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Verizon Wants FCC's Spectrum Screen Applied to Sprint, Clearwire Deal
January 29, 2013 2:40 pm | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsVerizon Wireless has filed with the FCC comments on Sprint's potential acquisition of Clearwire, stating that the Commission should apply its spectrum screen to the swath of 2.5 GHz airwaves in question to determine if the potential deal poses spectrum aggregation concerns.
First News Briefs for January 28, 2013
January 28, 2013 9:48 am | by Wireless Week Staff | News | CommentsZoove today announced its StarStar Me service is available to T-Mobile USA customers nationwide. StarStar Me provides customers a personalized mobile phone number such as a name or favorite word and the ability to manage incoming calls through the StarStar Me app.
Hesse on Mergers and Acquisitions
January 21, 2013 4:54 pm | Videos | CommentsSprint CEO Dan Hesse reiterates his opinion that consolidation will be necessary to create a wireless carrier that can compete with the likes of AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless. Hesse told CNN Money in and interview that he's been saying for a long time...
Report: AT&T Considering Overseas Acquisition
January 17, 2013 9:40 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsAT&T may be looking to acquire an overseas carrier, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal today. The Journal cites "people familiar with the carrier's thinking" who said that AT&T is currently looking at a number of targets and a deal could come before the end of the year...
Sprint Announces Upcoming LTE in 28 Cities
January 16, 2013 5:23 pm | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsSprint today announced it will be rolling out LTE soon in 28 more cities, including many spots along the Gulf Coast. You can check out the entire list here. Since Sprint introduced its LTE network in July 2012, it has made the service available in 49 cities, with another 200 markets in the works. Sprint has said it hopes to cover its entire 3G footprint by the end of 2013.
Clearwire Files Opposition to Crest's Petition for Reconsideration
January 15, 2013 10:08 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsClearwire filed with the FCC an opposition to Crest Financial's earlier petition to reconsider the Eagle River Holdings deal from 2012 which gave Sprint a controlling interest in Clearwire. In Clearwire's new opposition, dated Jan. 14, the Wi-Max provider states Crest's petition "provides no credible basis for the FCC to reverse its actions" and should be "promptly denied."
Crow Creek Sioux Tribe Files to Block Sprint, Softbank Deal
January 11, 2013 9:38 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsThe Crow Creek Sioux Tribe Utility Authority has filed a petition with the FCC to block Sprint's impending 70-percent share transfer to Softbank on the basis that Sprint has "demonstrated a blatant disregard for the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe and its regulatory authority over Sprint’s operation on the Crow Creek reservation."
Carriers Spat Over Spectrum Weighting
January 10, 2013 2:59 pm | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsIt seems everyone agrees that the FCC needs to simplify its spectrum screen, but there's a big division on exactly how that should be done. Such was the case in a spate of comments filed with the FCC this past week. AT&T and Verizon Wireless come down on the "light touch" side of things...
Report: Sprint Doesn't See Need to Up Clearwire Bid
January 10, 2013 10:36 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsSprint isn't sweating Dish Network’s offer to buy Clearwire for $3.30 per share, an 11 percent increase over its $2.97 offer, and doesn't foresee needing to up its bid in acquiring a 100 percent stake in the WiMax provider, according to a Reuters report citing sources close to the deal.
Dish Jumps in With Unsolicited, $3.30 Per Share Offer for Clearwire
January 9, 2013 10:18 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsDish Network has offered to buy up to all of Clearwire’s common stock at $3.30 in a proposed deal that would allow Dish to purchase some spectrum assets from Clearwire. Under the conditions of the preliminary offer, Dish would acquire approximately 11.4 billion MHz-POPs from Clearwire, or 24 percent of its total spectrum holdings, for $2.2 billion.
Crest Financial Files to Block Sprint, Clearwire Deal
January 8, 2013 10:45 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsCrest Financial Limited, which owns an 8.3 percent share of Clearwire, has petitioned the FCC to block Sprint's proposed 100 percent acquisition of Clearwire, citing proper public notice was not issued in Sprint's 2012 deal with Eagle River Holdings to re-acquire a controlling stake in Clearwire.
Can MVNOs Help Peel the Cap off Big Data?
January 4, 2013 10:58 am | by Ben Munson | Articles | CommentsCaps have been placed the amount of data mobile customers can use under the impression it helps to alleviate network congestion, according to a new study released by the Open Technology Institute. Can any of the unique data service models used by MVNOs solve the problem and help to convince big carriers to cease the restrictive practice?
