cellular

LightYear Wireless MLM

August 21, 2008

If you Google Lightyear Wireless, you will get 400K+ entries. Everyone looking for instant riches via multi-level marketing is looking at Lightyear's new deal to deliver cellular services via Verizon Wireless. Telecom folks don't pay attention.

This is an MVNO deal, which is when a provider buys cellular minutes and resells it under its own brand.

Posted in cellular

iPhone

September 11, 2008

Can we stop with all the iPhone talk? Sheesh! Out of about 300 blog posts on my Google Reader today about 75% mention that cell phone that you can only get in a blood contract with the Evil Empire. Enough already. There's plenty of other stuff to write about.

Posted in cellular

Newber

September 12, 2008

FreedomVoice unvieled Newber at CTIA. It is the beta version of the first location-aware business number. Newber Beta is an application that resides in the iPhone as a fully functional second line and uses positioning technology to locate and seamlessly transfer calls to nearby landlines, even during an in-progress call.

Newber Beta delivers an independent number that can be assigned to any phone, sparing the caller the task of dialing multiple numbers for mobile, home, work, etc.

Posted in apps, cellular, voip

Where's the growth?

September 28, 2008

"Global Wireless Penetration to Hit 80% in 2013, Says Portio Research" [via teleclick] If all the growth will be in Africa, China, and India, what does that mean for European and US carriers? Cellular penetration is now more than 50%.

Looking at the ARPU stat: "Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) declines to $15.80 in 2013, down from $23.20 in 2005." With debt piling up from building out 3G and now 4G networks, how do you pay it back with declining ARPU? As more folks use the network (and use more of it), upgrades are needed to meet capacity demand, including in tower backhaul. Not to mention that the cellular folks have to pay inter-carrier comp for dropping traffic on the ILEC networks.

Posted in cellular, telco, telecommunications

Cellular Numbers

October 7, 2008

Broadband Reports discusses NPD Group data about iPhone conversion. "Nearly half of new AT&T iPhone customers switched from Verizon Wireless, another 24 percent switched from T-Mobile, and 19 percent switched from Sprint. iPhone smartphone share jumped from 11% to 17% of the market with the 3G's launch."

T-Mobile can probably keep some folks from switching with their sold out Android G-phone, but what has Sprint got? Actually, they have the Blackbeery Bold, Curve and Palm Centro - the other best selling phones in the summer according to NPD Group.

Other cellular news comes from Gary Kim on his IP Business blog:

More than one fourth of wireless phone customers have replaced their traditional landline connections at home and are now using wireless service exclusively to communicate on a daily basis, according to J.D.

Posted in cellular

Sprint is at risk of default

October 27, 2008

According to Businessweek, telecom could get squeezed by the credit crunch - and Sprint could get hurt the most.

"To start with, rising capital costs are likely to take a bite out of earnings. In addition, the softening economy will probably crimp demand for such telecom services as land lines, cell phones, and Internet connections."

AT&T sounded the first warning signal in late September, when CEO Randall Stephenson said the telecom giant was unable to sell commercial paper for terms longer than overnight. AT"T is the industry's biggest user of commercial paper, with about $8.5 billion in paper outstanding at the end of June.

Although Verizon is not a big player in the commercial paper market, it does have $7 billion of debt coming up for renewal in 2009. The company also needs to borrow another $22 billion to pay for its acquisition of wireless carrier Alltel Wireless....

Sprint is the most leveraged carrier.

Posted in cellular, telco

The Rotten Apple in the Channel

November 4, 2008

In its latest financial filing AT&T claims that they sold 6.9M iPhones and added 1M new cellular customers in the quarter due to the iPhone 3G. (Apple says that 39% of quarterly revenues were due to pushing out 200M iPhones so far.) Here's the funny part: Agents can't sell the iPhone. Agents can sell Blackberries and other phones but not the iPhone.

Once again AT&T spends money to create a "Solution Provider" Alliance Channel that demonstrates preferences to AT&T sales employees over its Channel agents. On its Alliance website, AT&T writes "Targeted customer sets to minimize channel conflicts" That's some messaging there.

Speaking to the Channel Champions, more than one is worried about what the new year will bring.

Posted in agents, bellsouth agent, cellular, channel, telecommunications

FCC Voted Today too

November 4, 2008

The FCC voted today too. They took the Inter-Carrier Compensation and USF off the agenda, much to Martin's dismay.

"Federal regulators have approved a plan to open up unused, unlicensed portions of the television airwaves known as "white spaces" to deliver wireless broadband service." [Y! news] [fcc.gov]

FCC approved, with conditions, the mergers of Sprint-Nextel/Clearwire and Alltel-Verizon. [fcc.gov]

FCC opened an investigation into the pricing policies of major cable operators and Verizon. "The agency wants to ensure the companies' customers are getting treated fairly, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said in an interview with The Associated Press." [Y! news]

Posted in FCC, broadband, cableco, cellular, mergers, telco, wireless

What's With Apple?

December 18, 2008

FreedomVoice is still awaiting approval from Apple on their Newber app for the iPhone, a location based there's a counter on MyNewber.com. DS Media is also still waiting for its approval. (I noticed that DS Media's front web page changed to Coming Soon. DS Media was a sponsor of BarCampTampaBay).

What's up with Apple any way? Like the company deciding they will not be attending MacWorld (or any other big conferences) starting in 2009.

Posted in apps, cellular

Subsidized 3G Netbooks

January 12, 2009

AT&T and Dell and ASUS have brought you the subsidized 3G networks. According to DSLReports.com, Dell is offering the Inspiron Mini 9 for $99 With 2 Year Ma Bell Contract.

"Acer is offering an Aspire One for $99 (normally $500) to users willing to sign a two year contract for any AT&T data plan of $60/month or higher. Now, rather unsurprisingly, Dell is also offering their new Inspiron Mini 9 netbook for $99 (after $350 mail in rebate) if you sign up for the same AT&T plan

Will mini PC's replace Smart phones? Why didn't PC makers add a 3G chipset to laptops so a similar subsidy? Why isn't Sprint all over this?

Posted in Marketing, cellular

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