UMTS

iPhone 3G Glitches - Wireless Turkeys 2008

Phil Goldstein — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:33:35 -0500

Why is it a turkey?

When Apple launched the iPhone 3G on July 11, in conjunction with AT&T Mobility as the wireless service provider, it was heralded as an industry-wide game-changer. And that has proved to be the case, as the iPhone 3G was the top-selling consumer device in third quarter of 2008. But the phone faced a series of early setbacks, as some customers found that it could not connect in some cases to AT&T's 3G UMTS/HSPA network, and instead dropped them down to EDGE data speeds, or the signal dropped entirely. The reaction was, well, fierce.

After news reports began filtering in about the connectivity issue, some thought that perhaps design flaws were part of the problem. Apple released a software update that it said fixed the issue, but declined to specifically comment on what it was fixing, saying only that the update "improves communication with 3G networks."

The next day, Apple was hit with a lawsuit that claimed the iPhone 3G's network performance and reliability did not live up to what the company claimed in its marketing campaign. Users around the world claimed that the operators were to blame for the flub. A lawsuit to that effect was filed in early September against both AT&T and Apple, with the bulk of the complaint being against the network.

T-Mobile USA has 670K net adds in Q3

Phil Goldstein — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:48:49 -0500

T-Mobile USA had a very busy third quarter--the carrier expanded its 3G UMTS coverage and launched the G1, the first phone running on Google's Android platform. The operator reported a net income of $442 million, down 16 percent from $526 million in the third quarter last year. Service revenue was $4.91 billion, up from $4.33 billion in the third quarter last year, and total revenue was $5.51 billion, up from $4.89 billion in the third quarter of 2007. Here is a rundown of other key metrics for the quarter:

Net adds: The carrier had 670,000 net subscriber additions in the quarter, up from 668,000 in the second quarter, but down from 857,000 in the third quarter of 2007. The company blamed the drop on contract churn.The company reported prepaid net additions of 377,000, up from 143,000 in the second quarter 2008 and 300,000 in the third quarter of 2007.

Churn: Contract churn was 2.4 percent for the quarter, up from 1.9 percent in the second quarter of 2008 and 2 percent in the third quarter of 2007. T-Mobile said that the anniversary of two-year contracts, along with competition from other incumbents was part of the reason for the increase.

ARPU: Blended ARPU was $52, down from $53 in the third quarter of last year. Contract, or postpaid ARPU was $55, down from $57 in the year-ago quarter.

Data revenue: Data services revenue for the quarter was $850 million. Data accounted for 17.3 percent of blended ARPU, or $8.90 per customer, up from 15.4 percent of blended ARPU, or $8.10 per customer in the third quarter of 2007.

Expanded coverage and G1 launch: During the quarter the carrier expanded its UMTS footprint and plans to have UMTS available in 120 cities by the end of November. The carrier also launched the G1, which it hopes will be a top rival to Apple's iPhone 3G during the holiday shopping season. Kate Price, an analyst for Technology Business Research, said, "TBR believes the significant increase in T-Mobile USA's postpaid churn in 3Q08 is due in part to competitive pressure from the 3G iPhone, which was launched on AT&T's network in July. AT&T indicated it saw 1 million customers switch to AT&T due to the iPhone, and it appears many of those customers may have come from T-Mobile. Though T-Mobile launched the G1 device on its network in September, the company did not previously have a handset that was competitive with the iPhone."

For more:
- see this release
- see this analyst release

Related Articles:
T-Mobile adds 668,000 subs, lowest number since 2006
T-Mobile will have 3G in 27 markets by year's end

T-Mobile boosts 3G coverage ahead of G1 launch

Phil Goldstein — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:31:50 -0400

T-Mobile USA announced Friday that it was expanding its 3G network coverage, broadening its UMTS/HSDPA footprint in advance of the Oct. 22 of the G1, the first phone running on Google's Android OS.

The carrier, which has lagged behind the other incumbent wireless carriers in 3G deployment, said its network had gone live in Sacramento, Calif., this week. It also said coverage would be coming to Memphis, Tenn., and Tampa, Fla., next week and to Washington, D.C., and its surrounding metro area in November.

