Yesterday the CITA – The Wireless Association responded to the latest rules regarding the upcoming 700 MHz auction. From CTIA President and CEO Steve Largent: “The FCC’s considerable deliberation over the 700 MHz auction rules has left us pleased in a number of respects and still concerned in others. Specifically, we believe the Commission has taken the appropriate approach by recognizing the importance of not restricting the number of auction entrants, nor requiring them to fulfill wholesale licensing requirements or requiring geographic build-out on all the licenses. In these regards the FCC has replicated past auctions that have led to tremendous benefits for consumers and the U.S. Treasury. “At the same time, we are disappointed that a significant portion of this valuable spectrum will be encumbered with mandates that could significantly reduce the number of interested bidders. We remain committed to the principle that wireless consumers and American taxpayers are best served when such a valuable commodity is auctioned in a fair and competitive manner with no strings attached, and we commend Commissioner Robert McDowell for his belief in flexible auction rules and the free-market system. “The competitive wireless marketplace that the FCC has encouraged in the past with market-oriented flexible-use policies has delivered benefits to American consumers that are nothing short of spectacular. The FCC’s deviation from the spectrum auction process that has proven to be so successful in the past could prohibit those benefits from being even more fully realized, and that’s unfortunate. CTIA MobileCrunch continues to monitor this situation and will post comments from any and all interested parties regarding this matter. → Read More
Today the CTIA – The Wireless Association issued a statement in response to testimony from U.S. Department of Commerce Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and Administrator of the National Telecommunications Information Administration John Kneuer. This testimony was given today during the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee hearing “Preparing Consumer for the Digital Television Transition.” The CTIA responded to comments made about the 700 MHz bandwidth. From the CTIA: ‘We agree with the Assistant Secretary that adding any encumbrances to the auction will lead to lower revenues. In contrast, an auction with flexible service rules will create the best environment for maximum consumer benefits and revenue to the U.S. Treasury. Any interested entity is welcome to win spectrum in a fair and competitive auction and adopt whatever business model they choose. Google isn’t a small, struggling company that needs a government subsidy to enter the competitive wireless space, and the special conditions it and others have suggested would only take money out of the pockets of American taxpayers and stuff it into the coffers of a multi-billion dollar corporation.” We’ll continue to follow both sides of this ongoing issue. CTIA U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation → Read More
Today the CTIA – The Wireless Association filed an ex parte communication with the Federal Communications Commission, which continues the heated dialog that the trade organization has with the FCC. According to the CTIA the purpose of the ex parte communication is to refute myths that European wireless users enjoy better service, choice or pricing than American consumers. Among the data cited in the ex parte are the following: The price per minute of service in the United States is lower than every European country, without exception – it is one-half of the price in Finland and one-third (or less) of every other European country. Consumers in the United States have the highest minutes of use per month in the world, more than 500 minutes per month more than the next closest European country. According to British regulatory authority Ofcom, the United States has the lowest Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (“HHI”) of the nine European countries it recently measured, and when measuring the market share of 53 countries’ top two providers, the United States has the third lowest concentration. HHI is an economic formula used to measure market concentration. Contrary to recent reports that the United States trails in the deployment of Wi Fi capable devices, American wireless providers have thriving and growing Wi-Fi offerings, including ten handsets in the market now, with many more on the way. American consumers have access to more than 700 different devices – according to CTIA research, more than any other country on the planet. By contrast, the U.K. has approximately 180 different handsets. CTIA → Read More
Today the CTIA – The Wireless Association responded to Google’s letter to the Federal Communication Commission. President and CEO Steve Largent issued this statement: “The veil has been lifted. Google’s letter to the FCC this morning highlights the Internet giant’s scheme to have the 700 MHz auction rigged with special conditions in its favor. If Google is willing to commit almost $5 billion dollars for spectrum that it wants encumbered with various requirements, then let it win that spectrum in a competitive auction and choose that business model. Google and its allies, with their collective market capitalization approaching half a trillion dollars, don’t need a government handout at taxpayers’ expense. The competitive wireless industry welcomes all new entrants, but no company should be able to buy a custom-fit government regulation that suits their particular business plan. Consumers should decide if they’re right, not the federal government”. CTIA → Read More
If you’re around Washington, DC tomorrow you might want to head to Capitol Hill for the CTIA’s 2007 Wireless Technology & Reception. This event will highlight recent advancements in wireless technology. It will be held at the Rayburn House Office Building Foyer on Thursday, July 19th, 3pm until 7pm. Representatives from various wireless companies, along with senators and members of congress, will be on hand to talk about the evolving role of wireless. These include: Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Congressman Al Wynn (D-MD) and Congressman Chip Pickering (R-MS) CTIA → Read More
Yesterday the CTIA – The Wireless Association, sent a letter to the FCC. This letter, which was signed by approximately 139 small and regional wireless operators, expresses the wireless operators’ opinions on the open access conditions that the FCC is considering in its 700MHz service rules. → Read More
