Merrill Lynch

ALAMEDA, Calif.—UTStarcom Inc. said it is exploring “strategic alternatives” and has retained Merill Lynch & Co. as its financial adviser. The announcement could mean that UTStarcom is openly seeking to sell itself or merge with another company. “Our board of …

NEW YORK-Mobile ESPN seemed to have all the qualities of a successful MVNO: a highly successful brand and recognized brand, a unique user interface, slick handsets and content that would appeal to its sports-enthusiast demographic. But after eight months on …

NEW YORK—After a mere eight months on the market, Mobile ESPN has decided to get out of the mobile virtual network operator business. The brand’s entrance into the wireless space was eagerly anticipated, scrutinized and praised for its innovative user …

Most of the new generation of mobile virtual network operators are less than six months into their operations, but that hasn’t prevented a recent spate of speculation and rumors about how well they are doing. Analysts have generally predicted that …

In addition to the potential impact from Sprint Nextel Corp.’s WiMAX deployment, analyst firms expect tower companies to see an impact from the ongoing advanced wireless services spectrum auction. In a recent report, Merrill Lynch provided insights on potential tower …

The mobile virtual network operator bandwagon, cruising along smoothly a few months ago, appears to be suffering from a case of backlash. Recent MVNO news and rumors haven’t been particularly pretty. The Wall Street Journal recently ran a scathing assessment …

The battle between Leap Wireless International Inc.’s Cricket Communications subsidiary and No. 4 wireless operator T-Mobile USA Inc. over markets in Texas has escalated into a lawsuit and potentially could affect Cricket’s second-quarter numbers, analysts say. Cricket last week slapped …

Ah, the second quarter-no big holidays and the momentum from fourth quarter sales is but a distant memory. Still, it hasn’t been an idle three months for the wireless industry: several carriers have revamped sections of their pricing plans, and …

As the idea of a combined Alcatel Inc. and Lucent Technologies Inc. settles in, Nokia Corp. and Siemens AG skated into the wireless infrastructure marketplace with plans to combine Nokia’s Networks Business Group with Siemens’ fixed and mobile networks operations. …

The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms. Click here for wireless ratings from past weeks from RCR Wireless News. Carrier Merrill Lynch initiated coverage on Dobson Communications …

Wireless operators largely are expected to maintain their market share in the first quarter, which is typically a weaker quarter than the holiday-fueled fourth quarter. However, the seasonality of the wireless sales cycle is expected to be flattening, with less …

Merger talks between Alcatel Inc. and Lucent Technologies Inc. could put the entire infrastructure industry in play as consolidation among telecom carriers trickles down to their suppliers. Indeed, Merrill Lynch analysts said L.M. Ericsson, Siemens AG and Motorola Inc. are …

Lucent Technologies Inc. is swimming in new contracts, announcing seven deals valued at more than $300 million at the CeBIT 2006 trade show. “Our customers’ competitive landscape continues to undergo tremendous change as the boundaries between the telecom, media and …

The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.   Carriers Morgan Stanley downgraded its opinion on Alltel Corp. to equal weight from overweight following a rally in the …

HANOVER, Germany—Lucent Technologies Inc. is swimming in new contracts, announcing seven deals worth more than $300 million at the CeBIT 2006 trade show. “Our customers’ competitive landscape continues to undergo tremendous change as the boundaries between the telecom, media and …

The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.   Carriers Prudential Equity Group lowered its subscriber net adds forecast for UbiquiTel Inc., and consequently its EPS forecast for …

The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.   Carriers R.W. Baird lowered its estimates on Sprint Nextel, noting the company missed the firm’s expectations on postpaid customer …

The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.   Carriers Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services assigned an A rating to Verizon Communications Inc.’s $4 billion aggregate offering of …

The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms. Carriers Prudential Equity Group lowered its price target and estimates on iPCS Inc. after the company reported first-quarter results, including …

The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms. Carriers Robert W. Baird raised its 2006 estimates on BellSouth Corp. from EPS of $1.90 to $2.20 on a change …

Wireless is getting Googled. And, well, Yahoo’d. The Internet giants have made numerous headlines in recent weeks as they rush to become the premier destination on the wireless Web. And they’re doing it in very different ways. Google Inc. fired …

Verizon Wireless is expected to continue leading the wireless pack in fourth-quarter subscriber adds, as analysts fine-tune their predictions and carriers get set to release financial results for the final period of 2005 in the next few weeks. Various analysts …

Sprint Nextel Corp. will purchase the 68 percent of Nextel Partners Inc. it does not currently control for $6.5 billion, the two companies have announced. The deal puts an end to contentious legal wrangling over how much Sprint Nextel would …

WASHINGTON-Korean content provider WiderThan Co. expects to net more than $50 million with its planned initial public offering, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this month. WiderThan, which sells ringtones, ring-back tones, games and other …

WASHINGTON-Korean content provider WiderThan Co. expects to net more than $50 million with its planned initial public offering, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission late last week. WiderThan, which sells ringtones, ring-back tones, games and other …