There has also been a slight semantic change to T-Mobile's rollout. When the operator announced an aggressive rollout of UMTS/HSDPA into new markets earlier this fall, it said it would have coverage in "27 markets" by year's end, and now declares that it will be operating in "120 cities" by the end of the year.

For more:
- see this release
- see this Unstrung analysis
- see pics of the G1

Related Articles:
T-Mobile will have 3G in 27 markets by year's end
T-Mobile needs to differentiate its UMTS network

T-Mobile dongles 3G mobile broadband sharing

Jim Barthold — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:46:12 -0400

T-Mobile International may have come up with the killer application to differentiate its 3G offering and fuel new demand for mobile broadband dongles: share the device bandwidth among multiple users.

One of the obvious drawbacks for those who want to slice landlines and go all-mobile is the inability to share that 3G data connection from a single input device or dongle. While common for DSL or cable modems to share in-building broadband with a WiFi link, a 3G dongle has generally been a one-user dead end. By launching a wireless router in the U.K., T-Mobile will be able to mirror landline services by letting up to three users connect using the dongle plugged into a Mobile Broadband Share Dock.

While there is speculation that the dock will be given away for certain users on packaged plans and available to existing customers via a separate purchase, T-Mobile has yet to define how the unit will be distributed other than to claim that up to three people can share a wireless connection "comfortably" with it.

For more:
- see this article

Related articles:
T-Mobile unveils 3G/WiFi docking station (femtocell?)
T-Mobile needs to differentiate its UMTS network

T-Mobile needs to differentiate its UMTS network

Sue Marek — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:23:55 -0400

Like many of you, I thought better late than never when I heard last week's announcement from T-Mobile USA that it will have its 3G UMTS/HSDPA network available in 21 markets by mid-October and 27 markets by year-end. Finally this Tier 1 operator has some semblance of a mobile broadband offering (beyond its WiFi hotspots) using its newly acquired AWS spectrum. But with its late start, T-Mobile really needs some clever applications and devices to make its UMTS service stand apart from the crowd.

So far T-Mobile has been mum about any special applications or services geared to the higher speed network. We do know that the carrier is about to launch the first device based upon Google's Android operating system--now called the T-Mobile G1--and it's supposed to work on the carrier's UMTS network. FierceWireless associate editor Phil Goldstein is in New York today covering T-Mobile's unveiling of the device and will be bringing you all the latest news on it.

With T-Mobile's UMTS coverage concentrated in dense markets, however, the company would be wise to make sure the quality of service on the Dream device is consistent regardless of whether the user is on the UMTS network or the carrier's slower-speed EDGE network. T-Mobile certainly doesn't want to experience the same fallout that AT&T and Apple experienced with the iPhone 3G and its alleged 3G connectivity issues.

We do know that the carrier is actively recruiting developers. At the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment conference a few weeks ago in San Francisco, Venetia Espinoza, T-Mobile USA's director of product development for mobile apps and partner programs, talked with FierceWireless about how the company's new devPartner Community program was going to make it easier and more efficient for developers to do business with the company. T-Mobile is offering developers at least 50 percent of revenues with the potential to earn as much as 70 percent from their efforts.

Perhaps with its developer outreach and its attractive revenue split, T-Mobile will be able to attract smart developers with innovative applications to make its UMTS network stand apart from the others. But the company better hurry. Competitors such as Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Sprint Nextel already have a leg up on mobile broadband services and the gap is only going to get wider as time goes on. --Sue

P.S. Mobile financial services are gaining lots of traction with consumers. I'll be moderating a Webinar on this topic Thursday, Sept. 25 at 2 p.m. Join Vance Hodnett of the Pelorus Group, Kyle Cochran of Firethorn, Rohit Mehra of Verisign and me as we discuss the benefits and the challenges to offering this service. Sign up here.

T-Mobile USA expands UMTS footprint

Phil Goldstein — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 09:58:36 -0400

T-Mobile USA is expanding the reach of its UMTS footprint by pushing into 13 new metropolitan areas. The company said it was on track to expand to 27 major markets by the end of 2008.

The move came as T-Mobile also announced a series of new backhaul agreements to transport the high-speed data traffic.

