Taking a Closer Look at HSPA+: Is it really 4G?

Posted on by
Reply

Is HSPA+ 4G or is it simply 3G on steroids? This is a question that’s being brought up a lot in the mobile universe lately because of the massive 4G hype saturating the market.

Experts say that the HSPA+ spectrum is really just a super fast 3G. Lets take a look at a couple of examples. First, in an article written by Wayne Rash for eWeek way back in 2010, T-Mobile used the claim that HSPA+ was 4G because it was noticeably faster than Sprint’s WiMax “4G”. Rash noted that “the International Telecommunications Union has already
drafted the basic outlines of what constitutes 4G service—it must offer downloads of 100M bps for mobile devices and 1G bps for fixed or portable devices. It must also use TCP/IP as the networking protocol. Right now, nobody is even close to the speed requirements.” He pointed out that neither Sprint’s or T-Mobile’s technology was truly 4G according to true 4G standards. Rash did point out that an analyst firm did dub HSPA+ 4G but that the firm used the term “really fast” as the key criteria.

The second example of HSPA+ being super fast 3G, not 4G, comes to us from an article by Ankit Banerjee of Android Authority. Banerjee says: “HSPA+ is the tip of the mountain with 3G technology, and LTE is simply the foundation for a new mountain. LTE, also known as 4G, is the most advanced telecommunications technology currently available, and is one that defines a clear path toward future developments, making it the most attractive choice for carriers these days.”

After hearing the thoughts from the folks above it seems clear that HSPA+ is, at best, borderline 4G. However, taking a look at T-Mobile’s ads provides more confusion to the already confusing 4G conversations. In fact, T-Mobile says: “As the first nationwide 4G network, we have always had a major investment in speed.” The interesting thing about this is that T-Mobile will be offering LTE by the end of 2013. Yep, that’s right, the company is committed to getting LTE up and running in the next year or so. In fact, according to Mashable’s Peter Pachal, T-Mobile has purchased a big piece of LTE spectrum from Verizon.

Why does T-Mobile want its own LTE network? I suspect it has a little to do with September’s iPhone 5 announcement. As to which LTE the new iPhone will support, that’s a whole new can of worms we won’t discuss here.

In summary most experts agree HSPA+ is just really fast 3G. There are efforts moving forward in Europe and Australia to make HSPA+ a true 4G spectrum but here in North America the focus and hype is now on LTE due, in large part, to the iPhone 5 supporting LTE as it’s 4G choice.

Wireless Wednesday–”Smartphone sales up 47% percent in Q3″

Posted on by
Reply

This week for “Wireless Wednesday” we’re talking about the latest third quarter figures from Gartner concerning mobile phones. Take a look at the excerpt below from engadget.com.

Third quarter figures from Gartner are out, reporting worldwide mobile phone sales slowed again in Q3 2012. Smartphones, however, showed a 46.9 percent increase in sales over the same period last year, with 169.2 million units sold. As you would imagine, Apple and Samsung sold the most, accounting for almost half of all worldwide smartphone purchases. Nokia sales declined during the quarter, and with only 7.2 million of its smartphones filling customers’ hands, its ranking in this segment plummeted from third to seventh (although Gartner expects sales of the new Lumiadevices should soften the fall in Q4). In contrast, Apple had a solid quarter, with sales up 36.2 percent year-on-year, which is expected to continue into the fourth quarter as the iPhone 5 launches in more markets. Samsung didn’t do too bad either, increasing sales by 18.6 percent year-on-year thanks to its Galaxy range (although it’s important to note this figure is for total phone sales, not just smartphones). In the OS wars, Android continued to grow its market share up to 72.4 percent, with iOS taking the second spot with 13.9 percent. Stalwart RIM made a leap into the top three with its BlackBerry OS, as aging Symbian saw its usage decline further.

Are you an Android fan? Let us know in the comments section below, or on Facebook/Twitter.

Wireless Wednesday–”Cellular Signal Boosters Can Provide Lifeline During Weather Emergencies”

Posted on by
Reply

ST. GEORGE, Utah, Oct. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Cellular signal boosters can help keep communications available during weather emergencies, creating a lifeline between storm victims, their families, and emergency first responders even when a significant percentage of cell towers are knocked out of service, as they were by Hurricane Sandy.

