Mobile satellite services operator Inmarsat is set to bring in-flight Wi-Fi to Europe by building a new S-band satellite and deploying over 30MHz of S-band spectrum.

Huawei has successfully tested 10GBps Wi-Fi over the 5GHz band and predicts the technology could be commercially available from 2018.

Ruckus has launched what it is calling the industry's first carrier-grade virtualised wireless LAN (WLAN) controller, which is aimed at helping operators to create cloud-based WLAN products.

The number of Wi-Fi hotspots is set to more than double by 2018, with Europe currently accounting for less than one in 10 deployments.

Demand for Hotspot 2.0 technology is set to surge, with operators planning to install it into more than half of their access points by the end of next year, new research has claimed.

Cisco has deployed hundreds of microcells in Manchester City's Etihad Stadium to bring high capacity Wi-Fi to more than 47,000 fans.

The company behind the Fon Wi-Fi network is trying to raise $250,000 (€181,000) to build a wireless jukebox controlled by smartphones.

Telefónica is using Ka band satellites to bring 20MBps Wi-Fi to four of Spanish low-cost airline Vueling's fleet.

Aircraft communications provider Gogo is deploying Ku-band satellite antennas to bring 70MBps Wi-Fi to airlines.

Qualcomm has released a new suite of multi-user Mimo (Mu-Mimo) products that it said can triple network and device performance.

Delegates at this year's Mobile World Congress generated more than 19.1 terabytes of traffic through the venue’s Wi-Fi network, which was one of the first large scale deployments of Hotspot 2.0 technology.

Rostelecom has revealed that it rolled out Nominum's Wi-Fi security products to protect its mobile network during the Sochi Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The US-based vendor’s DNS-based solution, Vantio ThreatAvert, was deployed to ensure the city's free Wi-Fi hotspots were available to its sudden influx of visitors.
 

The European Commission has adopted new rules that will allow passengers on-board airplanes flying over the European Union to use 3G and 4G broadband services.

Previously, only 2G GSM communications were allowed on-board aircraft flying in the EU, but now 3G UMTS on the 2100 MHz spectrum band and 4G-LTE on 1800 MHz spectrum will be allowed above the altitude of 3,000 metres.

Spanish Wi-Fi provider Gowex is seeking to expand its footprint by starting a new initiative to merge public access and private access Wi-Fi networks from both operators and businesses together, in a bid to achieve seamless mobile data coverage.

We-2 will be launched in New York next month with an initial network consisting of over 2,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in five boroughs, as part of Mayor Bloomberg’s drive to turn NYC into a “technology hub”.

Virtualising mobile network functions to save costs sounds tempting, but analysts warn that operators will have to foot a €2.5 billion capex bill over the next five years before they will be able to use cheaper cell site equipment.

According to a new report by Maravedis-Rethink, “Tearing the Network Apart: The Economics of the New RAN to 2018”, a $100 (€72) cell site is possible by 2020, but not until operators have first invested a great deal into LTE RAN equipment, new servers and significant software upgrades.

This month sees the launch of Turkcell’s first high-tech smartphone, the Turkcell T40, which is based on a modified Google Android interface with numerous handpicked features including NFC, Wi-Fi offload and HD sound.

The device, which was code-named “Gebze” when it was first announced at Mobile World Congress in February, operates on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and includes special signature Turkish visual and sound design touches.

The European Commission has published a new study showing that people in Europe love Wi-Fi, and strongly recommends that extra spectrum be made available to meet the increasing rise in demand.

According to the EC’s “Study on impact of traffic off-loading and related technological trends on the demand for wireless broadband spectrum” report, 71 percent of all EU wireless traffic in 2012 was delivered to smartphones and tablets via Wi-Fi, and is expected to rise to 78 percent by 2016.

Nokia’s HERE mapping business has announced that it is working with Qualcomm to deliver more precise positioning to mobile devices located within buildings.

HERE said it will put its indoor Venue Maps technology, which currently has coverage of 50,000 unique buildings in 66 countries, together with Qualcomm’s end-to-end IZat location platform, which makes use of cellular, global navigation satellite system (GNSS), Wi-Fi, sensor and cloud-based assistance capabilities.

Huawei has signed a seven-figure deal with Glasgow Rangers Football Club to provide Wi-Fi and increased engagement with its fans in the latest move by telcos into the stadium management.

Touted by Huawei as “one of football’s first fully converged stadium-wide Wi-Fi deployments”, Rangers wants to offer fans instant access to content and the ability to participate in real-time interactions with the club.