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Sprint, Softbank Near U.S. Deal to Restrict Huawei Gear
March 29, 2013 9:52 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsThe New York Times reports that Sprint and Softbank, the Japanese cellular company that intends to buy 70 percent of the U.S.’s third largest carrier, are expected to allow the U.S. government oversight in its choice of network suppliers.
Clearwire Takes Another $80 Million From Sprint
March 28, 2013 10:39 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsClearwire has opted to draw $80 million in funding for April from Sprint, as part of the carrier’s proposed offer to buy the WiMax provider for $2.97 per share. Clearwire accepted the draw for March despite Dish’s insistence it would withdraw its offer to buy the remaining half of Clearwire for $3.30 per share.
T-Mobile USA's New Plans Compared to Competition
March 27, 2013 8:56 am | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — T-Mobile USA has revamped its pricing plans, the latest move in an industry that's still experimenting feverishly with various ways of luring customers and getting current ones to pay as much as possible. Here's how T-Mobile's gambit compares.
Dish Urges FCC to Squeeze Sprint, Clearwire Deal
March 21, 2013 10:29 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsAccording to a regulatory filing, Dish urged the FCC to insist Softbank and Sprint fully divulge their plans for utilizing the spectrum licenses they stand to inherit from Clearwire. In addition, Dish reiterated that the FCC should apply its spectrum screen to Clearwire’s 2.5GHz airwaves.
Crest Wants List of Clearwire Shareholders in Bid to Block Sprint Deal
March 20, 2013 9:47 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsCrest Financial Limited has demanded a list of Clearwire’s shareholders and hired a proxy-solicitation firm to help in its fight to block Sprint’s proposed acquisition of Clearwire. Crest owns 3.9 percent in common stock of Clearwire. Sprint owns more than 50 percent of Clearwire.
All Major U.S. Operators Will Carry Galaxy S4
March 15, 2013 10:17 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsAll four major U.S. carriers have put their support behind Samsung's new Galaxy S4, which was unveiled yesterday at an evening event in New York City. Immediately following the announcement, all four major U.S. carriers, as well as Leap Wireless and U.S. Cellular...
Report: Sprint’s Valuation of 2.5 GHz Spectrum on Target
March 13, 2013 10:50 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsSprint’s offer to buy Clearwire for $2.97 per share works out to $0.21 per MHz POP for the 2.5 GHz spectrum, placing it above the valuation of near $0.14 per MHz POP, a conclusion reached by a new white paper, commissioned by Sprint, from Dr. Kostas Liopiros of the Sun Fire Group.
Former FCC Commissioner Claims Clearwire Spectrum Undervalued in Sprint Deal
March 12, 2013 3:37 pm | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsIn a new report, former FCC commissioner Dr. Harold Furchtgott-Roth and the Analysis Group claims that Sprint’s proposed $2.97 per share offer to take control of Clearwire vastly undervalues the WiMax provider’s spectrum holdings. The report states that at the current offer represents $0.11 per MHz POP when it should be valuing at $0.31-$0.50 per MHz POP.
Report: AT&T Closing Gap in LTE War with VZW
March 12, 2013 10:56 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsVerizon Wireless and AT&T are battling it out in the LTE wars, with both carriers receiving impressive scores in RootMetrics' latest 77-market study. According to the study, which is offered in a consumer-friendly format, AT&T’s LTE network...
Review: Kyocera Torque
March 8, 2013 4:41 pm | by Ben Munson | Articles | CommentsIn smartphone vernacular, rugged is another word for ugly. Let’s not even get started on what ultra-rugged means. The new LTE Kyocera Torque certainly is built tough but it would be cruel to call it ugly. True it’s easily mistaken for a stud finder but it has a Dewalt-esque useful look to it that makes it endearing. Utilitarian is a better word for it.
Sprint Talks Moving Forward After iDen Decommission
February 28, 2013 11:45 am | by Ben Munson | Articles | CommentsSprint could dramatically improve its spectrum position if its bid to acquire the rest of Clearwire goes through. But while that plays out, the nation’s third largest carrier has been busy bolstering its airwaves by decommissioning its push-to-talk iDEN network in the 800 MHz frequency and preparing it for a new life broadcasting voice and LTE.
Clearwire Draws Sprint Funding, Could Complicate Dish Offer
February 27, 2013 9:46 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsClearwire has elected to accept the $80 million draw from Sprint for March, while continuing to discuss acquisition offers from both Sprint and Dish. Dish has said that it will withdraw its offer of $3.30 per share to buy the remaining 50 percent of Clearwire if the WiMAX provider drew any of the funding offered by Sprint.
