telecompetitor

Altice is Latest Cable Company to Offer Mobile Service, Priced at $20 a Month for Life

Altice became the latest cable company to launch a mobile service offering. The offering, Altice Mobile, comes with an attractive introductory price of just $20 a month “for life” for unlimited data, text, talk and mobile hotspot nationwide. The $20 offer is only available to people who subscribe to Altice’s Optimum or Suddenlink service, however.

Strategy Analytics: 5G Smartphone Pricing is a Barrier to Purchase

One in five smartphone owners say they don’t see a need for 5G technology or will wait until it is proven before upgrading, according to a new 5G smartphone pricing report from Strategy Analytics. The major barrier to the upgrade is the price of 5G capable devices, which are around $1,000 or more. Seven-in-10 of those surveyed cited price as a barrier to upgrading. However, almost half of those with $1,000 phones today, who Smart Analytics classifies as premium buyers, are willing to pay more. Among the survey’s other findings:

Verizon Boingo Deal Aims to Boost Indoor 5G; Phoenix Added to Verizon Mobile 5G Markets

A Verizon Boingo deal aims to bring Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband coverage indoors, thereby extending the range of the service, which operates in the millimeter wave spectrum band. In addition, Verizon said it will launch 5G Ultra Wideband service in Phoenix (AZ) Aug 23. Phoenix will be the tenth market in which Verizon has launched mobile 5G service. As with previous Verizon mobile 5G launches, coverage areas will be limited. 

NCREN Fiber Expansion Focuses on Agricultural Industry and Rural Markets

The North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN), a regional fiber network, is expanding, according to MCNC, the non-profit that operates it. The network operates in southeastern North Carolina. The expansion will connect communities between Sanford and Farmville in Greene, Harnett, Johnston and Wayne counties. The Golden LEAF Foundation is contributing $1,327,130 to the project, which has an estimated total cost of $2.5 million.

USTelecom Broadband Map Pilot: Up to 38% of “Served” Rural Locations Actually Lack Broadband

As much as 38 percent of rural locations in census blocks reported to have broadband available to them may actually lack broadband, according to USTelecom. The organization, which represents broadband providers, undertook a pilot test earlier in 2019 aimed at addressing problems with Federal Communications Commission broadband availability data as depicted on the National Broadband Map. The results of the USTelecom broadband map pilot have now been filed with the FCC. 

FCC’s CenturyLink 911 Outage Report Reveals Tech Transition Risk

The Federal Communications Commission released a report on the 911 outage originating in CenturyLink’s network that occurred Dec 27, 2018. The findings are the latest example of the risks involved in what the FCC calls the telecom “tech transition.” The 911 outage studied in the report was what is known as a “sunny day” outage – one not caused by weather or other natural disaster.

CenturyLink to invest several hundred million dollars in edge computing, following AT&T and Verizon

CenturyLink said that it will invest “several hundred million dollars” in edge computing, following in the footsteps of AT&T and Verizon. AT&T and Verizon both have mobile businesses and with the advent of low-latency 5G networks, they and other mobile carriers are recognizing the need to minimize the distance between mobile users and the cloud. CenturyLink’s entry into edge computing suggests that the edge compute market may be like the fiber backhaul market— a mobile-driven opportunity even for non-mobile carriers.

Frontier Communications CEO: Rural Digital Opportunity Fund May Be “Less Favorable to Frontier” Than CAF Program Was

Frontier Communications CEO Dan McCarthy was not surprised by -- but is not enthusiastic --  about some aspects of the proposed Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), which would essentially replace the Connect America broadband funding program for the nation’s larger price cap carriers. His concerns relate to the proposed reverse auction, which would be used to award program funding. In the Connect America Fund program, price cap carriers had a right of first refusal on Connect America Fund (CAF) support for their local service territories.

Bringing Gigabit Broadband Beyond Chattanooga

At one time it looked like the high-speed broadband network built 10 years ago by EPB (formerly the Electric Power Board) in Chattanooga would be an island of gigabit connectivity, as the state of Tennessee had rather restrictive laws about what types of entities could offer broadband and where. But things have changed, as J. Ed Marston, EPB vice president of marketing, explained in an interview about new EPB gigabit partners. The state now allows municipalities and electric cooperatives to offer broadband, Marston noted.

Independent Show: Small Cable Companies Are Bullish on Rural Broadband Expansion

Rural broadband was a hot topic for the opening session at the Independent Show, an event put on by cable industry organizations ACA Connects and the National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC) aimed at smaller cable providers. “It’s something everybody realizes they need to do but traditional finances don’t work,” commented Todd Shurz, President and CEO of IN-based cable and broadband provider Schurz Communications, in reference to the higher costs of deploying broadband in rural areas.