Tag: T-Mobile
New year, new urgency on AT&T's 2G sunset
January 2, 2013Rich Miller
One of the most newsworthy items for the alarm industry in 2012 was AT&T's announcement that it will shut down 2G service by Jan. 1, 2017. Everyone knew the day was coming, but there had been a lot of speculation in the field about exactly when cellular equipment would need to be upgraded to stay ahead of the sunset.
With the uncertainty gone, the industry now faces the reality of swapping millions of devices that use AT&T's GSM/GPRS network. Choices must be made that involve assessing the longevity,...
Double take on 2G: Readers see 'sunset' differently
July 31, 2012Rich Miller
If nothing else, last week's blog on the 2G sunset served to toss another log on the fire in the debate over how long the technology will last in the face of frequency harvesting by carriers. Among the responses I received was an argument that 2G will remain viable in part due to CDMA-based equipment, which could stick around a lot longer than its GPRS and GMS cousins.
"I was reading your 2G sunset blog this morning and wanted to point out that many cellular alarm solution providers support T-Mobile...
Pilot shows smartphone potential
January 30, 2012Martha Entwistle
IRVINE, Calif.—With the announcement today of the completion of its smartphones-as-keys pilot project at Arizona State University, HID officials hope more integrators will begin to investigate how NFC-enabled smartphones might fit into their access control offerings in the future.Saying this project is just the beginning, Karl Weintz, VP business development, mobile access, for HID Global, said eventually smartphones will be able to “be used as a reader not just a credential.”The...
Does AT&T's purchase of T-Mobile threaten the industry?
March 24, 2011Daniel Gelinas
YARMOUTH, Maine—Ever since rumblings of a POTS sunset began last year, the security industry has been concerned with where a dependable communications pathway would come from. Most eyes have turned to broadband and GSM as two alternatives. With the March 20 announcement of AT&T's agreement to buy competitor T-Mobile for $39 billion, a new wrinkle to the communications pathway has been introduced with which the security industry must contend, assuming the acquisition passes muster with the...