Sprint this morning confirmed reports that CEO Dan Hesse is leaving the company. Brightstar CEO Marcelo Claure will take over as President and CEO at Sprint, effective Aug. 11. Claure founded Brightstar, a wireless distribution company, in 1997 and earlier this year sold a majority stake to SoftBank for $1.26 billion. After the sale he […]
Verizon to FCC: throttling unlimited users “widely acepted”
Verizon has officially responded to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler after the Commissioner criticized the carrier’s decision to start slowing data speeds for some unlimited plan customers on its LTE network. The United States’ largest carrier called the practice “widely accepted,” according to Reuters. Verizon CEO Dan Mead, to whom the FCC’s letter was addressed, said […]
French Carrier Iliad Offers to Buy T-Mobile
Small French carrier Iliad is offering $15 billion for a 56.6 percent stake in T-Mobile, Reuters confirmed. Iliad owner Xavier Niel said the deal represents a 42-percent premium over T-Mobile’s stock price at the time of the announcement. Iliad confirmed the deal already has backing from international banks. Sprint’s stock has fallen nearly six percent […]
Sprint swings to profit as subscriber losses slow
Sprint opened its new fiscal year with a rare quarterly profit. The carrier called a $23 million net income and $519 million operating income the highest in seven years. The black numbers came on fiscal first-quarter earnings per share of $0.01 and revenue of $8.78 billion, both of which exceeded analyst estimates. Losses to the […]
Dish will bid in the 600 MHz incentive auctions
Dish Network said it’s looking forward to “meaningfully participating” in the FCC’s 600 MHz incentive auctions scheduled for 2015. In an ex parte filing, the satellite-TV company called the FCC’s auction framework a win-win for broadcasters and communications companies looking for mobile broadband spectrum. The particular language Dish used in its meeting with the FCC, […]
Google previews Android “L” update, announces Android TV
Google today gave a preview of the upcoming L release of Android, due to be released in the fall. At Google I/O, VP Sundar Pichai said the next iteration of the mobile operating system, featuring more than 5,000 new APIs, is designed for form factors beyond mobile. Pichai outlined new principles for the redesign of […]
Report: Apple Teaming with AT&T, T-Mobile for Prepaid Push in Retail Stores
Apple will reportedly partner up with AT&T and T-Mobile in order to offer prepaid account activations for iPhones purchased in Apple’s retail stores. 9to5Mac said Apple Stores will begin stocking AT&T GoPhone SIMs and activations kits and T-Mobile SIMs, allowing customers to buy full-price iPhones and walk out of the store with a connected device. […]
Report: Google dropping more than $1B on satellites to extend Internet
Google is deploying 180 satellites to provide Internet access to under-served and unconnected regions in the world, according to The Wall Street Journal. The price range for the project could range from $1 billion to more than $3 billion. The report said the number of satellites could double based on final designs. Google hired Greg […]
Report: Deutsche Telekom accepts SoftBank’s offer for T-Mobile
Deutsche Telekom (DT) has reportedly accepted SoftBank’s offer for T-Mobile, according to Kyodo News. Reports surfaced earlier this year suggesting DT wanted an all-cash offer for its 67-percent stake in T-Mobile, valued around $26 billion. If the reports are true, the deal would come less than one year after SoftBank closed its $21.6 billion deal […]
Report: Samsung prepping actual watchphone
Samsung is reportedly launching a standalone watch phone within the next few months. The Wall Street Journal spoke with people familiar with Samsung’s device plans, who said the device will actually place and receive phone calls without needing to be tethered to a smartphone. The report outfits the device with a camera, GPS, Bluetooth, a […]