MWC 2016
The world's largest annual mobile event - Mobile World Congress - takes place the last week of February. We're on the ground in Barcelona to bring you all of the week's news. Tune in here for our full coverage, including hands-on with new Samsung Galaxy S7 and LG G5, plus new phones from Huawei, Alcatel, ZTE, Sony, and more.
Check out our wrap-up video summarizing the big news of the show.
Also, follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-second news and extras:
T-Mobile to Begin Testing 5G Later This Year
T-Mobile will commence trials of 5G technologies with partners Nokia and Ericsson during the second half of the year, says Nokia. The companies plan to use the 28GHz band for testing, which is one of the bands proposed for 5G usage. Their goal is to "support massive bandwidth capacity and virtual zero latency." The tests will allow T-Mobile to evaluate 5G technologies and help it plan for its future network upgrades. Unlike AT&T and Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile doesn't expect to deliver 5G to its customers until 2020 or later. AT&T and Verizon have said they'll have some 5G service available as soon as 2017 and 2018. The ITU has not yet defined what 5G will be, but the focus is as much on minimizing latency as it is on allowing devices to reach the internet at blistering speeds. Verizon is pushing forward with testing aggressively as it hopes to play a role in defining the 5G standard. T-Mobile is treading into the 5G waters more cautiously. "We're looking forward to working with Nokia to bring 5G capabilities out of the lab and into field trials with LTE technology and spectrum we already have today," said T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray. "Building on investments we've made to deliver America's fastest 4G LTE, this puts us on the path to real 5G use cases once 5G consumer smartphones are available in the 2020+ timeframe."
Google and Global Operators Agree on RCS for Android
Google, the GSMA, and a collection of wireless network operators around the world today said they'll work together to bring Rich Communication Services to Android devices around the globe. Google will create an Android RCS client that all the participating carriers will adopt. The GSMA said the universal RCS client will let mobile operators offer a consistent messaging experience to devices no matter where they are. Operators can use Google's Jibe platform to handle the client, or provide their own. Some of the features of RCS include group chat, high-resolution photo sharing, advanced calling features, and read receipts. These enriched tools will become default characteristics of messaging services offered by Sprint in the U.S., as well as América Móvil, Bharti Airtel, Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, Globe Telecom, KPN, Millicom, MTN, Orange, PLAY, Smart Communications, Telenor Group, TeliaSonera, Telstra, TIM, Turkcell, VimpelCom, and Vodafone. Notably absent from the list of participants are AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless. The GSMA also says the interoperable messaging service will aid operators when it comes to testing, and the messaging profile will eventually be made available to other platforms. The GSMA did not provide a timeline for deploying RCS.
Verizon Says 5G Trials Progressing Nicely
Verizon Wireless today provided a snapshot of its progress in testing 5G wireless technology. The company has performed trials both in the lab and real-world environments, including residential and commercial areas, with partners Ericsson, Intel, Nokia, Samsung, and Qualcomm. Verizon's 5G Technology Forum is examining millimeter and centimeter wave spectrum, beamforming, beam tracking, massive MIMO, wideband spectrum, and various antenna designs to help determine which prove best. So far, its testing delivers multi-gigabit speeds and single-millisecond latency. Verizon and its parters are testing various technologies in several spectrum, bands, including those proposed by the FCC as ideal for 5G. The International Telecommunications Union has not yet defined what the 5G standard will be. Companies such as Verizon are hoping their own tests are able to eventually contribute to the standard.
Samsung Giving Gear VR Headset to Early GS7 Adopters
Samsung today said consumers in select countries, including the U.S., who preorder the Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge will receive a free Gear VR headset. Samsung didn't say how long the promotion will be available. Many U.S. carriers have also announced pricing for the pair of phones. The Galaxy S7 costs approximately $670 to $700, depending on carrier, while the larger S7 Edge has a much higher price point between $780 and $800, depending on carrier. Monthly payments for the phones range from about $30 to more than $40, depending on the terms. So far, AT&T, Cricket Wireless, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon Wireless have all said they'll sell the new handsets from Samsung. The device goes on sale March 11, but preorders start February 23.
