Monthly Archives: March 2017

AT&T

AT&T Has Raised the 5G Bar with an Accelerated Timeline for Its 5G Services

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AT&T 5G Services

Recently, the famous telecommunication company, Verizon made the announcement regarding its 5G network trials being introduced in 11 US cities. The proclamation by this renowned mobile and residential phone service provider gave users the idea that the Fifth Generation (5G) of networking is going to hit the markets soon.

However, the 5G network was still not expected until the late 2020s but, AT&T made its recent 5G announcements and raised the bar of expectations high.

AT&T’s 5G Proclamation

The recent agreement by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) wireless standards body resulted in the acceleration in some of the 5G New Radio (NR) timeline elements. With this agreement, AT&T – the well-known mobile and prepaid local phone service provider – announced that they’ll launch their standards-based mobile 5G services soon.

And how is “soon” defined, you ask? Well, the good news is that this could be as early as late 2018! This expected time period is a year ahead of the timeframe anticipated for the implementation of 5G technology.

With the standards acceleration by 3GPP, AT&T and 47 other global mobile and low-income phone service operators have snapped into action to revise their 5G network timeline.

The Whole Matter

The accelerated schedule allows the 5G NR specifications to be completed Dec 2017. The schedule actually supports ‘non-standalone’ 5G standards.

Now, what’s the difference between non-standalone and standalone 5G?

The non-standalone 5G uses the LTE network for connecting to the 5G data. On the other hand, the standalone 5G network is a whole new network core that differs from LTE completely but still works along with it.

AT&T, the telecommunication giant, has been offering mobile and prepaid local phone service for years and is well renowned for its network. The telecom behemoth supports both the non-standalone and standalone 5G standards. Thus, with the fixation in the accelerated standards, AT&T can easily work up its ways.

The accelerated timeline for the 5G standards would require the mobile and residential phone service provider to introduce more hardware for both the kinds of 5G standards.

The capabilities of AT&T for delivering the 5G network has already been tested with 3GPP on how the users can start with their non-standard 5G network and then switch to the standard network afterward. This testing has been covered under the AT&T Network 3.0 Indigo platform.

When it comes to the 5G network trials, AT&T has stayed much ahead in the race as compared to the other prepaid phone service providers. In January 2017, the telecom giant joined hands with Ericson and Qualcomm Inc. for testing the 3GPP 5GNR network specification. The tests were to be carried for the second half of 2017.

With prototype devices by Qualcomm and the base station solution by Ericson, AT&T, and the two others had planned on deploying the 28GHZ and 39GHZ spectrum bands for boosting the network availability for AT&T prepaid phone service users.

Recently, AT&T has acquired FiberTower to make its 5G game strong by utilizing the millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum assets of said company.

Final Thoughts

A number of renowned telecom companies providing mobile and residential phone service for years have been engaged in creating opportunities to deliver the 5G network by the end of 2020.

With the revised standards by 3GPP, it is expected that the specifications will be met by the end of June 2018 and as AT&T is already prepared well in advance, it might be able to deliver its 5G network services by the end of 2018!

So, we can just wait and see how the 5G revolution changes our lives with improved telecommunication and internet services.

T-Mobile

Dallas 911 Call Spike under Control by T-Mobile and City Officials

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Dallas 911

Being associated with the two recent deaths in Dallas, Texas, T-Mobile snapped into action to fix the 911 ghost call troubles being faced by their users with its Texas phone services.

According to the recent news headlines, a 6-month-old infant, Brandon Alex died on March 11, as he succumbed to his injuries while his babysitter couldn’t connect with the 911 emergency centres.

As per the news, Brandon had fallen and wasn’t moving, apparently injured. The babysitter of the infant tried calling 911 multiple times, but was either put on hold or left unanswered. The babysitter was reportedly using T-Mobile prepaid phone service on her cellphone.

After the infant’s mother rushed back home and took him to the hospital, he was declared dead.

