After a grueling eight-city coast-to-coast test of the 3G networks run by AT&T, Sprint and Verizon, we’ve come up with some clear-cut test results. Think you know who has the best network? Think again.
A true parable of how one should stay ahead of the curve: Motorola, once the most successful mobile phone maker in the world, is in danger of losing its standing in the industry. Consumers– and subsequently carriers–are increasingly less interested in the brand. Motorola has the weakest smartphones on the market, and smartphones are what America wants.
In wireless, it appears, the old adage applies: The rich get richer. The poor? Not so much. AT&T and Verizon Wireless are reporting impressive numbers while everyone else (Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, Metro PCS and Leap Wireless) is not. The gap between the tiers in the market are “stark,” according to Sanford Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett.
The “binary” outcome of RIM’s dilemma, according to research done by Citigroup’s Jim Sava, rests largely on whether or not Bold and Storm, the company’s widely anticipated new products, hit the market in time for the holidays. From there, in either case, the flowchart of scenarios and corresponding percentages–do consumers like the product? do profits go up?–become overwhelming. And of course, the company has recently changed its strategy and business model–it’s now a consumer company. Given that, it still boils down to Suva’s coin toss. Heads: earnings up; tails: earnings down.
Research In Motion (RIMM) this morning announced that its new touchscreen BlackBerry, the Storm, will start shipping to Verizon (VZ) and Vodafone (VOD) later this fall. The device will be priced in line with the Apple (AAPL) iPhone at $199, and will match Apple’s 8GB of storage capacity.
If you thought that the National Security Agency’s warrantless wiretapping was limited to AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, think again.
While these household names of the telecom industry almost certainly helped the government to illegally snoop on their customers, statements by a number of legal experts suggest that collaboration with the NSA may run far deeper into the wireless phone industry.
Qwest (Q) CEO Ed Mueller says the company’s migration of its wireless service offering to Verizon (VZ) is going smoothly. Qwest is switching from selling a Qwest-branded wireless service in which it resold service from Sprint (S) to a co-branded offering from Verizon; the company started rolling out its new Verizon by Qwest wireless service two weeks ago.
Negotiations between Verizon (VZ) and unions representing 65,000 employees continued past the Saturday midnight contract expiration over the weekend, but union officials agreed not to call a strike while talks extended.
UBS telecom analyst John Hodulik today cut his ratings on both AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ) to Hold from Buy, asserting that “the weak economy is pressuring wireline fundamentals at the Bells more than expected.”
Hackers enjoy a reputation as computer whizzes who can break into the most sophisticated systems. They may be whizzes, but the reason for their success is that businesses rely on defenses filled with holes big enough to drive a truck through.
Novatel Wireless shares are up sharply today after Morgan Joseph analyst Keven Dede upped his rating on the company to buy from hold, setting a price target of $13.
Dede notes that investment presentations by both Novatel and rival wireless broadband card maker Sierra Wireless “included the point that June quarter product sales have remained at solid levels.”
When last we looked after the big 700 MHz spectrum auction wrapped up in March, Team Google was congratulating itself for successfully winning open-access requirements for the desirable “C Block” without actually having to spend billions of dollars, clearing a path for devices powered by its open Android platform even though Verizon Wireless won those airwaves. The search sovereign should have known it wasn’t going to be that easy.
If I see the balding guy in the Verizon commercial marching in front of the New Orleans Hard Hat Band one more time, I’m going to pull my FiOS TV cable out of the wall. But when it released financial results for the first quarter Monday, Verizon said this ad and the $99 unlimited talk plan it advertises were working well for the company. On a conference call with investors, the company said 13% of its new customers are signing up for the $99 plan, according to an account by the Associated Press. Previously, only 4% of its customers chose plans with bundles of minutes that cost $99 or more.
Back in the pre-fiber days, cable and phone companies competed for broadband and voice customers. With Verizon and AT&T rolling out fiber networks, competition has come to the television set–and the fight sometimes gets ugly. A source tipped Ars off to the existence of one such battle between Comcast and AT&T that’s set to happen in an Illinois courtroom. Comcast says that AT&T’s U-Verse service is causing problems for its customers and that AT&T is refusing to address the issue.
What do Cliff Stearns, John Shimkus and Fred Upton have in common? They’re all members of the House Telecommunications Subcommittee, and they’ve each publicly accused Google of having “duped” the Federal Communications Commission by “gaming” a recent multibillion-dollar auction of wireless frequencies, shortchanging federal coffers. They also have this in common: Each has received more than $100,000 in campaign contributions over their careers from telephone and cable interests locked in a battle with Google over the use of those frequencies.
This is a section of the All Things Digital Web site featuring posts from around the Web, from other Dow Jones properties and also original pieces we solicit. The section is now explicitly labeled that it comes "from other Web sites."
We are fully aware of the controversies around how linking and aggregating is done on the Web and we, in no way, are attempting to "scrape" original content created by others. Instead, regarding third-party posts, we are trying to point readers of this site to other posts from around the Web that we admire and are trying to do so in the quickest manner possible.
The Internet is full of terrific content that is not ours and we want to help our readers find it by making editorial suggestions--Look, Mom, no algorithm!--of posts we think are worth their time.
That is why we have made even more changes to Voices to ensure we do this in the most transparent and timely way. While we don't expect that everyone will agree with our policies, we have made changes that reflect our intent in pointing to content outside our site.
So here is exactly what we do: Read more »
Because the site is wholly owned by Dow Jones, publisher of The Wall Street Journal, we aim to adhere to the journalistic standards of the best of the mainstream media. But, because it is run autonomously as a small online startup, we aim to exhibit the fresh thinking and nimbleness of the best of the new media. We want to be first, and sassy, but also well sourced and accurate. We will offer lots of opinion and analysis, but plenty of fact as well.
D is unlike any other executive conference. Since its debut in 2003, D has brought to life the energy and excitement of the digital revolution in an unscripted, upfront and unparalleled way. Read more »
Don't miss a post! Sign up for our Daily Email and get AllThingsD.com delivered each day.
Get columns, blogs and video from D and All Things Digital on your iPhone. Download now »
