Why the Mobile ‘Pocket Office’ Is Inevitable and Good for Business
The dog days are upon us. The biggest news items of the week were at Sprint. The carrier changed CEOs and abandoned its move to control T-Mobile.
Here are some highlights of other pieces of news and worthwhile commentary this week:
Cablevision: Wi-Fi a Winner
Cablevision, a top 10 cable multiple service operator (MSO), released its second quarter results this week. It reported lower net income but increased revenue. What was the most interesting of CED’s report on the financials, however, was the emphasis that the company is putting on Wi-Fi.
CEO Jim Dolan seemed to harp on the importance of the wireless platform, despite the fact that Cablevision’s main product is wired broadband services. CED noted the shift:
In response to a question specifically about whether broadband is no longer a unit growth engine, Dolan rejected the premise and returned to how Wi-Fi will be key to the company’s data strategy. He stressed that CV has a strategic advantage “that we have not yet fully exploited, especially concerning Wi-Fi. In the end, we think that’s going to win the day, when customers decide who provides the most value and the best service. I’m very optimistic about data, which around here we’re calling connectivity.”
Changes at Sprint
Sprint made a couple of big changes this week. The first is that CEO Dan Hesse is being replaced by Marcelo Claure, who will become President and CEO on Monday. WirelessWeek provides background on Claure, who founded wireless distribution firm Brightstar and sold it to SoftBank this year. Softbank also owns Sprint.
BGR and other sites also reported that Sprint’s move to take control of T-Mobile is dead. If the deal had closed, the third and fourth largest carriers – after Verizon Wireless and AT&T – would be one. The WirelessWeek story, which posted before the abandonment of the merger was official, quoted a statement from Federal Communications Chairman Tom Wheeler supporting the idea of having four big carriers.
3D Printing Gaining in the Enterprise
Tech Pro Research released research on 3D printing in the enterprise. The firm found that 40 percent of responding organizations have no plans for implementation of 3D printing, that 29 percent are evaluating it with no specific implementation plans, and 19 percent are evaluating 3D printing and plan to implement it within the next year. Twelve percent are using it now, the survey found.
The story on the survey also offered interesting graphics on the current uses of 3D printing among organizations that have taken the leap and the reasons that organizations have declined to do so.
Peace Between Apple and Samsung…Mostly
Apple and Samsung are sending lawyers’ kids to college and financing second homes in many countries. That number this week was reduced significantly. The companies announced that they agreed to drop litigation outside the United States. That means the end of legal action in South Korea, Japan, Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Domestic action remains, however:
Patent lawsuits between the rivals will continue in the U.S., including two in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose division. In both lawsuits, Samsung was ordered after jury trials to pay damages to Apple.
The story has details of the suits pending in California.
Kill Switch Close in California
And, finally, comes a story about protecting property. The legally mandated smartphone kill switch has taken another step closer to becoming reality, at least in California. The bill, which passed the assembly this week, would enable stolen or lost phones to be rendered useless. The California Senate already has approved. The next step is to return it to the assembly for votes on amendments and, if those are approved, send it to Governor Jerry Brown for his signature.
A similar initiative is under way in New York. The idea is that the kill switch will discourage rising smartphone theft. Initially, there were concerns that hackers could compromise the kill switch and cause havoc. Those fears appear to have faded.
Carl Weinschenk covers telecom for IT Business Edge. He writes about wireless technology, disaster recovery/business continuity, cellular services, the Intenet of Things, machine-to-machine communications and other emerging technologies and platforms. He also covers net neutrality and related regulatory issues. Weinschenk has written about the phone companies, cable operators and related companies for decades and is senior editor of Broadband Technology Report. He can be reached at cweinsch@optonline.net and via twitter at @DailyMusicBrk.
