IP Gives AT&T U-verse An iPad Advantage

AT&T is again demonstrating how to use managed IP video delivery—sometimes known as IPTV–to improve the multichannel video programming experience by linking the Web and the TV with the appropriately, albeit boringly, named “U-verse for iPad App.”
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AT&T Shakes Up Data Plans, But At What Cost?

In the first significant shake-up of the mobile data market, AT&T has revamped data plan offers for smartphones and tablets. The general impact of the changes (to be launched on Sunday) is to increase the general bucket sizes that customers must purchase (with a price increase to go along with it).

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CES 2012: Procrastination, Products, and Person-Based Pricing

For years, mobile carriers have recognized the need to create new plans that revolve around people rather than devices, but it was easy to procrastinate in a world where the idea of consumers owning multiple wireless broadband devices was a far-off future scenario. Indeed, holistic (and flat-rate) service pricing was one of the original ideas behind Xohm, the first incarnation of 4G service from Sprint. But it, like the rest of Xohm, vanished into the clear.
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The WiMAX climax

Sprint’s announcement last Friday that it would begin offering LTE-capable handsets next year as a first step toward migrating to the 4G standard signaled the beginning of the end of WiMAX in the U.S. Starting out as an underdog against a global LTE commitment, Sprint’s rollout of the first 4G network was marked by numerous delays and false starts (such as XOHM) during a time when the carrier was struggling financially. After initially first touting the superiority of WiMAX, Sprint soon shifted to the practical argument that it was supporting the technology because it was available and LTE was not.

Sprint’s time-to-market advantage, however, varied by municipality. In New York City, for example, its lead was particularly short. The Big Apple was one of the last cities in which Sprint rolled out WiMAX, but it was one of the first cities in which Verizon rolled out LTE, resulting in a head start of only a few months.

As noted in today’s press release, based on NPD Mobile Phone Track data, Sprint’s WiMAX efforts were not in vain. The carrier’s early adoption of 4G resulted in relatively high adoption of smartphones that delivered what had been the fastest wireless broadband speeds available. Indeed, Sprint was the only carrier for which 4G handset purchases accounted for the majority of unit sales. That’s particularly impressive given the relatively easier evolutionary path to 4G afforded by T-Mobile’s and AT&T’s HSPA+ networks.

Sprint notes that it will continue to offer WiMAX handsets throughout next year, which likely ensures that its WiMAX network will remain in operation for some time to come. Eventually, though, the company will be able to tap into the greater global scale afforded by LTE, scale that have proven compelling to its two larger domestic competitors.

Data Cap Reality

Verizon Wireless’ decision to move to tiered data plans was the least surprising telecom move of the year. AT&T made its leap from unlimited roughly one year ago and Verizon’s decision to follow suit became a matter of when, not if. Now that Verizon has the groundswell of iPhone users and can match AT&T device-for-device, the carrier no longer needs to stand-out with a value proposition and can step back to the safety of data caps, concentrating instead on the old marketing stalwarts of quality and coverage.

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Galaxy S Has Several Bright Stars, One Black Hole

A look at the most successful large-screen handsets throughout 2010 reveals that three variants of Samsung’s Galaxy S – the Fascinate (Verizon), Captivate (AT&T), and Vibrant (T-Mobile) took three of the top five spots. The Fascinate was outsold by the Droid X, and the Epic 4G by the EVO 4G, but in both cases the 4.3” device had a head start on the 4” one. (AT&T did not have a 4.3” device in 2010 and T-Mobile’s 4.3” handset ran an aging version of Windows Mobile.)
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Reading More Gs On The Kindle

The arrival of the Kindle at AT&T stores represents more progress in the creeping distribution of Amazon’s popular e-reader. Originally, the Kindle was a 3G-only device powered by Sprint. However, the arrival of Wi-Fi-only competition from Barnes & Noble caused Amazon to respond with its own Wi-Fi-bound Kindle. Since then, far fewer consumers have opted to pay the 3G premium for either device, and Barnes & Noble decided to completely forego a cellular version of its Nook Color “reader’s tablet.” In contrast, category pioneer Sony has fallen behind as its entry-level e-reader, the Pocket Edition, lacks Wi-Fi and relies on PC sideloading.
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A Verizon iPhone: Anticipating Lifts and Shifts

Apple has lived up to the bold claim it made in 2007 that it would reinvent the phone with the iPhone. New smartphone operating systems launched since its introduction have struggled to match or exceed its high bar, and older smartphone operating systems have all been forced to re-architect in its wake. No other handset has shown the power to pull customers to a carrier the way the iPhone has –following the introduction of the iPhone 4 in June; it became the most popular handset in the U.S., according to NPD’s Mobile Phone Track.
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Mobile TV from FLO to 4G

Qualcomm’s sale of its 700 MHz spectrum supporting the FLO (Forward Link Only) data standard for mobile TV to AT&T is a transition from a more specific to a more general application of cellular technology. It is also one that echoes what we saw happen to the technology on the handset side.
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Kickstarting Windows Phone 7

The Android operating system was strolling along far below the radar of Apple and RIM in the first few quarters of 2009, after it had launched on T-Mobile with the G1 and seen Sprint hop on board with the Samsung Moment; however, its rapid ascent to the top of the smartphone market share ladder kicked into high gear, when Verizon Wireless not only adopted the operating system, launching it amidst the spendy advertising campaign for the Motorola Droid, but also began offering a buy-one-get one promotion that reached well into the following quarter.

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