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Verizon launches prepaid data for Android, BlackBerry phones

2 September 2010, 8:46 am by: Phil Goldstein
Making the rumors official, Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) announced prepaid unlimited data plans for a wide range of phones, including some of its most popular devices.   The carrier said that beginning today customers can go into stores and purcha...

Microsoft pushes Windows Phone 7 to manufacturers; Apple details TV, iPod and iOS upgrades

2 September 2010, 8:16 am by: Mike Dano
Quick news from around the Web @FierceWireless: RT @harrymccracken: How the Technologizer community's Apple event predictions stacked up: Article | Follow @FierceWireless > Microsoft released its Windows Phone 7 operating system to handset manufac...

Apple, Google tussle over Android activation numbers

2 September 2010, 7:47 am by: Phil Goldstein
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Steve Jobs presided over the introduction of the company's new iPod touch yesterday, among other announcements, and in doing so took a shot at some of the company's competitors. Jobs said Apple is activating over 230,000 iOS d...

T-Mobile reveals more specs for G2, first HSPA+ Android phone

2 September 2010, 7:40 am by: Phil Goldstein
As has become the norm with high-profile smartphone launches, T-Mobile USA is leaking out morsels of information about the G2, its forthcoming Android device that will be its first HSPA+ smartphone. On the company's Scoop news site, the carrier revea...

Clearwire doesn't need Sprint's OK for a T-Mobile deal

2 September 2010, 7:24 am by: Phil Goldstein
Despite a recent report that indicated Sprint Nextel's (NYSE:S) board is debating whether to allow T-Mobile USA to invest in Clearwire (NASDAQ:CLWR), ultimately Sprint does not have final say in the matter. A report in the Wall Street Journal said Sp...

The reality of deploying 4G

2 September 2010, 6:59 am by: Sue Marek
As wireless carriers deploy LTE and mobile WiMAX, it is becoming clear that certain challenges exist. Because of the overwhelming demand for mobile broadband services, wireless operators must consider their network design when evaluating the underlyi...

Samsung unveils GalaxyTab Android tablet

2 September 2010, 5:42 am by: Phil Goldstein
Samsung officially took the wraps off its Android-powered GalaxyTab tablet device, positioning it as a rival to Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad.  Samsung made the announcement ahead of the IFA consumer electronics conference in Berlin, a little more...

FCC still considering reclassification for net neutrality

1 September 2010, 11:06 am by: Phil Goldstein
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has not abandoned the idea of reclassifying broadband as a Title II common-carrier service, which is seen as a key legal prerequisite for moving forward on codifying net neutrality regulations, according to a report in...

Rumor Mill: T-Mobile USA to eliminate $5 fee for adding a line

1 September 2010, 8:37 am by: Phil Goldstein
In a bid to sign up more subscribers, T-Mobile USA is going to launch a new promotion that will eliminate the $5 cost of adding a new line of service, according to the research firm Current Analysis. The promotion, which is dubbed "Kids Are Free Unti...

Paolini: Wireless plans should be tailored to subscribers, not devices

1 September 2010, 8:12 am by: Phil Goldstein
The number and variety of wirelessly connected devices is booming. Yet across all operators, service plans for both voice and data are about devices--not subscribers, writes industry analyst Monica Paolini. While there are some workarounds to this pr...

Rumor Mill: Verizon bringing prepaid to Blackberry, Android phones

1 September 2010, 7:57 am by: Phil Goldstein
Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) is preparing to launch prepaid unlimited wireless service for its smartphones, according to the blog Engadget. The blog, which cited leaked internal Verizon documents as well as device boxes showing the phones coupled with...

Boost offers unlimited service for $2 per day; Sony Ericsson hopes to dominate Android

1 September 2010, 7:42 am by: Mike Dano
Quick news from around the Web @FierceWireless: RT @gigaom: Mapping #LTE's Assault on Global #4G Domination. Article | Follow @FierceWireless > Motorola launched the Defy Android smartphone, for European markets. Article > Nokia plans to bring...

