nextel

It looks like Sprint Nextel's CEO Gary Forsee will soon get the boot, which could spell trouble for the company's WiMax network.

According to a story published by The Wall Street Journal late Thursday, the company's board of directors is fed up with Sprint's poor performance and they're laying the blame on Forsee and company.

The story didn't identify sources by name, but referred to "informed people" who said the board of directors had already launched a search for a new CEO in August. Several high-profile candidates have been approached for the … Read more

Activist investor Ralph Whitworth is continuing to put pressure on Sprint Nextel CEO Gary Forsee, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Whitworth, who owns about 2 percent of Sprint's outstanding stock, told the WSJ that he has lost confidence in Forsee. While he stopped short of asking for Forsee's resignation, he said he'd like to see the company's board of directors make some management changes to get the company back on track.

Whitworth is most concerned about Sprint's investment in WiMax, a wireless-broadband technology that would greatly increase data speeds. The company has committed itself … Read more

Internet telephony player Vonage was dealt another serious legal blow Tuesday when a federal jury found the company had infringed on six patents held by Sprint Nextel.

The jury ordered Vonage to pay Sprint $69.5 million in damages.

Sprint sued Vonage in 2005, claiming the company was infringing on seven Sprint patents that dealt with connecting Internet phone calls. Vonage denied the claims and argued that Sprint's patents shouldn't have been approved in the first place.

Vonage said in a statement that it will appeal the federal court's verdict. Vonage also said it will develop technological … Read more

Sprint Nextel introduced a new product Monday to help improve cell phone coverage indoors.

The new Sprint Airave is a femtocell or compact wireless base station that boosts cellular signals indoors to provide enhanced coverage up to 5,000 square feet. The device, which can handle up to three calls at one time, is available for purchase in Sprint stores in Denver and Indianapolis. It will be available throughout Sprint's network sometime in 2008.

The device works with an existing broadband connection to send calls over the Internet instead of using Sprint's cellular network. When subscribers leave the … Read more

Federal regulators late on Thursday slapped three wireless firms, including No. 3 operator Sprint Nextel, with a total of $2.83 million in fines for not meeting a long-passed deadline for equipping subscribers with enhanced 911 service.

The Federal Communications Commission had set a December 31, 2005 date by which all mobile carriers had to ensure that 95 percent of their subscribers had location-sensitive handsets--that is, those that allow emergency responders to pinpoint a caller's location upon connection to the 911 switchboard.

Sprint Nextel and large regional operators Alltel Corp. and U.S. Cellular Corp. "failed to meet … Read more

The second quarter ended as a bit of a mixed bag for struggling wireless operator Sprint Nextel, as it reported a huge drop in profits but also grew its subscriber base.

Sprint's profits dropped 95 percent to $19 million, down from $370 million in the same quarter a year earlier, largely due to high costs associated with building out the company's 4G WiMax network. But at the same time, Sprint added 373,000 new customers and reduced its churn rate, a major feat for a company that has been bleeding customers for past several quarters.

Most of its … Read more

Sprint has just released the Motorola Deluxe ic902, the latest in its line of PowerSource phones that combines the best of the Sprint and Nextel services. Weighing around 4.8 ounces, we wouldn't exactly call it a slim and stylish cell phone; it's more of a rugged and durable device made for industrial use. That said, the Deluxe ic902 does have quite a number of useful features. It utilizes Nextel for walkie-talkie services and Sprint for voice and data. The Deluxe ic902 is also the first to support Sprint's higher-end services like PowerVision--this means it has access … Read more

Sprint today formally launched the Motorola ic502, the first dual-mode CDMA/iDEN cell phone. As we told you two weeks ago, the iC502 will operate on Sprint's CDMA network for voice calls, then switch to Nextel's iDEN network for push-to-talk (PTT) conversations. The feature set includes all the normal Nextel offerings including integrated GPS, Direct Talk and Direct Send support, a speakerphone, and compatibility for Java applications. Bluetooth is conspicuously absent, however, and with no camera or EV-DO support, the ic502 promises to be all work and no play. From the Sprint side, the handset will support the … Read more

By launching the Motorola i880 today, Sprint Nextel proves that all work and no play make a dull cell phone user. Offering a 2-megapixel camera, an MP3 player, and external music controls, the i880 has a bit more pizzazz than previous Nextel models, while still offering the same business-friendly accoutrements customers of the carrier have come to expect. The bulky design also is signature Nextel, while the eggplant-like color adds a bit of style. On the downside, the internal memory is small and music quality is so-so, but overall it's a quality addition to Nextel's lineup. You can … Read more