T-Mobile USA is shutting down 75 percent of its GSM capacity in order to clear its airwaves for new HSPA+ and LTE networks. You would think that such a large-scale retirement of its 2G capacity would wreck havoc on its high profit margin machine-to-machine (M2M) communications business, which leans heavily on its GSM/EDGE networks. But the opposite appears to be case.
T-Mobile’s M2M services provider Raco Wireless announced today at the Connected World Conference that it has landed one of the biggest fish in the M2M industry, point-of-sale (POS) transaction manager Apriva Wireless, which processed $7 billion in sales last year through wireless payments terminals.
Apriva isn’t shifting all of its business to T-Mobile. But, in a carefully worded press release, Raco, T-Mobile and Apriva said that they would be replacing the terminal SIM cards of Apriva’s current carrier in areas where that carrier is shutting down its 2G network. They didn’t name that mystery provider but it’s easy to read between the lines.
AT&T is one of Apriva’s current M2M network partners, and AT&T plans to shut down its GSM network on the 1900 MHz PCS band in New York City (it’s keeping GSM up on the cellular band) devoting that spectrum to its HSPA network. That means Apriva will need to find a replacement network for its PCS-only payment terminals in the country’s biggest commercial center. T-Mobile and Raco may have won the contract by default – there aren’t any GSM alternatives besides T-Mobile in the NYC — but a win is a win.
Raco President John Horn said there would be many more wins in same vein. As carriers – again he wouldn’t name Ma Bell by name – start refarming more of their 2G spectrum for mobile broadband, they’ll be abandoning their M2M customers, who are counting on 2G networks being around for years to come, Horn said.
So why is T-Mobile any different? Of the four Tier I operators, T-Mobile has been the most aggressive when it comes to cannibalizing its 2G spectrum for mobile broadband. While its true T-Mobile is refarming its airwaves, Horn said, T-Mobile is only shutting down GSM to a point. It’s committed to keeping that remaining quarter of its 2G capacity running for the “foreseeable future,” which is more than enough to support a robust a M2M business.
“That 25 percent of its PCS spectrum will support hundreds of millions of [M2M] subscribers,” Horn said. “Not millions, not tens of millions, but hundreds of millions of connections.”
While the big ticket items like tablets and cars get all of the attention, Horn said, 90 percent of M2M devices consumer only the most miniscule amounts of data – smart meters, vehicle tracking modules, field sensors, etc. For the most part, those connected car and tablet computing platforms are moving to 3G and LTE networks, which have the capacity to support their applications, while all of that low-capacity traffic is staying on 2G.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock user Maitree Laipitaksin
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T-Mobile Galaxy S2 Gets IPv6 Functionality In Latest Android 4.0 Update - Phandroid
I wont even lie to you, I haven’t the slightest clue what IPv6 is. Okay, I know it has something to do with the amount of devices connecting to the internet, and that it’s the next generation protocol designed to replace IPv4, blah blah blah. But like CD’s and turbine engines, I just call it black magic and I’m done with it. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, don’t worry. Skip to the video for a better explanation.
But for my extremely techie/nerdy friends, I will tell you that more than a few people are excited that the latest Android 4.0 update for the Samsung Galaxy S2 enabled the feature in their devices. Guess the ‘ol GS2 had it in it all along. This also makes the the GS2 the first official T-Mobile branded device to take advantage of IPv6 on its network (although a few unlocked phones have been IPv6′n for awhile now).
Instructions on enabling IPv6 on your device are as follows: Go into your Settings > More… > Mobile Networks > Access Point Names > T-Mobile US > APN protocol > IPv6 > Press menu key > Save > done. Same steps to switch back to IPv4 as well.
Want to learn more about exactly what the heck IPv6 is? Listen to The Godfather of the internet explain it all in this Google video.
Thanks, Marcus!
Sonal Chauhan: 'I learnt to swim for 3G' - Digital Spy
WWDC 2012: Apple iPhone 5 details, Retina Display Macs - Computerworld
Apple [AAPL] didn't mention the iPhone 5 during WWDC this week (though see the image below for current speculation) and only introduced a single Mac model equipped with a Retina Display, but there's more to come.
[ABOVE: A fragment of the WWDC presentation got attendees muttering: Was that phone in the picture illustrating future in-car integration a 4-inch iPhone 5? Answers on a postcard, please...]
Retina Display, the beginnings
Apple likes to tease us with new features. Remember the original iPhone which lacked support for 3G? That was a feature which appeared in the next release. Now the company is doing it again, upgrading its MacBook Pro and Air ranges, but introducing one new killer feature within the high-end Retina Display MacBook Pro.
That's what's available now, but in future it doesn't stretch the imagination to believe the company will introduce the screen across its Mac range.
Doing so will demand the cost of production shrinks. These displays are (apparently) expensive. A Digitimes report this morning tells us they cost $150 each, which is likely why they're only available on the high end model.
