Wireless Watch 602

Key Issues:

• Ericsson’s SK alliance epitomizes the new operator-vendor deal 2
• Pichai must now deliver the growth while Google’s founders play 9

Comment:

• Softbank recovers from Sprint wobble, as WiFi disrupts the MNOs’ market 14
• GE’s industrial internet march continues with Predix Cloud 18
• Display firms invest heavily in one of the last smartphone differentiators 20
• Carmakers win Nokia Here, may need it to fend off Apple in future 22
• Qualcomm buys Ikanos for fixed line and smart home growth 25
• Latest video codec war declared by Cisco with Project Thor 26
• LTE expansion is no remedy for China’s market saturation 29

Start-Up Watch:
Rift.io raises $16m for its bid to create NFV ecosystem 31

M&A Watch:
Opera’s shift to mobile advertising may have attracted Facebook; Europe’s M&A tide flows eastwards 32

4G/5G Watch:
Huawei claims to boost TD-LTE uplink capacity by 50%; Samsung creates vision of ‘space internet’ for the 2020s 35

IoT Watch:
Qualcomm’s new jewel takes lead role in Bluetooth mesh 37

Spectrum Watch:
LMDS spectrum may finally have its day in the sun 39

WiFi Watch:

• Virgin’s UK homespots will push Liberty WiFi leadership; iPass close to hotspot tar-get with Devicescape deal 40
• Devices and Components:
• Project Ara postponed because drop tests failed 43