With MetroPCS, T-Mobile could help Apple reach 9 million new potential iPhone buyers
It may not be the iPhone 5 they buy — the iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S may prove more attractive — but that’s OK. Read more »
Mobile first-quarter 2013: analysis and outlook
The mobile platform wars escalated once again in the first quarter of 2012 as BlackBerry finally took the wraps off its much-anticipated new operating system. Meanwhile Android continued to build on its dominance both worldwide and in the U.S., cementing a two-horse race with Apple. Read more »
Analyst: Verizon’s network neutrality challenge may have to wait until fall
We’re going to have to wait a little longer before we know if the network neutrality rules the FCC implemented in 2010 are hear to stay. The courts aren’t likely to hear the case until fall. Read more »
T-Mobile-MetroPCS merger: Now all that’s left is shareholder approval
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States has become the latest and final regulator to give the nod to the merger, although the resistance of some shareholders may still stand in the way. Read more »
Patent troll sues Apple, Google and everyone else, but BT denies involvement
A U.S. non-practising entity is using an old BT patent to attack Apple, Google, Motorola, HTC, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and others. However, BT denies any connection with the suit, saying it sold away all rights around the broad patent. Read more »
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A look back at mobile in the third quarter
Apple stole the spotlight in the third quarter with the release of its iPhone 5, Amazon pursued the tablet market aggressively with a new line of tablets, and Microsoft prepped to launch Windows 8 and the highly anticipated Surface tablet. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
It’s quickly official: T-Mobile and MetroPCS agree to merge
A deal between T-Mobile and MetroPCS combines 42.5 million customers, which keeps T-Mobile behind Sprint in terms of subscribers, but it creates two opportunities: A wider, faster rollout of LTE services with more spectrum and a chance for Deutsche Telekom to eventually leave the U.S. Read more »
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Mobile 2012 and beyond
Whether it’s the iPhone 5, the importance of LTE, or BYOD trends disrupting the enterprise, there are always technologies, trends, and companies changing the way we define mobile. Here are some noteworthy segments to watch in the coming months, from location-based shopping to apps to wireless networks. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
T-Mobile grows but its lack of iPhone is still a problem
T-Mobile is still struggling after its planned acquisition by AT&T fell through. In the first full quarter after the proposed merger was scuttled, the nation’s fourth largest carrier managed to gain only 187,000 customers; most from lower revenue businesses, such as prepaid and M2M. Read more »
Sprint, MetroPCS were “hours away” from now-dead $8B deal
MetroSprint? MetroPCS came within “hours” of joining forces with Sprint, according to a report, before the deal was killed by Sprint’s board. The $8 billion deal would have seen further consolidation in the wireless industry, but would have been tough sledding. Read more »
Why LTE sucks (your battery, that is)
LTE phones are the fastest things on the airwaves, but they can also suck a battery dry in a few hours. Here are five reasons why your new Samsung Galaxy Nexus or HTC Vivid is going dead right after lunch time. Read more »
AT&T & Dish fight over spectrum, but will either build a network?