T-Mobile currently has UMTS access in Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, the New York metro area, Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio and San Diego and plans to expand to Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Orlando, Philadelphia, Sacramento, San Francisco and Seattle later this fall. The backhaul agreements are meant to increase bandwidth and access of applications using HSDPA technology as well as to expand service in Tampa, Orlando, South Florida, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Memphis.

All of this is meant to boost T-Mobile's 3G presence as it fights with AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless for market share and plays catch up in deploying high-speed data services.

For more:
- see this article and release

Related Articles:
T-Mobile USA's 3G: Better late than never?
With little fanfare, T-Mobile launches 3G in New York

T-Mobile rolls out UMTS in Dallas

Sue Marek — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:56:21 -0400

T-Mobile USA's UMTS footprint is slowly growing. According to the Dallas Business Journal, the company has launched UMTS in Dallas, spending about $191 million on the infrastructure and the network.

According to FierceWireless' tally, T-Mobile has launched UMTS in Dallas, Las Vegas, New York and Chicago--four of the anticipated 20 markets that the company has said it will launch by yearend. T-Mobile has multiple UMTS devices available and will soon offer its first HSDPA device.

For more:
- See this article

Related articles:
T-Mobile launches UMTS in Las Vegas
With little fanfare, T-Mobile launches 3G in New York
FEATURE: On the Hot Seat with T-Mobile USA's Neville Ray

T-Mobile launches UMTS in Las Vegas

Sue Marek — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:26:06 -0400

T-Mobile USA quietly launched its second commercial UMTS market today in Las Vegas. The company, which launched its first UMTS market in New York in May, said it invested more than $37.5 million in infrastructure and spectrum in Las Vegas to make this a reality. The service uses the company's newly acquired AWS spectrum.

T-Mobile says it is still on track to launch at least 20 more UMTS markets by year-end. In addition, it says it has multiple phones that support UMTS and will soon offer its first HSDPA device. In July it was rumored that T-Mobile had launched UMTS in Chicago but the company never confirmed that report.

For more:
- see this release

Related articles:
With little fanfare, T-Mobile launches 3G in New York
FEATURE: On the Hot Seat with T-Mobile USA's Neville Ray

Andrew Seybold: The Rush to 4G

Andrew M. Seybold — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:42:11 -0400

Over the next year, we will be hearing more about the network operators' move to 4G all over the world. I see the shift to 4G as inevitable, but does it need to happen as soon as LTE, for example, is finalized and the first equipment is built? We are hearing wonderful things about LTE, but the data rates and capacity increases being bandied about are theoretical and based on using 20 MHz of spectrum.

One reason the WiMAX community can claim data speed and capacity gains over today's EV-DO Rev A and UMTS/HSPA is due to the amount of bandwidth it uses. EV-DO Rev A occupies only 1.25 MHz of spectrum per carrier and UMTS/HSPA occupies 5 MHz per carrier. The WiMAX community is basing its claims on bandwidths of 8 MHz or more. If you normalize these three technologies in 10 MHz of spectrum, you find they offer about the same data rates and capacity.

Not many network operators have 20 MHz of contiguous spectrum to use for LTE, but LTE can run in any amount of spectrum from 1.25 MHz up to 20 MHz so it will fit almost anywhere. The caveat is that when LTE is used in less than 20 MHz of spectrum, data speeds and capacity are lower than the published specifications and, in most cases, are about the same as the next revisions of UMTS/HSPA+ and EV-DO Rev B (second release). Thus, I wonder why there is a rush to LTE instead of continuing with the enhancements to HSPA and EV-DO. If you put LTE in the A and B Blocks of the just-auctioned 700-MHZ spectrum, you are using 6 MHz by 6 MHz, which is a long way from 20 MHz of spectrum. When you look at what else can be done with this spectrum, you find that you can deploy four or five carriers of EV-DO or one carrier of UMTS/HSPA or LTE (depending on guard bands).

If you look at the data speeds and capacity of all three of these technologies in 10 MHz of spectrum, you will find that LTE has only a slight advantage (10 percent or less). Verizon, with its C Block holdings of 11 MHz by 11 MHz of spectrum, fairs better with LTE but not as much as is being claimed by LTE promoters. As with any new technology, it will take time to get the bugs out and it will be more expensive to deploy.

