| News for the competitive wireless industry |  |
| Wireless Industry News
|  |  |
|
- Sprint sold 2.2 million iPhones in Q4
Sprint Nextel today reported revenues and losses were better than analysts' predictions on strong smartphone sales, but the carrier continued to be drained by defections from its Nextel service and costs from its 4G Network Vision upgrade. Excluding Nextel's 644,000 defections, Sprint added 401,000 contract customers and sold 2.2 million iPhones. The iPhones hurt earnings in the short run due to subsidies but will eventually contribute to earnings. Analysts said investors are largely focusing on Sprint's sale of a 70% stake to Japanese carrier SoftBank. Bloomberg
(2/7)
, The Wall Street Journal
(2/7)
, MarketWatch
(2/7)
    
|
- Carriers will consider spectrum sharing, but with doubts
T-Mobile USA, along with Verizon Wireless and AT&T, last week agreed to study the idea of sharing 95 MHz of government-owned wireless spectrum with an eye on deploying the bandwidth when it was vacated by the Department of Defense and other agencies. Still, the carriers emphasized that they remained skeptical of a sharing scheme, which has been championed by the U.S. Commerce Department. Sprint Nextel did not sign onto the memorandum, but a representative reportedly said the telecom would follow developments closely. GigaOm
(2/1)
- T-Mobile wades into spectrum debate with 600 MHz plan
T-Mobile USA has offered its own ideas for how reclaimed 600 MHz wireless spectrum that the government hopes to acquire in voluntary auctions from broadcasters should be allocated. The carrier backed much of the Federal Communications Commission's proposal, but added some of its own twists. In a blog post on the T-Mobile website, a company vice president, Kathleen Ham, pushed for a revised band plan, interoperability mandates across the entire swath of spectrum, and caps on how much bandwidth each carrier can control on frequencies below 1 GHz. FierceBroadbandWireless
(2/4)
 | Don't neglect 20% of your subscribers!
Roughly 20% of wireless subscribers need to call internationally. Consider increasing your loyalty, acquiring new customers and raising your ARPU with international calling plans. NetworkIP can equip providers with the technology, tools and service needed to offer quality ILD at a competitive price. Learn more. |
|
| Carrier Watch
| | |
|
- Tier 2 carriers in no rush to sell new BlackBerry phones
Tier 2 carriers expressed restraint when asked if they would carry BlackBerry's Z10 and Q10 smartphones, which run on the company's new operating system, when BlackBerry launches them in the U.S. in March and April, respectively. U.S. Cellular said it remained in talks with BlackBerry while MetroPCS said it was still evaluating whether the handsets were "a fit" for the prepaid carrier. The four largest U.S. carriers have said they plan to market the phones. FierceWireless
(1/31)
, PC Magazine
(2/6)
| Technology and Trends
| | |
|
- Samsung said to eye mid-March for Galaxy S4 unveiling
Samsung Electronics will reportedly introduce the Galaxy 4S smartphone at a March 15 media event, according to an Internet report. The report says the latest Galaxy flagship handset will reach some overseas market in early April before landing in the U.S. soon after. CNET
(2/6)
- Consumers opt for familiar brands in choosing smartphones
Smartphone companies not named Apple or Samsung Electronics could face an uphill battle in persuading consumers to consider their models, according to analysts who say the public has become increasingly wary of reaching for an unfamiliar handset. "This cutting-edge market has become so mature that known choices are winning. People have become so risk averse," said Roger Entner, an analyst at Recon Analytics. USA Today
(2/3)
| CCA News
| | |
|
- H Block rules should promote competition
In comments, CCA urged the Federal Communications Commission to adopt policies to curtail spectrum aggregation, and to do so prior to issuing rules for H Block spectrum as required by the Spectrum Act. CCA asked the Commission to implement rules to promote diversity among spectrum licensees, spur competition and improve consumer choice—and to prevent the nation's dominant carriers from acquiring the lion's share of this spectrum. Find out more.
- CCA's 2013 Global Expo
Registration is open! Join us in New Orleans, April 17 to 19. CCA events bring the decision-makers in the competitive mobile ecosystem -- carriers, technology experts, network builders, consultants, media, analysts, and industry influencers -- together for networking, learning and sharing best practices. Learn more.
| SmartQuote
| | |
|
 | I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
--Maya Angelou,
American author and poet
|
| |
|
