TCL launched the BlackBerry KEYone smartphone at the Mobile World Congress, after a licensing agreement for the smartphone company's software and service suite, TCL announced Friday. BlackBerry CEO John Chen said exiting handset development and manufacturing in favor of a royalty-bearing licensing model was the best way to drive profitability in the device business (see 1609280006).
For Marvell Technology, “standards-based businesses” like mobile Wi-Fi “come with their challenges," CEO Matt Murphy told investors in Q&A when asked what’s in it to stay in the wireless connectivity business. Marvell's wireless connectivity business is “stabilized” now that the firm has “transitioned” out of Wi-Fi products for mobile handsets and “refocused our efforts on high-performance enterprise markets,” including smart home “gateways” and connected cars, he said Thursday. Sales in the wireless connectivity sector declined 19 percent in Q4 from the year-ago quarter, the company reported. In automotive, “we see the connected car as a real opportunity,” Murphy said. “The first leg of that is in the products we're shipping today, which are primarily our Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo products, where we've got really a leading position.” As a “longer-term growth driver” for Marvell, “we see a large opportunity, multiple years out, on the adoption of Ethernet as the in-car networking standard,” he said.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and acting General Counsel Brendan Carr acknowledged on Twitter meetings with other regulators as part of the Ministerial Programme at GSMA last week. “Enjoyed meeting fellow regulators from Europe Latin America Asia & Africa w/ @AjitPaiFCC to discuss policies that spur broadband deployment,” Carr tweeted Friday. FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly also spoke at the meeting, according to its website, as did ex-Chairman Kevin Martin, now at Facebook. “Wonderful exchanges with African counterparts @ #MWC17, from Burundi to Mozambique,” Pai tweeted. “We stressed mutual spirit of friendship & collaboration.”
Two consumer groups supported and Telrite objected to TracFone's request for FCC clarification of Lifeline minimum service standards (see 1701230039 and 1702160079). Sprint also backed TracFone (see 1703020059). Consumer Action and the National Consumers League joined TracFone in urging the FCC "to stop the abuse of the so-called 'port freeze' rule, which is now being used to limit consumer choice and access to true broadband service and broadband-suitable devices." Lifeline providers shouldn't use the port freeze to "lock up" those low-income consumers who enrolled as voice-only Lifeline customers with standard cell phones unsuitable for broadband internet access service (BIAS), said the groups' filing posted Friday in docket 11-42. Telrite agreed the 12-month port freeze should only apply to subscribers with devices capable of providing 3G or better data speeds, but it said it offered customers various products, including "unlimited Premium Wi-Fi service," that meet the service standards. The FCC should "decline any requests for 'clarification' that would rewrite these rules so as to preclude access to the kinds of innovative and robust service offerings the Commission had hoped to spur through expansion of the port freeze to mobile BIAS offerings," said Telrite's filing: "The 12-month benefit port freeze is working as intended, permitting access to smartphones and innovative service offerings that are affordable for low-income consumers and help to close the digital divide. ... [T]he Commission should reject TracFone's and Sprint's requests for clarification and instead make findings consistent with these comments." An Oklahoma Corporation Commission filing said it couldn't determine whether Telrite's premium Wi-Fi service complied with the standards, but urged the FCC to scrutinize "the technical characteristics and geographic availability of any 'new', 'innovative' or otherwise 'non-standard' BIAS offerings," and said customers should be made aware of service differences before being locked into service.
The FCC Wireless Bureau is seeking comment on a December petition by Wilson Electronics asking the agency to start a proceeding on eliminating the personal-use restriction on consumer cell-signal boosters, replacing it with a multi-provider registration requirement for wideband consumer signal boosters (see 1612200061). The bureau sought comment on the petition in general. “We also seek comment on whether this change to the rules would increase the risk of harmful interference to wireless networks; whether licensees (the wireless carriers) would retain sufficient control of their licensed spectrum under the proposal; and how the proposal would affect consumers, businesses, and public safety and other entities seeking to use consumer signal boosters,” said a Friday public notice. “We seek comment regarding the benefits and costs of removing the personal use restriction on only wideband consumer signal boosters, on only provider-specific consumer signal boosters, or on both.” The FCC approved rules for cell boosters, aimed at extending the reach of carrier networks, in February 2013 (see 1302210066). The order included the personal-use restriction. T-Mobile said last year the FCC added the personal-use restriction, which wasn't in an industry proposal for rules, “without explanation” before the vote. Comments are due March 23, replies April 3 in docket 10-4.
Last year's worldwide wearable shipments rose 25 percent to 102.4 million, IDC reported Thursday. Fitbit had one of its steepest declines, despite holding the top spot for the fourth quarter and the year, said IDC. Apple posted its best quarter for wearables. Smart wearables are evolving, with ability to connect to a cellular network enabling unique applications and communications capabilities and “freeing the device from the smartphone” and creating a stand-alone experience, said analyst Ramon Llamas.
The 2017 Mobile World Congress drew a record 108,000 visitors to Barcelona, show producer GSMA said Thursday. That was up 7 percent over 2016 and included attendees from 208 countries and territories, GSMA said in a news release. The 2018 MWC will be in Barcelona Feb. 26-March 1.
The number of 4G connections in Latin America rose 121 percent to 113 million in 2016, according to GSMA Intelligence data, said an association news release. “The growth rate was almost twice the global average and was driven by ongoing investment in 4G networks and services by mobile operators in the region.” The "figure is forecast to surpass 300 million by the end of the decade, accounting for almost 40 percent of total connections in the region.” A total of 97 carriers had launched 4G networks across 39 countries in Latin America through year's end, the group said.
The AirFuel Alliance added 10 members and announced products during the Mobile World Congress Wednesday. LG’s G6 smartphone, announced there, has support for AirFuel’s PMA technology, enabling users to charge wirelessly at home and at venues such as Starbucks, said the alliance. Calling 2017 a “watershed year” for wireless charging, alliance President Ron Resnick forecast “significant adoption” of resonant wireless charging and introduction of RF technology. New members include Bose, Huawei and Motorola Solutions.
The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) and European Automotive Telecom Alliance (EATA) signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on “connected and autonomous driving solutions” and “related use cases” in standards and spectrum allocations, the groups said in a Thursday announcement. Audi, BMW, Daimler, Ericsson, Huawei, Intel, Nokia and Qualcomm are the founding members of the 33-company 5GAA. BMW, Daimler, Ericsson, Huawei and Nokia also are among the three dozen companies that belong to EATA, as are six automotive and telecom associations, including GSMA, which produces the Mobile World Congress. The groups will partner to prioritize connected car and autonomous driving “use cases” so they can “identify the technical requirements that need to be addressed, both in the short and in the long term,” they said.