Report after report points to AT&T marrying Dish Network after Ma Bell’s forced break up with T-Mobile, but given the companies’ increasing belligerence, you wouldn’t think that was the case. What we’re witnessing here is some very cynical pre-nuptial gamesmanship. Read more »
Qualcomm, Ericsson just brought mobile calls into the IP age
Qualcomm and Ericsson have successfully passed a voice call from an LTE network to a 3G one, paving the way for mobile carriers to begin migrating their voice traffic onto all-IP 4G networks. Once that happens, operators can start shutting down their 2G and 3G networks. Read more »
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CES 2012: a recap and analysis
This year’s CES was the biggest in the show’s 44-year history. It boasted 15 miles of exhibit hall aisles, 3,100 booths and 153,000 attendees. It is easy to be jaded by the endlessly repetitive products, but the thousands of innovations point toward a future of connectivity. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
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12 tech leaders’ resolutions for 2012
If you’re like many of us, you’re already thinking over some New Year’s resolutions that will make you a better “you” in 2012. But how are the tech industries’ thought leaders approaching the new year? We asked 12 of them for their resolutions. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
T-Mobile: Apple’s next chipset will support AWS
Apple isn’t one to talk about its future plans, but that doesn’t always stop partners or potential partners from sometimes spilling the beans. Case in point: T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray told Cnet in an interview Tuesday that Apple’s “next chipset will support AWS.” Read more »
Broadcasters try, try again with mobile TV
Broadcasters have been looking for a carrier guinea pig to test out their mobile digital TV service, and on Wednesday they found one. MetroPCS has agreed to sell an Samsung Android phone embedded with a chip that will pluck digital TV signals directly from the airwaves. Read more »
Verizon’s spectrum deal with cable is the end of broadband competition
The spectrum deal that Verizon signed to buy the unused airwaves from the nation’s top cable providers signals the moment that the consumer benefits of the convergence of voice, video and data hit the wall. It’s a deal that’s great for Verizon and bad for consumers. Read more »
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AT&T’s loss with T-Mo likely to be another bidder’s big gain
AT&T is scrambling to make huge concessions to gain approval of its proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA. Approval now looks highly unlikely, and the fallout could change the mobile landscape in a big way. Here’s who might ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Who wins and who loses if AT&T-Mo fails?
AT&T’s proposed acquisition of T-Mobile seems all but dead. If the deal falls through mobile operators stand to gain or lose depending on which of side of the battle lines the stand. The biggest losers, however, aren’t necessarily AT&T and T-Mobile. Read more »
Leap, MetroPCS See Different Results From Chasing Smartphone Opportunities
Tough times continue for wireless carriers at the lower end of the spectrum as they struggle to move into the smartphone era. Things got a l… Read more at paidContent »
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The future of mobile: a segment analysis by GigaOM Pro
As our demand for data increases, so too do the number of mobile devices and services. Add to that the infrastructure needed to support such connectivity, and a wide, complex picture of the mobile industry emerges. This report examines the various sectors of the mobile landscape and what the future holds for each. Hardware, cloud services, mobile search, advertising, location-based services and the growing ubiquity of the Internet of Things will all play an important role in the concept of mobility as it shifts and evolves over the next several years. With the help of more than a dozen contributors, GigaOM Pro presents a comprehensive analysis of the companies and trends that will lead us into the next era of mobile. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
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Cricket is Muving the mobile music needle
Mobile music has historically been a money pit for carriers. Delivering tunes over the network is a costly endeavor, and consumers are unwilling to pay a premium for accessing music on the go. So high-priced services have languished while users have turned to online streaming offerings ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
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Solyndra and the future of cleantech investing
When all was said and done, solar panel maker Solyndra raised over a billion dollars, making it No. 2 on the list of companies that have raised the most equity, according to a 2010 list from Dow Jones VentureWire. But unlike Facebook or MetroPCS, two other names on ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
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Why prepaid could help Bada win in the U.S.
Samsung continues to find success overseas with bada, its platform targeted at budget-conscious consumers who want a solid mobile data experience. The manufacturer could duplicate that success in the U.S., and prepaid would be an ideal way to bring the platform to ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Is there a market for prepaid tablets?
The tablet market is booming as a host of new gadgets come to market, but 3G-enabled devices are gathering dust due to pricey data plans and requirements for two-year contracts. So prepaid data services could help carriers grab a slice of the pie. Read more »
Q1 Wireless Scorecard: What Verizon iPhone Effect?
The iPhone’s debut on Verizon Wireless in January was one of the most anticipated moments for many consumers and wireless lovers. But it turns out the launch wasn’t bad news for most rival carriers. Take a look at how they fared in Q1. Read more »
Fighting AT&T-Mo Is Fighting the Wrong War
The AT&T and T-Mo merger will be decided by a DoJ and an FCC playing by the old rules that don’t take into account the future needs of the mobile industry, nor how the relationship between the players in that industry have changed. That’s a problem. Read more »
Wireless Consolidation: How Did We Get Here?