Motorola giving handset spinoff a gift of $3.5B

1 September 2010, 7:39 am by: Phil Goldstein
Motorola (NYSE:MOT) is going to give $3.5 billion to Motorola Mobility, the company that will contain its handset and set-top box units when it separates in the first quarter of next year, according to a filing. In an interview with Bloomberg, Marc R...

Analysts: No easy exit from NSN for Nokia or Siemens

1 September 2010, 7:19 am by: Phil Goldstein
Nokia (NYSE:NOK) and Siemens, which confirmed they are open to making a deal with a private equity firm for an investment in Nokia Siemens Networks, will have a difficult time extricating themselves from the joint venture, analysts said. Instead, the...

Dissecting wireless carriers' capex

1 September 2010, 6:35 am by: Mike Dano
How much do U.S. wireless carriers really invest in their networks? Until recently, it was a question that largely dominated the marketing message of most Tier 1 operators: Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) argued that "it's the network," while AT&T Mob...

Report: Sprint conflicted about T-Mobile investing in Clearwire

1 September 2010, 5:32 am by: Phil Goldstein
Sprint Nextel's (NYSE:S) board is grappling with whether to allow rival T-Mobile USA to invest in Clearwire (NASDAQ:CLWR), which will need more money to continue its network buildout, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.  The report...

Report: FCC close to finalizing rules for TV white spaces

31 August 2010, 8:19 am by: Phil Goldstein
The FCC is poised to create rules for white space spectrum, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, which could pave the way for unlicensed use of the airwaves by technology and wireless companies. According to the report, FCC Chairman Juli...

RIM's BlackBerry deal in India could encourage copycats

31 August 2010, 8:18 am by: Mike Dano
Analysts cited by Bloomberg paint a potentially troubling picture for BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM), which recently agreed to allow Indian authorities to monitor users' traffic in an effort to address regulators' security concerns...

Samsung's smartphone strategy has a Q4 hole

31 August 2010, 8:05 am by: Phil Goldstein
Samsung--high off of shipping 1 million Galaxy S smartphones in the U.S. market in the gadget's first month and a half of availability--is not planning a new flagship model for the holiday shopping season, which analysts said could dent its smartphon...

HP hires former HTC exec, now overseeing Palm sales

31 August 2010, 7:49 am by: Phil Goldstein
Amid an exodus of former Palm employees, Hewlett-Packard is hoping a former HTC executive can help it rebuild Palm's anemic smartphone position. Three weeks before it scooped up Palm for $1.2 billion in April, HP tapped Todd Achilles as its vice...

Apple hints at streaming content; T-Mobile nabs purchase agreement with EPA

31 August 2010, 7:45 am by: Mike Dano
Quick news from around the Web @FierceWireless: Be sure to check out our #4G virtual event Sept. 22. Speakers include: Michael Logan, Director, Access Strategy @Sprint. Page | Follow @FierceWireless > Comcast is launching its Clearwire-powered 4G...

Sprint expands Common Cents Mobile at Wal-Mart

31 August 2010, 7:29 am by: Phil Goldstein
Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) boosted the retail distribution for its Commons Cents Mobile prepaid brand to 500 more Wal-Mart stores across the country. The carrier also launched a new promotion to coincide with the expansion. Sprint said the brand, which i...

LightSquared 4G buildout plans leak

31 August 2010, 7:16 am by: Phil Goldstein
LightSquared plans to launch its wholesale LTE network in as many as nine U.S. markets in 2011, and could expand that list to 20 markets in 2012, according to company documents unearthed by Bloomberg. The venture, which is funded by Philip Falcone's...

Let FierceWireless help you find qualified job candidates

31 August 2010, 6:32 am by:
Finding qualified job candidates for open positions at your company is never an easy task. But FierceWireless has found a way to make the process simpler and easier for you and your Human Resources department. By using our new Web interface, you can...

Intel goes all-in on wireless with Infineon deal, but will the bet pay off?

30 August 2010, 1:52 pm by: Phil Goldstein
Intel's $1.4 billion acquisition of Infineon's wireless chipset unit is now official, and I think the deal boosts Intel's prospects in wireless a great deal, especially in smartphones and embedded wireless products. However, Intel will have to walk a...

