Sprint is providing the connectivity for Chrysler’s new Uconnect in-car communication system, which uses voice recognition technology to allow drivers to compose text messages and use the navigation system, among other tasks. Sprint will handle wireless systems integration for Uconnect, as well as lend its expertise in telematics to Chrysler. Uconnect is currently available on the 2013 models of the Ram 1500 pickup truck and the SRT Viper.
The iPhone is performing well at Alaska Communications, one of a group of rural providers to land the popular smartphone last spring. The operator reported in its second quarter earnings yesterday that 47 percent of its 22,900 device sales stemmed from the iPhone, with about one-fifth of those sales going to new customers. One-tenth of its postpaid customers now use the iPhone, it said. The smartphone helped draw in 2,900 new customers and reduce churn by about 10 percent.
Carriers say network planning could be a top issue with small cell deployments, according to a new Amdocs survey conducted by Rethink Technology Research. Nearly half of network planners surveyed said a lack of resources was their biggest challenge, leading to possible delays in the deployment of small cells. The report also found that the number of small cells installed in operators’ networks is set to increase dramatically over coming years, with nearly 60 percent of service providers stating they expect to deploy at least 10 times more small cells by 2017 than in 2011.
Enterprise mobility company DecisionPoint Systems has acquired Illume Mobile Software. The transaction became effective on July 31 and was made public on Monday. DecisionPoint paid $1 million for the app development company, a division of MacroSolve.
Redline Communications has announced the availability of the RAS Smart Antenna System. The solid state RAS is a wireless broadband networking system that instantly locates, steers toward and connects to a network base station, automatically establishing connectivity to and from roving assets. Already shipping to oilfield operations around the world, RAS is now available globally. RAS is a member of Redline’s RDL-3000 family of Virtual Fiber wireless broadband systems.
