Sprint posted a nearly $30B loss for Q4, and joined rivals in launching an unlimited everything plan … 8 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!
Sprint Nextel records massive loss on Nextel write-down: T-Mobile USA, Leap add customers
Sprint Nextel Corp.’s stock plummeted to new lows after the company reported a $29.5 billion loss in the fourth quarter due to a write down of the value of Nextel Communications Inc., which Sprint Corp. acquired in 2005. Sprint Nextel’s stock was down 10.4% to $8.02 on news of its financials. The No. 3 carrier’s coveted postpaid customers continued to leave in droves as well. The company previously reported it had lost 683,000 subscribers in the fourth quarter and warned analysts it expects to lose another 1.2 million customers in the current quarter. Prepaid and wholesale channels are the only areas where the company is experiencing growth. Sprint Nextel ended 2007 with 53.8 million subscribers on its network, representing a net gain of 700,000 customers on the year. The growth was due to a gain of 1.9 million prepaid and wholesale customers, which offset the massive exodus on the postpaid side of the business. … Read More
Sprint Nextel goes all in, announces ‘Simply Everything’ unlimited play: Offering includes voice, messaging, data and more
Not to be overrun by the stampede of national carriers flocking to unlimited pricing plans for voice, Sprint Nextel Corp. introduced a “Simply Everything” plan that includes, well, simply everything. Beginning tomorrow, customers can get unlimited voice, data, text, e-mail, Web-surfing, TV, music, GPS navigation, Direct Connect and Group Connect for $100 per month. Sprint Nextel’s move was widely expected. After AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA Inc. all opened the floodgates on unlimited voice at the $100 monthly price point last week, many analysts expected Sprint Nextel to either undercut its competitors by as much as $40 or offer an all-in-one plan. … Read More
VZW/RCC deal bogs down in political morass: Lawmakers urge FCC to act fast on transaction
Verizon Wireless’ $2.67 billion play for Rural Cellular Corp. has turned intensely political, with Republican and Democratic lawmakers urging the Federal Communications Commission to rule soon on a deal whose review has been lengthy and controversial due to the potential impact on consumers in Vermont and elsewhere. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) ignited the firestorm last October when he recommended the FCC either block the transaction or impose extensive conditions to address competitive concerns and the consequences of a national CDMA cellphone carrier, No. 2 Verizon Wireless, buying GSM operator RCC. (RCC also operates a CDMA network in certain markets.) … Read More
Bluetooth evolving as mobile marketing channel
Like it or not, Bluetooth marketing is gaining traction in the United States as an effective – if sometimes intrusive – way for advertisers to get their messages in front of mobile users. So depending on your view, Verizon Wireless subscribers are either missing out on the fun or blessedly exempt from unwanted come-ons. Bluetooth marketing – derisively dubbed “bluespamming” by its critics – has a mixed record in its short life. Qwikker Inc., a New York-based startup formerly known as WideRay, was one of the first on the scene earlier this decade with Jack, a self-contained, Linux-based computer that transmitted messages via Bluetooth in public settings. A host of other players have joined the field in recent years as the technology has become more commonplace (most notably in Europe and North America) and Bluetooth campaigns have grown from a novelty marketing ploy to encompass nationwide campaigns. … Read More
WiMAX industry waits for the other shoe to drop: Vendors keep mobile dream alive with fixed/nomadic deployments
Here are several things you need to know this week about mobile WiMAX: First, mobile WiMAX is seen by analysts as a larger but riskier global opportunity for vendors, compared to fixed/nomadic WiMAX, which offers a smaller, less-risky and immediate opportunity. Second, rumors and speculation in the media that Intel Corp. and others may invest additional billions of dollars into a North American entity including Sprint Nextel Corp. and Clearwire Corp. are judged feasible by analysts. Third, Sprint Nextel just posted a nearly $30 billion loss for the fourth quarter and Intel doesn’t comment on rumors and speculation. … Read More
ITC hands minor victory to Nokia, Qualcomm may appeal
The U.S. International Trade Commission yesterday affirmed an initial ruling from December that Nokia Corp. does not infringe on three patents claimed by Qualcomm Inc. The case, brought by Qualcomm in June 2006, related to claims by the chipmaker that the handset giant had infringed on patents related to GSM/GPRS/EDGE phones that did not also offer W-CDMA. Legal wrangling over W-CDMA-related issues continues in other venues. The ITC’s “initial determination” from Dec. 12 — which now stands as a final ITC ruling — also found that one patent claimed by Qualcomm was invalid. … Read More
Qwest wireless biz boon to VZW, loss to Sprint Nextel
Qwest Communications International Inc. could take its 824,000 wireless subscribers from Sprint Nextel Corp.’s network to CDMA rival Verizon Wireless next year when its current mobile virtual network operator agreement expires, according to media reports. Such a move would give both Qwest and Verizon Wireless future growth opportunities. The loss of Qwest’s business is seen by analysts as a blow to Sprint Nextel. Qwest follows an MVNO business model, leasing network capacity from Sprint Nextel’s CDMA network to offer service plans and handsets to retail and business customers. … Read More
Nortel’s stock plunges on poor quarterly loss: Company plans to cut 2,100 jobs
Nortel Networks Corp. reported a loss of $844 million during the fourth quarter of 2007 and said it would fire 2,100 employees and move another 1,000 positions to lower cost locations. The losses compounded an already tumultuous year for the infrastructure vendor, as it sent the company’s stock down more than 13% to a 52-week low of $9.89. The stock’s 52-week high is $30.27. The company lost $80 million the fourth quarter of 2006. The most recent losses come after a bullish previous quarter that sent stock surging 18% when the company reported $27 million in net income for the third quarter. The previous quarter is the only period the company hasn’t reported a loss in the last six quarters. … Read More
Google wins back Opera
Just one year after tapping Yahoo Inc. to provide search for its mobile browsers, Opera Software is going back to Google Inc. The Norwegian developer said the Internet’s dominant player will be the default search engine for Opera Mobile and Opera Mini in every market around the world except a dozen former Soviet territories. Google has powered search for Opera’s desktop browser for seven years and was the default engine for its mobile browsers until last year, when Yahoo was chosen to replace it. … Read More
LinkedIn goes mobile
LinkedIn unveiled a Web-based mobile application that allows mobile members to search user profiles, research mutual contacts and receive updates about connections. LinkedIn is an online networking site designed for businesspeople. The beta site, m.linkedin.com, is available to LinkedIn’s 19 million users in English, Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish. The offering essentially is a stripped-down version of LinkedIn.com, requiring users to log in to access a basic menu featuring eight options including search, contacts, invite, settings and feedback. … Read More
Check out RCR Wireless News’ Archives for more stories from the past.
