The quick takeaways from analysts on AT&T Inc.'s plan to buy T-Mobile USA Inc. in a $39 billion deal are largely positive, albeit slightly reserved in a congratulatory tone as the transaction still awaits regulatory approval.Mark Lowenstein, managing director at consulting firm Mobile Ecosystem,...
Editor's Note: Welcome to our weekly Reality Check column. We've gathered a group of visionaries and veterans in the mobile industry to give their insights into the marketplace.What do the Virgin Group, Poste Italiane, and Wal-Mart have in common? They are all mobile...
Prepaid provider Page Plus Cellular introduced a new annual cell-phone plan aimed at its low-volume, voice-only customers. The plan offers 2,000 airtime minutes for one year for $80, which equates to 4 cents per minute.The plan is a modification of the company’s Standard voice...
Editor's Note: Welcome to our weekly feature, Analyst Angle. We've collected a group of the industry's leading analysts to give their outlook on the hot topics in the wireless industry. This article is an excerpt from RCR Wireless News' July Special Edition, "Riding the...
Editor's Note: Welcome to our weekly Reality Check column. We've gathered a group of visionaries and veterans in the mobile industry to give their insights into the marketplace.For many years, wireless operators as a whole have not viewed order management as a top technology...
If prepaid is the future, then count Sprint Nextel Corp. as going all in on the no-contract wireless front.The carrier today unveiled its latest card to play in the prepaid game with the release of its Common Cents pay-as-you-go service that provides a traditional...
Editor's Note: Welcome to our weekly feature, Analyst Angle. We've collected a group of the industry's leading analysts to give their outlook on the hot topics in the wireless industry.It is no secret that the wireless sector has transformed and the segment seeing the...
The first predictions for 2010 are officially here with inCode Telecom's Top 10 list. This year's list involves a couple of blessing-curse combination predictions, as well as consolidation speculation and regulatory prognosticating, said inCode's Rob Chimsky, VP and CTO of the company. Chimsky said...
In an exclusive interview with RCR Wireless News, Sprint Nextel Corp. CEO Dan Hesse discusses pricing plans, unlimited service options, iDEN network capacity, the forthcoming Palm Pre, planned job cuts and network outsourcing.
RCR: Can you provide some information on what's going on with Sprint...
Sprint Nextel Corp. announced its first "Sprint 4G" device, a CDMA/WiMAX modem that will go for $150 with a two-year service contract. And at least one reviewer appeared impressed."We were blown away with the results," wrote Gary Krakow of TheStreet.com.Further, Krakow said the modem,...
In a scant 25 years, wireless technology has revolutionized the world. The cellphone is now a necessity; the network is now a conduit to friends, family, colleagues, TV, e-mail, maps, the Internet - the list keeps growing. The wireless ecosystem we enjoy today was...
Goodbye Xohm, hello Sprint 4G.Just over a year after inventing a new word for its WiMAX plans, Sprint Nextel Corp. has decided on a name that is easier on the tongue, and eyes, for its next-generation network aspirations. Sprint Nextel will be serving up...
Mobile virtual network operators will likely join the ranks with most Americans facing a tough holiday season with mixed forecasts as to whether MVNOs will come out strong or gasping for breath.Tole Hart, analyst for Gartner, thinks the next few months will be tough...
Editor's Note: Welcome to our weekly feature, Analyst Angle. We've collected a group of the industry's leading analysts to give their outlook on the hot topics in the wireless industry.Cable operators are market leaders for pay TV and broadband services, and have done very...
Virgin Mobile USA Inc. reported plans to shed 10% of its workforce, announcing it will eliminate 45 positions in its New Jersey and California offices. The cuts comes on the heels of the MVNO's mixed third quarter results, in which the company posted a...
The mobile virtual network operator market continues to proffer a mixed bag for those that continue to dabble in its murky waters. One of the segments stalwarts, Virgin Mobile USA Inc., posted third-quarter results last week highlighting struggles, but industry analyst expect the current...
It's become quite clear which technology the top four carriers have sided with in the next-generation debate between WiMAX and Long Term Evolution. Sprint Nextel Corp. is the lone supporter for WiMAX; Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility Inc. made public their plans to deploy...
Following its $25 million investment in Virgin Mobile USA Inc., SK Telecom landed two spots on the company's board. The mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) has appointed Richard Chin, president of SK Telecom Americas, and Sungwon Suh, executive VP and head of global strategy...
A few weeks after its official purchase of Helio L.L.C., Virgin Mobile USA has decided on a branding strategy; "Helio by Virgin Mobile: Plan to Have it All." The mobile virtual network operator's (MVNO) first plans for the newly joined company is to...
Losing customers is something that makes carriers' toes curl and stomachs churn; it's what you call "bad for business." Traditionally the industry's top-tier carriers manage to keep their churn around 2% or less per month thanks to their substantial postpaid customer bases. Smaller carriers...
Virgin Mobile USA Inc. showed more enthusiasm toward its newer, postpaid offerings in its second-quarter report - not the normal behavior for a company that made its name with prepaid. When asked about average revenue per user (ARPU) results related to its recently launched...
Tracfone Wireless Inc. subsidiary Net10 has jumped into the increasingly popular unlimited-service-plan play with its new Net10 Unlimited Plan, which offers unlimited calling and texting for $80 per month. Per Tracfone's modus operandi, the unlimited offer does not require a contract or credit checks,...
While some mobile virtual network operators are switching off the lights, others seem to be thriving - and globally at that. After seeing success in the United States and Canada, 7-Eleven Inc. is expanding its proprietary prepaid wireless program, 7-Eleven SpeakOut Wireless, to Asia.The...
Virgin Mobile USA's purchase of fellow MVNO Helio L.L.C. allows Virgin to evolve beyond its low-ARPU customers to higher-paying subscribers, as well as gain a sophisticated handset portfolio, improve its debt levels and cut a better deal with network operator Sprint Nextel Inc.Virgin Mobile...
