News this week that Verizon Wireless may or may not begin forcing customers currently on unlimited data plans for their smartphones to bucket plans sent many in the blog-o-sphere into a tizzy.
It seems that if you can find a couple of carriers that perhaps are not doing so well, the rumor mill automatically suggests that you put those two together in some sort of sorry dating game episode. (Is there really any other kind?)
Every few months, or whenever the rumor mill is running a bit thin (never!), a new report seems to surface claiming that Apple is looking to become a wireless carrier of some sort.
This past week and a half were marked by quarterly results from some of the nation’s largest wireless operators, each showing an interesting challenge that remain in the mobile space.
I have to admit that there is very little in the wireless space that tugs at my heart strings. I mean, with an industry full of bottom-line financial people, super-intelligent engineers and a “what have you done for me lately?” attitude, there is rarely a moment for warm feelings.
This week saw me whisk away to lovely Atlanta for the DAS Forum’s DAS in Action event. Now, this is not one of the bigger events on the yearly wireless telecommunications calendar, though I do give it credit for having one of the better names.
I have never claimed to be a numbers sort of guy, and in fact what drew me to a journalism education was the promise that all number games could be solved using a calculator.
This week we were reminded again of the power of words. And in this case when I say we, I mean Sprint Nextel’s stock price. And when I say “words” I mean “underperform.”
This week Verizon Wireless, often viewed as that carrier that is doing so well that it does not need to dirty its hands by acknowledging its competitors, unleashed a “4G Throw-Down” video punkin' all those that claim to provide a superior 4G network experience.
Leading up to the launch of the new tablet, rumors were circulating that the new device would have a screen with resolution more lifelike than the human eye; enhanced capabilities that would make the need for real friends obsolete; and come in various sizes to meet the needs of every living soul on the planet.
The running spat between AT&T Mobility and its subscribers over what is and is not considered “unlimited” made up some significant ground this week as lawsuits have been won and taunts thrown.
The rumor mills seem to be running overtime in cranking out news Apple iPad related. This includes the name for the device (iPad 3? How original), specifications (faster, smaller, bigger) and release dates (tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, never).
What can possibly be said about LightSquared at this point, besides bad puns? I know that the company is not “dead” dead, but it seems that the hill it has been climbing in trying to launch a wireless service just received a new helping of lubrication. And that lubricant was delivered with GPS-like accuracy. ZING!
Sprint Nextel released fourth quarter and full-year 2011 results this week, wrapping up the financial reporting for the nation’s three largest wireless operators and highlighting an interesting fact about the industry: people like Apple’s iPhone.
To the chagrin of some, Apple has recently come under attack (again) for its history of sourcing its profit-heavy hardware from factories in China that have a history of questionable working conditions.
I try to not feel sorry for huge, multi-national conglomerates. This is due mostly to the fact that they always seem to forget my birthday, unless they want me to buy something.
If I were to take anything from this week’s Consumer Electronics Show as an indicator of what to expect in 2012, that would be that there a lot of people interested in gadgets and that we can expect to be standing in more lines.
This week saw a couple of events that makes the conspiracy theorist in me go a bit bonkers, or at least a bit more bonkers than usual in what is the last year of our earthly existence. (Thanks for the heads up, Mayans.)
Having a few days off over the past week allowed me to get in some much needed afternoon television watching. While flipping through the multitude of television choices this modern age provides and finding nothing to actually watch, I couldn’t help but keep thinking of all the time and effort the wireless industry put in this year regarding AT&T’s attempt to acquire T-Mobile USA.
So, now what? AT&T’s pie-in-the-sky attempt to acquire T-Mobile USA came crashing down to earth this week in a heap that left many with at least some sort of pie filling in a place not designed to hold pie filling.
Hello! And welcome to our Friday column, Worst of the Week. There’s a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCRWireless.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way....
Hello! And welcome to our Friday column, Worst of the Week. There’s a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCRWireless.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way....
Hello! And welcome to our Friday column, Worst of the Week. There’s a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCRWireless.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way....
So, cable giant Cox Communications finally threw in the towel on its half-hearted attempt to become a mobile operator on its own terms. The company, which prior to its launch bragged it would be able to garner 20% of the market, this week stopped selling its own branded service and said it would completely shut down operations early next year.
