Operators in the US are preparing to launch shared data plans, allowing multiple devices owned by an individual or members of a family to draw data from a single monthly allotment. The move is one of the first examples of innovation in data pricing, as operators struggle to reap dividends from an increase in consumer data usage.
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US wholesale player Lightsquared has confirmed that it has entered into a partnership with Sprint Nextel that will see Sprint deploy an LTE network on Lightsquared’s behalf. The deal has put a serious dent in the US ambitions of Nokia Siemens Networks, which was named as Lightsquared’s network deployment partner last year.
As CTO of US carrier Sprint Nextel, Stephen Bye presides over one of the most complex combinations of network technologies within the mobile industry. Bye talks to Telecoms.com about his preparations for the next phase of the carrier’s technological evolution and the long-awaited, yet still not officially announced, move to LTE.
Clearwire has announced the postponement of plans to sell off radio spectrum this year in an effort to raise funds. Following record subscriber growth of 1.8 million in the first quarter of the year and a revenue increase of over $130m, CFO Hope Cochrane said that “With the near-term capital needs of our current business now satisfied, we will be extremely judicious with our spectrum assets.”
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Years of speculation regarding T-Mobile USA’s future ended yesterday with the surprise announcement that AT&T is to buy the embattled telco for $39bn. Rumours regarding the possible sale of T-Mobile USA have been circulating for years but almost always worked on the assumption that the telco would unite with a smaller operator, such as Sprint or, more recently, Clearwire.
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Press reports that LightSquared may be considering ditching its managed services deal with Nokia Siemens Networks in favour of a network sharing deal with Sprint Nextel raises important issues about what mix of network consolidation and outsourcing is most appropriate for the US market, or any advanced mobile market for that matter.
With shares rising on the back of speculation of a T-Mobile/Sprint merger in the US, Deutsche Telekom CFO Tim Hoettges declined to comment on “rumour and speculation” saying only that the company is “open to all options” and that it is “flexibly positioned.”
It looks like US carrier Sprint Nextel delivered the good news first – announcing the acquisition of Virgin Mobile USA earlier in the week. Because the bad news followed on Wednesday, when Sprint recorded a net loss for the second quarter which increased 12 per cent year on year to $384m from $344m in the same period last year.
There’s been a bit of a Tosh theme this week, and where better to start than with the news that the 1980s ad-theme of “Hello Tosh, got a Toshiba?” can be wheeled out for the mobile phone market. The Japanese vendor’s TG01, unveiled at the Mobile World Congress earlier this year, is now available exclusively on Orange in the UK and France, with the firm planning to sell it in Switzerland, Romania and Poland later on in the year.
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Burdens of proof and responsibility lie with the WiMAX ‘mega’ projects, in particular US carrier Clearwire. These players need to deliver soon if the technology is to shed its ‘niche’ image.
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