Raco Will Offer Customers Sprint CDMA, LTE Connectivity
February 26, 2013 8:53 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsCompanies looking to embed wireless modules in everything AND the kitchen sink are prevalent at events like Mobile World Congress (MWC), which kicked off yesterday in Barcelona, Spain. Raco Wireless, an end-to-end M2M provider, today announced that...
Boost, Virgin Mobile Announces LTE Service, New Phones
February 25, 2013 10:33 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsBoost and Virgin Mobile are making the jump in speed up to LTE. Both operate on Sprint’s LTE network. The postpaid providers have each announced the first phones that will run on their new faster offering, with Samsung’s Galaxy Victory coming to Virgin and the HTC One SV coming to Boost.
First News Briefs for February 22, 2013
February 22, 2013 9:33 am | by Wireless Week Staff | News | CommentsJumio launched an SDK for Netverify for iOS and Android, which enables any mobile app to authenticate users within moments, using a smart phone camera. SideCar (a ride sharing service), is using it to verify user's identity. It can verify various forms of ID from over 60 countries), with a scan of the camera, rather than having a potential customer return paperwork via fax or e-mail.
Ergen: Dish Has Time to Mull Many Options for Wireless
February 21, 2013 10:20 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsDish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen said his company has plenty of time to decide how to use its spectrum, which was recently approved by the FCC for use in deploying an LTE-Advanced wireless network. "I think the focus for the next year will be to figure out what the best path...
Hesse: Sprint Looking for More Spectrum
February 20, 2013 10:39 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsSprint CEO Dan Hesse said his company is seeking to acquire more wireless spectrum in order to stay competitive with AT&T and Verizon. In an interview with Bloomberg, Hesse said Sprint hopes to scoop up more of the precious commodity by either buying it from other companies or from the government.
Confirmed: Sprint LTE Live in Parts of SF, NYC, D.C.
February 19, 2013 11:21 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsSprint is turning on LTE in some parts of San Francisco, Washington D.C. and New York City. While these markets haven't officially launched, a Sprint spokeswoman Kathleen Dunleavy confirmed "more and more reports of Sprint customers discovering LTE on their 4G LTE devices in San Francisco...
Clearwire Subscribers Dwindle 8% in 4Q to 9.6 Million
February 13, 2013 11:02 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsAs both Dish Network and Sprint haggle for control of Clearwire, the WiMax provider Tuesdauy delivered up disappointing fourth quarter results, proving once more that its spectrum is its most valuable asset. Clearwire ended the fourth quarter 2012 with approximately 9.6 million total...
Dish: Without Wireless Partner, Selling Spectrum an Option
February 12, 2013 10:21 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsDish Chairman Charlie Ergen reiterated that his company will sell its AWS spectrum, if it can’t find a suitable partner to help it deploy an LTE-Advanced wireless network. Ergen made the comments yesterday at the Wall Street Journal’s All Things D conference...
Phone Companies Prepare for Storm Power Outages
February 8, 2013 3:19 pm | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsCell-towers are dependent on electric power from the grid, but many of them have backup batteries, and in some cases generators that can power the antennas independently for longer. Prolonged power outages, such as those after Superstorm Sandy, can bring down cell service in an area.
Sprint Posts Record 4Q Revenue, $1.3 Billion Loss
February 7, 2013 10:46 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsWhile fourth-quarter 2012 Sprint platform wireless service revenue was up 12 percent to a record $7 billion, the Kansas City-based carrier still swung to a quarterly loss of $1.3 billion. The company said the loss was primarily due to network improvements...
Cleawire Keeps Deal Talks Open With Both Sprint and Dish
February 1, 2013 10:39 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsIn a proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Wi-Max provider said the special committee reviewing the deal has not made any determination to change its current recommendation of the Sprint transaction. But, Clearwire has not taken an $80 million February draw, part of an agreement in which Sprint will buy $80 million in exchangeable notes per month for up to 10 months.
Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile Announce Availability of BlackBerry Z10, Q10
January 30, 2013 12:15 pm | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsIn the wake of today's official unveiling of the new BlackBerry 10 platform and the first two devices to operate it, the full touch screen Z10 and the QWERTY keyboard and touch screen Q10, U.S. carriers are beginning to announce their plans for the new gadgets.
Dish Lays off Sprint, Softbank Deal
January 30, 2013 10:31 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsDish Network told the FCC that it would not file to block Softbanks' proposed $20 billion acquisition of Sprint. In January 16 filing, Dish had asked that the shot clock in the Sprint, Softbank proceeding be paused until Sprint's bid for Clearwire...
