Verizon Wireless ranked as the highest-quality network among the seven largest wireless operators, according to the J.D. Powers and Associates 2003 Wireless Network Quality Assessment Study released earlier this week.The study employed a network quality index rating based on seven customer-reported problem areas impacting...
MEXICO CITY-Mexican operator America Movil said it acquired the 20 percent interest in Ecuadorian mobile operator Conecel that it does not already own from minority shareholders. The value of the transaction was not disclosed.America Movil now owns 100 percent of Conecel, which is the...
MOUNTAIN LAKES, N.J.-Even without wireless local number portability, churn continues to increase, according to a recent study by Solomon-Wolff Associates that says annual churn is currently 17.7 percent, reflecting an increase of 62 percent during the past five years.According to churn ratios determined in...
Verizon Wireless continued to distance itself as the nation's largest wireless carrier during the second quarter, posting 1.3 million net customer additions, which is more than double the customer growth that four of its five nationwide competitors have posted during the quarter. The operator...
As the wireless industry aims to work together to exploit data initiatives and conserve cash through network sharing, it continues to play hard ball whenever it has the chance. The competition is the enemy, after all. It must be frustrating to "work" with them....
Interest in Wi-Fi technology surged again last week as Sprint PCS announced it will begin offering a Wi-Fi solution later this summer that initially will provide its customers with access to high-speed Internet services in more than 800 locations across the country and plans...
ARLINGTON, Va.-Nextel Communications has asked a federal judge to dismiss Verizon Wireless' allegations last month that Nextel improperly obtained and tested samples of Verizon's unreleased press-to-talk handsets."Verizon's lawsuit is a classic example of a market Goliath with an inferior product trying to accomplish through...
MEXICO CITY-The previously announced agreement on the sale of Verizon Communications Inc.'s and Vodafone Group plc's stakes in Mexican mobile operator Grupo Iusacell SA came under doubt late last week when U.S.-based Fintech Advisory offered $20 million in a counter offer for the debt-ridden...
AT&T Wireless Services Inc.'s recently launched GoPhone service could signal the beginning of an evolution in the wireless prepaid market that will result in carriers placing more emphasis on offerings designed to attract consumers who for one reason or another are not interested in...
MORRISTOWN, N.J.-Building on a resale agreement announced earlier this year with AT&T Wireless Services Inc., AT&T Corp. launched its AT&T One program allowing customers to combine their wireline and wireless calling services and use unlimited night and weekend calling minutes from either offering.AT&T said...
Caution chastened optimism in vendor earnings.While companies like Qualcomm Inc. and Siemens AG enjoyed profits, others like Lucent Technologies Inc. and Nortel Networks Ltd. didn't fare as well.Ahead of its earnings report, Lucent had retracted an earlier optimistic projection to turn a profit...
SAN FRANCISCO-MarketWatch.com Inc. announced it purchased news and information provider Pinnacor Inc. for about $103 million. Pinnacor, formerly known as ScreamingMedia, offers a range of wireless news and information updates and counts Tribune Media Services, Virgin Mobile and Verizon Wireless among its customers.MarketWatch.com said...
The advent of packet-data networks and all the resulting applications-from picture messaging to push-to-talk services-creates a host of new issues that network operators and other wireless players must confront. And one important although potentially overlooked issue has absolutely nothing to do with making money...
Sprint PCS can be largely thanked (or blamed, depending on your outlook) for what those in the industry term the "Asian invasion."Sprint in the 1990s made the bold and risky decision to use an untried wireless technology-CDMA-to launch its nationwide wireless service. Sprint decided...
WASHINGTON-Nextel Communications Inc. was awarded the fixed-wireless assets of bankrupt WorldCom Inc. by Bankruptcy Judge Arthur Gonzalez.Nextel will pay $144 million for the licenses. BellSouth Corp., which originally entered an agreement to buy the licenses for $65 million, will receive a $1.95 million breakup...
OYSTER BAY, N.Y.-Advanced handset features will be key to cdma2000 1x and GPRS networks, but the industry must guard against rapid price declines, according to a new report released by Allied Business Intelligence.As the technologies grow worldwide, replacement handset sales will drive market growth,...
The price of wireless service dropped 1.9 percent last month compared with the month of May in the top 25 U.S. markets to $36.54 across four levels of usage, according to economic research and consulting firm Econ One Research Inc.The survey found that the...
SAN FRANCISCO-MarketWatch.com Inc. announced it purchased news and information provider Pinnacor Inc. for about $103 million. Pinnacor, formerly known as ScreamingMedia, offers a range of wireless news and information updates and counts Tribune Media Services, Virgin Mobile and Verizon Wireless among its customers.MarketWatch.com said...
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.-Somera Communications announced it has signed a master supplier agreement with Cingular Wireless L.L.C. under which Somera will supply equipment support for Cingular's TDMA and GSM networks."Operators are faced with the business imperative to support network growth while lowering the overall cost...
Building on a resale agreement announced earlier this year with AT&T Wireless Services Inc., AT&T Corp. launched its AT&T One program allowing customers to combine their wireline and wireless calling services and use unlimited night and weekend calling minutes from either offering.AT&T said the...
AT&T Wireless Services Inc. continued to expand the reach of its GSM/GPRS service last week, signing roaming agreements with Dobson Communications Corp. and its joint venture American Cellular Corp. that will eventually add coverage to more than 11 million potential customers in parts of...
BANGKOK-Verizon has agreed to sell its 10-percent stake in Thai telecom company TelecomAsia to Golden Tower Trading Ltd. and Mission Gain Investments Ltd. for an undisclosed amount."Our decision to exit from this investment is based solely on our strategic decision to focus on the...
WOBURN, Mass.-Despite positive second-quarter financial results from Boston Communications Group Inc., the company's stock was down nearly 35 percent Thursday on news that its largest customer, Verizon Wireless, might transition from the BCGI prepaid solution to its own in-house platform. BCGI said its contract...
It's 100 degrees outside. It seems dismal second-quarter earnings are muddying my hopes for a steady industry upturn. In short, it seems like an appropriate time to kvetch. So here goes: c Wireless is a numbers games. 147.8 million...
