AT&T to offer 4G/LTE connectivity for Recreational Vehicles

U.S. operator AT&T is partnering with technology developer Togo to offer exclusive 4G/LTE connectivity to recreational vehicles in the U.S. Togo Roadlink will bring AT&T’s high-speed network to RVers using any make, model or year of recreational vehicle. Togo is a division of TH2, a global technology-focused joint venture between U.S.-based Thor Industries and New Zealand-based Thl.

The Roadlink C2 connectivity app turns any RV into a Wi-Fi hotspot through an installed hardware system. Multiple tablets and smartphones can be connected using Roadlink C2.

The announcement builds on the collaboration between AT&T and Airstream, a Thor Industries subsidiary and maker of the iconic “silver bullet”-styled travel trailer. In 2018, Airstream and AT&T partnered to offer 4G/LTE connectivity to any Airstream vehicle.

While the market segment being targeted by AT&T with this technology partnership is doubtless quite small, it is an interesting niche market because of its particular nature. RV users like to spend vacations or retirements going on very long-range road trips in these special vehicles, which are equipped such that the travelers can live out of the vehicle and do not need to stay in hotels or any other accommodations. As a result, they will usually not be using hotel Wi-Fi or other local connectivity options, and in addition—and more importantly—they will frequently be driving through remote regions where cellular coverage is likely to be poor or non-existent.

AT&T correctly saw this as a market opportunity. If RVs are often in places where those on board cannot get a cellular signal, the operator will get their business by enabling to get connectivity through installed hardware providing Wi-Fi via a route other than ordinary cellular service.

If AT&T makes Roadlink C2 available to non-AT&T subscribers, that will constitute an opportunity for the operator to enlarge its customer base for regular mobile service, in that it could help them win subscribers among satisfied RVers, when they are not on their RVs. The expansion of the technology from just one kind of RV to virtually all indicates the growth-oriented point of view of the operator in this market sector.

Tarifica’s products and services are powered by large-scale data from the global telecom industry and a deep level of expertise gained from our singular focus. We leverage these core attributes to help our clients understand their markets and answer their most challenging questions. Our team of analysts, software engineers and data scientists deliver real-time dynamic solutions for the telecom industry. Our software and state of the art data extraction techniques enable our clients to make smart decisions in real-time based on insightful, actionable data.

We are the telecom plan & pricing experts.

 If you have any questions about this article, feel free to contact our Editor-in-chief John Dorfman at jdorfman@tarifica.com

To learn more about Tarifica, please visit www.tarifica.com 

AT&T Mexico Debuts Home Broadband Service

AT&T Mexico has announced the launch of a home internet service over its 4G/LTE network. The offering, called Internet en Casa, is divided into two plan options—the Basic, offering speeds of up to 5 Mbps for MXN 200.00 (US $11.08) a month, and the Complete, which costs MXN 350.00 (US $19.40) a month and comes with speeds of up to 10 Mbps. The plans are branded unlimited, but speeds will be reduced to 2 Mbps once subscribers consume 150 GB of data.
 
AT&T said that unlike Telefónica’s recently launched fixed-wireless service, its home broadband plans will be available throughout Mexico via a mobile network that currently covers 236 cities and 100 million people. The operator added that subscribers to the service will be sent a Huawei modem costing MXN 1,200.00 (US $66.50), which will be payable over 30 months, plus a SIM card for easy installation.
 
Fixed broadband arrangements are useful in markets where large rural expanses and lack of wireline infrastructure make it difficult or impossible for cable to be deployed in many areas. In such environments, such as Mexico, delivering broadband to homes via mobile networks is often the best solution.
 
U.S. telecom giant AT&T, having expanded into Mexico recently, has been aggressive in coming up with competitive strategies, such as creating a cross-border telecommunications zone effectively uniting the U.S. and Mexico. In competing with its rivals in the Mexico, it has the advantage of deep pockets. In this case, AT&T has already acquired network assets of such size that it is able to offer this fixed mobile solution across most of the country. Telefónica and America Móvil, on the other hand, are offering fixed mobile only in limited areas. This places AT&T in a very strong position when it comes to subscriber acquisition.
 
