A couple years ago, starting your very own mobile virtual network operations company was a sizzling hot idea and everybody was trying to cash in. But now, two years and a slue of MVNO closings later, the idea has fizzled. With the shut downs...
While cellphone sales may be on the decline in the United States, retailers may be able to bridge the gap with accessory sales, according to a new report from consumer market research firm NPD Group.The firm said mobile handset purchases declined 20% year-over-year in...
Brightpoint Inc. said today it would distribute handsets for Verizon Wireless' indirect channel of authorized agents and national retailers. Bob Laikin, chairman and CEO of Brightpoint, declined to discuss the value of the deal, citing a confidentiality agreement with Verizon. But he said that...
Based on preliminary analysis of the 3G iPhone, Apple's new handset may be its most profitable product, garnering better than 50% margins, according to analysts.Though the grand shift from hardware profits to service-and-application profits has yet to materialize for the mobile industry's biggest players...
Kajeet Inc. last week slashed a "sizable" chunk of its sales force as it shifts from a brick-and-mortar retail strategy to an online model."We did restructure and let go a reasonable number of people," CEO Daniel Neal confirmed, declining to disclose the number of...
Research In Motion Ltd. reports fiscal first-quarter earnings on June 25 and, driven by sales of its Curve at Verizon Wireless, two analysts said the company's results likely would be at the high end of current guidance."Our view is based on very strong retail...
Denny Marie Post has joined T-Mobile USA Inc. as chief marketing officer. She was previously senior VP of global food and beverage at Starbucks."Denny has deep and varied experience as a marketing leader in some of the most competitive retail environments in America," Robert...
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.Wireless Toyz, which originally started as an outlet for paging back in 1995, today counts more than 190 retail...
APPLE INC. IS THE NAME and, now, sheer volume is the game.Before the "wow" factor for his much-hyped handset fades or is eclipsed by competitors, Apple CEO Steve Jobs has abandoned his initial business model for plunging into wireless and has gone with a...
Panasonic announced its Link to Cell KX-TH1211 accessory is now available at retail outlets.The product connects a Bluetooth-enabled cellular phone to home-based cordless handsets and allows users to initiate and receive mobile calls from a cordless handset. The company said the product preserves battery...
Leap Wireless International Inc. is set to turn on its Cricket service tomorrow in St. Louis, Mo. Leap said the service will be available at nine St. Louis area retail stores and at more than 80 authorized dealers. The value-driven wireless service offers a...
The woes besetting Motorola Inc.'s consumer handset division have been the stuff of headlines for the past year. The company has said it remains committed to creating two independently traded businesses that would send the handset division off on its own, while keeping its...
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. In the coming weeks look for columns from Current Analysis' Peter Jarich, IDC's Shiv...
WHILE THE CARRIER'S COMPETITORS WORRY over a potentially greatly expanded customer base and network footprint, Verizon Wireless' handset suppliers likely are cheering news that the carrier plans to acquire Alltel Communications L.L.C."The strongest (handset) players at Verizon Wireless areprobably the winners" in the merger,...
Editor's Note: Welcome to our weekly feature, Yay or Nay. Every week we'll review a new wireless application or service from the user's point of view, with the goal of highlighting what works and what doesn't. If you wish to submit your application or...
The Razr cut both ways. In the past two years, as its Razr-driven joyride skidded into a ditch, Motorola Inc.'s massive advantage in its home market has dwindled to a narrow gap. The relentless hunger and proliferating portfolios of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and...
The Supreme Court let stand lower court rulings that held federal arbitration law does not pre-empt class-action litigation against T-Mobile USA Inc., an action that divided the wireless industry and now paves the way for three federal lawsuits to move forward in California against...
In the huge universe of wireless communications comes a world of confusion. It's common knowledge that customers have issues with their phones, service, new programs and devices, you name it. However, the bleak quality of customer service also irritates wireless subscribers. A recent J.D....
Sprint Nextel Corp. plans to begin selling its touchscreen Instinct phone through its retail outlets on June 20, a date that may put the device on store shelves at almost the exact same time as Apple Inc.'s second-generation iPhone.Speculation is that Apple intends to...
Editor's Note: RCR Wireless News has teamed up with Yankee Group to conduct a series of market surveys of RCR Wireless News' subscribers to gauge their thoughts on various technology issues impacting the wireless ecosystem. Starting today and over the balance of the...
Rural mobile-phone operators have asked the Federal Communications Commission to investigate exclusivity deals between the industry's major carriers and handset vendors, taking aim at an entrenched business practice that they assert is anticompetitive and denies rural residents in many states access to popular wireless...
Boost Mobile is hoping to boost sales with a line of new retail stores.The Sprint Nextel Corp. division opened outlets in Hialeah, Fla., Huntington, Calif., and Houston, offering customers and would-be customers an opportunity to explore Boost's offerings "in a hands-on, contemporary environment." The...
THE GROUND CONTINUED TO SHIFT in the tumultuous mobile virtual network operator space this month as one player announced plans to call it quits, another explores a potential merger and a third prepares to morph into a reseller of wireless services.Embarq Holding Co. L.L.C....
Forces swirling throughout the wireless industry are clearly shaping handset offerings expected to reach U.S. consumers in the second half of this year. While that pattern has been typical in the industry in recent years, the pace of competition has quickened and the types...
