MetroPCS and Leap worry cellco giants as AWS auction nears end
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Range wars The US auction of AWS (Advanced Wireless Services) spectrum in the 1.7GHz and 2.1GHz bands is finally drawing to a close, raising a likely $14bn for the government in the sale of the largest block of spectrum (1,112 licenses) offered by the FCC regulator.â¦
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The takeover bid of $17 per share is now set to expire Sunday, unless the middleware company agrees to put its offer before shareholders for a vote.
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Within weeks, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission is expected to set conditions for the auction of the most valuable wireless spectrum still available in the United States.
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Top mobile telecoms equipment makers  are betting on growth in the $71 billion services market as  cut-throat competition in hardware has hit profits and stalled  the sector.
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MetroPCS Communications Inc made an unsolicited offer on Tuesday to buy smaller rival Leap Wireless International Inc for more than $5 billion in stock, seeking to create a national U.S. wireless service provider.
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The U.S.Âs biggest cellular providers look ready to expand their reach, reducing the chance that a new entrant might bring down prices.
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(InfoWorld) - News coming out the chip sector has been great so far this week, but analysts warn that economic woes such as the housing mess might still spoil the party. The consensus among analysts appears to be that corporate and personal spending on technology products will be hurt by the housing issues in the U.S., but nobody knows how bad the impact will be, according to Peter Sutton, head of research at CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets in Taipei. Demand for technology products, especially computers and mobile phones, in the rest of the world is going strong, he said, but even that demand could pull back in the event of a U.S. slowdown because many developing countries depend on exports to the U.S. for income. By the end of this year, people should know how bad the loan and home foreclosure situation will be, according to Sutton. The housing market in the U.S., he said, is expected to bottom in the first quarter of next year. The fear is that the housing issues could hurt consumer spending at some point later this year, but so far the technology industry isn't showing any signs of trouble. The flow of good news started in Asia on Monday with the world's largest contract chip maker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), reporting record high sales in August and revising up its third quarter financial guidance. The company, considered a bellwether for the overall tech industry because of the variety of gadgets it makes chips for, said consolidated sales in August rose 10 percent year-over-year to NT$30.02 billion (US$907.0 million), beating its previous record of NT$27.96 billion from July of last year. TSMC also predicted its third quarter revenue will likely hit between NT$87 billion to NT$89 billion, higher than a previous forecast of NT$85 billion to NT$87 billion, and said its gross margin would come out at the top end of expectations. Some customers asked TSMC to ship some chips earlier than expected, a spokesman for the company said, but the company won't comment on how that might impact the fourth quarter. Taiwanese chip designer MediaTek followed up TSMC's news, announcing an agreement to buy certain telecommunications chips products from Analog Devices Inc., of Norwood, Massachusetts, for US$350 million in cash. The deal itself isn't huge, but merger and acquisition activity normally takes place when companies see bright prospects for the future, and MediaTek is looking to use the acquisition as part of its mobile phone chip strategy. Among the products the company acquired is a chipset used in TD-SCDMA (Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access) basebands and radio receiver products, which will help it increase its presence in its main market, China. TD-SCDMA is the 3G (third-generation) telecommunications standard being pursued in China. Positive corporate news for chip makers didn't stop in Asia. As the work day opened in the U.S., technology industry watchers were treated to theÂ long-awaited launch of Barcelona, the new quad-core processors from Advanced Micro Devices. The Sunnyvale, California company announced a number of companies are already using the chips, including IBM, Sun Microsystems, Dell, and Gateway. The world's largest chip maker capped Monday with the biggest news of the day.Â Intel raised its third quarter revenue forecastÂ to between US$9.4 billion and US$9.8 billion from a previous range of US$9.0 billion and US$9.6 billion, and said its gross margin would be at the upper end of guidance due to stronger than expected global demand for computing products. Despite the strong chip news and outlook for the current quarter, which ends Sept. 30, the future remains uncertain. "Near term data shows little evidence of order cutbacks in the tech supply chain," said Warren Lau, chip analyst at Macquarie Research Equities. "But having said that, the question remains: will the sky come crashing down because of the meltdown in the U.S. subprime markets?"
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Shares of long-distance phone companies AT&T Corp.  and MCI Inc.  have plunged about 20 percent this year, but potential buyers seem to be holding out for clearance sales.
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Executives say the company's stake in the wireless provider caused losses, but they're confident in the venture's promise.