A lot of the rush to move to LTE is because of the "threat" of WiMAX and WiMAX proponents' claims about high-data speeds and lots of capacity. We are about to learn the truth about WiMAX as the Sprint portion of the new Clearwire network is turned on and independent tests are conducted. For an idea of what is in store for us, go to the WiMAX Forum website (http://www.wimaxforum.org/technology/) where you can read the following statement: "Mobile network deployments are expected to provide up to 15 Mbps of capacity within a typical cell radius deployment of up to three kilometers." If you compare both of the 3G standards deployed today, you will see that there is virtually no difference in total data capacity available per cell sector or cell site.

Perhaps the commercial wireless community is rushing headlong into 4G when it should be continuing to deploy the next revisions of 3G and watching LTE. But most network infrastructure companies would not be happy with this since many of the revisions for the 3G networks are software upgrades and not nearly as expensive as the upgrade to LTE.

The race is on. NTT DoCoMo has fully committed to being the first LTE network operator and others are raising their hands. But like any new technology, it will take years to fully build out on a nationwide basis. The best we will see over the next three to four years is LTE deployed where there is a high demand for data services, and I don't believe we will see anything like a nationwide network in the United States until 2014 or 2015.

Network operators are trying to attract more customers to their broadband data networks and are still rolling out coverage in some areas. If I were a network operator, I would stay with 3G and implement the new revisions as they become available. I would let LTE technology and pricing mature before I made up my mind to deploy it, especially in less than the 20 MHz of spectrum on which today's specifications, including data speed and capacity, are being calculated.

Don't get me wrong, I believe in LTE and next-generation technology. But I also believe in making money and that the best way for networks to do that is to let demand drive them to LTE, not competition from WiMAX or wanting to be the first kid on the block with LTE.

Andrew Seybold is an authority on technology and trends shaping the world of wireless mobility. A respected analyst, consultant, commentator, author and active participant in industry trade organizations, his views have influenced strategies and shaped initiatives for telecom, mobile computing and wireless industry leaders worldwide. www.andrewseybold.com

Rumor Mill: T-Mobile launching 3G in Chicago today

Sue Marek — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:23:50 -0400

BoyGeniusReport says that T-Mobile USA is launching its UMTS service in Chicago as early as today. As of deadline, T-Mobile USA had not returned our calls to verify this news. Of course, the timing of this UMTS debut is interesting because the operator is launching HSUPA in the U.K. today, which promises uplink speeds of 1.5 Mbps.

T-Mobile is also aligning its messaging pricing to meet that of the other nationwide carriers. Beginning August 29, the operator is bumping up the price of its text and picture messaging from 15 cents per message to 20 cents per message.

For more:
- see this entry in BoyGeniusReport
- see this ZDNet story
- see this DSLReports story

On the Hot Seat with T-Mobile USA's Neville Ray

Tue, 06 May 2008 11:08:53 -0400

On Monday T-Mobile USA launched its much-anticipated first UMTS/HSDPA market in New York City. Sue Marek, FierceWireless editor-in-chief talked with Neville Ray, senior vice president, engineering operations at T-Mobile USA about the operator's 3G rollout. The company currently offers four UMTS devices, which provide data speeds between 200 Kbps -300 Kbps. However, T-Mobile plans to introduce HSDPA devices later in the year, which will offer data speeds of 600 kbps to 1 Mbps.

FierceWireless: How long have you been working on this? How long did it take you to clear the spectrum and get the devices?

Ray: The auctions were in mid-2006 and we came out of the auctions in 3Q 2006 and kicked off a lot of work. We have been working on the 3G opportunity for several years. We started the network rollout back in 2006 and that has continued over the last 2 years.

FierceWireless: How many markets will get UMTS/HSDPA in 2008?

Ray: We'll have 20 to 25 markets deployed by the end of the year.

FierceWireless: Why did you decide to deploy the New York market first?

Ray: It's a great city and one that's been a success for T-Mobile. We wanted to get New York moving as quickly as we could. We wanted to access that new spectrum we purchased from the government in key markets like New York where our growth is strong. We need to continue to grow our voice business as well as new data services. New York is area where we focused hard and secured some of our best results from a spectrum clearance piece. We worked with government agencies and that went well for us so we were able to move first there. The lessons we learned from New York will be very beneficial for us. It's a tough network and a tough radio environment. The lessons learned will pay huge dividends as we turn up our network in other parts of the U.S.

