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Justice Dept sought review of T-Mobile-MetroPCS deal in November

Correction, 2:55 p.m. and 6:55 PT: CNET incorrectly stated that the Justice Department had sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission today and implied there was additional concern about the national security implications of that deal. There have been no additional concerns raised, and the review is part of a standard process when a foreign company is involved in a merger.

The U.S. Department of Justice had previously asked the Federal Communications Commission to defer its review of the T-Mobile and MetroPCS merger in late November.

In a letter dated Nov. 26, 2012, attorney adviser … Read more

DOJ asks FCC to defer Softbank-Sprint deal, cites 'national security'

The U.S. Department of Justice has asked the Federal Communications Commission to defer a proposed deal in which Japan-based Softbank would acquire a 70 percent stake in Sprint.

In a letter sent to the FCC and dated yesterday, attorney advisor Jennifer Rockoff, with the Justice Department's National Security Division, asked that the deal be put on ice for now.

The DOJ, the Department of Homeland Security, and the FBI "are currently reviewing this matter for any national security, law enforcement, and public safety issues but have not yet completed that effort," she wrote. &… Read more

AT&T's look outside the U.S. may include more than M&A

AT&T is considering ways to expand abroad besides just making acquisitions, the wireless carrier's chief executive said today.

Randall Stephenson, speaking during a conference call with analysts following AT&T's quarterly earnings report, said the shift to mobile in the U.S. over the past five years has been "impressive," and said those changes are likely to take place across the world. AT&T just needs to figure out how to take advantage of them.

"We have to ask if there are opportunities to participate in growth outside the U.S.,&… Read more

LTE users to hit 1 billion by 2016, says report

The rise in worldwide subscribers on 4G LTE has far exceeded expectations. In just three years since its nascent beginnings, the mobile technology has skyrocketed -- going from 600,000 users in 2010 to nearly 100 million subscribers in 2012.

Now, in a new report, market research firm IHS iSuppli is projecting that global users will double in 2013 and that by 2016 LTE will claim more than 1 billion subscribers.

"With LTE emerging as a true global technology standard, its ecosystem now faces both challenges and opportunities," iSuppli's senior analyst for wireless communications, Wayne Lam, said … Read more

Clearwire investors ask Sprint to up its bid, report says

More Clearwire shareholders are adding their voice to the ever growing number of investors asking Sprint to raise its bid for the company, following Dish Network's higher -- albeit unsolicited -- offer.

Glenview Capital Management plans to reject Sprint's current bid of $2.97 per share, which was capped by Softbank, an investment company that's seeking to take a majority stake in the carrier. Another Clearwire investor, Taran Asset Management, will file a complaint with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), arguing that the mobile broadband company is worth more than Sprint's offer, according to Bloomberg, … Read more

Sprint to expand 4G LTE to 28 more cities in coming months

Sprint Nextel announced plans to expand its 4G LTE network to 28 new cities in the coming months, continuing its push to blanket its entire network with the high-speed wireless access.

The Overland Park, Kan., company listed Paris, Texas; Branson, Mo.; Oxford, Miss.; and other smaller cities in its latest update. It didn't specify what "coming months" means, but as CNET has reported, that could be as much as six months.

Sprint has been playing catch-up in terms of 4G LTE, lagging far behind rivals Verizon Wireless and AT&T. It earlier made a bet on … Read more

Dish Network to FCC: Pause the Sprint-Softbank merger review

Dish Network has asked the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to pause its review of Softbank's proposed $20.1 billion acquisition of Sprint.

When Japanese carrier Softbank acquired a 70 percent stake in Sprint in October, it provided Sprint with the cash to acquire the Clearwire shares it didn't already own. Sprint has been floundering in the cellular market for some time, and made the Clearwire bid to acquire greater spectrum and more customers.

Sprint offered to buy remaining Clearwire shares for $2.90 apiece. Softbank then capped the bid at $2.97 per share and wouldn't … Read more

iPhone 5 users gobble up the most data in Europe, study says

iPhone 5 users in Europe are keeping mobile networks busy by eating up the most data.

Among 125 devices included in a study out today by Arieso, users of the newest iPhone downloaded 50 percent more data than did those with an iPhone 4S and four times as much as did those with an iPhone 3G. But Samsung users also proved to be big data hogs, at least in terms of uploads.

Owners of the Galaxy S3 took first place in terms of the amount of data uploaded, followed by those with the Galaxy Note 2. That put the iPhone … Read more

MetroPCS debuts new 4G LTE plans starting at $40

Prepaid carrier MetroPCS is rolling out a new line of wireless plans that it's dubbing "simpler" 4G LTE plans. All three plans offer unlimited data and are available on several of the smartphones MetroPCS offers.

The cheapest plan is $40 per month and includes unlimited data with the first 500MB of data running at 4G LTE speeds. The next unlimited data plan is $50 per month and the first 2.5GB of data runs on 4G LTE. And the final $60 per month plan offers complete unlimited data at 4G LTE speeds. All three plans include unlimited … Read more

BlackBerry 10 to be carried on AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile

With BlackBerry 10's big debut coming at the end of this month, three major U.S. carriers have confirmed that they will carry devices on this new platform, according to Reuters.

AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile USA all said that they plan to support BlackBerry 10 handsets on their networks.

"We're extremely optimistic that it's going to be a successful product and our business customers are extremely interested in it," T-Mobile USA chief executive John Legere told Reuters.

Verizon's chief executive Lowell McAdam also confirmed the carrier will support BlackBerry 10 devices. And … Read more