The Technology Glitch

According to officials, the phones using T-Mobile’s Texas phone services were making multiple 911 emergency calls, flooding the emergency call centers with an uncontrollable amount traffic.

As a result, people were being put on hold for a long period of time and, their calls were still not being answered. In most of the cases, the waiting period was as long as 30-40 minutes. That is completely inconsistent with the city’s policy of answering emergency calls within 10 seconds.

The glitch caused in mobile prepaid phone service by T-Mobile instantly became a serious matter after the association with two deaths, one of a 6-month-old infant and the other of a 52-year-old man.

According to T.C. Broadnax, Dallas City Manager, the issue with the 911 emergency calls had been faced by the city since October 2016. The matter had been discussed with T-Mobile officials in November and the issues were considered as resolved in January 2017.

However, a recent 911 call glitch in the city again raised questions on T-Mobile, the renowned mobile and cheap local phone service provider in the city.

Broadnax stated that the evening when Brandon Alex died, the call center was flooded with more than 400 calls. According to officials, Brandon’s babysitter had called multiple times, after she was placed on a hold.

Solution to the Problem

Just after the problem was recognized, the top T-Mobile executives and engineers from this prepaid phone service giant came to Dallas. The experts reached out to work with city officials towards resolving the problem of the ghost calls.

The city brought 10 extra call takers on board for handling the increased amount of calls.

A week after the glitch occurred, there was no such hike in the emergency calls on the following Saturday. This weekend, the call takers were able to answer almost 90 percent of the emergency calls within 10 seconds.

This was made possible by technical experts and engineers from T-Mobile who are continuously working to make the company’s Texas phone services great again.

However, the actual reason behind the occurrence of the glitch is still not clear.

Council member Carolyn King-Arnold mentioned that the technical glitch will be completely solved, however, it might take a few more days.

“We will get the answer to whether it’s a lack of communication or whatever is going on in terms of the breakdowns,” she stated. “Either way we are committed to the safety of the citizens of Dallas.”

Final Thoughts

Such a technical fault in T-Mobile’s renowned telecommunications network has not only harmed the reputation of the company in Texas but has also put the safety of the citizens at a stake.

The families of the deceased ones are still in a state of trauma and the correction of the glitch provides little relief as they won’t get their loved ones back now.

With such an unfortunate and chaotic event, the prepaid phone service provider has been in the headlines again with a lot of unhappy customers and Texas City officials.

AT&T

AT&T’s New Unlimited Plan: A Turn Down for Prepaid Users

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AT&T New Unlimited Plan

The telecommunication giant AT&T has been constantly making it to the news headlines with it’s announcements. And again, this huge mobile and residential phone service provider is in the news, but for different reasons.

The subject of this news is the very new unlimited plan recently introduced by the company, for its GoPhone customers. Let’s have a closer look at the matter!

The ‘Truly Unlimited’ Plan

“We’re excited to offer a truly unlimited plan for our AT&T GoPhone customers,” said Bob Bickerstaff the vice president of AT&T wireless voice and prepaid products.

“AT&T GoPhone customers now have even more flexibility to pick the plan that fits their needs as well as the perfect device from a selection of premium smartphones they really want”, he added.

The so-called ‘truly unlimited’ plan introduced by AT&T is specially introduced for the company’s GoPhone customers.

GoPhone is a contract-free postpaid and prepaid phone service provided by AT&T.

The plan will set you back $65 per month and if you sign up using AutoPay, the plan can be purchased for $60 per month – a $5 savings.

With this plan, GoPhone prepaid customers get unlimited calls, texting, and data. The maximum speed of the data is limited to just 3 Mbps, which is where the major problem starts.

The Problem

If you’re using the GoPhone prepaid phone service provided by AT&T and are planning on buying this new unlimited plan, think twice!

After buying the plan, all that you’ll receive is a snail-paced internet with a bungled video quality. Along with the data speed being limited to 3 Mbps, the GoPhone prepaid users have also been prohibited from using the mobile hotspot.

