T-Mobile iPhone available off contract, as carrier launches LTE, new pricing plans; Sprint and SoftBank warned on Huawei deal; and FCC Chairman announces retirement plans … 3 years ago this week
Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes all in for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the top headlines from the past. Fire up the time machine, put on the sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories!
T-Mobile USA to offer iPhone 5 off contract, launches LTE
T-Mobile USA is shaking up wireless pricing, offering the iPhone 5 off-contract starting April 12. The nation’s fourth largest carrier is the last of the big four to get the iPhone, but it’s getting it in a big way. Consumers will be able to get the latest iPhone for $99, and then will pay $20 per month for 24 months. After that they’ll own the phone. Users will have to pay for service on top of that, but T-Mobile has cut those prices as well. T-Mobile’s new “Simple Choice” pricing was unveiled yesterday. … Read More
T-Mobile USA launches new pricing; LTE network could be nation’s fastest
T-Mobile USA is rolling out its new no-contract pricing just as the latest tests of its LTE network are showing speeds that could be the fastest in the country. Tests show download speeds of up to 25 megabits per second. The nation’s fourth-largest carrier, which is on track to merge with MetroPCS, has three new plans: 500 MB of high-speed data for $50/month (with speeds throttling back to 2G speeds after 500 MB), 2.5 GB for $60/month with throtting, and unlimited 4G data (wherever T-Mobile USA’s network offers 4G) for $70/month. All three plans include smartphone mobile hotspot service. The carrier has adjusted its device pricing to reflect the new service offerings, and is also encouraging users to bring their own devices to its network. … Read More
Congress pressures Softbank and Sprint Nextel on Huawei
House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-Michigan) says Softbank and Sprint Nextel are telling his committee they will try to phase out Chinese network equipment used by Clearwire. Sprint owns the majority of Clearwire and is trying to buy the rest. The concern about Chinese equipment arises from a recent Congressional warning about potential national security risks. That report named Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE as possible threats, and Huawei is a supplier of network equipment to Clearwire. Japan’s Softbank, which is in the process of buying a 70% stake in Sprint Nextel, is also a Huawei customer. According to the Wall Street Journal, Washington may not approve the Softbank-Sprint deal unless the companies promise to notify the government about planned core network equipment purchases. … Read More
FCC Chairman Genachowski announces plans to step down
Following weeks of speculation, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced today that he would be holding a meeting with staff members to inform them he would be leaving his position in the “coming weeks.” Genachowski’s announcement follows that of fellow commissioner Robert McDowell, who announced earlier this week that he would be leaving the FCC “sometime soon.” … Read More
FirstNet: Progress on pilot project negotiations
FirstNet is making progress in its negotiations with seven public safety pilot projects that are to be folded in under the umbrella of its future national first-responder LTE network. The recipients of the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) grants had their funding partially suspended when the FirstNet board was created, to ensure a blank slate for the national network. But FirstNet board member Sue Swenson was tasked with negotiating use of FirstNet’s 700 MHz spectrum leases and plans for each network to eventually be subsumed by the larger, nationwide project. … Read More
BlackBerry surprises Wall Street
BlackBerry surprised Wall Street with a small profit during the fourth quarter, and said that it has already shipped a million Z10 smartphones. The Z10 is BlackBerry’s new touchscreen phone based on its new BB 10 operating system. Although the new phone has just gone on sale in the United States, it was available in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates during the last part of the fourth quarter. CEO Thorstein Heins estimated today that roughly two thirds of the million Z10 phones shipped have been sold to customers. Heins said demand for the Z10 has been “better than expected” but that the company continues to find itself in a “challenging environment.” Nonetheless Canada’s struggling smartphone maker earned $94 million, or 18 cents a share, in the fourth quarter, compared to a loss of $118 million in the year-ago quarter. Analysts had expected a loss for the quarter. … Read More
Oracle to buy Tekelec
Oracle continues to make its way aggessively into telecom software, this time with the purchase of Tekelec, a provider of diameter signaling and policy control solutions. Tekelec has been privately held for just over a year; it was taken private in January 2012 by Siris Capital in a deal that valued the company at $780 million. Analysts at Exact Ventures expect the market for diameter signaling controllers to grow about 50% a year through 2017, propelled by the accelerating pace of LTE rollouts. The firm says that Tekelec currently has a 75% – 85% market share. … Read More
BlackBerry Z10 finally comes to carriers
BlackBerry is finally getting its touchscreen Z10 smartphone into stores this weekend, more than six weeks after the product launch. The delayed launch is probably due to carriers prioritizing testing for other smartphones that they expect to be more popular, such as the Samsung Galaxy S4. AT&T Mobility will be the first to get the BlackBerry 10, with Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA to follow soon. While the new device is sure to attract some consumer interest, the real test for BlackBerry will be in the enterprise market, which is the company’s traditional stronghold. BlackBerry has won the loyalty of corporations and governments largely through the security and independence of its proprietary network. … Read More
Wireless industry scores ‘poor’ rating in consumer satisfaction survey
Despite the billions of dollars spent by the wireless industry in advertising its wares to consumers, satisfaction with the sector continues to fall short. A new report from the Temkin Group found that the wireless industry garnered a “poor” rating from a consumer survey. Among specific carriers, no-contract provider TracFone posted the highest consumer satisfaction rating with a 66% score, though that result was No. 115 out of the 246 companies surveyed across 19 industries. TracFone provides wireless services through various brand names and across various carrier networks. … Read More
ARM to replace CEO
Warren East is stepping down from the top position at ARM Holdings after leading the British company to become the world’s premiere architect of processors for mobile devices. Simon Segars, head of ARM’s American operation, will replace East in July. “I have worked with Simon in the senior leadership team for many years and we share a global perspective and belief in the ARM approach to partnership and collaboration; he is an excellent choice to lead ARM,” said East in a statement. East, age 51, did not comment on his reasons for leaving ARM at this time. … Read More
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