wireless

With the 2009 Presidential Inauguration taking place Tuesday, wireless companies are working to optimize their network capacities in and around Washington, D.C. to prepare for the expected increase in demand."For months, wireless carriers have been working hard to prepare for what could be an unprecedented Inauguration week," said Steve Largent, President and CEO of CTIA-The Wireless Association.

A big story flew somewhat under the radar yesterday as the Election was at the forefront of minds not only all across the America, but around the world. The FCC has approved the use of the unused airwaves between broadcast TV channels, otherwise known as "white spaces" for public wireless broadband service.

Free speech issues weren’t enough to knock down FCC Chairman Kevin Martin’s push-through of a free national wireless Internet initiative, but few were talking about those free speech issues anyway.  T-Mobile's and Deutsche Telekom AG's arguments about signal interference—which is the cry-wolf line of the wireless industry these days--weren't either; after successful testing in Seattle, free wireless Internet is on the way.

Google's been giving a lot of thought to the future lately with all of its posts from experts in their respective fields on the Official Google Blog.

Wireless data service revenues for the first half of 2008 reached $14.8 billion, a 40 percent increase over the first half of 2007, when data revenue totaled $10.5 billion, according to the CTIA-The Wireless Association latest survey. Wireless data revenues now account for 20 percent of all wireless service revenues, and represent money that people spend on non-voice services.

U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), chairman of the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee, has asked the presidents and chief executive officers of the four largest wireless providers to explain the rising rates for its customers to send and receive text messages.

Part of Google's ruling triumvirate, co-founder Larry Page, appeared on Capitol Hill to talk about broadband and other topics, like the ability to deliver wireless high-speed Internet within the 700MHz spectrum.

All's fair in love and war—and politics and business. While greased politicians, like good minions, slam Google for meddling in the 700 MHz auction, Google's own associations show the company is getting better at playing these high-stakes games. Chalk one up for razor's-edge stategery cutting right to the quick of Verizon and AT&T.