Network access

Super Bowl does Wi-Fi on a massive scale

There should be no shortage of Wi-Fi at the Super Bowl. And the NFL want to make sure it stays that way.

The Wi-Fi network at the Superdome in New Orleans has been structured and reinforced to handle a stunning 30,000 simultaneous connections during the big game, starting shortly, between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens. Ars Technica reported that detail and lots more about the setup -- for instance, the 700 wireless access points inside the stadium and the 250 right outside for folks in the parking lots.

Clearly, the NFL understands that we're already … Read more

Clearwire still supports Sprint buyout, but won't rule out Dish

Clearwire continues to like Sprint's buyout offer, but isn't ruling out a bid from Dish Networks just yet.

In a "Transaction Update" released today, Clearwire said that its Special Committee charged with determining the value of both Sprint's and Dish's offers "has not made any determination to change its recommendation of the current Sprint transaction." That said, the committee added that it will continue to hold discussions with Dish, "as appropriate," to make a final determination.

Sprint Nextel last year announced plans to acquire the remaining 50 percent of Clearwire … Read more

Verizon Wireless to sell Square's credit card reader for $9.97

Verizon Wireless today became the latest company to sell Square's credit card reader, giving business owners another way to obtain the mobile gadget for credit card processing.

The carrier will offer the Square Card Reader at its stores across the country for $9.97, with a $10 rebate to a Square account. After plugging the reader into the headphone jack of a smartphone or tablet, users can swipe credit cards through the device to be read and processed.

Square has quickly been gaining popularity with small businesses and larger corporations. Starbucks supports Square's mobile payments in thousands of … Read more

Justice Dept sought review of T-Mobile-MetroPCS deal in November

Correction, 2:55 p.m. and 6:55 PT: CNET incorrectly stated that the Justice Department had sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission today and implied there was additional concern about the national security implications of that deal. There have been no additional concerns raised, and the review is part of a standard process when a foreign company is involved in a merger.

The U.S. Department of Justice had previously asked the Federal Communications Commission to defer its review of the T-Mobile and MetroPCS merger in late November.

In a letter dated Nov. 26, 2012, attorney adviser … Read more

DOJ asks FCC to defer Softbank-Sprint deal, cites 'national security'

The U.S. Department of Justice has asked the Federal Communications Commission to defer a proposed deal in which Japan-based Softbank would acquire a 70 percent stake in Sprint.

In a letter sent to the FCC and dated yesterday, attorney advisor Jennifer Rockoff, with the Justice Department's National Security Division, asked that the deal be put on ice for now.

The DOJ, the Department of Homeland Security, and the FBI "are currently reviewing this matter for any national security, law enforcement, and public safety issues but have not yet completed that effort," she wrote. &… Read more

AT&T's look outside the U.S. may include more than M&A

AT&T is considering ways to expand abroad besides just making acquisitions, the wireless carrier's chief executive said today.

Randall Stephenson, speaking during a conference call with analysts following AT&T's quarterly earnings report, said the shift to mobile in the U.S. over the past five years has been "impressive," and said those changes are likely to take place across the world. AT&T just needs to figure out how to take advantage of them.

"We have to ask if there are opportunities to participate in growth outside the U.S.,&… Read more

LTE users to hit 1 billion by 2016, says report

The rise in worldwide subscribers on 4G LTE has far exceeded expectations. In just three years since its nascent beginnings, the mobile technology has skyrocketed -- going from 600,000 users in 2010 to nearly 100 million subscribers in 2012.

Now, in a new report, market research firm IHS iSuppli is projecting that global users will double in 2013 and that by 2016 LTE will claim more than 1 billion subscribers.

"With LTE emerging as a true global technology standard, its ecosystem now faces both challenges and opportunities," iSuppli's senior analyst for wireless communications, Wayne Lam, said … Read more

Clearwire investors ask Sprint to up its bid, report says

More Clearwire shareholders are adding their voice to the ever growing number of investors asking Sprint to raise its bid for the company, following Dish Network's higher -- albeit unsolicited -- offer.

Glenview Capital Management plans to reject Sprint's current bid of $2.97 per share, which was capped by Softbank, an investment company that's seeking to take a majority stake in the carrier. Another Clearwire investor, Taran Asset Management, will file a complaint with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), arguing that the mobile broadband company is worth more than Sprint's offer, according to Bloomberg, … Read more

Sprint to expand 4G LTE to 28 more cities in coming months

Sprint Nextel announced plans to expand its 4G LTE network to 28 new cities in the coming months, continuing its push to blanket its entire network with the high-speed wireless access.

The Overland Park, Kan., company listed Paris, Texas; Branson, Mo.; Oxford, Miss.; and other smaller cities in its latest update. It didn't specify what "coming months" means, but as CNET has reported, that could be as much as six months.

Sprint has been playing catch-up in terms of 4G LTE, lagging far behind rivals Verizon Wireless and AT&T. It earlier made a bet on … Read more