When it comes to watching videos, the data speed slows down even beyond the limit of 3 Mbps and the download speed is capped out to 1.5 Mbps. The plan also restricts the resolution of videos to just 480p, which is a great turn down for the users.

AT&T customers normally enjoy a 4G data speed of up to 13 Mbps which makes the current plan’s speed limitations quite contradictory.

AT&T has been excelling in the telecommunications industry for years, with its mobile and residential phone service. However, with the recent launch of this unlimited plan, the phone service provider has been surrounded by a number of questions and doubts by its GoPhone users.

The AT&T GoPhone customers can opt for another data plan that offers 6GB data per month at $40. However, the customers that are not using AutoPay will have to pay $45/month for the same plan.

This plan doesn’t restrict the data speed and the users can have easy access to HD videos with their prepaid phone service. The data speed is reduced to 128 kbps post the 6GB usage and there is no overage fee, post usage.

Final Thoughts

A similar unlimited plan at $90/month is available for the postpaid GoPhone customers. This plan comes without any speed limitations of the data and allows around 10 GB of high-speed hotspot and tethering. Thus, allowing the postpaid users to access high-speed internet without many limitations.

With the latest unlimited plan for prepaid and a better plan for the postpaid users, AT&T has somewhere shown an intention of inducing its customers to switch to the postpaid services.

Though the repute of the phone service provider has wavered a little with the limitations of the ‘truly unlimited’ plan, customers still have a number of other options to choose from.

AT&T

AT&T’s Share in Modernizing Raleigh-Wake: Advanced 9-1-1 Services

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AT&T Advance 911 Service

To provide better security and emergency services to its citizens, the Raleigh-Wake county of North Carolina has opted for the AT&T ESInet™.

Known for its spotless mobile and residential phone service in telecommunications, there is no denying the fact that AT&T’s network is highly regarded throughout the nation. This is the reason why Raleigh-Wake County has chosen AT&T for better security services with a cutting-edge 9-1-1 support network.

With it’s strong network and the best-in-industry mobile and prepaid home phone service, AT&T has been considered as the best option to support Raleigh-Wake for better security and the safety of its communities and populace.

More about the Service

The service from AT&T ESInet™ provides a flawless solution to Raleigh-Wake, ensuring an IP-based 9-1-1 call routing service. The calls are directed to 9-1-1 agencies allowing the people to have a reliable and enhanced emergency response.

The service is also directed towards an improved disaster recovery.

Utilizing the vast mobile and residential phone service network of AT&T, the calls will be routed more sophisticatedly, based on the geographic location of the caller. Advanced communication measures like text messages to 9-1-1 can also be managed and routed by the Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) through this advanced service.

The service has been implemented keeping in mind the increased usage of mobile devices as it has been seen that more than 70% of the 9-1-1 emergency calls are done through mobile phones.

This is the reason why the service is adaptable both for the prepaid home phone service and mobile services. In the future, the service will let the PSAPs manage picture or video messages sent to 9-1-1.

Words from the Authorities

RALIEGH-WAKE:

“Raleigh-Wake continues to grow quickly, and we need to be prepared to meet the public safety needs of our increasing population. We see this as an investment in the safety and future of our county,” said Dominick Nutter, the director of the Raleigh-Wake Emergency Communications Center.

“Upgrading our technology with AT&T ESInet was an obvious choice. It’ll increase our ability to handle unexpected call volumes, expand how people interact with 9-1-1 and enable us to quickly and correctly route calls and text messages to the right 9-1-1 agency the first time.” Dominick added.

AT&T:

“We’ve long supported Raleigh-Wake’s public safety needs. And we applaud their decision to future-proof their 9-1-1 infrastructure,” said Jim Bugel, the vice president of AT&T Public Safety Solutions.