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(InfoWorld) - Femtocells, an emerging technology for improving cellular coverage in homes and enterprises, have attracted the interest of none other than Google. The search giant participated in a $25 million round of funding for Ubiquisys, a femtocells vendor based in Swindon, U.K. Technology venture funds Accel Partners, Atlas Venture, and Advent Venture Partners also invested, Ubiquisys announced Friday. Femtocells, named for an order of size in physics that is smaller than "pico" or "nano," are cellular base stations for individual homes or offices. Mobile operators hope to sell them to customers who will install them and immediately enjoy better coverage for data and entertainment services. Weak cellular signals indoors, where most high-speed data services are used, have stunted the growth of those lucrative offerings, according to industry analysts. Google invested in Ubiquisys as part of efforts to help people use the Internet wherever they are with the richest possible experience, spokesman David-John Collins said. "It's about promoting different ways and platforms for people to access the Internet itself," Collins said. Also Friday, theÂ company told the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)Â it would bid at least $4.6 billion in an upcoming auction of 700MHz wireless spectrum if the FCC imposes certain conditions. They include letting consumers buy any phone, use it on any network, and download any applications, services or content they want. Google also wants the auction winner to have to sell access wholesale to other service providers. Google's investments in unused optical fiber networks and a free Wi-Fi system for its hometown, plus its planned involvement in a San Francisco Wi-Fi network, have led to theories that it plans to compete with incumbent broadband providers. The company has also invested in Wi-Fi sharing technology vendors Fon Technology and Meraki Networks and powerline broadband provider Current Communications Services, Collins said. Privately held Ubiquisys was founded in 2004 and earlier this year introduced the ZoneGate femtocell system. Many established carrier equipment vendors, including Nokia Siemens Networks BV, Motorola, and Alcatel-Lucent, also are developing and testing femtocell technology. Commercial deployment of the devices is expected to start in earnest next year.
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The U.S. sale of airwaves for  advanced wireless services grossed a record $13.9 billion when  it ended on Monday, and spectrum-hungry wireless carrier  T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless and a group of cable companies  were the highest bidders.
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Clearwire Corp is expected to float on the US market today, executing its IPO despite last week's market slump. The WiMax service provider is a rare example of a telecom IPO, and clearly hopes to not flame out as badly as the last big one - Vonage.
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(InfoWorld) - Mobile operators need to rethink how they price their 3G data plans to better compete with fixed-line broadband services, according to the top executive at Singaporean operator MobileOneÂ (M1). "Operators need to move forward," said Neil Montefiore, M1's chief executive officer, in a phone interview ahead of the Telecom World exhibition and conference organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Hong Kong. Last week, M1 announced plans to offer a faster 3G data service based on HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access), an upgrade to WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) networks that increases download speeds from 384KbpsÂ to 3.6Mbps. That service will be available in Singapore starting Wednesday. Rather than increasing its prices with the introduction of the faster service, M1 decided to offer users of the existing service a discount. It dramatically cut the price of its 3G data plan that offers unlimited access, from S$68 (US$44) per month to S$22 per month,. In addition, M1 introduced two HSDPA data plans with unlimited access -- one offering a maximum of 1.8Mbps and another offering 3.6Mbps -- for S$38 and S$68, respectively. Mobile data services based on 3G technology are generally expensive to use, partly because operators charge for data using a per-byte or per-minute pricing model similar to voice. As a result, 3G data services primarily serve business customers who can afford the premium charges, rather than the average mobile user. "We've got to look to the future," Montefiore said. "We've got to be competitive with current fixed broadband prices." Prior to the price cut, M1 sold about 500 3G data cards each month to users who wanted mobile data access. What impact the new pricing levels will have is not yet clear, but Montefiore does not expect to see a dramatic surge in adoption. These mobile user numbers could rise, as most Singaporean broadband users are still locked into 24-month service plans for their existing broadband connections, Montefiore said. "Over time, it will be an attractive way to get online," he said, adding that M1 will offer a more detailed forecast in January when the company announces its financial results. Telecom World runs through Friday, Dec. 8.ADVERTISEMENTNEW IT SERVICES FROM IBM: EASIER TO BUY AND IMPLEMENTDiscover a simpler, more cost-effective way to get the solutions your company needs to grow more flexible and efficient.
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Shares in Vodafone Group Plc, the world&#39;s largest mobile-phone operator, dropped after The Wall Street Journal said the company is considering bidding with US partner Verizon Communications Inc.
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The head of the Federal Communications Commission expressed concern on Tuesday that the credit crunch could hinder bidders in an upcoming government auction of wireless airwaves.
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Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile are expected to be the most aggressive bidders for U.S. wireless airwaves in a January auction that analysts say could give them added resources to expand and improve service.
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The company's wireless security technologies are flying off the shelves.