Best Buy’s profits plummeted about 90 percent during its second fiscal quarter as weak sales and restructuring costs hit its bottom line. The big box retailer’s weak financial results come two days after co-founder Richard Schulze walked away from an offer to move forward with talks to take the company private. Yesterday, Best Buy named […]
Reaction mixed on FCC, DOJ approval of Verizon AWS
Depending on who you ask, the government’s approval of Verizon Wireless’ AWS purchase yesterday is either a good thing or the end of competition as we know it for certain segments of the telecommunications industry. The Rural Cellular Association (RCA), a group that had a number of concerns about the deal, said its qualms were […]
Dish: Partner needed for wireless rollout
A top Dish Network executive says the company may need to partner with an existing wireless operator to construct its LTE network. Delays securing FCC clearance for its wireless plans may make it necessary to work with an incumbent provider, instead of constructing its own greenfield network, Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen told The Denver […]
FCC, DOJ to clear Verizon AWS deal
The FCC and Justice Department are set to clear Verizon Wireless’ $3.9 billion purchase of AWS spectrum from a group of cable operators, a transaction that adds to the operator’s stockpile of spectrum for its LTE network. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said today he is prepared to approve the transaction and will circulate a draft […]
Verizon LTE coverage hits 75% mark
Verizon Wireless ticked off another milestone today, expanding its LTE network to cover three-quarters of the U.S. population. The operator, whose LTE coverage has surpassed its competitors since the network launched in late 2010, lit up the service in 34 new cities today and grew its existing footprint in 38 other areas. “We are ahead of schedule […]
FCC clears T-Mobile LTE tests on federal spectrum
The FCC is allowing T-Mobile USA to move forward with tests of an LTE service that would share spectrum with federal users in the 1755-1780 MHz band. The Commission’s approval today clears the way for the first tests gauging the impact of spectrum sharing in the band between commercial providers and incumbent government users such […]
FCC, DOJ approval rumored for Verizon AWS deal
The government is said to be set to approve Verizon Wireless’ $3.9 billion purchase of AWS spectrum from four cable operators. Clearance from the FCC and Justice Department may come “in the coming weeks,” The Wall Street Journal reported late yesterday, citing unnamed sources with inside knowledge of the issue. The rumor is one of […]
Hesse petitions FCC chief on PCS spectrum
Sprint CEO Dan Hesse is pushing the head of the FCC to move forward with a long-delayed auction of H-block and J-block PCS spectrum. Hesse spoke with FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski by phone last week about the issue, according to ex parte documents made public on Monday. The executive “encouraged the Commission to conclude the […]
Analyst: Operators must cut fees on shared data plans
A well-known industry analyst is telling wireless operators to cut fees on shared data plans. The bucket data rates introduced by Verizon Wireless and AT&T this summer come with steep surcharges for adding devices, even though each device draws from the same pool of data. “While it is a great start, to be truly effective, […]
Dish mum on Clearwire investment rumors
Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen is staying quiet on speculation that the company has become a major investor in Clearwire. The rumors were sparked by a disclosure in a Wednesday securities filing that Dish had invested about $400 million in a “single issuer … [that] will need substantial additional capital to meet its business and […]