The disadvantage of fixed wireless is the signal quality; 5 to 10 Mbps is much slower than is to be expected from conventional cable broadband. And although the plans are advertised as unlimited, with the throttling the speed is reduced to a quite unattractive 2 Mbps, which would make certain functionalities unusable. Nonetheless, for many rural users there may be no alternative.

Tarifica is the global leader in monitoring and analyzing telecom pricing. Covering hundreds of operators in every region of the globe, Tarifica’s databases of mobile and fixed line data and voice tariffs are among the largest and most in-depth in the world. Tarifica is also a leading publisher of benchmark and other pricing reports, and its analysts are recognized authorities in the telecom industry, relied upon by operators and businesses worldwide for pricing insight and guidance.  

To learn more about Tarifica, please visit www.tarifica.com 

T-Mobile US Wins Mobile Service Contract With Shell

Mobile operator T-Mobile US has announced that it won a contract to provide mobile services to Shell Oil Company, the U.S. subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell. The offering includes eliminating roaming fees with high-speed international data, upgrading in-building coverage for 7,000 of Shell’s corporate employees across the U.S., and providing in-person support for employees setting up and connecting their devices. The roaming offer includes unlimited data and texting in over 140 countries.
 
T-Mobile’s disruptive “Un-carrier” strategy, which has allowed the operator to make significant gains in the consumer and small-business markets, is now being applied to—and succeeding in—the enterprise market. Acquiring Shell as a customer is certainly a major coup for the operator. “Two years ago, we set out to break down pain points for small and mid-sized businesses,” said T-Mobile president and CEO John Legere, referring to Un-carrier for Business, launched in 2015, “but we quickly learned that—surprise—large enterprises want a great network at a great price, too.”
 
With this contract, T-Mobile US has added some 7,000 individual customers, making it a very large revenue opportunity. In such a situation, forgoing the revenue from international roaming is well worth it for the operator, considering the advantage of roam-like-home data (and texting) as a deal-sweetener for a large corporation with many of its personnel traveling frequently on business.
 
While T-Mobile touts the strength and coverage of its 4G/LTE network, working with Shell to boost coverage inside its buildings is also good strategy, given the extent to which signal blockage due to structures continues to be a problem for customers of all operators. Again, economies of scale make it possible to offer this kind of value-added customer service to an enterprise client.
 
For large MNOs, the personal-attention approach and money-saving incentives that have worked for small and medium businesses can also foster relationships with large corporations that have the potential to drive large amounts of revenue to operators. 

Tarifica is the global leader in monitoring and analyzing telecom pricing. Covering hundreds of operators in every region of the globe, Tarifica’s databases of mobile and fixed line data and voice tariffs are among the largest and most in-depth in the world. Tarifica is also a leading publisher of benchmark and other pricing reports, and its analysts are recognized authorities in the telecom industry, relied upon by operators and businesses worldwide for pricing insight and guidance. 

To learn more about Tarifica, please visit www.tarifica.com 

Ooredoo Qatar Demonstrates Khalifa Stadium Network

Ooredoo Qatar stated that at the final match of the Emir Cup football tournament on 19 May, it demonstrated its new mobile network at Khalifa Stadium to 45,000 spectators. The 4G/LTE advanced centralized RAN mobile technologies that were used in this match are up to 40 percent faster than the best current technologies, according to the operator. They are the basis of the technologies to be deployed by every arena during the FIFA World Cup 2022, which will be held in Qatar.

The specialized narrow-beam antennae delivered a higher capacity, enabling fans to stay connected and share their experiences. Ooredoo is actively working on its Smart Stadium offering, which controls security, connectivity, identity management, and access control, enabling teams to manage large-scale events with enhanced predictive models, business intelligence and live monitoring. With smart devices, spectators can order food for delivery, check the length of toilet queues at half-time breaks, access in-stadium broadcasts, and watch replays of game action.

