Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin is said to be pushing universal service fund changes that would reduce government subsidies for mobile phone carriers serving rural areas, likely setting up a showdown with the agency's Democratic members, cellular operators and key lawmakers from states...
Editor's Note: In this monthly feature, RCR Wireless News talks to retail managers across the country to get a first-hand view of what's hot in wireless.RadioShack Corp. sells wireless devices and service around the country. The retailer offers postpaid service from AT&T Mobility and...
Andrew Corp. agreed to sell its satellite communications business to Resilience Capital Partners in a deal that will allow Andrew to maintain an ownership stake in a new company that Resilience Capital Partners plans to establish.Andrew will receive up to $39 million in cash...
Alltel Corp. announced that it will be using QuickPlay Media Inc.'s OpenVideo platform to provide new streaming video channels on the No. 5 carrier's Celltop information-on-demand service.Through the partnership, Alltel will offer new video "cells" including the latest entertainment, horoscopes, extreme sports and wellness...
Two wireless deals cleared major hurdles last week, but not before strings were attached by government antitrust and regulatory officials.The Justice Department said AT&T Inc. agreed to sell assets in seven rural markets and forgo rights to the Cellular One brand to win approval...
THE MOBILE-PHONE INDUSTRY'S BUSINESS MODEL continues to come under attack, with challenges to carrier control increasingly playing out in the courts, Congress and at the Federal Communications Commission.National wireless carriers find themselves ensnarled in more than a dozen handset-locking and early-termination-fee cases consolidated in...
Rebtel, a Voice over Internet Protocol firm that offers low-cost international calling on mobile phones, said Verizon Wireless, Alltel Corp. and T-Mobile USA Inc. rejected requests for short codes for creating local numbers by text message."We believe Verizon's rejection of our short-code campaign is...
Alltel Corp. announced a management shuffle that will kick in after private-equity firms TPG Capital and GS Capital Partners complete their acquisition of the carrier, a deal which is expected to close Nov. 16.Scott Ford will remain president and CEO, while Alltel's group president...
The Federal Communications Commission approved the $27.5 billion acquisition of Alltel Corp. by private-equity firms TPG Capital L.P. and the Goldman Sachs Group Inc., despite criticism by several members over linked universal service and enhanced 911 conditions.Atlantis Holdings L.L.C. is the holding company for...
SAN FRANCISCO-Direct-to-consumer is going directly, well, nowhere.Approaching mobile users directly has long been seen as the path to riches for outfits too small-or too edgy-for placement on carrier decks. But the U.S. market for off-deck mobile content is shackled by inadequate billing systems, onerous...
ULocate Communications Inc. bagged another customer for its WHERE application.The Boston-based developer said Sprint Nextel Corp. sub-brand Boost Mobile subscribers now have access to WHERE, a GPS-based offering that delivers information on local gas stations, shops, restaurants and other businesses. WHERE also features dozens...
Wireless customers aren't pleased with their retail sales experience, and their opinion of it has gotten steadily worse since 2006, according to the most recent survey of retail sales satisfaction from J.D. Power and Associates. The semi-annual survey examined evaluations from more than 6,300...
The direct-to-consumer mobile content space is being shackled by inadequate billing systems and an overall lack of traffic, content providers and mobile software developers said Monday.The market for off-deck mobile content was once seen as a kind of equalizer for publishers and brands too...
With more than 15% of wireless carriers' revenue coming from data services, operators are eyeing the next leap in usage. Executives from the big-five carriers were all on hand yesterday for a panel discussion on the state of mobile content, spelling out their strengths,...
The first glimmer of quantifiable iPhone impacts is in, courtesy of NPD Group.The news is not-so-good for Palm Inc. and carriers T-Mobile USA Inc. and Alltel Corp. Research In Motion Ltd., however, appears to have nothing to fear.The top-tier carriers report third-quarter earnings beginning...
A mixed third quarter is expected for the wireless industry, with weakness at Sprint Nextel Corp. contrasting with solid performances by AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless, according to a report from Cowen & Co.Cowen & Co. analyst Tom Watts said he expects AT&T Mobility...
WHILE IT WAS NOT A MAJOR COUP THAT WIRELESS carriers found a Democratic lawmaker to sponsor a wireless consumer- protection bill less regulatory than another measure with more backing by Congress' ruling party, Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) could pick up a powerful political ally...
Alltel Corp. reported a quarter of record growth, with postpaid customers more than doubling year-over-year while the company made substantial improvements in its churn rate. Alltel added 205,000 net new customers, more then doubling the 101,000 customers it gained during the third quarter of...
SPRINT NEXTEL CORP.'S OPERATIONAL STRUGGLES sunk to new lows last week as the nation's No. 3 carrier had its CEO step down and the company reported that it would not meet its guidance for the year.The carrier noted that it lost 337,000 postpaid customers...
Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd. announced it is in negotiations to sell its cellphone business to fellow Japanese electronics maker Kyocera Wireless Corp. If the deal is completed, it would further consolidate the world's hotly contested mobile phone business, as well as bolster Kyocera's market...
Alltel Corp. has partnered with Wi-Fi hot-spot provider Boingo Wireless to provide laptop access to Wi-Fi access points around the country. The carrier already offers data access via its own CDMA wireless network, and is making a Wi-Fi/EV-DO wireless Internet bundle available to customers...
WIRELESS CARRIERS AND THEIR CUSTOMERS generally seem to operate with a disconnect on customer friendliness: carriers insist they are, but subscribers often scoff. However, customer satisfaction with carriers has generally been on an upswing lately, and operators have been putting into place new policies...
Family plans are the glue that keeps customers sticky, according to the most recent survey of customer satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates-and in households where family members share minutes, they are substantially happier with their wireless service than those who do not.The survey...
The Apple Inc. iPhone was expected to cause a shift in the industry on services, and its visual voicemail component may very well be initiating new ways for consumers to retrieve and review their audio messages.In recent weeks, applications developer Acision announced its own...
