5 things to know today …
1. Google said Sprint will be the first carrier to launch enhanced text messaging for Android phones. Sprint will use GSMA’s universal rich communication services profile. For the past year, Google has been working with various mobile operators to upgrade SMS on Android devices. The new services will make SMS on Android devices more competitive with Apple’s iMessage. Group chat, high-resolution photo sharing, and read receipts will all be available to Sprint customers using Android devices, Google said.
2. Verizon Wireless has dropped its least expensive prepaid plans. The carrier is discontinuing a $15 per month plan that offered limited voice, text and multimedia messages as well as a $30 per month plan that offered voice and SMS. Verizon Wireless has recently seen good growth in its prepaid business.
“Net prepaid additions increased to 83,000 for the quarter which is a significant improvement sequentially and from the prior year due to the impact of new price plans for our prepaid market,” Verizon CFO Fran Shammo said during the company’s third quarter earnings call.
3. A team of private equity investors is buying CenturyLink’s data centers and colocation business for $2.1 billion. Earlier this week, CenturyLink said it will buy Level 3 for $25 billion. Even before that deal was announced, CenturyLink was looking for buyers for its data center business.
The investor group buying CenturyLink’s data centers will combine them with several proprietary security and data analytics services that the group already owns. The private equity partners include BC Partners and Medina Capital Advisors. As part of the deal, CenturyLink shareholders will get a minority stake in the infrastructure business that the investors are creating.
4. Another internet service provider merger may be in the works. Reuters is reporting that Windstream and Earthlink are in talks about combining their businesses. The companies are said to be discussing an all-stock deal that would give Windstream shareholders a slightly larger stake than Earthlink shareholders. Both companies are scheduled to report earnings on Monday.
5. T-Mobile Nederland is buying Vodafone’s fixed-line business in the Netherlands for an undisclosed sum. Like T-Mobile US, T-Mobile Nederland is a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom. Vodafone needed to sell its fixed-line business to get EU approval to merge its Dutch operations with those of Liberty Global.
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