FierceWireless: Do you plan to launch any laptop cards?

Ray: Potentially we will later this year or in early 2009. But it won't be the core focus of what we will bring to the 3G network. The bigger focus for us is the traditional areas where we play. We will have a more consumer focus, especially in the converged device space. It will be akin to what we have done with our Sidekicks and Blackberry devices.

FierceWireless: We know that text messaging is still a big driver for data but you don't need a 3G network for that. What applications do you think will take off now that you have a 3G network?

Ray: I think we've done very well with 2.5G terminals outside of traditional text messaging. Products like the Sidekick where we have done some cool things with social networking. We've had great adoption of services in that space. Also consumer email-- there's lots of growth in that area. You will see us work very hard in that space. There's a great demand out there for consumers to share and access content in the mobile domain. We will continue to focus on simplicity and ease of use. We think that's key for consumers to really adopt and utilize these services. MyFaves product base has driven significant increases in messaging and connectivity for consumers because it's simpler and intuitive for them to access the services out there. We are keeping our powder dry in terms of specific applications but it will be rich space with lots of offerings from us.

FierceWireless: Are there plenty of devices available in the AWS band?

Ray: It's clearly gaining momentum. We have four devices that we have been selling. Some we've been selling since 2007. The 1.7 and 2.1 bands are starting to be looked at in other parts of the Americas for 3G services. Also what is key for us is that we have a very large mobile business outside the U.S. We are leveraging our international buying power with handset vendor partners to make sure the 1.7 and 2.1 is a relevant and included band in the 3G space. It's not just T-Mobile USA driving the adoption of 1.7 and 2.1 MHz band. Everything is quad-band GSM. Multiband isn't that much of an issue as it was a few years ago.

FierceWireless: Will there be pricing changes when you get consumers on the 3G network?

Ray: We haven't changed anything to date. Customers accessing UMTS in New York today will not have a change. I think going forward as we bring new services and applications to market we will upgrade our pricing as it's appropriate for the marketplace. A big part of T-Mobile's success is delivering great value to the customer. We will continue to do that.

Check out T-Mobile USA's four UMTS devices here:

Nokia 3555 - Click here for an image

Nokia 6263- Click here for an image

Samsung t819 - Click here for an image

Samsung t639 - Click here for an image

FEATURE: On the Hot Seat with T-Mobile USA's Neville Ray

Tue, 06 May 2008 06:59:53 -0400

FierceWireless: How long have you working on this? How long did it take you to clear the spectrum and get the devices?

FierceWireless: How many markets will get UMTS/HSDPA in 2008?

Ray: We'll have... Read more about T-Mobile's 3G Rollout

Also: Click here for a slideshow of the UMTS phones...

As predicted: T-Mobile launches 3G in NYC

Mon, 05 May 2008 06:59:56 -0400

Following consistent reports last week, T-Mobile USA has commercially launched its 3G UMTS/HSDPA network in New York City. The carrier, however, noted that the service will support both voice and data services, despite the rumors that the initial launch would not support data. By the end of 2008, T-Mobile USA plans to rollout its network in major cities across the U.S. The carrier also announced plans to launch its first HSDPA device in the coming months.

Reports last week, which pulled from a leaked memo from the carrier, claim that upcoming market launches include: Los Angeles, Detroit, San Diego, Austin, Las Vegas, Minneapolis and Miami. Expect more details on the 3G launch this Thursday when T-Mobile USA's parent company reports on its quarterly earnings.

For more:
- read this T-Mobile USA 3G press release

Andrew Seybold: What Was and Was Not at CTIA Wireless 2008

Andrew M. Seybold — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:52:17 -0400

CTIA Wireless 2008 (held last week in Las Vegas) is the largest of CTIA's two annual shows. Each year, numerous reporters flock to this show to discover what is hot and what is not, and perhaps even what was missing. This year was no exception. What was missing was meaningful dialogue about the results of the 700 MHz auctions, as Sue Marek pointed out in one of her editorials. The FCC kept the clamps on everything by not lifting the anti-collusion rule until April 3, the day the conference ended. As a result, we did not learn much about what the 700 MHz winners have planned, although on the 4th AT&T Wireless and Verizon Wireless sent out press releases saying their 700 MHz spectrum would be used for 4th-generation systems based on LTE (Long Term Evolution). But discussion about the failed D block shared public/private sector spectrum auction was not permitted, though I am sure everyone associated with it has his or her own ideas (including me, see my Commentary at www.andrewseybold.com).

