Tag Archives: apple

T-Mobile Ramps Data-Only Plans, Apple Adds Verizon Wi-Fi Calls

T-Mobile US ( TMUS ) is expected to announce data-only wireless plans soon, targeting consumers adept at using Internet calling apps or making free calls over Wi-Fi networks. The “Uncarrier”-branded wireless firm’s plans will include unlimited text messaging but no voice service, according to reports. T-Mobile’s data-only plans will range from two gigabytes of data at $20 monthly up to 22 GB at $95 a month, said TmoNews . T-Mobile’s move comes shortly after Apple ( AAPL ) provided improved support for Wi-Fi calling in its iOS 9.3 software update. Apple initially supported Wi-Fi calling when it rolled out the iPhone 6 in September 2014. T-Mobile was first to support Apple’s free Wi-Fi calling, followed by Sprint ( S ) and then AT&T ( T ) in 2015. Verizon Communications ( VZ ) says that it will offer the iPhone’s Wi-Fi calling feature to its subscribers following the iOS 9.3 software update. Apple released its new iOS 9.3 operating system in tandem with the new iPhone SE , announced March 21. Wireless firms have upgraded their 4G wireless networks to voice over LTE (VoLTE) technology. VoLTE sends voice calls over 4G networks as data. VoLTE is similar to, but technically not the same as, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) services that have been offered via fixed-line broadband and Wi-Fi networks. Microsoft ’s ( MSFT ) Skype is the biggest VoIP calling service. AT&T and Verizon are still working on making their VoLTE systems interoperable so that their customers can make and receive calls to both networks, analysts say. VoLTE-based calling apps from Facebook ( FB ), Alphabet ’s ( GOOGL ) Google and other Internet firms have been anticipated, but technical issues remain, analysts say. Wireless firms have already lost significant revenue to free texting apps such as Facebook’s WhatsApp.

Apple, Samsung Need Complex Chips, Antennas To Juggle Airwaves

Apple ( AAPL ), Samsung and other smartphone makers will need more advanced chips and antenna components as wireless service providers combine multiple radio-frequency bands to improve network capacity and data speeds, says a Citigroup report. AT&T ( T ), Verizon Communications ( VZ )and Sprint ( S ) are among the wireless firms turning to “carrier aggregation,” a term for combining two or more frequency bands to provide a single communications channel with more bandwidth. This juggling act requires more complex radio frequency chips, says Citigroup. It forecasts a growing market opportunity for chipmakers Qualcomm ( QCOM ), Broadcom ( AVGO ),  Skyworks Solutions ( SWKS ),   Qorvo ( QRVO ), Murata and others. Wireless firms are using carrier aggregation as mobile video traffic surges.  “Carrier aggregation is like adding more lanes to widen the highway and creating more space for more cars to travel on the highway at the same time,” says the report. While Apple designs its own antennas, there’s still a market opportunity for Amphenol and AAC Technologies to supply China-based smartphone brands, says Citigroup. Apple’s iPhone 6S series supports 23 frequency bands and the number is expected to keep growing in future devices, says Citigroup. Xiaomi’s new Mi 5 supports carrier aggregation to double its data download speeds, says the report. In the U.S., AT&T was the first to move to carrier aggregation for 4G LTE-A network upgrades, followed by Sprint and Verizon, analysts say. “According to Cisco ( CSCO ) (Systems), mobile data traffic is expected to grow more than 50% in the next five years,” said Citigroup. It expects more “world” phones to be built, with the ability to roam on 4G LTE networks as subscribers travel.

Questions Remain After Feds Quit Apple iPhone Hack Case

The Justice Department’s decision to withdraw its demand that Apple ( AAPL ) help it hack an iPhone in a criminal case is seen as a victory for civil liberties and data security. But the government’s actions late Monday raise a host of questions. The U.S. Department of Justice told a federal judge that it no longer needed to compel Apple to help unlock the password-protected iPhone 5C used by Syed Farook, one of the two now-deceased shooters in the San Bernardino, Calif., massacre. The DOJ said that the FBI was able to access data on the iPhone with the assistance of an unidentified outside party. Unanswered questions include: Who unlocked the iPhone for the FBI? How did they do it? Did they find anything useful for the investigation? Is data vulnerable on all iPhones because of the hack? Is the FBI telling the truth about the iPhone hack, or did it just want to back out of the court battle with Apple to save face? Will the feds pursue court action against Apple in other criminal cases? How will Congress address smartphone security amid law enforcement demands for access? “This case should never have been brought,” Apple said in a statement. “Apple believes deeply that people in the United States and around the world deserve data protection, security and privacy.” Apple said that a court order forcing it to write software to bypass its own security protections would have set a dangerous precedent. If it created a “back door” for the government, the data of all iPhone users would have been vulnerable to hackers, criminals and spies, the company said. A U.S. magistrate on Feb. 16 ordered Apple to assist the FBI in hacking Farook’s iPhone. Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, shot and killed 14 people on Dec. 2. The radicalized Muslim couple, described in press reports as supporters of terror group ISIS, died in a gun battle with police. Fight for the Future, a digital rights group known for organizing online protests to support Internet freedoms, called the FBI’s decision to back down in the case a victory for the public. “Fortunately, Internet users mobilized quickly and powerfully to educate the public about the dangers of back doors, and together we forced the government to back down,” Evan Greer, campaign director of Fight for the Future, said in a statement. Image provided by Shutterstock .