We like not only the idea of a Smart Stadium system but also the fact that a mobile operator is creating and offering it. Sporting events are massive opportunities for revenue generation, given the large crowd sizes and the demand for data as fans share their experiences with friends directly and via social media. The sheer density of data demand within a limited space makes a sports stadium not only very attractive to an operator, but also very much in need of having a special, purpose-built connectivity solution.

For Ooredoo rather than a non-MNO technology developer to create such a solution is a good move and should be an inspiration to other operators. This way, not only does the operator stand to take a far higher proportion of data-traffic revenue than it would if users were on various networks, but the actual data volume will be higher due to more efficient network use. Of course, there also is the presumably sizable revenue to be earned from selling the Smart Stadium technology itself to venues.

Finally, we like this offering because it is so well-tailored to the particular needs of a sports stadium, including security, access control, and features that enhance customers’ experience in relevant ways while they are attending the game.  

Tarifica is the global leader in monitoring and analyzing telecom pricing. Covering hundreds of operators in every region of the globe, Tarifica’s databases of mobile and fixed line data and voice tariffs are among the largest and most in-depth in the world. Tarifica is also a leading publisher of benchmark and other pricing reports, and its analysts are recognized authorities in the telecom industry, relied upon by operators and businesses worldwide for pricing insight and guidance. To learn more about Tarifica, please visit www.tarifica.com 

Mexico Requires FM Radio Functionality for Smartphones

Mexico is set to become the first country in the world to legally require smartphone manufacturers to activate the FM chips that are included in nearly all the devices available on the market, so that consumers can listen to FM radio on their phones. Last week, the country’s communications regulator, IFT, introduced a legal provision requiring manufacturers to activate smartphones’ FM radio chips with a view to “preserving the right to access information.” The IFT cited a report by the Mexican Chamber of Television and Radio Broadcasters indicating that only a few smartphones have the FM chip activated because operators “make significant amounts of money from the consumption of streaming data” and would “lose revenue if users had the ability to access the radio for free on their mobile devices.”

The built-in FM capability of most smartphones is a well-kept secret as far as consumers are concerned. While it might seem out of place to get excited about a type of “old technology” at a time when smart-device functionalities are growing by leaps and bounds, the Mexican government is taking a stand on the issue in the name of consumer rights and basic fairness. Forcing manufacturers that want to export to the Mexican market to activate the  FM chips would enable Mexican users to receive radio broadcasts on their phones without using any mobile data, and with less depletion of battery power.

This is significant for mobile operators, because when those chips are activated, a free entertainment-content service can compete with the popular streaming entertainment content services that consume large amounts of mobile data, in particular 4G/LTE data. Not only does that stand to take revenue away from the MNOs due to reduced data consumption, but it would have an effect on the deals they have entered into with streaming entertainment services such as Spotify with the express purpose of attracting customers. For most device manufacturers, there would likely be no negative impact, but for Apple there easily could be, because FM radio via smartphone would be competing against iTunes and Apple Music.

The will to activate FM radio on smartphones could spread beyond Mexico. In the United States, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, a regulator known for his pro-operator stances, has made some strong statements in favor of FM. This past February he said, “It seems odd that every day we hear about a new smartphone app that lets you do something innovative, yet these modern-day mobile miracles don’t enable a key function offered by a 1982 Sony Walkman.” He added that FM capability would be valuable from a safety perspective, too, because it would allow users to receive emergency broadcasts during catastrophic events if wireless networks stopped functioning. Nevertheless, Pai said that the FCC should not force device manufacturers to enable FM but instead leave the matter up to the market. The Mexican regulator takes a different view.

It should be noted that we have no idea to what extent FM radio would undercut streaming content. Obviously the selection of music on the radio at any given time is far smaller than what is available via the internet. At the very least, those users who consume data through streaming radio broadcasts could switch to FM transmission and save money. In general, we believe that while there would be an impact, it would not be very great, and for operators to be seen opposing the activation of FM chips would probably have a deleterious effect on their public image. 