Nevertheless, there was plenty of interesting things at CTIA. First, we saw handsets from UTStarcom, Samsung and others to support Leap's Cricket AWS properties that are being rolled out (the CDMA handsets support 1900 MHz as well). Meanwhile, other handset vendors including Nokia have announced GSM/UMTS phones for the T-Mobile UMTS network that will be built on the AWS spectrum. It also seems that everywhere you went, in every booth you visited where handsets were being shown, there was at least one IPK (iPhone Killer), although these devices lack the ecosystem that is so much a part of the success of the iPhone.

Location-based services are gaining in popularity and there was a lot of noise about GPS and non-GPS LBS wireless chipsets being embedded in consumer GPS devices to add instant updates and even traffic reporting services. The best traffic service I have heard of was not being demonstrated at the show, but in a press release from IntelliOne and Rogers Communications about the first commercialization of IntelliOne's Traffic-Aid system. I believe this is the gold standard of traffic reporting. IntelliOne monitors every phone on a wireless network, stripped of ESNs and phone numbers for privacy, locates the phones and, if they are on a roadway, be it a freeway, secondary or neighborhood roadway, it tracks the direction and speed of the phone. By doing this, it can update traffic every thirty seconds as long as there is wireless services from that network provider. Look for this service to be rolled out in the United States shortly.

Meanwhile, in FCC Chairman Martin's speech during the keynote address on April 1, he called for a renewed look at E911 (Enhanced 911) accuracies as reported by the network operators to the PSAPs (Public Safety Answering Points). Companies such as True Position that has been the leader in TDOA (Time Difference Of Arrival) have taken up the challenge and are combining an updated version of TDOA, GPS at each cell site and GPS in handsets to provide for a hybrid method of location that can be used for better E911 location determination and better navigation accuracy. The LBS ecosystem is gaining momentum as these new products and services come online and over the next few years we will see LBS become a mainstream application that will soon be taken for granted in our phones, just as most of us have come to expect a camera.

WiMAX was all over the floor too, partly because the WiMAX community has learned how to increase the buzz surrounding WiMAX and partly because this year and next will be "truth time" for the WiMAX community. Will it really perform as well as they say it will? Will you really get 30 KMs of coverage per cell site at 2.5 GHz? Will it become a ubiquitous contender in the mobile data (and soon voice) space? What will happen to Sprint's Xohm and Clearwire? Will they make another deal and will some cable companies join them? Is there a business model for WiMAX outside of rural areas or underdeveloped countries where there is no existing infrastructure?

There are those who believe WiMAX will be vindicated and its performance will be everything promised and more, and then there are those of us who believe it has been so over-hyped it will be a disappointment to network operators that have deployed it in good faith. The story will be told in 2008 and 2009.

One thing that was not at the show this year was a "buzz"-a new product or category that took everyone by surprise and promised to change the wireless world as we know it. Sure, there was far too much discussion of open access, and there were many developers showing some really great programs, but there was no real buzz, just an air of excitement. More spectrum (AWS) and now 700 MHz means more business for tower companies, infrastructure companies, handset makers, software developers and chip companies. So there is reason to be optimistic.

When I worked as a sales engineer for some of the leading two-way radio companies, the worst economic times were the best times for us. Why? Because communications enabled companies to do more with less, to route their trucks more effectively and eliminate the need to add trucks or people for service. Using voice communications (in those days) they were able to get more out of what they already had. This down period in our economy, coupled with new spectrum and 3G and 4G data services in addition to voice will promote more growth in our industry.

While there wasn't a real buzz at CTIA Wireless 2008, there was buzz about the new opportunities that await us all between now and next year's show.

P.S. Join Sue Marek, Andy and Linda Barrabee of the Yankee Group on Thursday, April 10 at 2 p.m. EST for a Webinar on "The newsmakers of CTIA." Sign up here.

ALSO NOTED: AT&T taps Alcatel; China Mobile trials LTE; and much more...

