retail

In the huge universe of wireless communications comes a world of confusion. It’s common knowledge that customers have issues with their phones, service, new programs and devices, you name it. However, the bleak quality of customer service also irritates wireless …

Sprint Nextel Corp. plans to begin selling its touchscreen Instinct phone through its retail outlets on June 20, a date that may put the device on store shelves at almost the exact same time as Apple Inc.’s second-generation iPhone.Speculation is …

Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News has teamed up with Yankee Group to conduct a series of market surveys of RCR Wireless News’ subscribers to gauge their thoughts on various technology issues impacting the wireless ecosystem. Starting today and over the …

Rural mobile-phone operators have asked the Federal Communications Commission to investigate exclusivity deals between the industry’s major carriers and handset vendors, taking aim at an entrenched business practice that they assert is anticompetitive and denies rural residents in many states …

Boost Mobile is hoping to boost sales with a line of new retail stores.The Sprint Nextel Corp. division opened outlets in Hialeah, Fla., Huntington, Calif., and Houston, offering customers and would-be customers an opportunity to explore Boost’s offerings “in a …

THE GROUND CONTINUED TO SHIFT in the tumultuous mobile virtual network operator space this month as one player announced plans to call it quits, another explores a potential merger and a third prepares to morph into a reseller of wireless …

Forces swirling throughout the wireless industry are clearly shaping handset offerings expected to reach U.S. consumers in the second half of this year. While that pattern has been typical in the industry in recent years, the pace of competition has …

Editor’s Note: In this monthly feature, RCR Wireless News talks to retail managers across the country to get a first-hand view of what’s hot in wireless. The wireless retail space has been in a state of flux over the past …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to Reality Check, a feature for RCR Wireless News’ new weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. We’ve gathered a group of visionaries and veterans in the mobile content industry to give their insights into the marketplace. …

Apple Inc.’s foray into the global handset industry is a work-in-progress, judging by last week’s events, just as its initial, domestic rollout was marked by adroit tactical shifts.A sudden avalanche of international market rollouts for the iPhone announced last week …

Best Buy Co. Inc. is stepping up its European cellphone business to the tune of $2.14 billion.The big-box U.S. retailer said it will acquire a 50% stake in The Carphone Warehouse Group plc’s mobile retail operations, creating a joint project …

As customers walk away from wireless retail stores, they are less satisfied with the experience, largely because of a lack of product information and promotional incentives, according to the latest survey released by J.D. Power and Associates. Indeed, customer satisfaction …

Rural Cellular Corp. sued Alltel Corp. in federal court, accusing the Arkansas-based cellphone operator of undermining a $48 million wireless deal between the two companies.RCC last year completed its purchase of several Minnesota markets from Alltel, a divestiture-related transaction required …

Qwest Communications International Inc. is jumping wireless ship from its current mobile virtual network operator relationship with Sprint Nextel Corp. to reselling Verizon Wireless services. The move, expected to begin this summer, will see the end of the Qwest brand …

America is the proverbial “melting pot,” a nation of immigrants and their neighborhoods. With greater than 80% wireless penetration, everyone needs a mobile phone. Add the complexity of the shifting landscape from voice to advanced data services and you have …

Nokia Corp. today said three new, quad-band handsets would reach market in the third quarter, but said nothing about possible deals with GSM carriers in the United States.All three offer 850/900/1800/1900 MHz frequencies, raising the possibility of future placement at …

Shares of RadioShack Corp. plunged after the retailer blamed a disappointing quarter on slowing Sprint Nextel Corp. sales.The Texas-based chain reported a first-quarter net income of $38.8 million, down 8.7% from the $42.5 million during the year-ago period. Total sales …

Verizon Wireless reported a strong first quarter with a net gain of 1.5 million wireless customers and a nearly 49% increase in data revenues. Verizon Communications Inc. stock was up 1.9% to $37.74 per share after the news.Verizon Wireless’ first-quarter …

Editor’s Note: In this monthly feature, RCR Wireless News talks to retail managers across the country to get a first-hand view of what’s hot in wireless. Regional wireless operator Cellular South in March launched an initiative to integrate its interactive …

Technophiles and industry insiders chatter constantly about HTC America’s devices, with the savvy to look under the hood of carrier branding for the smartphone player partnered with Microsoft Corp. The general public simply does not apply the same scrutiny. For …

Sprint Nextel Corp.’s wireless resale relationship with three of the nation’s largest cable companies has come to an end. According to media reports, Comcast Corp., Time Warner Cable Inc. and Cox Communications Inc. are pulling out of their Pivot-branded effort …

Nokia Corp. bulked up its music offerings, inking a deal with Sony BMG and adding two new handsets to its XpressMusic line.The Finnish company said Sony BMG has joined its Comes With Music offering, a program that packages one year’s …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to our weekly feature, Analyst Angle. We’ve collected a group of the industry’s leading analysts to give their outlook on the hot topics in the wireless industry. In the coming weeks look for columns from Current Analysis’ …

OK, Mark Twain’s “mysterious stranger” was actually Satan’s nephew, and we’re certainly not deriding the devilish Steve Jobs or his wonderful company – but the theme of unwanted intrusion is apt.That is, if you consider the perspective of incumbent handset …

You might be surprised at how much mutual strategy a carrier and handset vendor can pack into a single device. Consider the Z750a by Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications for AT&T Mobility.For Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications’ GSM-only posture, the narrow path …