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."
Nokia exec highlights improved Lumia marketing coordination with Microsoft, carriers
LAS VEGAS--Nokia is still struggling to gain traction with its Lumia-branded smartphones running Microsoft's Windows Phone platform. However, now that it has flagship products with three of the four Tier 1 carriers, the company is starting to align its marketing messages with Microsoft and its carrier partners to a greater degree than before, according to a Nokia executive.
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.
Leap suggests its LTE roaming deal is with Sprint, hints at more device financing options
LAS VEGAS--Executives from Cricket provider Leap Wireless strongly hinted that the company's LTE roaming deal is with Sprint Nextel, which already has a nationwide 3G CDMA roaming deal with Cricket.
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.
Intel reorganzies business, creates 'new devices' group as part of latest mobile push
Days after officially taking over as Intel's top executive, CEO Brian Krzanich has reorganized the company's businesses to give himself more direct control. The company also formed a new unit to focus on "new devices" outside of smartphones and tablets.
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.
Verizon's Shammo: Content providers see value in toll-free data model
Fueling the fire surrounding the likelihood of toll-free data coming to the U.S. market soon, Verizon Communications CFO Fran Shammo told investors at a Barclays Global Technology, Media and Telecommunications conference today that content providers are starting to see the value in paying the wireless operator for the data consumed by their subscribers when they view their content via a mobile device.
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. But this year's CTIA show is decidedly different. This year, there are almost no new devices to note. Handset makers, starting with Apple and now including the likes of BlackBerry, Nokia and Samsung, prefer to launch their new devices at dedicated events, where they can control the flow of the headlines. As a result, few device makers use trade shows as the launching pads for their new gadgets. Nonetheless, there were a handful of new handsets worth discussing at this year's CTIA Wireless. Slideshow
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.