Tarifica is the global leader in monitoring and analyzing telecom pricing. Covering hundreds of operators in every region of the globe, Tarifica’s databases of mobile and fixed line data and voice tariffs are among the largest and most in-depth in the world. Tarifica is also a leading publisher of benchmark and other pricing reports, and its analysts are recognized authorities in the telecom industry, relied upon by operators and businesses worldwide for pricing insight and guidance.

To learn more about Tarifica, please visit www.tarifica.com 

EE Creates 4G/LTE Technology With Balloons and Air Masts

U.K. operator EE says it has developed a technology that can supply voice and data connection in the most remote parts of the country, as well anywhere in the country during and after disasters such as floods. The operator demonstrated the system, which uses a network of small cells, balloons and so-called air masts based on drones.
 
The operator explained that the technology uses mini-mobile sites attached to helium balloons, or Helikites, to supply wide-area 4G/LTE mobile coverage where permanent sites have been damaged, or in areas where there is no high-speed coverage. EE also showcased drones equipped with mini-sites, each including a base station and antenna, which can be used to provide targeted coverage, including in search-and-rescue operations. For calling and internet access, the technology uses small cells that connect back to the EE network via satellite or the operator’s 4G spectrum.
 
Patents are currently pending on the tethered and powered mobile air mast systems, and EE expects to deliver a deployed balloon solution in a rural environment at some point during 2017.
 
 
Even in highly developed countries such as the U.K., lack of sufficient network coverage due to geographic factors can be a significant problem for operators and their customers. While one might imagine that ingenious methods to spread coverage to rural areas is something more characteristic of developing countries with highly isolated communities and forbidding climates, they are sometimes necessary in mature mobile markets, as well.
 
EE’s plan to use drones and balloons that connect to small-cell networks is a useful example of how operators can take matters into their own hands and build infrastructure in non-traditional ways when traditional solutions will not work.
 
The U.K. in particular has suffered from the so-called “not-spot” syndrome for quite a while, and we believe that by addressing it this way—provided the technology lives up to expectations—EE will deliver higher satisfaction levels to existing customers and also garner some new ones.
 
The air-mast solution would not only bring in revenue and boost retention and acquisition, it would also distinguish the operator in its market. In addition, the disaster contingency and relief applications of the new technology should bring additional kudos to EE, in terms of recognition for public service, and thereby burnish its brand.

Tarifica is the global leader in monitoring and analyzing telecom pricing. Covering hundreds of operators in every region of the globe, Tarifica’s databases of mobile and fixed line data and voice tariffs are among the largest and most in-depth in the world. Tarifica is also a leading publisher of benchmark and other pricing reports, and its analysts are recognized authorities in the telecom industry, relied upon by operators and businesses worldwide for pricing insight and guidance.

To learn more about Tarifica, please visit www.tarifica.com 

Faster Broadband to Help Agriculture in New Zealand

The mayor of Kaikoura, New Zealand, Winston Gray, welcomed the announcement by operator Spark New Zealand to accelerate the rollout of high-speed mobile services across rural areas in the Canterbury region, according to a media report. Fast 4G/LTE broadband will mean efficient irrigation ahead of hot and dry summers, Gray said. According to the mayor, digital data and communications are needed on farms to ensure the most efficient use of water. “We also need it to manage nutrients, stock and the business of farming, including keeping our farm workers safe and getting emergency help to them quickly if there is an accident,” he added. Even as traditional mobile services—voice, SMS and data—are in decline as sources of ARPU, mobile networks continue to be essential to all societies in both old and new ways. This example from rural New Zealand shows specifically how that can work. The farming sector there is directly dependent on a strong, fast mobile broadband. Of course communications are essential, enabling farmers to get rapid access to the latest climate and weather data as well as to stay in touch with each other and with vendors and customers. In addition, though, it appears that Spark’s rollout of 4G/LTE will also enable the operation of M2M devices and systems that manage agricultural resources and farming mechanisms. By strengthening their networks, telecom operators like Spark can play a vital role in driving many sectors of the economy and, in so doing, increase revenue.    Tarifica is the global leader in monitoring and analyzing telecom pricing. Covering hundreds of operators in every region of the globe, Tarifica’s databases of mobile and fixed line data and voice tariffs are among the largest and most in-depth in the world. Tarifica is also a leading publisher of benchmark and other pricing reports, and its analysts are recognized authorities in the telecom industry, relied upon by operators and businesses worldwide for pricing insight and guidance. To learn more about Tarifica, please visit www.tarifica.com