Today the CTIA-The Wireless Association president and CEO Steve Largent has issued a statement in response to a new report by The Brattle Group. The report indicates that the International Trade Commission (ITC) order banning the importation of new broadband wireless devices will cause up to $21.1 billion in economic harm to American consumers and product producers. Steve Largent’s statement: “CTIA-The Wireless Association® is deeply concerned that the ITC order banning new models of wireless broadband handsets will cause unprecedented economic harm to tens of millions of American wireless consumers, and because of that we urge President Bush to veto the order. “The Brattle Group analysis concludes that the ITC order will cause direct economic harm to U.S. consumers and producers estimated to range between $4.3 and $21.1 billion, and will cause billions more in lost productivity across the U.S. economy. “If the ITC order is allowed to stand, consumers will be denied access to innovative broadband products that promise to improve services and lower prices. According to the Brattle report, the direct economic harm to consumers alone could be as high as $17.7 billion. “Beyond the telecommunications sector, the ITC decision will cause substantial harm to the entire U.S. economy. The Brattle Group concludes that the effect of the ITC order will spill over to other dynamic sectors, reducing U.S. productivity and resulting in several billion dollars in additional GNP losses. “The ITC order is particularly troubling because it allows a private patent dispute to inflict unprecedented public harm upon innocent third parties. Under the statutory scheme devised by Congress, the Administration is the last line of defense for protecting the public from these massive economic damages. We strongly urge the Administration to disapprove the ITC order.” This report was prepared by The Brattle Group’s Dr. Daniel L. McFadden, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, and Dr. Glenn Woroch, Executive Director of the Center for Research on Telecommunications Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. The Costs of the ITC Downstream Exclusion Order to the U.S. Economy [The Brattle Group] → Read More
In case you missed it this past week was National Wireless Safety Week, and the CTIA-The Wireless Association, and the wireless industry, wants to remind Americans that texting can help save a life. The Wireless AMBER Alert initiative is a good example of how text messages can be used to help others. “Last year, 158 billion text messages were sent in the U.S. alone, which is up 95% from 2005,” said Steve Largent, President and CEO of CTIA-The Wireless Association. “This translates into approximately 300,000 text messages per minute. Moreover, 94% of all text messages are opened and read, something that can be critical in emergency situations when it’s important for the recipient to be aware of the information in a text message.” Additionally, the CTIA wants to alert wireless users that text messages are the best means of contacting loved ones during a disaster or emergency. These messages use less data than a digital phone call, and thus won’t put the same strain on a communications network. Plus if network coverage is low in a remote area, text messages can be a more effective way to communicate. Finally, the CITA would like to remind all wireless users that there is a time and place for using a mobile phone. Don’t text and drive! Wireless Amber Alerts CTIA: “Text”book Wireless Safety → Read More
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-3400073860479433164&hl=en Corporate dudes, please don’t try to be funny. It never works and you just end up looking silly. Take this guy at CTIA. He’s going on and on about how much the iPhone will change human history like it’s the wheel. Then he mentions a bunch of no-good punk kids and how they wanted him to “pull some strings” so they could get one early. Very funny, sir. Methinks you should quit your overpaid job as an executive and hit the comedy circuit. Pryor’s got nothing on you. Video surfaces of iPhone at CTIA [Electronista] → Read More
One thing the GSM camp in America has always had over the CDMA camp was smartphones: there were simply more of them. This was largely due to one manufacturer, HTC, who’s Windows Mobile-base smartphones were rebadged concurrently by both T-Mobile and Cingular (now the new AT&T *insert jingle*). But things change, CDMA friends. If you’re on Verizon or Sprint (poor thing) then you might see two of HTC’s popular phones making their way into your hands soon. The S720 is a CDMA version of the S710/Vox, and the P4000 is the Bizarro-world version of the Cingy 8525/TyTN. No release date yet on these smartphones, but if they’re not here by the end of Summer, we’ll point and laugh. We’re like that. HTC Announces CDMA Versions of New Smartphones [PhoneScoop] → Read More
This is a bit long, but Vincenct from Slashgear was nice enough to film me talking with the folks at Panasonic Toughbooks. Check out my double chin! → Read More
More news from CTIA. HTC, purveyors of all things Windows Mobile 5, has announced yet another smartphone. This one, called the Libra, is similar to HTC’s familiar sliding-keyboard smartphones (T-Mobile’s MDA, for example), except that it’s closer in size to their candybar-style phones. Indeed, next to the 4:3 screen (320 x 240?) on the face is a regular cellphone-style keypad, T9 and function buttons. Turn the unit sideways, however, and a Wizard-style keyboard slides out. While it offers full QWERTY, there are only three rows, so the space bar has been shifted to the right of the M key. It might take some getting used to, but it’s a novel approach to usability. No other specs are available now. The phone, for CDMA networks (Spring and Verizon), also features EVDO Rev. A, which means it’s fast, data-wise. It should be available next year, and a GSM/UMTS version is sure to follow later. HTC Libra To Support EVDO Rev. A [Phonescoop] → Read More
As we mentioned before, we got a chance to look at the Sprint International Smart Device, the Samsung IP-830w, yesterday. It’s a CDMA/GSM smartphone with Windows Mobile and EVDO. It’s pretty hefty, but it’s a real world phone and includes a Sprint SIM card that has roaming agreements with multiple international GSM carriers. → Read More
<img src="http://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2007/01/GSM smartphone with Windows Mobile and EVDO. It's pretty hefty, but it's a real world phone and includes a Sprint SIM card that has roaming agreements with multiple international GSM carriers. → Read More
For your enjoyment, a recreation of the noble and traditional art of Japanese Sumo as performed by two drunken fools. → Read More
Hidey Ho. It’s about 3pm in LA right now and we’re winding down from a whirlwind of meetings that started early this morning. Add in the Apple announcements – meh except for the iTV – and the Crunchsters are beat! → Read More
Howdy. I’m just heading out for the show, trying to make it out to a Palm announcement at 10am and still give you guys some liveblogging. If you’re at the show, AIM me at johnbiggsny or email at john @t crunchgear dooter com. → Read More
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