T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless
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By Phil Goldstein

Comment |