MetroPCS recently met with the FCC about wireless competition, presumably in response to AT&T’s proposal to buy T-Mobile USA for $39 billion. Industry groups, average consumers and Sprint have come out against the proposed merger, and MetroPCS also offered up this slide showing industry consolidation. Read more »
Leap Won’t Exactly Leap to LTE
Leap Wireless, the company behind the prepaid Cricket prepaid service, will transition to a 4G Long Term Evolution Network in the second half of this year, but is dubious about the technology being ready for customers. Leap’s CEO thinks devices will achieve “critical pricing” in 2012. Read more »
MetroPCS LTE Plans to Charge More for VoIP & Streaming
MetroPCS’s discounted 4G LTE mobile broadband plans, announced yesterday, weren’t just the beginning of a possible price war. It represented a long-talked about tactic of ISPs charging for content at different rates and potentially favoring their own services while charging more for access to rivals. Read more »
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5 Companies That Ruled Mobile in 2010
Once an isolated world dominated by network operators and their manufacturer partners, mobile is now a space where “outsiders” are some of the most powerful players. In 2010, companies like Google, Apple, MetroPCS, Huawei and Foursquare were among those who made the most impact in mobile ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
For $55, What Kind of LTE Experience Does MetroPCS Deliver?
MetroPCS was the first U.S. carrier to offer an LTE handset, and customers get unlimited 4G web access with their voice and message plan for $55 a month. That’s far less than other carriers’ 3G plans, so how does the MetroPCS 4G network compare? Read more »
Q3 in Mobile: Android, the iPad and the March Toward 4G
The third quarter saw the continuation of important trends in mobile, from the astounding growth of Android to soaring sales of Apple’s iPad. Perhaps the biggest trend, though, is the march towards 4G, which will have a tremendous impact on the industry in the coming months. Read more »
Veebeam Raises $6M for Wireless Video Streaming
Veebeam announced that it’s raised $6 million in the first tranche of a two-tranche funding round. The startup, which makes a wireless USB system for streaming from the PC to the TV, will use the funds to ramps up production and ship product to customers. Read more »
Mobilize 2010: San Francisco To Get LTE by Year’s End
Residents of San Francisco, take note: you will have the option of a 4G mobile data network by the end of the year. That is, if you make the jump to the LTE network offered by pre-paid mobile carrier MetroPCS, according to COO Tom Keys. Read more »
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Mobile Operators’ Strategies for Connected Devices
Line losses are now the single greatest threat to the mobile sector’s growth, and major carriers must overcome the ceiling under which they now find themselves and the growth of their business. The solution lies not in voice-centric mobile devices but with new non-phone data-consuming devices like tablets, e-readers and machine-to-machine technology like digital picture frames, personal navigation devices and more. Tier 1 carriers — Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile — face a number of challenges, including a lack of control over distribution, disruptions to traditional pricing models and the unique nature of M2M deployments. For them, success will rely on experimenting with business models and the ability to quickly adjust data plans to drive profitability and growth. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
MetroPCS: This Isn’t the LTE Network You’re Looking For
MetroPCS launched the nation’s first LTE network today in Las Vegas, as well as the first handset to run on it: the Samsung Craft. The network will be fast, and the plans to get on that network will be cheap, but the Craft isn’t a smartphone. Read more »
AT&T Apparently Realized It Needs to Get Moving on LTE
AT&T today said it plans to launch its fourth-generation LTE network by mid-2011 and will cover 75 million people by the end of next year. The carrier will spend $700 million this year rolling out the faster networks, with trials set for Dallas and Baltimore. Read more »
MetroPCS to Win U.S. Race to LTE
Verizon is hard at work to get its LTE high-speed network online late this year, but MetroPCS may be first according to information its LTE network will go live in September. The fifth-largest operator in the U.S. will light up Dallas and Las Vegas next month. Read more »
