Monthly Archives: February 2014

Observations on MWC 2014 – My Takeaways

In a nutshell, the wireless industry keeps on getting broader and more bifurcated. This is the main trend that has been around for years and that will not stop. Communication is becoming truly pervasive. Opportunities and confusion are intermingled. To understand it all, one needs to cut across wider breadth and dive into greater depth to separate hype… Read More »

Is the Personal Cell Technology for Real?

The media is abuzz with the news of the pCell wireless technology – after all, it’s not too often that someone comes out and claims to have a technology that will change the world! For now, too little has been revealed on this technology, which is understandable for a startup.  The aura of mystery is necessary to fuel… Read More »

Canada 700 MHz Spectrum Auction Concludes Raising C$ 5.27 Billion

Results of the auction for 700 MHz spectrum in Canada were announced today:  CAD 5.27 billion (USD 4.73 billion) was raised. This is more than what operators had hoped to fork out for this auction, especially considering the wireless market structure in Canada which does not foster competitive behavior. The average price for the 68 MHz auctioned is… Read More »

The Long-Term View on Small Cells

The evolution of wireless networks to a HetNet architecture is inevitable, but the question for industry players and investors is what form will it take. This is because there is no single approach to small cells, but rather there are multiple ways to densify the network. Making misplaced bets is common in the technology space, mainly because of… Read More »

Changes to Canada’s Antenna Tower Siting Policy Will Hurt Small Cells

Towers are not a ‘sexy’ topic of discussion – but this one is interesting… New regulations by Industry Canada will require of wireless operators additional commitments to build sub-15 m wireless towers, or let’s call them poles as that’s what most would be. When I was in the business of designing and building networks, the sub-15 m rule… Read More »