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...
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....
GOOGLE INC.'S OPEN HANDSET ALLIANCE has attracted plenty of attention in the hot mobile Linux space, but the LiMo Foundation is assembling an impressive coalition of its own.Verizon Wireless last week threw its weight behind the open-source community, filling the final seat on LiMo's...
Google Inc.'s Open Handset Alliance has attracted plenty of attention in the mobile Linux space, but the LiMo Foundation is assembling an impressive coalition of its own.Verizon Wireless has thrown its weight behind the open-source community, filling the final seat on LiMo's board of...
Following much speculation, Virgin Mobile USA Inc. confirmed today that it is in "preliminary discussions" with SK Telecom to "explore possible strategic opportunities." Those opportunities are expected to include a possible merging of Virgin Mobile USA and SK Telecom-controlled mobile virtual network operator Helio...
Mobile virtual network operators Virgin Mobile USA Inc. and Helio L.L.C. have few things in common other than a subscriber base that operates on Sprint Nextel Corp.'s network. And yet the struggling companies are said to be in merger talks nonetheless, according to media...
Research In Motion Ltd. said today that its first 3G handset, dubbed the "Bold," is coming "soon" - likely in the heat of what looks to be a long hot summer in the device space. The timing of today's announcement fairly screams with competitive...
The following list includes venture capital and other investments into wireless companies announced during the past week. The value of the investment is included when available.Aperto: Quicksilver Ventures led a $20 million equity round of funding into Aperto Networks, which makes WiMAX base stations...
Sprint Nextel Corp. said nothing substantial about its WiMAX plans yesterday and instead fell back on a new touchscreen device as the biggest news to share with a room packed full of invited press and analysts.There's no doubt the company and its new chief,...
SK Telecom and Citi hope to push the mobile-banking envelope with a new, San Francisco-based joint venture. The companies unveiled Mobile Money Ventures, a joint venture that aims to develop a platform that "encompasses all key mobile banking value propositions" as it bridges the...
Mobile virtual network operator Helio scored $171 million in revenue during 2007, way up from the $46 million in revenue the company reported in 2006.However, the company's net loss also continues to widen: In 2006, Helio's net loss was $192 million, and in 2007...
IF 2006 WAS THE YEAR OF THE LAUNCH for mobile virtual network operators, then 2007 has so far been the Year of the Crash.The last few months have brought a screeching halt to the MVNO hype that dominated 2005 and most of 2006, when...
Mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. has received a fresh commitment of funds from South Korean co-parent SK Telecom, to the tune of $270 million. The funding does not include a matching commitment from Helio's other owner, EarthLink Inc.EarthLink said it is in discussions...
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.'s stock spiked for a brief time yesterday in after-hours trading due to a report that Korean operator SK Telecom was going to make a bid for the U.S. wireless carriers, according to Reuters. Sprint Nextel stock temporarily rose more than 14%...
Talk about cold callingA British man has made the world's highest mobile phone call. Rod Baber summited Mount Everest May 21 and then placed two phone calls on a MOTORIZR Z8 phone running Symbian OS. The first call was placed to a voice mail...
Japanese wireless carrier KDDI Inc.'s American operation has moved closer to launching a mobile virtual network operator in the United States, targeting Japanese speakers in America.The carrier opened up a Web site over the weekend showing some teaser information about the service that appears...
During the company's quarterly conference call, Google Inc. executives spoke at length about the future of the mobile search space and highlighted areas where the search giant has made heavy investment in wireless.While Google doesn't expect any significant revenues from its mobile business until...
RealNetworks Inc. is buying itself a bigger space on the wireless entertainment playground with a $350 million acquisition of South Korean-based developer WiderThan Co. Ltd. The Seattle-based digital media company said it will spend $17.05 per share to acquire WiderThan, which provides ringback tones,...
RealNetworks Inc. is buying itself a bigger space on the wireless entertainment playground with a $350 million acquisition of South Korean-based developer WiderThan Co. Ltd. The Seattle-based digital media company said it will spend $17.05 per share to acquire WiderThan, which provides ringback tones,...
ATLANTA—Mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. cost parent EarthLink Inc. $13.3 million in losses last quarter, according to EarthLink’s second quarter earnings report—and EarthLink said it expects those losses to widen over the coming quarters.For the third quarter of 2006, EarthLink said, it expects...
SEOUL—LG Telecom Co. Ltd.’s next move is unclear now that South Korea’s Ministry of Information and Communications has stripped the carrier of its third-generation license after the company chose to bail out on its promise to launch IMT-2000-based services, opting instead to pour its...
Given all the recent WiMAX announcements, it seems that the communications infrastructure community has convinced the rest of the world to invest in WiMAX technology, whether for fixed or mobile networks. In Seoul, South Korea's top two carriers, SK Telecom Co. Ltd. and KT...
HONG KONG—SK Telecom Co. Ltd. said it plans to buy up to $1 billion in China Unicom Ltd.’s bonds in an effort to tap the world’s largest mobile market. South Korea’s largest wireless operator said it will acquire a 6.7 percent stake in China...
