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News

• Brocade acquires mobile SDN company

  Brocade has announced plans to acquire Connectem, a privately-held company whose virtualization software maps mobile workloads to clouds.

• For a speed boost, Alcatel-Lucent says use both cell and Wi-Fi

  If you have both cellular and Wi-Fi, why not use both? At Mobile World Congress, Alcatel-Lucent is demonstrating a way to do that as part of the same network.

• Bluetooth starts weaving its mesh for IoT

  Backers of Bluetooth plan to give the technology a way to form mesh networks, dramatically extending its range and potentially its role in the Internet of Things.

• Chip companies working to make Wi-Fi more maker-friendly

  Texas Instruments and MediaTek have launched new offerings aimed at making it easier to build IoT (Internet of Things) devices with Wi-Fi connectivity.

• Is the Samsung Galaxy S6 about to become the coolest Android phone ever?

  Gauging what a smartphone is going to look like before its released is sort of like solving one of those toss-up puzzles on Wheel of Fortune the answer gets clearer the longer you wait.

• Urban Engines: Using data to power a better commute

  Urban commuting pretty much sucks, no matter where you go: No matter the promise of high-speed trains, light rail and efficient bus routes, public transit always ends up feeling like the crammed-in people-mover tubes from Futurama.

• Everyone has something to say about revived Wi-Fi Innovation Act

  A revived and bi-partisan supported Wi-Fi Innovation Act has been introduced this week by U.S. Senators and is backed by U.S. House members with a companion bill of their own.

• Wi-Fi backers warn about unlicensed LTE while Ericsson claims speed boost

  The Wi-Fi Alliance warned that LTE on unlicensed frequencies could interfere with Wi-Fi and said it plans to collaborate with the 3GPP cellular standards group to help prevent that.

• As Wi-Fi calls come to smartphones, networks get ready to carry them

  Wi-Fi may carry many voice calls within the next few years, but the technology required to make those calls is still young in some ways.

• After Spotify deal, Vodafone eyes video opportunity

  Signing video and other content deals will play a big role in a three-year Vodafone strategy to grow the business, according to Vodafone CEO Iñaki Berroeta.

• Are carriers trying to steal Wi-Fi's spectrum? Not exactly

  If unlicensed Wi-Fi spectrum is like a cool, independently run cafe, then mobile operators using those frequencies for LTE may sound like a corporate chain buying out your favorite spot.

• Tech Ad Watch: CTIA makes dumb, poorly-staged video to protest Title II

  And here I thought we were done with issue ads for at least a few more months, before the insanity of the 2016 elections really takes off. Thanks to apparent coming of Net Neutrality/Title II regulations for the wireless industry, however, CTIA has come out with this half-hearted whimper of advocacy (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2lTxLH_tsc">see video here</a> or below):

• FCC still has ton of explaining to do on Wi-Fi blocking rules

  The FCC has been very clear that it didn't approve of a Marriott International hotel's blocking of convention center attendees' Wi-Fi hotspots: It <a href="http://www.networkworld.com/article/2691674/wifi/marriott-must-pay-600000-for-blocking-personal-wifi-hotspots.html">fined the hospitality company $600,000 last fall</a> and <a href="http://www.networkworld.com/article/2876239/wi-fi/fcc-calls-blocking-of-personal-wi-fi-hotspots-disturbing-trend.html">issued a stern warning on Jan. 27</a> that such wireless network interference by others will not be tolerated either.

• Marriott CIO: FCC message on WiFi blocking loud and clear

  The FCC's sternly worded warning about illegal Wi-Fi blocking earlier this week got through to at least one organization: Marriott International's Global CIO issued a statement Friday that the hospitality outfit is withdrawing efforts to gain clarification from the commission on what methods <em>can</em> be used to protect corporate Wi-Fi networks.

• FCC banks nearly $45 billion in landmark AWS-3 spectrum auction

  The FCC announced today that Auction 97 spectrum auction has closed after roughly two and a half months, with winning bids totaling $44.9 billion for the 65MHz of mostly AWS-3 range. That figure is far and away the highest ever seen in a spectrum auction.