Clearwire launches Rover, youth-oriented prepaid mobile broadband service

30 August 2010, 9:18 am by: Sue Marek
Clearwire (NASDAQ:CLWR) is going after the youth market with a new brand and prepaid mobile broadband service targeted to 18-24 year-olds who want unencumbered access to mobile broadband service. The new brand, called Rover, will...

RIM gets breather, avoids BlackBerry ban in India

30 August 2010, 8:27 am by: Phil Goldstein
Research In Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM) averted a potential ban of its BlackBerry services in India after it agreed to give security agencies there greater access to services. The Indian government said that it will review the situation in 60 days after the...

Apple, Google face patent-infringement lawsuit; Is Cisco eyeing Skype?

30 August 2010, 7:53 am by: Mike Dano
Quick news from around the Web @FierceWireless: RT @JohnPaczkowski: Steve Jobs in a turtleneck ... and shorts. Article. $AAPL | Follow @FierceWireless > T-Mobile USA will launch the BlackBerry Curve 3G Sept. 8. Article > Cisco is eyeing a possi...

Most consumers not checking in to location-based services

30 August 2010, 7:38 am by: Phil Goldstein
Location-based services via mobile devices have proliferated in recent years, with the likes of Foursquare and Gowalla letting consumers broadcast their location to followers. Facebook just got into the act with its Places service, which could lead t...

Samsung crows of 1 million U.S. Galaxy S shipments

30 August 2010, 7:28 am by: Phil Goldstein
Samsung said it has shipped 1 million Galaxy S smartphones in the U.S. market in the month and a half the smartphone has been on sale. The high-end phone powered by Google's Android platform is available via T-Mobile USA as the Vibrant and AT&T M...

Nokia, Siemens open to private equity partnership

30 August 2010, 5:52 am by: Phil Goldstein
Nokia (NYSE:NOK) and Siemens are open to making a deal with a private equity firm for an investment in Nokia Siemens Networks, executives from both parent companies confirmed to the Financial Times.   Neither company is looking for an early exit...

Intel scoops up Infineon's wireless chip biz for $1.4B

30 August 2010, 5:28 am by: Phil Goldstein
Intel agreed to buy Infineon's wireless chipset unit for around $1.4 billion in cash, a move that strengthens its position in the fast-growing smartphone chip business. The deal, which the companies expect to close sometime in the first quarter of 20...

An analysis of Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 relaunch

27 August 2010, 1:07 pm by: Ramon T. Llamas
With the fourth quarter of the year coming up soon, my eyes are on one company: Microsoft. It's been an active year for the smartphone market: Apple's iPhone setting off another round of die-hard loyalists waiting to get their iPhone 4, Motorola stor...

Clearwire plans pay-as-you-go service

27 August 2010, 12:03 pm by: Mike Dano
According to a filing from the company, Clearwire (NASDAQ:CLWR) on Monday plans to announce new pay-as-you-go service pricing. The action could significantly expand the carrier's addressable market to those unwilling to sign up for a two-year contrac...

Is Harbinger's $3B bet on LightSquared scaring investors?

27 August 2010, 8:35 am by: Phil Goldstein
The hedge fund Harbinger Capital Partners has roughly $3 billion, or 40 percent of its fund's portfolio, tied up with its wireless venture LightSquared, according to Reuters, and the risk of the venture is beginning to scare investors. A detailed rep...

Rumor Mill: Microsoft might spend up to $1B launching Windows Phone 7

27 August 2010, 7:54 am by: Phil Goldstein
Microsoft may spend up to $1 billion to launch its Windows Phone 7, according to a report in TechCrunch. Citing an unnamed source familiar with Microsoft's manufacturer and carrier agreements, TechCrunch said the company will spend $1 billion on...

U.S. Cellular sells Desire; Intel nears purchase of Infineon wireless unit

27 August 2010, 7:52 am by: Mike Dano
Quick news from around the Web @FierceWireless: #Verizon's Samsung Fascinate Galaxy S #Android smartphone preorders begin at Best Buy Mobile. Article (via @mobileburn) | Follow @FierceWireless > Bloomberg reported that Intel is nearing its purchas...