“Cellular networks are a resilient and redundant communications option available to the general public,” according to Joe Banos, COO for US-based booster manufacturer Wilson Electronics, “so phones and other cellular devices can be a critical communications link during weather-related emergencies.”

Signal boosters can aide users by providing a more reliable signal in weak-signal areas, and by accessing a signal from a more distant tower should nearby towers get knocked out of service by extreme weather conditions.

First responders commonly employ signal boosters in their vehicles to ensure reliable data transfer – and a backup for voice communications – needed to coordinate emergency response and rescue operations.

Private citizens use in-vehicle boosters to eliminate dead zones in urban, suburban and rural areas. Their ability to create a strong, reliable and stable signal from a weak one can give users access to the latest weather information online, and help them call for needed emergency assistance or communicate their safety to loved ones.

Signal boosters’ value are storm-proven: When Hurricane Irene battered the Caribbean and U.S. East Coast in 2011, the crew aboard a booster-equipped vessel off Compass Cay in the Bahamas were the only mariners in the area able to maintain cellular communications as the eye passed just 12 miles east.

The cell signal, originating from another island, was too weak to allow voice calls, but did allow text messages to be sent and received. The crew was able to get weather updates from Florida via text message, which they then relayed to other boats in the area via radio.

Signal boosters also aided the clean up and recovery efforts following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Although cellular service in New Orleans had been knocked out by the storm, utility vehicles working to restore power were able to access signals from more distant undamaged towers across Lake Pontchartrain to help coordinate repair work.

The GiveBack Tour 2012–Shelbina, MO

Posted on by
Reply

Last but not least, the Wilson team visited Shelbina, MO! While there, they met with Chief Gene Harland, Assistant Chief Allan Wilt, and Volunteer Dave Dovin.
The folks at the Shelbina Fire Department are very hardworking, and they take pride in their line of work. Because nearby cell towers don’t overlap coverage strong enough to hold a conversation, they were very thankful to learn about and receive Wilson cell phone signal boosters. The crew couldn’t have been happier to have the Wilson GiveBack tour team install a dual band mobile wireless into their #1 engine fire truck!

Even though the Shelbina Fire Department protects a small town of only 1,700 people, the fire district is around 250 square miles!

The Wilson team had a great time visiting with all the first responders they met on the GiveBack tour 2012! Thanks for following along with us, and we hope you had as much fun as we did. Until next time!

To stay up to date on all Wilson happenings, check back here, or visit our Facebook/Twitter page.

Wireless Wednesday–”Hurricane Sandy: 25% of cell sites down, more could be on the way”

Posted on by
Reply

This week for “Wireless Wednesday” we’re talking about Hurricane Sandy and how it relates to the wireless world. See what fierce wireless had to say on the topic in the excerpt below–

Wireless networks generally held up well during the onslaught of Hurricane Sandy, which battered the East Coast Monday night and Tuesday, but wider service disruptions are possible as backup battery power at cell sites is drained in areas with widespread power outages.

Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ), AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T), Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S), T-Mobile USA and other carriers were working to asses and repair the damage caused by the powerful storm, which devastated New Jersey and the New York City metropolitan area in particular.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said Tuesday afternoon that 25 percent of cell sites in 158 counties in 10 states from Virginia to Massachusetts were not operational. He indicated that service would get worse for those affected before it gets better as backup batteries and generators at cell sites fail.

“This was and still is a devastating storm with a serious impact on our nation’s communications infrastructure,” Genachowski said during a conference call, according to CNET. “The storm is not over. And our assumption is that communications outages could get worse before they get better, particularly for mobile networks because of the flooding and loss of power.” The FCC did not provide figures for exactly how many wireless customers were affected by the storm.

To read the rest of this article, or to see it in its original format, click here.

With so many cell towers down, did anyone in the storm affected area benefit from having a cell phone signal booster? Let us know in the comments below, or on Facebook/Twitter!

Wireless Wednesday-”Apple’s Oct. 23rd event roundup”

Posted on by
Reply

This week for our Wireless Wednesday we are talking about yesterday’s Apple announcement. In case you missed it, check out the excerpt posted below from engadget.com.

