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.Search for "wireless phones" on Google, and Letstalk.com is one of the first sites that pops up. The online...
METROPCS COMMUNICATIONS INC. last week made public a proposal to merge with flat-rate rival Leap Wireless International Inc. in a move that could create a fifth carrier with a national presence and catapult no-contract offerings from the fringe to the spotlight.So far, Leap has...
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin told Congress there are no grounds for alarm over the growing trend of private equity acquisitions of telecom and media companies, including a major carrier in the wireless sector."Private equity owners are covered by industry-wide consumer protection initiatives...
Wireless call quality continues to improve, with customers seeing a reduction in initial disconnects in particular, according to the most recent J.D. Power and Associates report on call quality.The study, which was based on responses from more than 25,000 wireless users earlier this year,...
Verizon Wireless' $30 million wireless tax settlement with a number of Missouri municipalities could mark the start of a broader trend in the state, with other top mobile-phone carriers potentially facing far greater financial liability if a state judge next week grants class-action status...
Grounded squirrelsMobile Streams plc said its animated series "Suicidal Squirrels" will be available through Ad Infuse's video podcast advertising insertion service. The series was developed as a direct-to-mobile offering and tells the story of 100 squirrels that have decided they want to die. The...
Who says you can't buy influence? Or at least attempt to.During the first six months of this year, the communications-electronics sector spent big money attempting to curry favor from elected officials on topics ranging from trade disputes to the upcoming 700 MHz spectrum auction.According...
The Federal Communications Commission said it plans to fine Sprint Nextel Corp., Alltel Corp. and U.S. Cellular Corp. nearly $3 million collectively for failing to meet enhanced 911 rules.Sprint Nextel faces a $1.3 million penalty, while Alltel and U.S. Cellular are on the hook...
FLAT-RATE WIRELESS carriers serving the sub-prime sector have seen their stocks plunge in recent weeks, reflecting fears about sub-prime customers who could affect the carriers' financial results.The financial markets have been rattled by fears about the extent to which the floundering sub-prime mortgage market...
Customer satisfaction in the prepaid sector has increased considerably since last year, driven by new pricing options and services, according to the latest survey by J.D. Power and Associates. Overall satisfaction got a boost of 10 points on the company's 1,000-point scale, with cost...
Alltel Corp. is launching a service that provides a variety of location-based information, including the locations of gas stations, restaurants and hotels as well as local events, traffic conditions and weather forecasts. The LBS application, dubbed WHERE, provides maps, directions and customized information to...
Alltel Wireless plans to begin offering voicemail-to-SMS messaging from SpinVox to its 12 million customers, according to a new agreement between the two companies.Subscribers to the service will have voicemail messages translated to text and sent to their handsets; the SpinVox service does not...
So who exactly are the innovators leading the pack in wireless entertainment?It depends who you ask.Few agreed to be identified as they talked about their experiences with carriers, for fear of upsetting their bedfellows, but the bulk of feedback RCR Wireless News gathered does...
THE FINANCIAL MARKETS HAVE BEEN JITTERY in recent weeks, absorbing the fallout from the extension of easy credit to both individuals and corporations. Now, the backlash is likely to find lenders more closely scrutinizing business plans, mergers and company strategies to reduce their risks-and...
Travel planning and roadside assistance organization AAA unveiled a downloadable application that offers drivers access to turn-by-turn directions and AAA services via mobile phone. Jeff Green, managing director of location-based technology for AAA, said that about 50% of the 29 million calls received by...
The piling on began early last Friday as Verizon Wireless, then Sprint Nextel Corp. and AT&T Mobility all announced they would carry Motorola Inc.'s Razr2 handset, with launches beginning at Sprint Nextel this month and continuing with Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility in September....
Alltel Corp. launched a new program designed to help business application developers bring their products to market faster. The company's Business Solutions Partner program involves collaboration from Alltel's business sales team on helping partners promote their products and sell data solutions and services. The...
The aggressive Chinese handset-and-network vendor, Huawei Technologies, is step-by-step making its way in the United States. Its latest win is a broadband PC card at Alltel Corp.Alltel will give the card away to subscribers with a qualifying data plan of $60 per month on...
The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.Carrier--R.W. Baird raised its EPS estimate on Alltel to $2.84 from $2.80 after the company reported solid second-quarter results. Lehman Brothers raised its estimates on...
Alltel Corp. added to its video portfolio with a two-tiered service that offers access to more than 200 on-demand video clips from network television shows.The operator introduced a $4-a-month application that includes content from NBC News, NBC Entertainment, FOXsports.com, Discovery Mobile and several MTV...
Verizon Wireless backed up its strong second-quarter customer numbers with solid financials and a new acquisition that will make the nation's largest CDMA carrier a roaming provider for GSM services.The carrier announced that it had agreed to buy Rural Cellular Corp. for $2.67 billion,...
Alltel Corp. reported a strong quarter in which it saw its best-ever figures in wireless service revenue and churn-but profits were down 54% from the previous year's second quarter due to 2006's inclusion of profits from the company's wireline division, which Alltel has since...
CROWN CASTLE INTERNATIONAL CORP. cut its losses in mobile video last week, agreeing to lease its Modeo L.L.C.'s nationwide spectrum for a dedicated mobile broadcast network to a pair of venture capital firms. What will become of that spectrum, though, is far from clear....
The myriad of startups on the user-generated mobile video playground seem to be attracting impressive numbers. But turning those consumers into dollars may be more difficult than acquiring them in the first place.Mywaves, a Sunnyvale, Calif.-based outfit, scored its first carrier deal last week,...