GAO report: Wireless prices dropping, consolidation rising

27 August 2010, 7:25 am by: Phil Goldstein
Prices in the wireless industry are half of what they were a decade ago, a new government report found, but that trend has been coupled with increasing consolidation in the market. The report, released by the Government Accountability Office, also sa...

Top wireless stories of the week

27 August 2010, 7:13 am by:
Check out this week's most-viewed stories across Fierce's wireless publications: FierceBroadbandWireless1. LTE chip makers take aim at Qualcomm2. Virgin Mobile set to offer $40 unlimited mobile broadband pricing plan3. Airband, Sparkplug merge to cre...

Report: MetroPCS launching LTE service next month

27 August 2010, 7:03 am by: Phil Goldstein
MetroPCS (NASDAQ:PCS) will launch its commercial LTE service in Dallas and Las Vegas sometime in September, according to a Samsung executive. Jaebeom Choi, vice president of systems research and development for Samsung, told Dow Jones Newswires that...

Verizon Wireless looks to roll out LTE in Alaska

26 August 2010, 12:38 pm by: Sue Marek
Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) filed an application with the FCC yesterday to acquire the 700 MHz C Block spectrum license covering Alaska from Triad, a designated entity that purchased the license during the FCC's 700 MHz spectrum auction in 2008....

Google's Gmail rings cell phones; Netflix hits iPhone

26 August 2010, 8:55 am by: Mike Dano
Quick news from around the Web @FierceWireless: If listening to famous people gush over BlackBerry is your thing, check out this RIM promotional video. Video | Follow @FierceWireless > After a slight delay, Virgin Mobile's unlimited $40 per month...

A new push for a nationwide cell phone directory

26 August 2010, 8:50 am by: Mike Dano
A Web startup is working to build a national directory of cell phone numbers, rekindling a years-long debate about the creation of an index of American's mobile phone numbers. The Jacksonville, Fla.-based, privately held startup, Phonebooks.com, anno...

Cricket buys remainder of LCW for $3.2M

26 August 2010, 8:35 am by: Sue Marek
Leap Wireless (NASDAQ:LEAP) paid $3.2 million to purchase the remainder of LCW, a wireless carrier that provides Cricket wireless service to customers in areas of Portland, Salem and Eugene, Ore. LCW was formed in 2006 as part o...

Aviat to close Research Triangle Park facility

26 August 2010, 7:43 am by: Sue Marek
Backhaul provider Aviat Networks, formerly known as Harris Stratex Networks, announced it will close its facility in Research Triangle Park, N.C., as part of cost cutting measures. In its fourth quarter earnings, Aviat said its sales were down sharpl...

Refurbished TV, iPod may be unveiled at Apple event

26 August 2010, 7:36 am by: Mike Dano
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) will hold a press event Sept. 1 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. The invitation the company released includes an Apple logo over a guitar, prompting speculation that Apple plans to release an updated version of its iPod touch device that...

Ereaders, tablets are early winners in embedded device category

26 August 2010, 6:28 am by: Sue Marek
There's no question that many wireless operators consider the next growth opportunity to rest with embedded wireless devices. Some operators estimate that by embedding wireless connectivity into all types of devices--from netbooks to ereaders to G...

What devices are the early winners in embedded and M2M?

26 August 2010, 5:20 am by: Sue Marek
There's no question that many wireless operators consider the next growth opportunity to rest with embedded wireless devices. Some operators estimate that by embedding wireless connectivity into all types of devices--from netbooks to ereaders to GPS...

AT&T sees future in tablets beyond iPad

25 August 2010, 1:25 pm by: Phil Goldstein
AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T) believes tablets will become a dominant force in the device market in the coming years, top executives said, and the company is looking to capitalize on the market opportunity beyond the one it has found with Apple's (NASDA...

Need help with your 2011 planning?

25 August 2010, 8:45 am by:
As you dust off your crystal ball and begin to draft plans for your wireless business in 2011, you may want to consult with this panel of experts. Join wireless visionaries Mark Lowenstein of Mobile Ecosystem, Phil Marshall of Tolaga Research, John J...

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