Cingular Wireless L.L.C. started out in 2001 as a company with a network that was more than two-thirds TDMA and analog technology. Now, the company has indicated that it is on track to turn off both its legacy TDMA and analog networks in 2008....
LAS VEGAS—Sprint Nextel Corp.’s local phone service spin-off, Embarq, plans to launch a mobile virtual network operator later this year, according to Embarq’s chief executive officer-to-be, Dan Hesse. Hesse told attendees during a keynote address at the TelecomNext conference of Embarq’s MVNO intentions, which...
LAS VEGAS—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. plans to shut off both its TDMA and analog networks by 2008, chief executive officer Stan Sigman told attendees during a keynote address earlier this week at the TelecomNext conference. Cingular spokesman Ritch Blasi noted that about 95 percent of...
Vodafone Group plc last week signaled its retreat from the Japanese mobile market amid turmoil in its boardroom, and Verizon Communications Inc. reportedly upped its pressure on Vodafone by making an informal offer to buy the European operator's 45-percent stake in Verizon Wireless for...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission picked up support from the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission to employ blind bidding at June's advanced wireless services auction. But outside of government the proposal has set off a storm of controversy that has wireless carriers largely opposed...
Verizon Wireless ranked at the top of a dozen North American mobile operators in a survey that examined value metrics such as subscriber growth, average revenue per user, churn and subscriber acquisition costs. Meanwhile, Cingular Wireless L.L.C. accounted for more than a third of...
By Bradley JohnsonA majority—57 percent—of teens age 13-17 now have a cell phone, but that’s far below the 80 percent of adults 18-plus who own a phone. Still, for a glimpse of the future, look no further than Generation Wireless.Cell-phone users age 13-17 are...
What does $67 billion buy these days? Convergence nirvana, for one thing. If AT&T Inc.'s offer for BellSouth Corp. gets approved, as it's expected, big-time convergence could finally start happening in real-world terms. Bundled communications services from a range of wired and wireless network...
It was a week of mixed results for regional carriers, as numbers trickled in from a handful of operators-some of which had delayed their reporting or had to restate prior earnings. Leap Wireless International Inc. had a slightly weaker-than-expected fourth quarter, but the company...
Cingular Wireless L.L.C. rolled out a new pricing plan-without its signature Rollover feature-in a move to counter a similar plan offered by T-Mobile USA Inc. Cingular's Nation 1000 plan for $40 per month includes nationwide long distance and roaming, but does not offer unlimited...
BERWYN, Pa.—SunCom Wireless Holdings Inc. posted a loss for 2005, which the company said was due to a transitional year of migrating former AT&T Wireless Services Inc. customers onto SunCom’s network. The regional operator had warned in January that it expected a $14 million...
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.—A new report from J.D. Powers and Associates says wireless call-quality problems declined for the second straight year, with reported problems reaching their lowest level since the renowned customer survey firm began studying the issue in 2003. The report, now in its...
WASHINGTON—The Congressional Black Caucus has urged Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin to prohibit the awarding of spectrum auction bidding discounts to small business applicants affiliated with the five largest mobile phone carriers in the United States. "We are concerned that the commission’s current...
ATLANTA—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. rolled out a new pricing plan, without its signature Rollover feature, in a move to counter a similar plan offered by T-Mobile USA Inc. Cingular’s Nation 1000 plan for $40 per month includes nationwide long distance and roaming, but does not...
WASHINGTON—The Rural Cellular Association this morning came out against a proposal by the Federal Communications Commission to keep spectrum auction information secret. "A ‘blind bidding’ process would deter participation by RCA members who want to know, round by round in the bidding, what other...
What a long, strange trip it's been.Almost two years ago, I renewed my cell-phone contract with what was then AT&T Wireless Services Inc. I was happy to do so-in fact, that was when my wife and I "cut the cord" and got rid of...
News that AT&T Inc. would acquire BellSouth Corp. quickly sent ripples of rampant speculation through the industry, as observers tried to calculate the implications of the deal. Immediate reactions focused on the response from Verizon Communications Inc. and whether it would seek to bolster...
As far as Sprint Nextel Corp. officials are concerned, the future is mobility, new models and new math. Sprint Nextel Chief Executive Officer Gary Forsee argued at the company's annual analyst conference that his company's partnership with cable companies and its relationships with multiple...
When Cingular Wireless L.L.C. closed on its purchase of AT&T Wireless Services Inc. in late 2004, the company poured out an estimated $300 million in marketing during the fourth quarter of that year, sending out everything from a "wedding" invitation touting the joining of...
WASHINGTON-The Justice Department last week asked U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty for permission to join the auction fraud lawsuit against Wall Street telecom magnate Mario Gabelli, upping the stakes of the litigation at a time when federal regulators are scrambling to enact reforms that...
WASHINGTON-The Justice Department asked U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty to join the spectrum auction fraud lawsuit against Wall Street telecom magnate Mario Gabelli, upping the stakes of the litigation at a time when federal regulators are scrambling to enact reforms that could ban national...
BONN, Germany-Vodafone Group plc shares surged more than 9 percent on the London Stock Exchange Friday when the company confirmed reports that it is in talks to sell its Japanese operations to broadband Internet provider Softbank. "Vodafone has been struggling with its Japanese unit...
U.S. Cellular Corp. and its parent company, Telephone and Data Systems Inc., again delayed reporting their third-quarter 2005 results and financial restatements dating back to 2000. The American Stock Exchange granted the companies their fourth filing extension, giving them until June 30 to make...
T-Mobile USA Inc. recorded a banner 2005 and posted the best overall performance of T-Mobile International's wireless subsidiaries, while parent company Deutsche Telekom AG's full-year profit for the year showed solid gains and the company declared its largest ever dividend. However, DT's fourth-quarter profits...
