As always, the Fierce team was out in force during this year's CTIA Wireless 2013 show in Las Vegas, May 21-23 at the Sands Convention Center. Phil Goldstein, Sue Marek and Mike Dano attended all the press conferences, keynotes, sessions and meetings with newsmakers to bring you all the key headlines from the show. All of the stories about the show will post immediately to this site, so make sure to bookmark this page to check out all our coverage during and after the show.
Microsoft refines Windows Phone marketing on Windows 8, Xbox
LAS VEGAS--Microsoft will place more of a marketing focus on the signature features of the devices its partners produce as well as on the connections between the mobile platform and Windows 8 and Microsoft's Xbox gaming console, according to a Windows Phone executive.
MVNO Ting to reach breakeven in Q4; 40-50% of new customers are BYOD
LAS VEGAS--A top Ting executive said that around 40-50 percent of the MVNO's new customers are coming through its newly launched bring-your-own-device program. And separately, the CEO of Ting's parent company, Tucows, announced that Ting would "cross over the breakeven threshold" in the fourth quarter of this year.
Walmart exec: TracFone's Straight Talk is 'one of the best-kept secrets' in wireless
LAS VEGAS--Walmart's top mobile executive said that the Straight Talk service offered by América Móvil's U.S. MVNO, TracFone Wireless, is the fastest growing part of its sprawling mobile business.
FreedomPop shows off LTE-capable smartphone case, hopes for year-end launch
LAS VEGAS--MVNO FreedomPop plans to release a smartphone case that can connect to Sprint Nextel's EV-DO and LTE networks sometime this year. The case will be tied to a user's smartphone via Wi-Fi, and will provide the user with access to FreedomPop services including the company's 500 MB of free data per month and its forthcoming VoIP calling service.
While Samsung & Co. are away, the smaller OEMs will play
Absent from the CTIA Wireless 2013 conference here this week were the big, company-sponsored product unveilings or parties (or combination thereof) that used to dominate this show. In fact, many big-name companies, including Samsung Electronics, BlackBerry ( NASDAQ:BBRY ), HTC, LG Electronics, Nokia ( NYSE:NOK ) and others did not send their mobile executives to the show.
Walmart wants to use mobile to transform retail
LAS VEGAS--Walmart is looking to mobile technology to redefine the shopping experience for its retail customers. Speaking at the CTIA Wireless 2013 conference today, Gibu Thomas, global head of mobile at Walmart, said that the company's goal is to create mobile tools that are "indispensable for the customer when shopping in our stores."
J.Lo, Verizon target Latino market with Viva Móvil-branded stores, online shopping
Verizon Wireless is teaming with Jennifer Lopez to sell wireless phones and services to the Latino market under Lopez's newly launched brand, Viva Móvil. The goal of the venture is provide a better retail experience for the growing Latino market, which was estimated to have had $1.2 trillion in purchasing power in 2012.
Wi-Fi offloading morphs to integration as operators strive for more control
Just a few years ago, Wi-Fi offloading was all the buzz as operators searched for a quick solution to ease their network congestion. But today the discussion around Wi-Fi has shifted from offload to integration, as Tier 1 operators such as AT&T strive for more control of the user experience and better quality of service.
In pictures: The phones of CTIA Wireless 2013
LAS VEGAS--Trade shows like CTIA Wireless 2013 are often the scene of phone and device introductions. Handset makers often hope to grab conference-goers with new and innovative devices. Check out this slideshow to see them all .
HTC loses chief product officer amid a wave of departures
LAS VEGAS--The troubles for HTC continue as the company acknowledged that its chief product officer has left the company, the most high-profile departure in a stream of executives and employees who have left recently.