Dish Asks for More Time on Sprint, Clearwire Deal
December 27, 2012 10:59 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsDish Network this week repeated a previous request for an extension to the time allotted for commenting on Sprint's proposed buy out of Clearwire. Sprint intends to purchase the remaining 50 percent share of Clearwire it doesn't already own for $2.2 billion.
Verizon Launches LTE in 29 New Markets, Expands Service in 36
December 20, 2012 9:32 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsVerizon today announced the launch of its 4G LTE service in 29 new markets, as well as the expansion of service in 36 of its existing markets. Verizon's LTE deployment has been consistently ahead schedule. The carrier says it plans to have its rollout completed by the middle of 2013.
FCC Limits Dish Spectrum, Sets 4-Year Timetable for Rollout
December 19, 2012 11:48 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsThe FCC Tuesday issued use rules for Dish's 40 MHz of spectrum in the AWS-4 band, and they're not exactly what the company had hoped for. In its order, the FCC said it declined a proposal presented by Dish that would have included shifting the AWS-4 uplink spectrum...
Sprint Seals Deal to Buy 100 Percent of Clearwire
December 17, 2012 10:02 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsSprint's bid to own 100 percent of Clearwire has been accepted at $2.2 billion, which equals the $2.97 per share cap that Sprint majority stake holder Softbank placed on the deal. In a statement, Sprint said the deal takes the enterprise value of Clearwire to approximately $10 billion.
Softbank Caps Sprint's Bid for Clearwire; Investors Ask for More
December 14, 2012 10:41 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsSprint’s bid to buy the remaining portion of Clearwire is proving more complicated than originally thought, as Softbank, which plans to acquire a 70-percent stake in Sprint next year, draws a cap on Sprint’s bid for Clearwire, and investors say they want a lot more per share than that bid will allow.
Sprint Officially Offers to Buy Clearwire
December 13, 2012 10:44 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsClearwire today filed an 8-K to inform investors of Sprint's filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, disclosing its intent to acquire the Clearwire Corporation capital stock it doesn't already own. Clearwire's filing reports...
Report: Sprint, Clearwire Deal Could Come Soon
December 12, 2012 10:00 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsSprint and Clearwire are nearing a deal that would allow Sprint to buy the remaining 49 percent of Clearwire that it doesn't already own, according to a report from CNBC. In October, Sprint acquired a 4.5 percent stake in Clearwire from Eagle River Holdings LLC to push it up to a 50.8 percent...
FCC Gives Dish OK on AWS Spectrum
December 12, 2012 10:00 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsThe FCC late yesterday gave approval for Dish Network to deploy a terrestrial wireless broadband network on its holdings of what was previously spectrum reserved for satellite transmissions. The decision came concurrent with the commission’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for an auction of the H Block, a chunk of airwaves adjacent to Dish’s AWS spectrum in which Sprint has expressed interest.
MVNO FreedomPop Enters In-Home Broadband Market
December 12, 2012 9:52 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsFreedomPop, an MVNO operating on Clearwire’s WiMax network, today announced its foray into home broadband and the company has begun accepting pre-orders for its Hub Burst modem/router. The broadband service will operate on a freemium model similar...
Virgin Mobile Pulls Offensive Ad
December 11, 2012 9:33 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsVirgin Mobile, owned by Sprint Nextel, has removed from its website and disavowed an offensive ad, citing it as a "rogue post by an external agency that was not approved by Virgin Mobile US." Virgin Group founder Richard Branson joined the Twitter chorus that decried the ad as distasteful and vaguely supportive of violence toward women.
Dish: Sprint Trying to Block New Market Entrant
December 10, 2012 10:32 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsThe back and forth between Dish Network and Sprint continued today, as Dish submitted an ex parte filing that blasts Sprint's suggestion that the FCC do more to protect the H Block from being interfered with by Dish's AWS-4 spectrum.
Report: Dish to Sell Mobile Phones at Blockbuster Stores
December 6, 2012 10:57 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsDish Network will start selling mobile phones from Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile in its Blockbuster video rental stores, according to a report from Bloomberg that cites people with "knowledge of the matter." The plan is an extension of Dish's current mobile phone sales through Blockbuster's website.
Dish Concedes 5 MHz of Uplink Spectrum
December 5, 2012 10:49 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsDish Network says it's willing to accept a 5 MHz guard band on its AWS spectrum that would protect the H Block from interference. In a filing with the FCC, Dish said it recognizes that the commission desires to retain flexibility in the future use of the H Block...
