Network operators increasingly will partner with small handset vendors to offer low-margin, ultra-low-cost handsets, particularly in emerging markets where new subscriber growth remains strong, according to ABI Research. Nokia Corp. and Motorola Inc. currently dominate the sub-$50 handset space, in part due to their...
Mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. continued to expand its handset portfolio with the "Fin" from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a thin clamshell priced at $175, based on a current discount. According to Helio, the Fin is the thinnest folding phone in the United...
Wireless and telecom reseller TelePlus World Corp. reported weaker second quarter results, which the company said were due to switching back-office providers and the backlash from acquiring mobile virtual network operator Liberty Wireless. TelePlus, which operates in the U.S. and Canada, earned second quarter...
A trio of independent wireless operators have partnered with Interop Technologies to deploy a range of wireless features such as short message service, multimedia messaging, wireless application protocol and over-the-air device management services.Rural Independent Network Alliance, which serves wireless operators in the western United...
Qwest Communications International Inc. named Edward Mueller its new chief executive officer. Mueller is a veteran of the telecom industry and former CEO of Williams-Sonoma. Qwest's current CEO Richard Notebaert, who oversaw the company's path to its first year of operational profitability in 2006,...
The inexorable pressure to launch a handset-as scheduled-for maximum impact-has created a growing market for mobile device management (MDM) products, including firmware over the air, or FOTA.As network operators increasingly rush to introduce new revenue-generating services and applications, market growth from a modest field...
Though diminishing in count, regional wireless operators continued to report firm financial results highlighting continued opportunities outside the urban corridors.U.S. CellularU.S. Cellular Corp. reported $971.6 million in total revenues for the second quarter, a nearly 15% increase compared with the $846.1 million the carrier...
Motorola Inc. last week upped its bet on Linux, christening a new version of its Java/Linux platform and claiming that the open-source operating system will be used on as much as 60% of its phones "in the next few years."The manufacturer initially announced plans...
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.Despite the travails of Amp'd Mobile Inc., not all news is dour in the mobile virtual network operator space....
Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA Inc. have had very divergent luck recently in trying to operate in the shadow of their two larger rivals, AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless.Sprint Nextel, which in customer numbers is a strong No. 3 behind the big two,...
CLEARWIRE CORP. IS GEARING UP to put pen to paper on a deal that will bring Amp'd Mobile Inc's. 50-plus member content team on board to lead a new content offering under the Clearwire brand.The move likely would give Clearwire a major boost in...
Clearwire Corp. has reportedly reached a deal to bring Amp'd Mobile Inc's. 50-plus member content team on board to lead a new content offering under the Clearwire brand. The move would likely give Clearwire a major boost in content offerings, as it has thus...
Welcome to our Friday feature, Week in Review. Every Friday, RCR Wireless News will run through the major events of the past week, outlining what happened and speculating on what to look for in the coming weeks. Check below for news about carriers, handset...
GreatCall Inc. finally found some well-heeled backers for its Jitterbug service.The Del Mar, Calif.-based startup said it pocketed $36.6 million in funding from Charles River Ventures, Nauta Partners and Steelpointe Capital Partners. Jitterbug, a mobile virtual network operator using Sprint Nextel Corp.'s network, targets...
Regional wireless operator Centennial Communications Corp. said it added 15,500 wireless customers across its domestic and Puerto Rico operations during its fourth fiscal quarter that ended May 31, and added 69,500 customers for the full fiscal year. The quarterly growth was an improvement compared...
T-Mobile USA Inc. continued to chug along as the industry's No. 4 carrier, but the third fastest-growing operator during the second quarter adding 857,000 new customers to its network and ending the period with nearly 27 million total customers. The growth fell short of...
Nokia Corp. is accelerating its research-and-development efforts in software to enable mobile Internet services while scaling back on research and development in chip-based radio technology. In tandem with this strategy, the Finnish company will pursue multiple sources for its chipsets, many bearing its royalty-producing,...
Vodafone Group plc said it had no plans to sell its stake in its U.S. joint venture Verizon Wireless.In an effort to end speculation about its U.S. business, the British operator said it had declined to exercise its rights to sell up to $10...
Sprint Nextel Corp. continued to show signs of turning around its customer growth challenges, saying it added 400,000 subscribers during the second quarter. While the results pale in comparison to its larger competitors AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless, both of which added in excess...
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...
Mobile software developer NetMotion Wireless is touting another customer win this week, unveiling a deal to deploy its mobile virtual private network with cable behemoth Cox Communications.The nation's third-largest cable operator said 3,500 field service technicians are using the technology, which is designed to...
THE FCC'S RULES FOR NEXT YEAR'S auction of 700 MHz spectrum could change the game substantially for wireless content owners and application developers. Then again, maybe not.Chairman Kevin Martin last week seemed to avoid drawing the ire of any of the major players-or would-be...
Despite the widely recognized success of Amp'd Mobile Inc.'s large portfolio of original content, a source at the company has told RCR Wireless News that less than 1% of the company's nearly $400 million total budget was spent on such endeavors.This revelation, which came...
Canadian telecom provider Telus Corp. reported Q2revenues were up 4% year-over-year due to growth in wireless and data, but that its earnings for the second quarter were impacted by the advent of wireless number portability in Canada as well as the bankruptcy of Amp'd...
