EarthLink Inc. announced the start of its Wi-Fi phone initiative, a move that puts the Internet service provider directly up against wireless and wireline carriers as well as Voice over IP vendors."What separates our Wi-Fi phone from others is its ability to work over...
AT&T Inc. is retooling the look and feel of its wireless retail stores to reflect a multi-faceted product offering, and introduced its first super-sized, flashy AT&T Experience Store in Houston.The company called the 5,000-square-foot store "the first to demonstrate the benefits of housing AT&T's...
Regional, flat-rate carrier Revol has started testing an advertising-supported wireless service that allows users to get a discount on their bills if they agree to receive content, advertising and promotional offers on their phones.Privately held Revol said it initially plans to trial the service,...
European Union telecom regulators have settled on a price they would like to see for roaming rates that EU operators can charge customers, although the new rule has yet to receive final approvals. According to the European Commission Web site, the new rates are...
Regional, flat-rate carrier Revol has started testing an advertising-supported wireless service that allows users to get a discount on their monthly bills if they agree to receive content, advertising and promotional offers on their phones.Privately held Revol will initially trial the service for 60...
Alltel Corp. introduced a new phone from LG Electronics Co. Ltd, the AX8600. The flip phone features a 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, an expandable memory slot, an MP3 player and touch-sensitive external music buttons. It's selling for $50 with a two-year service agreement on...
Dobson Communications Corp. has introduced push-to-talk service for customers in Alaska through its Cellular One retail brand.The company said it will be the first to provide PTT in the large, sparsely populated state; the service also will work in Hawaii and the lower 48...
AT&T Inc. is retooling the look and feel of its wireless retail stores to reflect a multi-faceted product offering, and introduced its first super-sized, flashy AT&T Experience Store in Houston.The company called the 5,000-square-foot store "the first to demonstrate the benefits of housing AT&T's...
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.Cingular Wireless L.L.C., now a part of AT&T Inc., has historically held the South as its stronghold. Kevin Balgobin,...
UnbelievableSony Pictures International said it has secured the rights from Ripley Entertainment Inc. to distribute mobisodes of the Ripley's Believe It or Not! Television show. The show, which aired in the 1980s and again between 1999 and 2003, featured footage of incredible and odd...
Alltel Corp. plans to cut 150 jobs at the headquarters of recent acquisition Midwest Wireless in Mankato, Minn., by September, and said it will close 10 Midwest stores later this summer. Alltel said it would keep more than 450 former Midwest employees in Minnesota,...
U.S. Cellular Corp. executives told analysts that they continue to be skeptical about the value of upgrading their CDMA 1x RTT network to EV-DO, preferring to wait until they are certain to see a return on the network investment before doing anything more than...
The cellphone industry, the Bush administration and others are urging the Supreme Court to abandon a century-old antitrust standard in favor of one that would give carriers, vendors and others in the wireless supply chain greater protection against price-fixing lawsuits.The high court set oral...
Leap Wireless International Inc. plans to offer CDMA2000 1x EV-DO service in its markets by the end of 2007, and expects to introduce new prepaid products in the second quarter. Company executives outlined those plans during a conference call with analysts after the company's...
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...
Verizon Wireless announced that it has partnered with Fujifilm USA Inc. to provide its customers with Fujifilm's "Get the Picture Online Service Network," an online photo-printing service that allows users to print camera-phone photos at various retail outlets.Customers will have more than 10,000 retail...
Pay-as-you-go mobile virtual network operator XE Mobile added big-box retailer CompUSA as a new outlet for the MVNO's handsets and airtime cards."We expect XE Mobile's products to appeal to our younger customers who want simple, cost-effective mobile communications solutions," said Gabriela Villalobos, executive vice...
U.S. Cellular Corp. moved closer to catching up with its financial reporting, providing third-quarter 2006 results and selected data from its fourth-quarter 2006 operations. The company has been going through a series of financial restatements that have delayed the reporting of its quarterly results.U.S....
A survey of American online shoppers suggests that Apple Inc.'s yet-to-be-launched iPhone has penetrated consumer awareness, unlike other handsets before their launch. At a price between $200 and $300, the device could lead consumers to switch carriers, according to the survey. Moreover, once these...
Sprint Nextel Corp. this past week made increased efforts to work its online retail handset angle. The carrier added at least four new handsets in the entry- and low-tiers, cut prices on smartphones and toyed with pricing on its iDEN handsets.Between Feb. 12 and...
A glance at Motorola Inc. Krzr and Razr prices across carriers serves to tell a story about one handset vendor's product succession plans, as well as the fractured and cutthroat nature of the cellphone retail market.The Krzr's prices are all over the map, ranging...
Holding company Titan Global Holdings Inc. has agreed in principal to acquire prepaid mobile virtual network operator Ready Mobile L.L.C., which only began operations last year.Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it is expected to close by March 15. Titan subsidiary...
Sprint Nextel Corp. this past week made increased efforts to work its online retail handset angle. The carrier added at least four new handsets in the entry- and low-tiers, cut prices on smartphones and toyed with pricing on its iDEN handsets.Between Feb. 12 and...
T-Mobile USA Inc. tweaked its plans for business subscribers, adding a new 1,000-minute-per-month option and bumping up the price on its 1,500 minute plan. The carrier has also discontinued a family plan that offered 1,000 anytime minutes.T-Mobile USA now offers a total of six...