However, the way the company does its business is to introduce a high-end feature and then to slowly bring it to the rest of its product range. It's about encouraging consumers to spend that little bit more -- as indeed they are: availability for the new high-end model has already slipped to 3-4 weeks from 5-7 days, according to the company's own online store.
Apple also upgraded its Mac Pro during WWDC. The company didn't announce the improvements to the machine, they're fairly inconsequential -- so much so that Apple has removed the "New" tag which appeared on the Mac Pro's Apple Store description.
Does the company still have love for its professional Macs? I don't believe they're the company's main focus any more, but Apple CEO Tim Cook emailed one customer to promise jam tomorrow, saying:
"Although we didn't have a chance to talk about a new Mac Pro at today's event, don't worry as we're working on something really great for later next year."
The email -- confirmed as genuine by Macworld -- also appeared on a Facebook group called "We Want a New Mac Pro".
It's open to question whether 2013 is soon enough for Apple's professional users.
Also missing from this week's announcements, the iMac. This seems due an upgrade of some sort, but the Mac Pro 2013 promise suggests we won't be seeing a Retina Display on the consumer desktop just yet, though perhaps this might in future first appear as an option at the high-end of that range.
That Retina Display Macs are coming is a certainty, once the cost of the screens begins to shrink. Perhaps this move to HD displays (including within Apple's standalone Mac Pro monitors) requires production capacity and cost improvements. But will customers wait until 2013? I'm not so sure.
"We also announced a MacBook Pro with a Retina Display that is a great solution for many pros," Cook added in his email.
As Apple focuses on the mobile segments I'm wondering if it hasn't once again become time for the company to license out its OS and technologies to hand-picked firms in order they produce high-end Mac desktop clones. After all, last time Apple licensed its systems to other manufacturers, the Mac was all of the company's business. These days, well, these days it's not.
iPhone 5 hints
Apple's all but told us when the iPhone 5 is going to ship, and sure enough we'll be waiting until Fall for the new smartphone to appear, as that's when iOS 6 is set to ship.
This puts all the bets firmly on the September/October time frame if these things are to ship in quantity in time for Christmas, and with the second Tuesday in September being the 11th, I'm guessing we'll see it launch in the third week of that month at the earliest.
What else did we learn? Apple kind of mapped it out. The new Maps feature offers turn-by-turn navigation and the new 3D Flyover emulation, but only on the iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and iPad 3. Why aren't these new features supported on the iPhone 4 or original iPad? I think it's about the processor.
The iPhone 4 is powered by the A4 chip while the iPhone 4S uses the A5 processor. The iPad 2 also uses the A5 while the iPad 3 exploits the more recent A5X processor. This suggests the iPhone 5 will offer an even faster chip, most likely the A6.
When describing Maps Apple's Scott Forstall showed us a slide in which you see an iPhone in a car (above). This seems to show a longer iPhone model. This could be much ado about nothing, but hints that the chorus of claims predicting a 4-inch model may turn out to be true.
Then there's these images purported to be of the iPhone 5 which appeared online this morning.
Then there's Passbook. This is a location-aware folder for electronic tickets: boarding passes, gig tickets, shopping vouchers and so on. When it works you'll find the ticket you need is shown on-screen when you arrive at the appropriate location. Some may not its similarity to Google Wallet, which does some of these things on those few devices running the latest Android OS.
Inclusion of Passbook could suggest Apple intends deploying NFC support in the new iPhone. The company doesn't need to do this. After all, since 2011 it has sat on the Bluetooth Special Interest Group and has helped create the standard that is Bluetooth v4.0.
The new MacBook Pro supports Bluetooth v4.0, joining the new iPad, the iPhone 4S and the MacBook Air range which also support this standard. All these products can potentially connect to any Bluetooth Smart device. That's good for all sorts of peripheral devices, but also supports technologies enabling secure device-based payments.
Will banks choose to support this? The signs are good. A new UK app called GetCash allows Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and NatWest customers to withdraw cash from cash machines using an app and their iPhone.
So, what do we have so far:
- iPhone 5 announcement in September/October;
- A faster processor;
- A 4-inch display;
- Payment support;
- New Bluetooth options.
That's not so bad for a keynote in which the company didn't once mention the iPhone 5. Did the company offer any other potential hints at the new device? Please let me know in comments below.
Also read:
WWDC 2012: Facebook integration, Apple Maps for Fall's iOS 6
WWDC 2012: With Facebook integration OS X Mountain Lion -- $19.99, ships July
WWDC 2012: Retina Display reaches MacBook Pro
WWDC: iPhone in the wings, expect software surprises
Apple WWDC: iOS 6 says farewell to Google Maps
iPhone 5 release: Apple's September launch, what to expect
Apple TV: exec says it's coming 'soon'
Computerworld's WWDC 2012 topic page
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