Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes all in for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the top headlines from the past. Fire up the time machine, put on the sepia-tinted shades and enjoy the memories!
Report: T-Mobile US moves resonate with customers; Sprint needs to react
T-Mobile US has been on a bit of roll over the past several months, merging its operations with MetroPCS, rolling out new rate plans and during the second quarter blowing the competition out of the water in customer additions. Not bad for the country’s “smallest” nationwide operator. Analysts have noted this surge and predict that the carrier could be set to continue showing strong results at least through the end of the year. A new report from Recon Analytics, based on a survey of T-Mobile US customers, claims that while there are some financial concerns with T-Mobile US’ latest moves, the carrier has done a great job of taking advantage of the current wireless environment. … Read More
FreedomPop enters smartphone space with ‘free’ service
Wireless service provider and rabble-rouser FreedomPop is making its biggest splash to date, announcing plans to begin offering smartphones to customers with a limited bucket of voice, messaging and data services for free, or the ability to upgrade to unlimited voice and messaging with a bucket of data for $11 per month. The smartphone move comes just one year after the company entered the mobile space with its “free” mobile data offering using network resources from Clearwire’s WiMAX network. Since then, FreedomPop has expanded its offering to include 3G and LTE service running across Sprint’s network, with the move into the smartphone space opening up a much larger audience to the company. … Read More
Regional carriers discount new iPhones
A handful of regional carriers began selling Apple’s new iPhones today, discounting both the flagship 5S as well as the colorful 5C. They are offering both models on contract for $50 less than AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless. C Spire Wireless, which serves subscribers in Mississippi and surrounding states, is offering all versions of the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C at $50 discounts to national carriers’ prices. Kentucky’s Bluegrass Cellular has the same pricing, as does Appalachian Wireless and Wisconsin-based Cellcom. … Read More
Alcatel-Lucent opens CloudBand for NFV ecosystem
Alcatel-Lucent continues to beat the drum for software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV), with the creation of an open ecosystem for service providers, developers and vendors interested in adopting NFV. The CloudBand Ecosystem Program was initially rolled out to a limited group of vendors, but Alcatel-Lucent has now opened it to include a wider array of businesses, and 15 companies are now signed on. Some of those include Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica, Citrix, Intel, Vyatta, Radware, Red Hat, HP, Gigaspaces, StackIQ, Inktank and Nominum. … Read More
ZTE goes straight to customers with U.S. smartphone launch
China’s ZTE is bringing its two flagship smartphones to the U.S., hoping to attract customers who want to avoid carrier contracts. The ZTE Grand S and the nubia 5 will be available through Amazon, Walmart.com, and other third party retailers, but not through any carriers. Both are GSM/UMTS phones, so they are compatible with AT&T’s network and T-Mobile US’s network. They support HSPA+ speeds, but not LTE. The Grand S will retail for $400 and the nubia 5 will sell for $450. Both will be available for pre-order October 5, and are expected to ship later this month. ZTE hopes the phones will attract buyers who prefer a prepaid service plan, but want to carry a higher-end device than many prepaid plans offer. The company is focusing on online retail partnerships, betting that consumers will be willing to pay $400 or more for a phone without seeing or touching it first. … Read More
Target set to enter branded prepaid space with help from T-Mobile US
Big-box retailer Target is getting in on the branded prepaid wireless space with the impending launch of its Brightspot offering. The service is set to launch Oct. 6 running across T-Mobile US’ network. The service begins at $35 per month for unlimited voice and messaging, with customers able to tack on 1 gigabyte of “4G” data for $15 or 4 GB for $30. For every six months of service Target will provide customers with a $25 gift card, and holders of Target’s RedCard will received an additional 5% discount. The $50 per month plans offer 500 megabytes more “4G” data access than similar Simple Choice plans from T-Mobile US. … Read More
FCC to fine 5 carriers $14M for Lifeline fraud
The Federal Communications Commission wants to hand out more than $14 million in fines to wireless operators it claims defrauded the government out of fees related to the Lifeline subsidized phone program. The Lifeline program was started in 1985 and is the part of the universal-service program aimed at providing low-income consumers access to telecommunications. The FCC said it plans to fine five companies a total of $14.4 million connected to the fraud claims, noting those companies signed up thousands of consumers for multiple subsidies despite rules the limit one subsidized offer per customer. The companies named include TracFone Wireless, Assist Wireless, Easy Wireless, Icon Telecom and UTPhone. … Read More
RWA seeks conditions on AT&T’s plans to acquire Leap
AT&T’s pending attempt to acquire Leap Wireless gained a new foe as the recently re-branded Rural Wireless Association said it has filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission asking that a “reasonable” spectrum cap be considered before moving forward on the deal. “If the proposed transaction is allowed to proceed, RWA argues that AT&T not be allowed to hold more than 25% of the suitable and available spectrum in any given county post transaction,” RWA noted in a statement. “RWA believes that the commission should review this proposed takeover through the prism of a spectrum aggregation rule that supports at least four equally healthy competitors per market and that any spectrum held by AT&T exceeding this amount should be divested or leased to another operator.” … Read More
Alcatel-Lucent scores chunk of China Mobile TD-LTE deployment
Alcatel-Lucent scored a major win for its LightRadio platform as China Mobile selected the vendor to supply more than 20,000 TD-LTE base stations by the end of the year. Financial terms of the deal were not released. The win follows years of network trials where China Mobile has been testing TD-LTE technology across portions of its network, with plans to deploy 207,000 base stations by year end as part of its “phase one” launch. Alcatel-Lucent said that its portion of the deal will account for 11% of that total. … Read More
Ericsson makes a splash in small cells
Ericsson has entered the small cell battle, launching its Radio Dot System that is expected to be available late next year and garnering early interest in the product from Verizon Wireless. The company boasted of a disk-shaped radio small enough to fit in someone’s hand but able to provide high-quality mobile broadband and voice service indoors. Ericsson said the Radio Dot System has a “compelling evolution path” and is aimed at supporting users in medium-to-large indoor locations, and giving a “complete indoor solution” to mobile operators. … Read More
Check out RCR Wireless News’ Archives for more stories from the past.
