nextel

Carriers keeping hands on the reins

Over the last few months, mobile operators have been falling over each other to profess their networks as "open," but a closer look at what they're really doing suggests they have a long way to go.

Traditionally, mobile phone operators have kept a tight grip on their networks. They have determined which phones could be used, what applications could be accessed, which features were enabled, and where subscribers could go on the Internet. But over the past year, Internet companies like Google and Skype have joined with consumer groups to lobby lawmakers and the Federal Communications Commission … Read more

A gallery of Sprint QChat phones

Sprint's Samsung Instinct has taken center stage as CTIA, but the carrier has more to offer in Las Vegas. Monday it also unveiled its first series of QChat phones (see our Sprint QChat slide show for the eye candy), which for the first time offer push-to-talk interoperability between CDMA and iDEN networks. There's no mishmash of competing technologies here. The QChat phones make and receive PTT calls through Nextel's Direct Connect service. Oh, and incidentally, QChat marks the final nail in the coffin of Sprints previous ReadyLink PTT service.

The first two QChat handsets to hit stores … Read more

Mobile operators avoid potential regulation

Updated 12:30 p.m. PDT with comment from the Open Internet Coalition.

LAS VEGAS--It seems mobile operators have dodged a regulatory bullet by promising to open up their networks on their own.

On Tuesday, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin said he was rewarding U.S. wireless operators for their efforts to open up their networks by not pushing for more regulation.

During a keynote address here at the CTIA tradeshow, Martin said he is going to circulate an order among the FCC commissioners to dismiss Skype's petition to apply Carterfone rules to the wireless industry. The Carterfone … Read more

CTIA: A platform for changing the subject

It's that time of year again when U.S. cell phone executives gather at the semi-annual CTIA Wireless trade show to show off new products and hobnob with each other. But this year it seems like some companies are working extra hard to clear the air before they hit the Las Vegas show floor.

Trade shows are typically where companies make new product announcements. And while I'm sure there will be some new handsets and services announced at CTIA, my feeling is that some of the more troubled companies like Sprint Nextel and Motorola, will use the conference … Read more

Comcast and Time Warner to bankroll WiMax joint venture

Comcast and Time Warner Cable are looking to help bankroll a new joint venture between Sprint Nextel and Clearwire to deliver 4G wireless services, according to a report in Wednesday's Wall Street Journal.

According to unnamed sources, the companies are discussing a plan to provide funding for a new wireless company that would be operated by Sprint Nextel and Clearwire. The new company would use network spectrum and assets from both companies to form a nationwide wireless network using WiMax.

Last summer, Sprint and Clearwire announced they'd be working together to build a nationwide network. In November, they … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 676: Don't lecture me

EPISODE 676

Apple’s iPhone SDK Strategy Both Promotes and Stifles Innovation http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/07/AR2008030700060.html

iPhone SDK, Apple’s Touch Platform, and The Next Two Decades http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/ 900-iphone-sdk-apples-touch-platform-and-the-next-two-decades

FAQ: What does the iPhone SDK mean? http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9888281-7.html

Rumor: Sprint will spin off Nextel http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9888321-7.html

Air Force Cyber Command Wants Intarwebs Supremacy (Thanks Jacob!) http://gizmodo.com/365042/ air-force-cyber-command-wants-intarwebs-supremacy

Analysts say T-Mobile may acquire Sprint http://www.kansascity.com/382/story/519407.html

Report: Google, Microsoft, and two … Read more

Rumor: Sprint to spin off Nextel

Rumors are swirling today over the future of Sprint. First off, Seeking Alpha is reporting that Sprint has hired Morgan Stanley for a possible spin-off of its Nextel brand. Sprint's ongoing troubles have been widely reported over the last few months and many analysts have named the 2006 merger between Sprint and Nextel as a key cause of the carrier's ongoing troubles. With that in mind, a spin-off of Nextel may be surprising, but it wouldn't be so shocking.

But that's not the only Sprint dish going around today. The Kansas City Star said that Merrill … Read more

The Sprint nightmare is far from over

The news for Sprint Nextel just keeps getting worse as the company struggles to rebuild its business and its reputation.

On Thursday the third-largest wireless phone company in the U.S. announced a $29.5 billion loss for the fourth quarter of 2007 and warned that the company would continue to lose customers at an alarming rate in the coming year.

The company eliminated its dividend and wrote down the full value of its $35 billion merger with Nextel Communications. The companies merged in 2005, and it's been a bumpy ride ever since with many of Nextel's customers … Read more

Sprint raises stakes in the $99.99 unlimited battle

Sprint Nextel upped the ante in the $99.99 all-you-can-eat rate plan battle Thursday by introducing a service that includes unlimited voice as well as unlimited data and slew of premium services.

Called "Simply Everything," the plan will give customers unlimited voice as well as unlimited data, text, e-mail, Web-surfing, Sprint TV, Sprint Music, GPS Navigation, and push-to-talk service for $99.99 a month. The company made the announcement during its fourth-quarter earnings call, in which the company also announced heavy financial and customer losses.

The new pricing plan is available to existing and new customers on both … Read more

What exactly is Sprint doing?

Is it just me, or is Sprint really trying to confuse the heck out of everyone? When the carrier merged with Nextel almost two years ago, everyone in the cell phone world thought it was the oddest of odd couples, and it was. Not only did the two companies operate incompatible networks (Nextel had its signature iDEN service while Sprint used CDMA), but also they attracted different consumer segments. Though at the time Sprint promised that it would be a "merger of equals," Nextel fans weren't so sure. How would the combined company integrate the two carriers … Read more