“AT&T ESInet will provide Raleigh-Wake’s emergency services with an advanced network to better meet the needs of their citizens, first responders and 9-1-1 call takers today and tomorrow”, he added.

The Benefits

  • Utilizing the nationwide safe and highly-secure mobile and residential phone service network of AT&T
  • Advanced and geographically diverse network of calling services
  • Strong maintenance of services even in case of any disaster
  • Fast service, allows the caller to get the access to a 9-1-1 agency in no time
  • Automated routing of calls to nearby PSAPs in case of overflowing calls

The Bottom Line

With a huge growth in mobile, TV, IoT, and prepaid home phone service, AT&T is hitting it quite big with its robust network. The collaboration of AT&T with the emergency and safety authorities of Raleigh-Wake increases its quotient of social services. This will help Raleigh-Wake develop a more secure emergency network for the people living within the county.

Home Phone

Verizon to Begin 5G User Trials in 11 US Markets

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Verizon 5G

The nation’s largest wireless and home telephone service provider, Verizon Communications Inc. has made another noteworthy move to stay in the lead!

With this move, the telephone service provider aims to front-run the 5G race going on among all the wireless telecommunication leaders.

The company has made a recent announcement of delivering its fifth-generation, pre-commercial 5G services to select markets in the USA.

Verizon’s Growing Network

The largest prepaid home phone service provider – Verizon, has proven out to be the world’s largest phone and internet services network with thousands of customer locations.

Along with its best and cheapest home phone service, the telecommunications giant has been serving in the mobile communications space, broadband services, home television, IoT, and even in drone management.

Thus, with an increasing customer base, Verizon has been growing at a tremendous pace.

Picked from this vast network of Verizon, the 11 US cities tapped for the 5G user trials are listed as – Ann Arbor, Atlanta, Bernardsville (NJ), Brockton (MA), Dallas, Denver, Houston, Miami, Sacramento, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

What’s to expect

The vast home telephone service provider is planning on delivering 5G broadband services to the mentioned 11 US cities, via a wireless connection. The service is to be provided to the homes and offices using Verizon’s broadband connection.

Verizon has described it as another step to commercialize their gigabit broadband service to homes and offices through their new 5G network.

The 5G home service provided by Verizon is expected to feature an outdoor antenna that provides a Wi-Fi connection and helps connect devices present within the house.

According to a research, Verizon has a total of 112.1 million subscribers including the customer base of its home telephone service, long distance services, broadband connection and mobile network.

The company is making the best use of such a huge user base to introduce its fifth-generation (5G) services.

“5G technology innovation is rapidly evolving,” said Adam Koeppe, the Vice President of Network Planning at Verizon.

“Network density is increasing to meet the demands of customers, and following the FCC’s aggressive action on 5G spectrum, the time is right to deliver the next generation of broadband services with 5G”, he added.

Collaborations

The latest 5G technology by Verizon is to be implemented with a close collaboration of Verizon’s 5G Technology Forum Partners.

“Ericsson’s partnership with Verizon in rolling out 5G customer trials is accelerating the global 5G ecosystem,” mentioned Rima Qureshi, the Head of Region North America at Ericsson.

“These end-to-end solutions are a key step for preparing Verizon’s network for commercial deployment with different 5G scenarios and use cases”, she added.

As the 5G network requires some modern modems for building connections, the companies like Qualcomm and Samsung have announced the delivery of some high-tech and more useful modem devices.

Final Thoughts

With an increasing spectrum of services, Verizon has been growing much beyond its basic home telephone service.

Though the 5G network is supposed to be commercialized by the year 2019 or 2020, the user trial is to be carried on by Verizon by mid-2017.

This 5G user trial might prove out to be greatly profitable for Verizon. With these services, the company will be able to deliver a faster internet speed to the consumer, making it competitive with their cable-TV service.

Through a partnership with companies like Ericsson and Qualcomm, Verizon is planning on hitting it big in the domain of 5G technology, before its leading competitors.