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> AT&T taps Alcatel-Lucent for UMTS/HSDPA network build-out. Release

> China Mobile will join Verizon Wireless and Vodafone in their trials of LTE. Article

And finally... Check out our ever growing round up of handset photos being showcased at Mobile World Congress. Slideshow

Nortel posts profit but sales are down

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 06:59:56 -0500

Nortel posted a profit in its third quarter despite revenue falling 7.6 percent. Net income for the quarter totaled $27 million, up from a net loss of $63 million during the same quarter last year. Its Q3 results included a $67 million in foreign currency gains, offset by a $56 million restructuring bill. Nortel plans to cut 2,900 jobs and move another 1,000 positions to lower-cost locales.

Nortel said a key reason for the drop in revenue was difficulty in fulfilling customers orders for CDMA technologies. The company relocated one of its facilities that manufactures CDMA technology. That relocation effort and the resulting loss of business resulted in about $45 million in missed revenue. Revenue at Nortel's carrier business dropped 19.1 percent to $1.1 billion. The sales of its UMTS Access unit hurt carrier business revenue, too.

For more on Nortel's Q3:
- read this press release
- read this article from the WSJ (sub. req.)

Related Articles:
Nortel finally settles with SEC Article
Nortel to buy Tellabs? Article

AT&T debuts new phones, senior plan

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 07:59:56 -0400

AT&T Mobility rolled out two new handsets in advance of the holiday buying season. The Samsung SGH-a737 is an entertainment-oriented device that offers multimedia features such as the AT&T Mobile Music service and video share calling. The phone operates on the company's 3G UMTS/HSDPA network.

The other device, the Pantech duo, also uses AT&T's 3G UMTS/HSDPA network but is targeted more to the business user. The device has a full QWERTY keyboard and is powered by the Windows Mobile 6 operating system.

On the service side, AT&T also joined the ranks of Verizon Wireless and MVNO Great Call by introducing an offer geared toward the senior market. The new AT&T Senior Nation plan 200 includes 200 anytime minutes, 500 off-peak minutes and unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling for $30 per month.

For more on AT&T's phones:
- see this press release for more information on the Pantech duo.
- see this release for more on the Samsung SGH-a737
- read this RCR article for more on AT&T's Senior Nation plan

Related Articles:
AT&T retires Nokia multimedia device Report
Verizon targets seniors with Coupe Report

AT&T bows first Windows Mobile 6 device

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 06:59:56 -0400

AT&T launched its first Windows Mobile 6 powered smartphone this week: the HTC Tilt. The Tilt's features include high-speed data access (UMTS/HSDPA), multiple email options, location-based services, expandable memory, and a 3-megapixel camera. The QWERTY handset's name comes from the movement of its screen, which tilts up. The Tilt will be made commercially available today both online and in retail stores for $299.99 with a two-year subscription to AT&T, after a mail-in rebate.

For more on the Tilt:
- read this article from InformationWeek

Nortel swings to a loss

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 06:59:56 -0400

Nortel Networks posted a $37 million loss in its Q2 because of lower revenue and various charges. That's down from $342 million in net income this time last year. Some of the fees that affected the bottom line include charges of $36 million for restructuring and $35 million from ongoing discussions with the SEC related to an accounting probe. The company's revenue fell 7.8 percent to $2.56 billion from $2.78 billion. Nortel had expected flat or slightly decreased revenue. The company's largest unit, its carrier business, fell 16 percent to $1.06 billion, partly because it sold its UMTS business last year.

For more on Nortel's Q2:
- read this WSJ article (sub. req.)
- and read this press release

Alcatel-Lucent closes$320M Nortel UMTS deal

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 19:01:37 -0500

Alcatel-Lucent closed the $320 million deal for Nortel's UMTS assets, which includes about 1,700 of Nortel's UMTS employees. The deal closed on December 31, following regulatory approvals. The new assets position Alcatel-Lucent as a market leader for building out 3G and 4G networks. The deal closely follows the final approval of a $2.25 billion global settlement between Nortel and its shareholders to settle a couple of lawsuits surrounding financial results between 2001 and 2005.

For more on the Alcatel-Lucent UMTS deal:
- check out this article from RCR News

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