Month: February 2019

T-Mobile postpones US 5G rollout launch until 2nd half of 2019

CompuScoop Staff February 25, 2019 0

The U.S. branch of T-Mobile is delaying its 5G rollout until the second half of 2019 due to lack of compatible phones, according to Neville Ray of T-Mobile.

One of the first 5G phones, the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, relies on higher-frequency bands that mostly limit it to AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint.

T-Mobile's focus on a lower band is deliberate, since while the millimeter wave technology used by AT&T and Verizon has faster speeds, its range is short. T-Mobile has a small number of millimeter wave towers.

"You can't go to a U.S. consumer and charge them a big premium and it works on three street corners," Ray commented.

One of the carrier's rivals, Sprint, will likewise skip millimeter wave when it deploys 5G in May. Even without it, devices may be able hit speeds as high as 430 megabits per second — considerably faster than most 4G connections. Sprint CEO Michel Combes said that if a merger with T-Mobile goes through, Sprint will be able to deploy 5G faster and with wider coverage. That deal faces opposition from parties concerned about shrinking competition in the U.S. telecoms industry.

Apple isn't expected to add 5G to iPhones or iPads until 2020. That's probably because of its ongoing legal battles with Qualcomm, slow modem development at Intel, and the fact that general 5G coverage should remain small by the time this fall's iPhones are ready.

5G is considered crucial to the advancement of technologies like self-driving cars and augmented reality, both of which Apple is known to be working on.

Via: Appleinsider.com

With all the hype over 5G, consumers risk disappointment

CompuScoop Staff February 25, 2019 0

“The telecoms industry is gearing up for 5G, the next generation wireless networks which could enable new technologies such self-driving cars and robot surgeons. But it may be raising expectations too early,” Agence France-Presse reports. “As industry leaders gather at the Mobile World Congress trade fair in Barcelona this week, some warn consumers risk disappointment because the benefits 5G’s much faster speeds and vast data capacity can provide are still a long way from becoming reality.”

“For example while 5G will bring near-instantaneous connectivity for smartphones and can virtually eliminate latency — the lag-time when data is sent or received — this ‘will only be a reality in 2023-2025,’ said Yannick Sadowy, the director for telecoms and media and consulting firm Accenture,” AFP reports. “Analysts don’t expect 5G compatible smartphones to be become widely available until the second half of 2019 and the first models will be expensive. And it will take even longer for the geographical reach of the 5G networks which are starting to be rolled out this year to be extensive enough to let you use your 5G phone without having to rely on current 4G wireless standards for most of the time.”

“Mobile communications industry body GSMA, which represents nearly 800 operators, forecasts 4G will still account for 45 percent of worldwide mobile subscriptions in 2025, while 5G would only be at 15 percent,” AFP reports. “Telecoms operators in Europe appear to have learned from the mistake of overpromising when 3G networks were first introduced in the continent in the early 2000s and have not played up 5G, although the same can not be said for operators in the United States.”

Read more in the full article here.

Intel’s 5G Chip won’t appear in mobile phones until 2020

Dan Uff February 25, 2019 0

Reuter’s is reporting that Intel has confirmed it does not expect its 5G chips to be in consumer products until 2020.

Intel Corp executives said last Friday its 5G modem chips will not appear in mobile phones until 2020, raising the possibility its biggest customer, Apple Inc, will be more than a year behind rivals in delivering a device that uses the faster networks.

That all but verifies that since Apple uses Intel chips, that the 2019 iPhones will not be capable of going on to any 5G networks even if an end user finds a cell network that offers the service.

A company called OPPO attends first MWC 2019

CompuScoop Staff February 25, 2019 1

23 February 2019, Barcelona, Spain – Today, OPPO hosted its first global Innovation Event in Barcelona, Spain.

Within the top 5 smartphone brands in the world, OPPO shared some exciting announcements on the innovation behind its advancements in mobile technologies in 2019. Debuting a world-first 10x lossless zoom technology and industry leading developments in 5G technology, OPPO is cementing its reputation as an innovator in the mobile communications space.

The OPPO brand takes inspiration from the amazing possibilities of the every day and in helping people to realize the beauty that is around them. Driven by consumer insights, OPPO has been investing heavily in innovation with a huge commitment to R&D. It is this commitment that helps OPPO to develop industry-first innovations time and time again, be it through image beautification technology, 5G, AI, AR/VR or other emerging mobile technologies.

“We’re proud to deliver our first Innovation Event for media and partners today” OPPO Vice President, Anyi Jiang, comments “innovation is our top priority and we have made many recent developments to bring the future into consumer’s hands. We look forward to continuing with this commitment and bringing to market more advances particularly in 5G and photography.”

5G is the future of the smartphone industry, bringing with it endless possibilities for creativity, imagination and closer connectivity. Today, OPPO brought the 5G era closer with the announcement of its first 5G smartphone and the OPPO 5G Landing Project. In this initiative, OPPO proposed and committed to bring into full play with the capability of carrier partners like Swisscom, Telstra, Optus- and more in-depth collaboration with potential partner like Singtel to promote the implementation of 5G products and services, so that consumers can feel the convenience brought by 5G.

Cristiano Amon, President of Qualcomm, endorses OPPO’s commitment to 5G innovation "Demonstrating their leadership in 4G era, OPPO is positioned to lead in the transition to 5G. We see tremendous opportunity for continued innovation together, and Qualcomm looks forward to working closely with OPPO to realize the true potential of 5G."

OPPO has been anticipating and preparing for the arrival of 5G since 2015 and has invested in design and technology to ensure the production of a desirable phone, that doesn’t compromise on functionality to accommodate 5G features and benefits. The hotly anticipated arrival of its first 5G smartphone looks set to revolutionize consumers’ lives through 4K, 8K video download/upload/cloud-play, 3D video calling, 5G cloud gaming and multi-player AR/VR game, in-store navigation, AR shopping integrated, immersive, entertainment everywhere and more.

At the Innovation Event, OPPO also presented the world’s first 10x lossless zoom technology. Another industry first, OPPO further empowers users and provides everyone the opportunity to take professional style photographs, without fearing any loss of quality.

10x lossless zoom is a new technology created with industry-leading camera specifications including a triple-lens camera structure consisting of a telephoto lens, ultra-wide-angle lens, and main camera. To provide further value to users, OPPO also introduced Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) on both the main camera and the telephoto lens to achieve higher, anti-shake accuracy that brings people closer to the world around them so that they never miss the unmissable.

Those who attended the Innovation Event also got to witness the premiere of OPPO’s showcase of some of the exciting real-life applications that users will get to enjoy with 5G; from hologram calls to AR shopping as well as demonstrations of perfect scenarios to use 10x lossless zoom.

OPPO will also have a presence at MWC in the Ericsson and Qualcomm booths, where visitors will get to experience cloud gaming through a live demo of SoulCalibur 6 developed in partnership with Shadow, the leading high-performance cloud gaming company.

About OPPO

OPPO is a leading global smart device brand. Since launching its first smartphone - “the Smiley Face” - in 2008, OPPO has been in relentless pursuit of the synergy of aesthetic satisfaction and innovative technology. Today, OPPO provides customers with a wide range of smart devices spearheaded by the Find and R series, ColorOS operating system, as well as internet services such as OPPO Cloud and OPPO+. OPPO operates in more than 40 countries and regions, with 6 research institutes and 4 R&D centers worldwide and an international design center in London, OPPO’s more than 40,000 employees are dedicated to creating a better life for customers around the world.