Public safety experts debate next-gen 911 in wake of Oklahoma tornado devastation
LAS VEGAS--Just 24 hours after a tornado wreaked havoc on a suburb of Oklahoma City, public safety experts on a panel at the CTIA Wireless 2013 conference here talked about next-generation 911, the future of text-to-911 and other major public safety wireless issues.
PTel to launch SIM-based tablet data plan this year
T-Mobile US MVNO PTel Mobile plans to launch a tablet-focused, SIM-based data plan sometime this year. PTel executive Omar Abhari said the company plans to position its tablet data offering between 250 MB and 2 GB, an area he said is currently underserved. He said PTel's offering would include a pay-as-you-go element, though he declined to provide additional details.
Exclusive: Solavei to launch Marketplace loyalty payment program in September
LAS VEGAS--T-Mobile US MVNO Solavei plans to launch a loyalty card program that will allow customers to obtain 2-15 percent discounts from participating retailers as well as additional savings through the company's tiered membership structure. Solavei plans to launch the offering sometime in September.
Verizon taps Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson for LTE small cells
LAS VEGAS--Verizon Wireless said it will use LTE small cell products from vendors Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson starting in the second half of this year.
Carriers respond to service disruptions in wake of Oklahoma tornado
In the wake of a deadly tornado that tore through Oklahoma City and its suburbs Monday, wireless carriers are responding to aid the victims and restore service. Dozens were killed and scores more were injured as a result of the tornado.
Sprint increases its offer for Clearwire, hopes to stave off Dish
Sprint Nextel boosted its offer price to acquire the approximately 50 percent of Clearwire it does not already own from $2.97 per share to $3.40, caving to the demands of minority Clearwire shareholders and blocking Dish Network's unsolicited $3.30 per share offer for Clearwire.
AT&T leads the (still small) cellular tablet market with 49% share
According to new data from research firm NPD group, AT&T Mobility serviced almost half of all the tablets in the nation that connected to cellular networks in the first quarter. However, the percentage of tablets that actually do connect to 3G or 4G networks is relatively small--NPD found that only 12 percent of all tablets in the United States connect to cellular networks.
Verizon outranks Sprint, AT&T in customer satisfaction study
Verizon Wireless topped the Tier 1 carriers in terms of customer satisfaction, according to an annual study from the American Customer Satisfaction Index. And wireless carriers overall reversed a two-year trend of deteriorating customer satisfaction with a 2.9 percent gain to achieve an overall score of 72, on a scale of 0-100, matching a 10-year high. Better call clarity and improved network coverage are being credited with making customers happier with their wireless service providers.
Dish's Ergen bids $2B for Falcone's LightSquared, according to reports
Dish Network's Charlie Ergen made a $2 billion bid for bankrupt wireless provider LightSquared, according to multiple reports, a move that could pit Ergen against fellow billionaire and LightSquared financier Philip Falcone.
TracFone acquires Verizon MVNO Page Plus Cellular and its 1.4M customers
América Móvil's U.S. MVNO, TracFone Wireless, acquired Start Wireless' Page Plus Cellular, an MVNO that counts around 1.4 million customers in the United States. The action is TracFone's second major acquisition after its purchase of T-Mobile US MVNO Simple Mobile and its 1 million customers almost exactly a year ago.
Sprint acquires mobile software partner Handmark
Sprint Nextel is bringing a longtime partner into the fold. The carrier confirmed that it acquired mobile software development and distribution firm Handmark, along with its social media apps and ad unit, OneLouder.
Jolla unveils first smartphone running Sailfish OS, targets 2013 launch
Finnish startup Jolla formally announced the first smartphone running its open-source Sailfish OS, hoping to spark interest in a the fledgling platform as it seeks to compete with goliaths like Apple, Google, BlackBerry and Microsoft in the growing smartphone market.
T-Mobile's MetroPCS drops net neutrality lawsuit, leaving Verizon to challenge rules alone
Now that it's owned by T-Mobile US, MetroPCS has decided to drop its lawsuit against the FCC's net neutrality rules for wireless and wired networks, leaving Verizon Wireless as the sole challenger to the rules.
NPD: Global smartphone shipments to outstrip feature phones in 2013
Another research firm, this time the NPD Group, has predicted that shipments of smartphones will overtake those of basic and feature phones for the first time this year, as adoption of smartphones accelerates.
Vodafone in the spotlight as fate of Verizon Wireless looms
Vodafone will report its annual results on Tuesday and speculation is brewing about what, if anything, CEO Vittorio Colao will say to shed light on the future of the operator's 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless.
The 2013 rising stars of wireline
Just as there are rising stars every year in the wireless industry, so, too, are there executives in the wireline telecom industry who are getting more and more attention and influence. Meet the rising stars in wireline for 2013.
UPDATED: Report: Verizon Wireless gave AP reporters' cell phone records to DOJ in leak probe
Verizon Wireless gave the personal cell phone records of at least two journalists from The Associated Press to the government as part of a wide-ranging seizure of telephone records by the Department of Justice, according to the New York Times. Verizon said it was following the law in giving the records to the Justice Department.
Intel's ex-chief Otellini laments missing the iPhone as new boss Krzanich looks to the future
Former Intel CEO Paul Otellini expressed regret that the silicon giant did not or was not able to get its chips inside Apple's iPhone. The comments highlight Intel's current attempts to catch up in mobile--which Otellini's successor, Brian Krzanich, has pledged to do.
Samsung: We'll hit 10M Galaxy S4 sales in less than a month
Samsung Electronics said that global shipments of its new flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone will hit 10 million less than a month after it went on sale, beating the sales pace of its predecessor the Galaxy S III.
Verizon boosts data allottments in prepaid plans
Verizon Wireless launched new prepaid pricing that significantly increases the amount of data its prepaid smartphone customers can consume per month with their plans, as competition in the prepaid market, especially among Tier 1 players, continues to heat up.
