Mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. is discontinuing its hybrid WiFi/cellular data plan as of May 8, according to the company's Web site. The Helio Hybrid plan was introduced last October and was the first time an MVNO had ventured into convergence territory. Helio...
Hello!And welcome to our Thursday 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 RCR Wireless News to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong...
Japanese wireless carrier KDDI Inc.'s American operation has moved closer to launching a mobile virtual network operator in the United States, targeting Japanese speakers in America.The carrier opened up a Web site over the weekend showing some teaser information about the service that appears...
Mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. raised prices on its two handsets-the Drift and the Heat, both from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.-to $225 (from $175) and to $150 (from $100), respectively. The price hikes coincide with the end of a month-long promotional effort Helio...
Mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. added a new phone to its lineup, the "Heat" from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. The slider-style phone supports Helio's full-track music download service and GPS location offerings, as well as touch-sensitive keys. The phone is selling for $150."Young...
A new handset potentially destined for mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. has popped up on the Federal Communications Commission's Web site. The PN-810 from Pantech Corp. is a two-way slider with stacked sections: a middle section slides out to reveal the typical phone...
As the flurry of mobile virtual network operators that launched in 2006 start to settle in, some are proclaiming customer gains with stand-alone business models-but MVNOs are also taking alternate tracks to promote their brands and content. Both Helio L.L.C. and Amp'd Mobile reported...
Content aggregators are fleeing the ringtone dance floor and scrambling to develop different types of content and build new business models.The latest vendor to read the writing on the wall is Moderati Inc., a Santa Monica, Calif.-based ringtone provider. The company this week should...
Mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. said last week that it expects to reach the 100,000-customer mark by early in the second quarter and launched a full-track music download service to compete with similar offerings from rival MVNOs and traditional operators.The company ended last...
Vodafone Group plc became the latest carrier to partner with MySpace.com, agreeing to allow subscribers to edit profiles, message friends and post photos from their wireless phones.The operator said it will preload MySpace Mobile on selected handsets as well as offering a downloadable application...
Helio L.L.C. expects to reach the 100,000-customer mark by early in the second quarter, and its subscribers have been generating average revenue per user of more than $100 per month, the mobile virtual network operator said.The company ended 2006 with 70,000 customers, according to...
Mobile virtual network operators have definite target demographics that they're trying to lure away from mainstream wireless operators with a unique approach to service and handsets. A recent study by Yankee Group and Compete Inc. shows, however, that some of the MVNOs are generating...
DENVER-The Helio store gleams from a distance in the early dark of a cold Denver evening, its floor-to-ceiling windows enclosing a modern, warehouse/boutique-chic space that is brand spankin' new and very, very shiny. You know that new-car smell? The Helio store has a new-store...
Following the launch of the service on Amp'd Mobile Inc., mobile payment company Obopay announced it scored a second deal that will see MVNO Helio offering Obopay to its subscribers."We are delighted to be a part of such an exciting, cutting-edge mobile service provider...
For those of you yearning to edit your MySpace page while on the go, supreme happiness has arrived: Cingular Wireless and MySpace.com have struck a deal. Cingular customers can use MySpace Mobile to edit their profiles, view and add "friends," post photos and blogs...
'Tis the season for gifting and Christmas lists a mile long. But what to do if someone's list includes a Tetris download for their cell phone, or a new ringer from Chingy? Some wireless carriers and mobile virtual network operators are seeking to make...
Are Helio execs good at playing "Follow the Leader." During a keynote at the CTIA Wireless I.T. Show, Helio CEO Sky Dayton made a couple of pointed jabs at his fellow panelists representing fellow MVNO Virgin Mobile (old-man socks were mentioned, for example.) At...
The mobile virtual network operator space isn't cooling down, according to the head of mobile virtual network enabler telSpace. However, instead of following the models of Amp'd Mobile Inc. or Helio L.L.C., the newcomers to the space are incumbent local carriers seeking to stem...
U.S. network operators are losing their grip on subscribers who stroll off their decks to buy ringtones, access adult content or simply surf the wireless Web. When it comes to knowing where users are, though, carriers still hold the cards.Call it the Starbucks scenario:...
hedge*hog*ging v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cubeAs you know from your own jobs, there is always something going on in the wireless industry that is worthy of a few comments. Some of it...
LOS ANGELES-Mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. opened its first branded retail store in Santa Monica, Calif., touting the new location in the Third Street Promenade as a unique wireless shopping experience. "Helio stores are designed to be unlike anything else in the wireless...
LOS ANGELES—Forget about "Tokyo Drift," the latest sequel to "The Fast and the Furious" movie franchise. Now there’s the Helio Drift, a souped-up handset from mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. The Drift, from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., will be equipped with two new...
LOS ANGELES-Helio L.L.C., the self-proclaimed mobile virtual network operator for the young and hip, will launch additional handsets this year and next, according to Rick Heineman, the company's head of media relations. Heineman promised to give more details on the company's handsets soon. Helio...
ATLANTA-Helio L.L.C.'s operating costs pushed parent company EarthLink Inc. into an overall loss of $3.2 million for the third quarter, the company reported. EarthLink shares plunged nearly 10 percent on the announcement as Wall Street reacted to the news. Mobile virtual network operator Helio...
