Editor’s Note: The RCR Wireless News Time Machine is a way to take advantage of our extensive history in covering the wireless space to fire up the DeLorean and take a trip back in time to re-visit some of the more interesting headlines from this week in history. Enjoy the ride!
Philadelphia officially goes forward with Wi-Fi system
The City of Philadelphia officially announced Thursday that its unlicensed wireless citywide network will be built and maintained by a new nonprofit entity known as Wireless Philadelphia. “Critical to the Wireless Philadelphia proposal is how this initiative will help conquer the economic and social disadvantage experienced by those without affordable access to technology, known as the digital divide. Government has long worked to ensure key infrastructure be made available to its citizens, such as the deployment of electricity and phone services. Philadelphia’s proposal will help low-income and disadvantaged individuals and businesses gain unprecedented access to technology,” reads a city statement. … Read More
MCI will stick with Verizon
MCI Inc.’s board of directors rejected Qwest Communications International Inc.’s latest acquisition proposal in favor of a previous and lower bid from Verizon Communications Inc. MCI’s board noted that the Qwest bid, which totaled $8.9 billion in its current form, “is not superior to its $7.5 billion merger agreement with Verizon that was agreed to late last month.” … Read More
Verizon to offer Treo 650 ‘soon’
Verizon Wireless confirmed it will sell PalmOne Inc.’s Treo 650. Many in the industry had expected such a move, although neither Verizon nor PalmOne had officially announced the device for Verizon’s network. Sprint PCS and Cingular Wireless L.L.C. already offer the Treo 650. Verizon did not give a price for the advanced device or a specific release date, except to say that it would be available “soon.” … Read More
Consumer groups say Sprint Nextel should divest 2.5 GHz spectrum
Consumer groups said federal regulatory approval of Sprint Corp.’s proposed $35 billion acquisition of Nextel Communications Inc. should be conditioned on the merged entity’s divestiture of 2.5 GHz wireless licenses. “FCC approval of this transaction will harm consumers by allowing one entity to control an excessive amount of mobile broadband communications spectrum in many markets of the country,” said the Consumer Federation of America and Consumers Union. … Read More
Nokia in CDMA EV-DO talks with SK Telecom subsidiary?
Nokia Corp. is in advanced discussions to purchase CDMA EV-DO phones from the phone-making subsidiary of Korean CDMA carrier SK Telecom, according to a report from Reuters. A Nokia spokesman said the company has made no such announcement and is “unable to comment on rumors.” SK Teletech, SK Telecom’s handset subsidiary, did not return a request for comment. If Nokia does sign a deal with SK Teletech it could mark a change in strategy for the world’s No. 1 handset vendor. Nokia has long refused to outsource the development and manufacture of its phones, unlike most of the rest of the handset market. … Read More
Nextel Partners sells towers to TowerCo
Nextel Partners Inc. said it has entered into an agreement with TowerCo Inc. to purchase, construct and own 300 cell towers for an undisclosed amount. The agreement calls for TowerCo to purchase up to 92 existing towers from Nextel Partners, predominately in the carrier’s North, Southeast and Midwest operations, for $12 million. Nextel Partners also has granted TowerCo exclusive rights to build or buy future towers up to a combined total of 300 towers by the end of 2008. … Read More
Q1 expected to continue trend of solid subscriber adds
The nation’s big five operators are not about to slow down. Following a record-setting year in which the wireless industry added more than 22 million customers and surpassed 60-percent penetration, analysts expect the industry’s largest operators to post more than 4.5 million net subscriber additions for the first quarter. That is well ahead of the 4 million posted during the first three months of last year. … Read More
9/11: From repeaters to jammers
It undoubtedly will take years to sort out why some first-responder communications worked and why some did not after terrorists navigated jet planes into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. But it appears one suspected culprit has been exonerated. The National Institute of Standards and Technology last week said that while communications and information sharing were lacking shortly after the two skyscrapers were struck and human life inside wantonly violated, damaged repeaters and/or improper operation of them were not to blame as some initially suspected. It was only after the second towering inferno collapsed that the operable repeater ceased to relay radio transmissions, according to investigators. … Read More
NextWave completes spectrum sale to Verizon, emerges from bankruptcy
Verizon Wireless completed its $3 billion acquisition of NextWave Telecom Inc.’s 28 spectrum licenses covering approximately 73 million potential customers in 23 markets. NextWave said it has formally emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings following the closing of the spectrum sale to Verizon Wireless. The spectrum deal, which was announced late last year, included nearly all of NextWave’s spectrum holdings that remained following the sale of 34 licenses to Cingular Wireless L.L.C. in early 2004 for $1.4 billion, an auction of three licenses to Verizon Wireless and MetroPCS Inc. last summer that generated nearly $1 billion and the return of dozens of licenses to the Federal Communications Commission as part of NextWave’s bankruptcy proceedings. … Read More
T-Mobile USA touts new prepaid service in ad campaign
T-Mobile USA Inc. said it plans to launch a new advertising campaign highlighting the carrier’s prepaid service offering T-Mobile To Go. The carrier noted that it recently introduced lower per-minute rates for its prepaid service last month, as well as provided customers with a broader selection of handsets. The advertisements, which were conceived by Publicis West, tout T-Mobile USA’s simplified prepaid offering with the tagline “T-Mobile To Go. Straight Up Prepaid.” The television ads make references to other operators charging customers connection fees and daily charges for being prepaid customers. … Read More
