broadband

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--As data traffic explodes on wireless networks thanks to smartphones and other connected mobile devices, 4G wireless technology is expected to solve mobile operators' network congestion problems. But is 4G really the savior so many people expect it to be?

At the Emerging Technologies Conference at MIT here this week, experts in the wireless industry warned that it will take more than the next generation of network technology to keep up with traffic demand. Wireless operators need to think differently about how they build and manage their network as well as how they develop applications that use the … Read more

The Federal Communications Commission today unanimously approved new rules for the use of unlicensed white space spectrum in a move that could pave the way for more unused wireless spectrum to be released in the future.

White space is unused spectrum that sits between TV channels. The 300MHz to 400MHz of unused spectrum is considered prime spectrum for offering wireless broadband services because it can travel long distances and penetrate through walls. The FCC unanimously agreed in November 2008 to open up this spectrum for unlicensed use. Even so, technical issues to allow device makers and service providers to use … Read more

Virgin Mobile leaked a teaser on its Facebook page indicating that it will roll out a $40 unlimited monthly prepaid plan, so we called to confirm. Indeed, spokeswoman Corinne Nosal confirmed with us that the company will announce this plan Tuesday. This new unlimited data plan replaces three previous Broadband2Go 30-day pricing plans--$60 for 5GB, $40 for 1GB, and $20 for 300MB.

This is currently one of the best mobile broadband deals we know of. Verizon's mobile broadband plan is $60 for 5GB; Sprint's is $60 for 5GB (3G only) and $60 for unlimited if you're … Read more

Australia's dead-heat election over the weekend has left both the Labor and Coalition parties scrambling to try to form a government. Meanwhile, the National Broadband Network Co. suggests it may stop the early-stage roll-out of a fiber optic network across the country until it knows who will be heading the next government.

Labor backs the fiber-optic plan, while the Coalition party has pledged to ax the government-owned National Broadband Network and instead pursue a more austere network investment plan based on rolling out competitive backhaul, fixing ADSL2+ blackspots, and connecting underserved areas with wireless broadband.

Read more of "… Read more

SurplusMeter--formerly known as NetTracker--keeps a close eye on your bandwidth use. This utility lets you set a bandwidth limit, a start day of the month, and a connection type (such as PPP Modem or Network Card).

SurplusMeter also calculates a daily allowance and reconfigures that depending on how much you've actually used for the month. The interface is simple and uncluttered, but it also lacks the alarms and graphs found in similar Windows apps. Progress bars help track the days left in the month, the download megabyte count, and the total downloaded and uploaded, and you can easily make … Read more

Has the market for home broadband reached a saturation point? It may have, at least according to the results of a new study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

After several years of solid gains, the rate of broadband adoption has slowed over the past year, according to the Home Broadband 2010 study (PDF) released Wednesday.

Among the more than 2,000 adults surveyed for the study, 66 percent now have a broadband Internet connection at home, a number not much higher than the 63 percent reported last year. Those percentages compare with 55 percent for the same period in 2008 and 47 percent in 2007.

The study discovered that 21 percent of those surveyed just don't use the Internet, citing a few different reasons. Many believe the content they'd find online wouldn't be very relevant to their lives. Some are simply not interested in jumping online. And others said they're not comfortable or savvy enough to use computers or the Internet on their own.

But those who don't have broadband access do face several challenges, according to the survey respondents. Among those questioned, many believe the lack of broadband is a major disadvantage when discovering job opportunities or gaining new career skills, getting information on health, and just learning new things to enrich or improve their lives.… Read more

Wireless broadband services are great. But how much data are you actually using and how much is it all really costing you?

In this week's Ask Maggie advice column, I answer a few questions about wireless broadband services. Specifically, I explain why using a U.S. wireless broadband data stick is probably not a good idea without a special data plan.

I also try to explain why it's better to keep your home broadband service if you're thinking of subscribing to a wireless broadband service. And finally I try to provide some insight as to why usage-based … Read more

AT&T's move to jettison its unlimited mobile data plan and charge more for heavier use puts a roadblock in the plans of media providers trying to push Internet TV, according to a report released Tuesday by iSuppli.

Faced with more people grabbing more data, AT&T recently switched to a tiered pricing plan in hopes of limiting the strain on its 3G networks from devices like the iPhone and iPad. And Verizon is likely to follow suit.

But those caps pose the question of how providers will satisfy the growing demand for streaming media without the … Read more

When Apple holds its press conference regarding iPhone 4 on Friday, we will either get a lesson in publicity or a lesson in humility. The company is known for being great at one and not so great at the other. I'll let you guess which is which.

Consumer Reports dealt Apple a painful blow this week when the publication decided it could not recommend the iPhone 4 due to antenna and reception issues. We came up with the same results in our tests. This is not something Apple can be flippant about, but the company is in uncharted territory … Read more