NetStumbler

Verizon Opens Up, Will Support Any Device, Any App On Its Network

Kristin Abraham — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 23:45:00 +0000

Verizon has joined the bandwagon and announced a new open access plan for its network. This plan will go into effect next year and means any application can run on any device from any manufacturer and will have full access to the Verizon spectrum.

Verizon representatives say this move was prompted by two different motives, the first being more sophisticated customer needs and the second is an explosion in innovation. They are hoping to see an wave of wireless devices flood the market in more arenas than the traditional handset market.

Some speculate that this decision is tied to the upcoming 700MHz spectrum auction, Verizon denies this was their motivation but the timing couldn’t be more coincidental.
Via [arstechnica.com]

Rural Market Worth $2.67B To Verizon Wireless

Kristin Abraham — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 07:03:59 +0000

Rural residents may finally get the respect and attention they deserve from the communication giants. AT&T recently purchased Dobson Communications for $2.8 million and created some waves among rivals as they too race to develop this previously ignored market.

Verizon responded by striking a deal to purchase Rural Cellular for an approximate value of $2.67 billion. The deal gives Verizon a slew of benefits including first dibs at 15 rural markets, more than 700,000 new customers, 4.7 million licensed points of presence and a joint venture with Vodafone.

Residents in these areas will finally get a broader range of voice and data services.
Via [internetnews.com]

Vonage Requests Retrial In Verizon Patent Dispute

Eliza Villarino — Thu, 03 May 2007 06:38:26 +0000

Vonage has petitioned the U.S. Appeals Court for the Federal Circuit to defer its appeal and order a retrial of its patent dispute with Verizon. The company cited the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the KSR International v. Teleflex suit, which stated that the current test for patent obviousness is too stiff for suspect patents to be challenged. “According to the Supreme Court’s ruling, if you patent an orange picker, and then someone else comes along and puts a glove on it to protect the oranges against bruising, you can’t patent this new invention as ‘novel’ as it is just an obvious improvement of the original invention. The Supreme Court’s decision thus focuses on keeping only what’s truly novel and original protected by patents,” said Vonage chief legal officer Sharon O’Leary.

In March, a jury found Vonage guilty of infringing three Verizon patents and told the VoIP startup to pay $58 million worth of damages as well as royalties on future sales. The Federal Circuit agreed last week to allow Vonage to continue signing up customers during the appeals process.

Verizon deputy general counsel John Thorne said Vonage’s latest action has “no merit. Thorne regarded it as “a delaying tactic to avoid final resolution of the appeal.” Verizon plans to submit a brief on May 2 in response to Vonage’s motion.
Via [zdnet.com]

Which Verizon Patents Did Vonage Violate?

Kristin Abraham — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 12:53:00 +0000

Vonage was found guilty of violating three of Verizon’s business method patents. Two of the patents define VoIP traffic and how it’s handled on traditional Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN). The third patent covers the spectrum from wireline to Wi-Fi VoIP support.
Via [networkworld.com]

Verizon Wireless Crawls To 4G

Kristin Abraham — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 16:01:00 +0000

Verizon is planning to head down the 4G road but which path they’ll take is still uncertain. Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) is the logical path but not the only option. In fact, at the CTIA Wireless 2007 Conference, Kyle Malady, Vice President of Network Technology Development at Verizon Wireless, stressed that the company feels they have a host of opportunities and they’re taking a careful look at all of them. Currently, Verizon is trying three 4G technologies to see which best suits its needs and which one could offer them a quick to market advantage. But the company stresses that it will not be making any hasty decisions and in the meantime will continue with CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev A.
Via [pcworld.com]

Verizon Continues High-Speed Wireless Data Rollout

Eliza Villarino — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 05:22:00 +0000

Verizon Wireless is upgrading its network with CDMA 1x EV-DO Revision A to enable faster BroadbandAccess wireless data services in several U.S. cities. The said technology delivers downstream speeds ranging from 450K to 800Kbps and upstream speeds between 300K and 400Kbps. BroadbandAccess subscribers pay a monthly fee starting from $60 — if they already have a wireless voice plan worth no less than $40 per month — to $80. The company is also selling two two Rev. A compatible products, i.e., the USB720 wireless modem and the AirCard 595 PC card.
Via [pcworld.com]

Verizon Embeds 3G For Wi-Fi Challenge

Wayne Slavin — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 16:16:00 +0000

With its 3G data network all dressed up and with nowhere to go, Verizon is courting PC notebook OEMs and cutting prices. Today it announced deals to embed CDMA EV-DO chips with the top three US PC manufacturers, Dell, Lenovo and HP, in their notebook PCs. Verizon’s monthly tariff falls to $60 – half what European business users pay for their 3G data.
Via [theregister.co.uk]

Verizon: Out With Wi-Fi, In With EV-DO

Wayne Slavin — Mon, 16 May 2005 17:00:00 +0000

Decision to decommission free hot spots could be a sign that demand for public Wi-Fi is limited, some say.
Via [pcworld.com]

Verizon Pulling Plug On Free Wi-Fi

Wayne Slavin — Thu, 05 May 2005 15:05:00 +0000

Verizon Communications Inc. is turning off the free wireless Internet access it beams from New York City telephone booths for DSL subscribers who use laptops away from home or the office.
Via [businessweek.com]

Verizon CEO Sounds Off On Wi-Fi

Wayne Slavin — Fri, 22 Apr 2005 17:16:00 +0000

The head of the country’s largest phone company ridiculed San Francisco’s interest in building a municipal Wi-Fi network that is designed to offer cheap or free Internet service throughout the city.
Via [sfgate.com]

Verizon To Sell Wi-Fi Hotspot Phone From Westell

Wayne Slavin — Mon, 24 Jan 2005 21:42:00 +0000

Verizon Communications Inc. said on Tuesday it signed a multiyear deal with Westell Technologies to sell a phone that integrates a high-speed Internet modem and wireless networking.
Via [reuters.com]

Philly, Verizon Strike WiFi Agreement

Wayne Slavin — Thu, 02 Dec 2004 17:18:00 +0000

The city of Philadelphia and Verizon Communications Inc. struck an agreement Tuesday that would allow the city to provide wireless Internet access as a municipal service even if Gov. Ed Rendell signs legislation to give Verizon the power to scuttle the project.
Via [msnbc.msn.com]

Verizon Wireless’s High-Speed Service Takes On Wi-Fi

Wayne Slavin — Fri, 24 Sep 2004 22:10:00 +0000

Verizon Wireless’s announcement, Wednesday, that it is significantly expanding its 3G footprint raises questions about whether the next-generation wireless data service can co-exist with Wi-Fi hotspots and other technologies.
Via [crn.com]

Verizon 3G Broadband… NOT

Konrad Roeder — Mon, 04 Feb 2002 13:27:00 +0000

Last week Verizon Wireless became the first company to roll out commercial 3G service in the United States. It announced a new CDMA 1xRTT based data service called Express Network.