Spanish Telecom giant Telefonica (TEF) has unveiled the details of a large-scale field trial project related to the company’s 4G network services, which is based on the Long Term Evaluation (“LTE") mobile broadband technology.

The company will test run its 4G LTE network in six countries across Europe and Latin America. The outcome of the trials will help Telefonica to chalk out its next phase of network deployment strategy.

Telefonica will conduct 4G LTE trials during the next six months in multiple European countries such as Czech Republic, Germany, Spain and the UK, while the Latin American trials will be staged in Brazil and Argentina. The company has already conducted its first LTE trial in Madrid in April 2009, which has demonstrated encouraging throughput levels.

Telefonica has also announced network infrastructure and equipment vendors to facilitate the field testing. It has reportedly selected six technology providers: Alcatel-Lucent (ALU), Ericsson (

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AT&T (T) announced its 3G network upgrade plans yesterday as the US telecom giant targets to increase network throughput across six US cities by the end of 2009. The company will launch 3G services in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami, which will enable theoretical download speeds of up to 7.2 megabits per second (Mbps). This will effectively double the existing downlink speed of 3.6 Mbps.   By upgrading its 3G network using the HSPA 7.2 technlogy, AT&T will offer practical average downlink speeds of 3 Mbps to 4 Mbps with peak speed may reach up to 5.5 Mbps. The company targets to deploy the HSPA 7.2 based network in 25 of the largest US cities by the end of 2010, with plans to cover roughly 90% of its 3G network footprint by 2011. AT&T’s extensive nationwide 3G network has already covered around 350 U.S. ...

Fitch Ratings has revised the rating outlook for Telephone and Data Systems (TDS) and its wireless subsidiary US Cellular (USM) to Negative from Stable. The international rating agency has affirmed its BBB+ rating for both the entities with respect to issuer default, senior secured debt and revolving credit facility.

This revision in rating outlook reflects TDS’s weak performance in the last quarter across both wireless and wireline segments, which prompted the management to revise the financial guidance for 2009. The company has reported tepid revenue growth in the last quarter, which was accompanied by 21% year over year decline in net profit.

US Cellular was hit by a weak economy and intense competition as it lost 88,000 customers during the second quarter. The company reported decline in ARPU (average revenue per user) as growth in data was offset by the declines in voice and roaming revenue. This declining trend is

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SK Telecom (SKM) reported its second quarter earnings today, with net income falling short of consensus estimates while sales exceeded the average forecast. South Korea’s leading wireless operator reported revenue of KRW 3.07 trillion (US$2.39 billion) and net income of KRW 311.6 billion (US$243 million), both above our expectations.      Reported revenue grew 4.7% year over year and 6.7% sequentially, boosted by healthy growth in wireless Internet revenue and consistent increase in subscriber count. Operating income increased 3.8% year over year to KRW 553.4 billion (US$432 million). Net income increased 4.6% year over year while declining 1.6% from the previous quarter. Profitability was affected by higher marketing expenses (up 8.3% year over year and 44% sequentially) fueled by increased subscriber acquisition cost. The company reported wireless Internet revenues of KRW 671.2 billion (US$524 million), up 11.8% over the prior-year quarter, representing the highest level ...

“Can you hear me now?” or “more bars” are common refrains for cell phone advertisements. The often dropped call or text message that won’t go through are the bane of all wireless users and cause for constant complaints. Making this common frustration go away is an ongoing process that involves technology upgrades and better coverage. But when one stops to consider the practical side of making these services better, the real power of “strength in numbers” becomes apparent.

“Can you hear me now” means the need for lots and lots of cell towers, and the need for a company to own the land and towers that enable the wireless signals to be effective. There aren’t too many companies that work in this area, but they do control a vast pool of land and associated investment that provides a stable revenue stream once an individual network is assembled.

Crown Castle International Corp.,

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