nextel

Huawei: You don't need to be afraid of us

For a company that builds telecommunications equipment and smartphones, Huawei has--in its own admission--not been so great at communicating its story.

Huawei's focus on serving its customers in the past came at the expense of establishing any kind of presence with the media or consumers, something its executives believe opened the door to a misinformation campaign that has stunted its progress in the U.S.

"We realized we were not good with communication," said Charles Ding, the senior-most Huawei executive based in the U.S., in an interview with CNET. "We didn't clarify who we … Read more

Sprint wants all your wireless connections, from phones to dog collars

Sprint Nextel wants to be the king of the hill when it comes to providing a cellular connection to any device, whether it is a heart monitor or a dog collar.

Sprint plans to do this not just by offering a wireless connection, but also through a broad offering of advice, maintenance, and other services--supplied by both Sprint and a wide array of partners. It's a proposition the company believes AT&T and Verizon Wireless can't match.

Those are bold words for a company that isn't exactly viewed as a leader in the emerging devices business. … Read more

T-Mobile's comeback plan: Is it enough?

T-Mobile USA faces a daunting uphill climb as it looks to turn itself around.

The nation's fourth-largest wireless provider, two months removed from a failed attempt to merge with AT&T, today laid out its comeback plan, which includes improving its existing network and deploying 4G LTE by 2013. Parent Deutsche Telekom has committed to investing $4 billion in the business, and signaled a willingness to explore other options, which could include an initial public offering or the sale of assets.

That T-Mobile is investing in its network and getting serious again about winning back customers is positive … Read more

AT&T to take on Nextel's walkie-talkie chirp

AT&T announced today that it is launching a trial program to test out its enhanced push-to-talk services (PTT), which aims to improve communication between work groups in the mobile field service.

Selected businesses that employ field agents and dispatchers in industries that include utilities, transportation, and manufacturing, will test out AT&T's wireless network and the carrier's mobile broadband speeds.

During this trial, AT&T will be collaborating with Kodiak Networks Inc. and Raytheon JPS to boost the capabilities of private mobile radio (PMR) systems in terms of greater coverage and faster connection speeds.… Read more

iPhone competition hurts Clearwire's growth as loss widens

Wireless operator Clearwire's fourth-quarter results were fairly disappointing, but at least its longer term prospects are starting to brighten.

The company, which supplies Sprint Nextel with 4G WiMax wireless service, reported a fourth-quarter loss of $236.8 million, or 81 cents a share, compared with a year-ago loss of $128 million, or 79 cents a share.

Revenue, however, more than doubled to $361.9 million as the company started picking itself up off the mat.

Wall Street analysts were looking for Clearwire to lose 35 cents a share and post revenue of $356.7 million. The company released its revenue and customer growth figures early. … Read more

Sprint gets the Nextel monkey off its back

Pretty soon, the Nextel in Sprint Nextel isn't going to make much sense anymore.

Sprint's Nextel network won't completely shut down until next year, but the company is already working to turn off the iDEN network. During the company's quarterly conference call today, executives laid out plans to decommission cell sites this year and talked up the financial benefits to come.

Nextel merged with Sprint in one of the most ill-advised deals in corporate history, with consequences of the disaster still apparent seven years later. Today, the company reported yet another unprofitable quarter. Nextel, which at … Read more

iPhone drives Sprint growth, but drags loss to $1.3B

Sprint Nextel saw its biggest surge in new customers in six years thanks to the iPhone, but that growth came at a hefty price.

Still, Sprint reported a loss of $1.3 billion, or 43 cents a share, on revenue of $8.72 billion in the fourth quarter. That compares with a loss of $929 million, or 31 cents a share, on revenue of $8.3 billion in the year-ago quarter.

The Q4 results included a loss of $241 million, or 8 cents a share, due to one-time costs related to asset charges on property, plant, equipment, as well as … Read more

Super Bowl drives supersized wireless traffic

After such a thrilling end to the Super Bowl, it's no surprise that a record number of sports fans e-mailed, text messaged, and called each other during the big game.

And the carriers weathered the surge in traffic despite a jump in usage. The wireless carriers may not always have the best record at big confabs--many fared poorly at the Consumer Electronic Show--but they stepped it up for the Super Bowl.

Ensuring adequate wireless coverage is crucial because the high-profile event garners so much scrutiny and attention. For Verizon Wireless, which is the official NFL wireless sponsor, the … Read more

Sprint gives LightSquared until March to get FCC approval

Sprint Nextel said it will give LightSquared an additional six weeks to get approval to build its nationwide 4G LTE wireless network from the Federal Communications Commission or it will terminate its agreement with the company, according to Dow Jones Newswires.

A Sprint spokesman told Dow Jones that the company had given LightSquared until mid-March to resolve concerns that its network interferes with GPS receivers. Sprint had already given LightSquared a 30-day extension to get FCC approval at the end of 2011.

A LightSquared representative confirmed that an extension had been granted. And he reiterated LightSquared's commitment to completing … Read more

For carriers, the iPhone is a bittersweet drug

Could the wireless carriers actually be addicted to the iPhone?

By now, it's well understood that the iPhone is a double-edged sword for the wireless carriers. On one side, Apple's smartphone is a pricey device to carry, requiring an unusually high subsidy that carriers must pay to keep it affordable enough for the masses. On the other, it leads to more loyal customers who pay more each month.

Furthermore, the telecom companies get to wrap themselves in the hip vibe that Apple brings to its products and partners, and can you put a price on being cool?

Apparently, … Read more