Apple teased that it had “a little more to show” us prior to today’s San Francisco event, but it’s clear now that the phrasing was humble at best. Not only has the much-anticipated, rumored and leaked 7.9-inch iPad mini been officially revealed, but so has a smattering of new and refreshed offerings across its range of gizmos. The standard iPad is seeing its fastest refresh yet (about six months) to a Lighting port and A6X-packing fourth-generation model, and the iMac has ditched its optical drive to go Air-thin in its Ivy Bridge-driven seventh-generation. Mobile power users should be especially be pleased, too, as a 13-inch variant of the MacBook Pro with a 2,560 x 1,600 Retina Display is now a reality. Lest we forgot that the iBooks app and iBooks Author have both been updated — right on cue with that book-like iPad Mini.

What do you guys think about these announcements? Are you experiencing Apple envy, or were you underwhelmed by yesterday’s product announcements? Let us know in the comments section below, or on Twitter/Facebook.

To read the rest of this article in its original format, click here.

The GiveBack Tour 2012–Eureka, MO

Posted on by
Reply
While in Missouri, the Wilson team also met with the volunteer fire department in Eureka. GiveBack Tour winners Dan Busse and Jeff Summers are both volunteers for the Eureka Fire Department.
Busse does most of the technical work for the fire department. He installs things like radios and boosters and makes sure everything is working correctly so that the department can communicate successfully when a situation arises.
Summers does emergency transport for the fire dept. In Eureka, there is a big problem with dropping calls because of the landscape. There are many rolling hills, which make staying connected difficult any time you are not directly on the top of one of these many hills.

Wireless Wednesday–”4G Signal Booster from Wilson Electronics Named a ‘Best Mobile Product’ Finalist”

Posted on by
Reply

ST. GEORGE, Utah – Oct. 11, 2012 – A mobile signal booster from Wilson Electronics (www.WilsonElectronics.com), manufacturer of North America’s top-selling line of cellular signal boosters, is one of five finalists in the Best Mobile Product category of the 2012 Mobile Excellence Awards.

The Mobile Excellence Awards (MEA) recognized Wilson’s Sleek 4G-V as one of the best products in mobile entertainment and technology. The MEAs span the mobile ecosystem from start-ups, studios, content providers, entertainment, entities, sports, apps and handsets, brands and more.

For a complete list of 2012 Mobile Excellence Awards finalists, visit http://
www.mobilexawards.com/press/archive/2012_award_finalists/

“With all the outstanding mobile devices available today, we are thrilled to have the Sleek 4G-V recognized along side such excellent products,” said Laine Matthews, Wilson’s director of business development. “It’s truly an honor to have the Mobile Excellence Awards judges name the Sleek 4G-V a Best Mobile Product finalist.”

The Sleek® 4G-V is the world’s first 4G signal booster designed to improve cellular reception in vehicles. In areas served by the Verizon Wireless™ LTE network, the Sleek 4G-V will ensure a strong LTE signal.

In addition, the Sleek 4G-V will boost 3G and 2G signals for all North American cellular service providers (except Nextel/iDEN). This allows the user to enjoy a strong, reliable cellular signal even in locations where no Verizon LTE service is available.

Benefits include significantly extended signal range for cellular devices, reliable connection even in areas of weak signal, fewer dropped connections and no-service “dead zones,” better voice quality, faster data transfer rates and improved cellular device battery life.

Mobile Excellence Awards winners will be announced and honored Oct.17 at the Digital Hollywood conference in Marina Del Rey, Calif.

The GiveBack Tour 2012–Welcome Home, AR

Posted on by
Reply

The next stop on the Wilson Electronics and Urgent Communications GiveBack Tour 2012 was Welcome Home, AR! While there, the Wilson team had the pleasure of meeting with Welcome Home fire fighters Tim Harness, Chief Ron Housely, and Matt Harness.

What’s cool about the Welcome Home fire department? It is completely volunteer! This means that the way the fire department works is a “first in, first out” fashion. Since all the fire fighters are volunteers, and no one is stationed at the fire station, it takes time for the fire fighters to respond and get the fire vehicles to the location. The way it works is the first person to show up at the fire station takes vehicle #1 and heads out to the fire, then the second person to show up takes vehicle #2 and heads out. This process continues until all units are dispatched. Because of this, it is very likely that one person could be out by themselves on a call with potentially no communications. The Ozarks are a bunch of rolling hills and when you are down in the valleys between these hills, signal for cell phones and even radios is scarce. That is where Wilson boosters will come in handy for the folks in Welcome Home. The boosters will really help them stay connected. As Ron Housely put it, “It can be very terrifying when you are out there by yourself and can’t contact anyone on your phone or radio.”