Tag Archives: time warner
Apple’s ‘single sign-on’ feature now works with HBO Go
GOP pushes new FCC chief to kill set-top box rental proposal
Comcast Terminates Merger Agreement with Time Warner
New Apple TV Confirmed By FCC Filings
Google Might Become Your New Favorite Carrier
All the wireless carriers have been advertising their simplified plans and easy upgrade models, but it seems like more of the same. Google may change that.
In September 2012, Google officially launched its Google Fiber service in Kansas City, becoming a force of disruption for the firmly seated ISPs. Google fiber brings better service at a lower price and demands that the rest of the industry reacts to compete. Unfortunately the service is only available in a handful of cities, but as it expands it will continue to challenge the likes of Time Warner and Comcast.
Google’s initiatives in fiber and their Nexus program have been making people drool over the idea of a Google wireless network for years and a recent report from The Information (paywall) suggests that we will soon get just that. Sort of. According to The Verge, Google has had talks with both Sprint and Verizon and plans to provide their service at wholesale prices backed by fiber Wi-Fi hotspots.
One of the biggest obstacles to Google providing its own wireless service will be the fact that some (such as the US Department of Justice) may say they have too many fingers in too many pies. In this case, they will have their fingers in all the pies if you are using Google Nexus hardware with Google Android software on Google’s wireless network, but by going the route of an MVNO, Google doesn’t actually own the network and Verizon and Sprint will still get a piece of the pie, even if Google’s finger is in it.
This would also line up with a recent rumor for Google’s plans with their Voice and Hangouts platforms. Last month, BGR reported that Google may be about to drop Google Voice and roll its features in with Google Hangouts, since there is already some overlap there. Through both Voice and Hangouts, Google already has the ability to assign a phone number and manage your SMS.
The rumor also states that Google could be planning on expanding calling functionality through VoIP. Hangouts already offers a calling feature on a desktop, so Google already has many of the resources needed to begin offering wireless service over Wi-Fi. Agreements with existing carriers will just provide the data needed to extend this functionality beyond the constraints of Wi-Fi.
After all the noise T-Mobile has been making about being the “uncarrier,” Google would be able to show the true definition of what this means. Their network would likely be data only, using VoIP/VoLTE for voice calls and Hangouts for texting, so they could easily charge flat rate simple plans with no contract. T-Mobile claims to be contract free, but they have really just shifted the contracts off of the wireless service and onto the devices. Google’s Nexus program and similar low cost devices would mean consumers could save money on the device, the service, and avoid contracts.
It’s unknown if Google has similar plans for areas outside the United States, but it would be logical that the service would expand internationally if it is successful. Introducing a 5th major carrier will definitely disrupt the industry, but it will likely do the most damage to 4th place T-Mobile, considering Google would basically be eating its lunch on the backs of Verizon and Sprint’s networks.
Either way, if Google wireless service is anywhere near as disruptive as Google Fiber, then the carriers (especially AT&T), should be looking over their shoulder.
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Read more on Walyou, The Paradox of the Wearable, FCC Encourages Exploration of VoIP Networks
Apple TV to Ink Content Deal With Time Warner (and Comcast)?
While rumors of an Apple television set still swirl, Apple TV continues to grow, and rumor has it Apple is about to release a new model this April.
Streaming services are starting to look even more appealing to cord-cutters as services such as Netflix have been producing award winning content that completes with the likes of Hollywood or HBO for the first time. As a result, streaming devices like Apple TV, Chromecast, and Roku are even more integral to a post cord household.
Recent rumors suggest that the newest Apple TV could be going a similar direction the the Xbox One, though, with a possible deal with Time Warner in the works. Having access to both premium internet and cable content could be a big selling point over other streaming services. The added benefit may be necessary as the $99 price tag is hard to justify when something like the Google Chromecast is only $35.
The recent announcement of a possible acquisition of Time Warner by Comcast may change Apple’s plans for the device, but the Wall Street Journal suggests that Apple wants to make the 5 newest episodes of all TV shows available, also making them a direct competitor of services such as Hulu.
Whether or not this acquisition will actually be allowed is a big question, as the deal could be blocked by the US Department of Justice, or in court by competing companies (much in the same way that Sprint worked to block the acquisition of T-Mobile by AT&T a few years ago), but it’s doubtful the outcome will drastically affect any potential deal in the works with Apple.
With Internet content and broadcast/cable television content at odds, this device could be one to actually change the way we watch our video content, much in the same way that iTunes changed the way we purchase and listen to music.
the existence of such a device like won’t necessarily make the internet streaming industry and the cable/broadcast industry actually play nice, but so long as all the content is easily available to stream to our televisions, I’m not sure anyone really cares.
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Read more on Walyou, Full Chromecast Support Coming Soon to All Your Devices, New Google Services Certification to Reduce Fragmentation
Comcast’s Time Warner Deal Faces Hurdles in Washington
‘Grossly Inadequate’: The Charter-Time Warner Cable Merger Battle Turns Nasty
Google Fiber in Austin, Texas Spurs Competition
Competition is a good thing in any market. The more businesses you have working for the consumer’s dollar, it tends to lead to better prices and service. Google announced not long ago that it would be rolling out its Google Fiber Internet service in Austin, Texas.
The announcement from Google has existing Internet providers within Austin scrambling to try and keep customers on their service.
For starters, Internet provider Time Warner Cable has announced that it will be offering all of its subscribers free access to Wi-Fi hotspots within the city. Time Warner says that its existing customers with standard cable packages or above can now get free access to the citywide Wi-Fi network that the company is building.
Time Warner went so far as to specifically point out Google Fiber as the reason it is speeding up the deployment of its Wi-Fi network. Still, I suspect that Time Warner will be unable to compete on pure performance and a lot of its customers will still defect to Google Fiber when it’s available.
[via Gigaom]