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Eulogy for an MVNO

We are gathered here today to mourn the passing of a friend, a pioneer an innovator: Mobile ESPN.First of all I want to thank all of those how showed up today, especially the true supporters of Mobile ESPN, those who actually signed up for...

Worst of the Week: And Now, Some Extras

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 to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way....

Mobile ESPN exec finds new home with mobile marketing firm

SAN DIEGO—Just a few days after the Mobile ESPN flameout, an executive from the mobile virtual network operator was named chief executive of Soapbox Mobile, a mobile marketing solutions company. Vladimir Edelman has been named chief executive officer of Soapbox. He joins the company...

Disney still keen on MVNO, spending $30M to shut down Mobile ESPN

BURBANK, Calif.—It will cost The Walt Disney Co. about $30 million to shut down its Mobile ESPN MVNO, but the company remains positive on the prospects for its Disney Mobile service, according to Disney’s chief financial officer. Thomas Staggs, senior executive vice president and...

Mobile ESPN is free agent

Those performing autopsies on Mobile ESPN will find plenty of causes of death. But mobile advertising revenues could have offered a lifeline to the doomed mobile virtual network operator. Analysts agree that the sports network's ambitious wireless effort failed on several fronts. The company...

Hedgehogging

Here's what got the RCR Wireless News editorial staff talking at the water cooler last week: Mobile ESPN is out of the game. Who knew ESPN stood for Eliminate Service Plan Now?Although it wasn't entirely unexpected, it's still surprising that Mobile ESPN was K.O.'ed...

Mobile ESPN throws in towel

NEW YORK-Mobile ESPN seemed to have all the qualities of a successful MVNO: a highly successful brand and recognized brand, a unique user interface, slick handsets and content that would appeal to its sports-enthusiast demographic. But after eight months on the market, the mobile...

Worst of the Week: Mobile ESPN (Eliminate Service Plan Now)

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...

Mobile ESPN drops MVNO ball

NEW YORK—After a mere eight months on the market, Mobile ESPN has decided to get out of the mobile virtual network operator business. The brand’s entrance into the wireless space was eagerly anticipated, scrutinized and praised for its innovative user interface, but handset problems...

Mobile ESPN adding live college football games

BRISTOL, Conn.-Mobile ESPN L.L.C. reported plans to offer college football fans the chance to watch up to 25 live games each month during the season from their Mobile ESPN wireless phones. The mobile virtual network operator announced that it will offer live video from...

Mobile ESPN adding live college football games

BRISTOL, Conn.—Mobile ESPN L.L.C. reported plans to offer college football fans the chance to watch up to 25 live games each month during the season from their Mobile ESPN wireless phones. The mobile virtual network operator announced that it will offer live video from...

Virgin Mobile USA, Helio most effective in driving online sales

BOSTON-Mobile virtual network operators Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. and Helio L.L.C. are more effective at using the Internet to drive brand awareness and sales relative to their peers, according to a new report from market research firm Compete Inc. The research also showed niche...

Virgin Mobile USA, Helio effective in driving online sales

BOSTON—Mobile virtual network operators Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. and Helio L.L.C. are more effective at using the Internet to drive brand awareness and sales relative to their peers, according to a new report from market research firm Compete Inc. The research also showed niche...

The $30,000 opportunity

Why is everybody in wireless chasing the youth demographic? To steal a line from bank robber Eddie Sutton, that's where the money is. Today's average 10-year-old will spend nearly $30,000 on wireless services over the course of his lifetime, according to new figures from...

Sprint Nextel’s wholesale business losing steam

Sprint Nextel Corp. had a rocky second quarter, with plummeting retail postpaid net customer additions and negative net additions through its wholesalers. Carrier executives acknowledge the problem and blamed it on a tightening of the company's credit requirements for customers, as well as the...

Disney Mobile suspends launch plans in United Kingdom

LONDON-The Walt Disney Co. has opted to delay the launch of its mobile virtual network operator phone service in the United Kingdom. "We have decided to postpone the launch of the Disney Mobile service," said Disney Mobile U.K. spokeswoman Sandra van Vreedendaal.Van Vreedendaal added...

Regional operators improve financials, but long-term outlook remains mixed

U.S. Cellular Corp. released limited operating results for the second quarter, reporting a churn rate that ticked upward and net overall customer activations that were about half of what the carrier achieved during the same period last year-however, the company expects to boost its...

Disney Mobile suspends U.K. launch plans

LONDON—The Walt Disney Co. has opted to delay the launch of its mobile virtual network operator phone service in the United Kingdom. "We have decided to postpone the launch of the Disney Mobile service," said Disney Mobile U.K. spokeswoman Sandra van Vreedendaal.Van Vreedendaal added...

Baseball fans can tune to Sprint Nextel for play-by-play

NEW YORK-Sprint Nextel Corp. subscribers will soon be able to tune in to live radio broadcasts of their favorite professional baseball teams straight from their handsets. The carrier unveiled a non-exclusive pact with Major League Baseball Advanced Media to deliver live audio broadcasts of...

Report: New MVNOs stagnating

BOSTON—The U.S. mobile virtual network operator market continues to take hits from naysayers who believe the segment isn’t living up to its hype. The latest blow comes from research firm Strategy Analytics, which predicts the majority of MVNOs will fail to make an impact...

Baseball fans can tune to Sprint Nextel for play-by-play broadcasts

NEW YORK—Sprint Nextel Corp. subscribers will soon be able to tune in to live radio broadcasts of their favorite professional baseball teams straight from their handsets. The carrier unveiled a non-exclusive pact with Major League Baseball Advanced Media to deliver live audio broadcasts of...

MVNOs resolute amid whispers of pulling the plug

The mobile virtual network operator bandwagon, cruising along smoothly a few months ago, appears to be suffering from a case of backlash. Recent MVNO news and rumors haven't been particularly pretty. The Wall Street Journal recently ran a scathing assessment of MVNOs' performance thus...

Retooled Mobile ESPN serves Samsung’s Ace

After entering the mobile virtual network operator space with naked ambition, a $500 Sanyo Corp. handset (the "MVP") and a take-the-world-by-storm marketing spend, Walt Disney Co.-owned Mobile ESPN L.L.C. has regrouped. Results have not met expectations for the lucrative sports news franchise-gone-mobile, or in...

Brightpoint nabs distribution deal with Boost Mobile

PLAINFIELD, Ind.—Brightpoint Inc. added yet another wireless operator to its stable, inking a distribution deal with Boost Mobile L.L.C. The Sprint Nextel Corp.-owned service provider authorized Brightpoint to distribute Boost phones and services to its network of 2,000 retailers nationwide. Brightpoint has similar agreements...