WASHINGTON-When the government broke up Ma Bell more than 20 years ago, it did so because it did not want one company controlling computer-to-computer communication-at the time the stuff of science fiction. As Ma Bell is nearly reborn in the form of AT&T Inc....
Lucent Technologies Inc. is swimming in new contracts, announcing seven deals valued at more than $300 million at the CeBIT 2006 trade show. "Our customers' competitive landscape continues to undergo tremendous change as the boundaries between the telecom, media and Internet worlds continue to...
AT&T Inc.'s planned acquisition of BellSouth Corp. could be great for consumers, but the news isn't so great for telecom equipment vendors, already suffering from declining profits. "In our view, carrier consolidation is a net negative for equipment vendors," stated a recent report by...
What a long, strange trip it's been.Almost two years ago, I renewed my cell-phone contract with what was then AT&T Wireless Services Inc. I was happy to do so-in fact, that was when my wife and I "cut the cord" and got rid of...
News that AT&T Inc. would acquire BellSouth Corp. quickly sent ripples of rampant speculation through the industry, as observers tried to calculate the implications of the deal. Immediate reactions focused on the response from Verizon Communications Inc. and whether it would seek to bolster...
WASHINGTON-While consumer advocates, organized labor, industry analysts and lawmakers gave mixed reviews to AT&T Inc.'s proposed $67 billion acquisition of BellSouth Corp.-co-owners of Cingular Wireless L.L.C.-most signs point to the Federal Communications Commission as the major battlefield for hashing out the blockbuster deal and...
When Cingular Wireless L.L.C. closed on its purchase of AT&T Wireless Services Inc. in late 2004, the company poured out an estimated $300 million in marketing during the fourth quarter of that year, sending out everything from a "wedding" invitation touting the joining of...
The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms. CarriersMorgan Stanley downgraded its opinion on Alltel Corp. to equal weight from overweight following a rally in the company’s share price this week on takeover...
HANOVER, Germany—Lucent Technologies Inc. is swimming in new contracts, announcing seven deals worth more than $300 million at the CeBIT 2006 trade show. "Our customers’ competitive landscape continues to undergo tremendous change as the boundaries between the telecom, media and Internet worlds continue to...
ATLANTA—AT&T Inc. announced Sunday that it will merge with Baby Bell BellSouth Corp. in a $67.1 billion, all-stock transaction that, if approved by regulators, would give Cingular Wireless L.L.C. a single parent company. The transaction also would replace the Cingular brand with the very...
WASHINGTON—Consumer advocates asked the Justice Department to block AT&T Inc.’s proposed $67 billion acquisition of fellow Baby Bell BellSouth Corp., while organized labor described the deal as a "critical opportunity." AT&T and BellSouth also control the country’s largest wireless operator Cingular Wireless L.L.C. "Congress...
WASHINGTON-Top wireless broadband licensees are at odds with schools and churches over whether federal regulators should mandate a 15-year cap on education spectrum leases, a feud that could force Bush administration telecom officials to choose between two highly popular and politically connected interest groups....
SAN ANTONIO, Texas—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. subscribers can use their phones to access photos, e-mail, instant messaging and address books from their Yahoo Inc. accounts.Yahoo’s latest effort to expand into wireless uses a Nokia 6682 handset that can also receive custom news, weather and sports....
WASHINGTON-CTIA is changing its USF tune and siding with FCC Chairman Kevin Martin in his battle to change the way universal service is paid for. Martin-and now CTIA-wants to base universal service funds on telephone numbers, instead of the current system that works on...
WASHINGTON—CTIA is changing its USF tune and siding with FCC Chairman Kevin Martin in his battle to change the way universal service is paid for. Martin—and now CTIA—wants to base universal service funds on telephone numbers, instead of the current system that works on...
MotorolaMotorola Inc. named Hamid Ahmadi its first chief architect, with responsibility for developing a unified architectural framework and leading strategic hardware and software architecture planning across all business units. Ahmadi will report to Padmasree Warrior, the company's executive vice president and chief technology officer....
WASHINGTON-Government officials should move quickly to ensure that telecommunications carriers can gain access to their sites and the necessary fuel and security to be able to restore communications service as rapidly as possible. This was the conclusion of the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental...
Telecom equipment vendors posted fiscal first-quarter results and watched their stocks react accordingly. Thanks in part to a $278 million bankruptcy lawsuit ruling, Lucent Technologies Inc. posted a first-quarter net loss of $104 million, or 2 cents per share.The telecom equipment maker said the...
MURRAY HILL, N.J.-Thanks in part to a $278 million bankruptcy lawsuit ruling, Lucent Technologies Inc. posted a first quarter net loss of $104 million, or 2 cents per share. The telecom equipment maker said the ruling, worth 6 cents per share, was ordered by...
LUXEMBOURG-Mobile operator Millicom International Cellular said it's mulling over its options after receiving "a high number of unsolicited approaches," according to a company statement. According to the Wall Street Journal, the cellular carrier received indications of interest from as many as 10 unnamed companies,...
WASHINGTON-Wireless carriers whose networks were severely damaged or destroyed by hurricanes Katrina and Rita have the opportunity to take advantage of federal tax breaks, including a bonus depreciation that many believe will help wireless players rebuild and upgrade their networks in the Gulf Coast...
NEW YORK-Credit ratings firm Standard & Poor's is turning a sharp eye on wireline companies and their wireless offspring, citing concerns about wireline businesses' ability to compete with Voice over Internet Protocol providers, particularly cable companies. Verizon Communications Inc. and its related companies, including...
The wireline parent companies of Cingular Wireless L.L.C. are dangling discounts, converged bills and the potential of cross-platform services as they try to convince customers to bundle Cingular wireless services along with high-speed Internet, video and wireline phone services. As the AT&T brand re-emerges...
If Amp'd Mobile Inc.'s bargain-basement full-track download music service was designed to get attention, it's working. The recently launched mobile virtual network operator made headlines a few weeks ago when it said it would match the price of Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes service, selling...
