Carriers

We knew it was coming, but Sprint confirmed today that its 4G WiMax network would go live in the San Francisco Bay Area on December 28. Sprint customers should be able to access the fast data speeds in most urban regions surrounding the bay including San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose.

Though the carrier has been testing WiMax in the region since September--we've already used it in the CNET offices in San Francisco--the official launch date means the service is ready for commercial use. Also, the International Telecommunication Union recently classified WiMax as an official 4G technology.

Indeed, … Read more

For most of this year, "4G" has became the latest war-of-words battleground for U.S. carriers. But even as Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless rushed to outboast each other with claims of operating the best high-speed data network, the International Telecommunication Union declined to officially acknowledge their respective technologies as 4G.

The carriers, of course, never acknowledged that tidbit--admittedly, "not quite 4G" doesn't sound as exciting--but two weeks ago the ITU decided to cut them some slack anyway. At its December 6 meeting in Geneva, the ITU, an international standards body that officially designates wireless … Read more

Mobile Email 4.0 has finally arrived for owners of feature phones on Verizon Wireless. The new e-mail solution boasts an improved method of accessing e-mail that includes a "true push" experience, compatibility with Microsoft Exchange Email, Outlook Calendar sync, and a brand-new user interface.

As a reminder, the Mobile Email app isn't free--it's $5 a month with a Pay as You Go option, but it is included if you have a $15 or higher data plan.

Cricket Wireless is getting into the music biz this CES. Today, the regional, no-contract carrier revealed a new service plan that wraps unlimited music downloads, playback, and ringtone creation into the customer's monthly charge. For $55 per month, the MuveMusic ("move") plan includes music downloads, ringtones, and ringback tones in an unlimited talk, text, e-mail, and Internet plan. (And yes, labels EMI, Sony, Warner, and Universal are all signed on).

This is the first carrier-driven service that doesn't try to sell you either a separate music subscription or piecemeal ringtones and tracks through an online store. Interestingly, the music is completely tied to the phone. Song files are stored on the phone's microSD card, but aren't transferable to a computer.

And since the all-you-can-eat music buffet is fueled by your monthly plan, customers get access to their beats as long as they settle their bills. Skip a month and the full-track downloads--along with calls, e-mail, texting, and browsing--disappear until the piper's been paid. In that sense, Cricket's musical leanings follow the renter's model.… Read more

Just when you thought Nicole Lee was all sunshine and rainbows, she ends this week's podcast with the above farewell. Indeed, it was a Grinchy week in the studio as Bonnie shot down my hysterical jokes (well, I thought they were funny), I scolded Sanyo for naming its new phone the "Taho," and Jessica slams the Nexus S for not being special enough. Jessica may have nothing but love, but it wasn't a show filled with holiday cheer.

Cell phone goodness abounded, however, as we talked about even more Verizon iPhone rumors, additional MetroPCS 4G markets, … Read more

The fifth-largest U.S. carrier may never have had much in the way of 3G networks, but MetroPCS is continuing to close the gap by expanding its 4G LTE markets to major U.S. cities.

Today, New York, Boston, and Sacramento, Calif., join the roster. For now, that gives Samsung the edge among U.S. customers, since the Samsung Craft is currently MetroPCS' only 4G-enabled phone. Although not a smartphone, the Craft was also the first LTE-enabled phone.

MetroPCS' LTE service is also available in San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. Service is also expected … Read more

Regional carrier Cricket Wireless has announced a few special sales just for the holiday season. Through December 25, you'll be able to buy a Sanyo Zio for $149.99, a Huawei Ascend for $129.99, the BlackBerry Curve 8530 for $199.99, the Samsung Messager Touch for $79.99, and more. Cricket has also developed a "One Stop Gift Guide" where customers can have someone guide them through the gift selection process.

Though much of the wireless world is gathering this week in San Francisco at D: Dive into Mobile in San Francisco, it's not the only industry gathering this week. Yesterday at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference in New York, execs from AT&T and Verizon Wireless discussed the ever-changing topic of data plans for smartphones.

Verizon Verizon Wireless CEO Ivan Seidenberg spoke only a day after the carrier activated its LTE network for laptop customers. Though Verizon also introduced new LTE plans for its USB modem users--5GB of data for $50 per month or 10GB of … Read more

Almost six years after it acquired Nextel for $35 billion, Sprint today announced that it was finally phasing out Nextel's iDEN technology starting in 2013. The news isn't surprising in the least--indeed, Sprint has floated the idea several times since 2005--but this is the first time we have a real timeline for putting iDEN out to pasture.

The iDEN news came as part of a lengthy press release promoting a massive network upgrade called "Network Vision." Currently, the carrier uses separate base stations to handle its 800MHz and 1,900GHz CDMA bands and 2.5GHz WiMax … Read more