Beeline to Stop Developing 3G Network

Russian mobile operator Vimpelcom, working under the Beeline brand, plans to stop investing in the development of its 3G network, according to a report that cited Alexander Popovsky, vice-president for corporate strategy and business development. The investment in 3G is now being reduced and will cease entirely during 2016. No new new 3G networks will be deployed, while the operator focuses on its 4G/LTE rollout. Popovsky said the decision was made in response to the explosive growth in LTE services and with the expectation that most smartphones that will be on the market next year will support LTE. As in most markets now, 4G/LTE is coming to be a standard expectation in Russia, and the need to deploy it as soon as possible dictates that all available development resources be allocated for it. At this point, 3G is rapidly becoming a legacy service, one to be supported but not extended or enhanced. For operators, remaining competitive requires a single-minded commitment to 4G, and Vimpelcom’s approach of rapidly reducing 3G investment is emblematic of its intention to fully meet the demands of the marketplace.

Tarifica is the global leader in monitoring and analyzing telecom pricing. Covering hundreds of operators in every region of the globe, Tarifica’s databases of mobile and fixed line data and voice tariffs are among the largest and most in-depth in the world. Tarifica is also a leading publisher of benchmark and other pricing reports, and its analysts are recognized authorities in the telecom industry, relied upon by operators and businesses worldwide for pricing insight and guidance. To learn more about Tarifica, please visit www.tarifica.com

Xiaomi Launches Its Own Mobile Service in China

Chinese handset maker Xiaomi has launched its own mobile service in China. The service, called MiMobile, offers a SIM that works over China Telecom’s 2G/3G/4G network. The prepaid service charges CNY 0.10 (US $0.016) per minute, text or MB, and customers can also subscribe to a bundle of 3 GB data for CNY 59.00 (US $9.25) per month. Users also receive free roaming across China and free incoming calls. Xiaomi announced the new service at the presentation of its latest smartphone for the Chinese market, the Mi 4c, which will be priced at CNY 1299.00 (US $203.64) for 2 GB RAM and 16 GB storage or CNY 1499.00 (US $234.99) with 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage. The Mi 4c also supports infrared technology to replace common remote controls, such as for a TV or air conditioner, and Xiaomi’s EdgeTap technology to perform common functions with a simple tap of the phone. Xiaomi has been making worldwide waves with its smartphones, in overseas markets such as India, where expanding demand for data has driven demand for budget-priced devices. Now the aggressive manufacturer is expanding in a different direction by offering mobile service of its own as an MVNO, running on the network of China Telecom. Competing in China’s mobile market seems like a logical next step for Xiaomi. Offering the service via SIM will make it available as widely as possible, but MiMobile can also be seen as a way to drive device sales within China, where they have lately been doing less well than abroad. Users who do not have a 4G/LTE handset may be motivated by Xiaomi’s generous prepaid MVNO offer to upgrade to the new Mi 4c. Looking further ahead, the offer—even though it is on an MVNO basis—can be seen in the wider context of new challenges to the MNOs’ traditional offerings. Another handset manufacturer, Ericsson, recently announced that it will be offering voice calling via its own Wi-Fi-only devices. While we are not privy to Xiaomi’s future plans, offering OTT voice services tied to their devices would be an even more decisive end run around the MNOs.

Tarifica has been the leading provider of telecom pricing information for close to four decades. It maintains the most robust, in-depth and up-to-date pricing database in the industry, which includes mobile and fixed line rates from over 400 operators in 85 countries, as well as historical data going back to 1997. Tarifica also produces reports, surveys, publications and custom analyses.Its clients include carriers, regulators, enterprises and consultants in every region of the globe.For more information, please visit www.tarifica.com. Tarifica also maintains a presence on the following social media platforms: