Rural
Carriers Prefer GSM 2 to 1 over CDMA
RCR
Wireless News, 16 January 2004
Cingular,
AT&T Wireless in Merger Talks
15
January 2004, Reuters
This
time it looks real!
Verizon
Wireless Announces Roll Out of National 3G Network
9 January 2004 Wireless Developer
Network
Numbers game could shake cell industry
"AT&T Wireless Services Inc., the nation's third-largest
carrier, may lose 43 percent of its customers."
6 November 2003, Seattle Post-Intelligence
Verizon Issues LNP Challenge
"The lobbying and legal resources being used by our competitors to derail or delay number portability should come to an immediate end, and that energy should be re-directed to ensuring they are ready to let their customers change service providers with their wireless numbers. This is especially true since those same service providers are already passing their costs on to their customers on regular monthly
bills."
Wireless Week, 10 September 2003
Ouch! Verizon takes the
moral high ground on LNP. Even though they are now supporting LNP
because all indications are that they will be the biggest beneficiary,
it's still good to see them castigate the other carriers for the
outrageous fees being charged (Verizon is not charging an LNP fee).
Verizon
Wireless may bid on Licenses that Nextwave sold to Cingular
Bankruptcy rules allow bidding on assets; very bad
news for Cingular since they could end up losing the licenses or have to
pay more for them.
Detroit News, 10 September 2003
Cingular
fined $12.4 Million over cancellation fees
Despite
network congestion, Cingular refused to waive termination fees or allow
grace periods.
Sacramento Bee,
10 September 2003
Cingular
should just apologize and pay the fine; they look foolish denying what
everyone knows happened. This is a relatively small fine, compared to
what UCAN was seeking ($100 million).
Wireless
firms join in 'consumer code'
Carriers
hope to fend off legislation; legislators and advocates say curbs lack
teeth and are simply a public relations gambit
Boston Globe,
10 September 2003
Lauer
says Sprint PCS’ Ready Link service will equal Verizon PTT offering
Latency will
still be much worse than Nextel
RCR Wireless
News, 9 September 2003
Somehow
saying that you'll be equal to something that sucks, doesn't sound like
good marketing!
Cingular's
Keeping the Check
Cingular
fails to disclose that subscribers can opt-out of not getting their
cancelled checks returned.
San
Francisco Chronicle, 5 September 2003
Nextel,
Verizon Wireless enter PTT ad battle
Nextel
stresses latency, Verizon touts coverage
RCR Wireless
News, 5 September 2003
Key
Republican Fails to Block LNP
Ted
Stevens (R-Alaska) tried to add an amendment to another unrelated bill,
as carriers desperately try to stop LNP, by using politicians that
they've purchased.
Wireless
Week, 5 September 2003
Court
Certifies Class Action Against AT&T Wireless
Suit alleges
that delayed billing practices resulted in excess billing to Digital One
Rate customers
Wireless Week,
4 September 2003
Nextel,
Sprint PCS face slew of billing lawsuits
11 Class
Action Lawsuits over misrepresentation and failure to comply with
federal mandates
RCR Wireless
News, 3 September 2003
Wireless
Number Portability Ruling Will Mean Millions in Savings to Corporations
... Maybe
Savings
depend on the ability of corporations to negotiate better deals with
carriers
PR
Newswire, 3 September 2003
Cell
phone companies turn number portability into windfall
Fees
charged to subscribers far exceed cost of implementation
Associated
Press, 2 September 2003
Nextel
and Verizon Wireless Rank Highest in Customer Care Performance
Wireless
Customer Switching Intent is Nearly Four Times Higher Among Users Who
Rate their Services Provider Below Average in Customer Care
J.D. Power and
Associates, 28 August 2003
This is a
very misleading study. "Switching intent" does not always
track the actual churn rate. T-Mobile churn is higher than Sprint PCS,
yet it ranks far higher in customer care than Sprint. Furthermore,
customer service ranks last as a major reason customers give for leaving
a carrier. A more accurate summary of this study would be, 'of the
subscribers that leave a carrier, the small percentage that leave
because of customer service are four times as likely to leave a carrier
that ranks below average in customer care. However most subscribers that
leave a carrier do so for reasons unrelated to customer service.'
Clearly Sprint believes that the small amount of churn caused by their
poor customer service is less costly than providing quality customer
service. Customer service cost is not the same among carriers. The
carriers with the weaker networks need to spend more on customer service
because the volume and duration of the calls will be greater.
Verizon
Warns FCC To 'Not Be Fooled' by Competitors
Blasts new efforts by competitors to delay local
number portability as "anti-consumer" and
"anti-competitive."
Wireless Week 14 August 2003
Analysts have said Verizon Wireless stands to be
one of the carriers that will most benefit from LNP.
RCR Wireless News, 13 August 2003
Carriers
Watch California Recall Efforts
Carriers hoping for "business
friendly" candidate to stop CPUC efforts to implement consumer
protections
Wireless Week, 11 August 2003
Verizon Wireless continues to set
the US wireless market agenda
Business Wire, 5 August
2003
PR
Firm Takes Heat for NextWave/Cingular Blunder
Revoked press release reveals that Cingular needs more spectrum for
GSM Overlay, not to enter new markets
Wireless Week, 1 August 2003
Cingular
gets deal for NextWave wireless licenses
Deal give Cingular 10 Mhz of PCS spectrum in 34
markets: Atlanta; Los Angeles; Chicago; San Francisco; Dallas; Houston;
Washington, D.C.; Boston; San Diego; Baltimore; Portland, Ore;
Sacramento, Calif.; Las Vegas; Salt Lake City; Allentown, Pa.;
Harrisburg, Pa.; Springfield, Mo.; Sarasota, Fla.; Manchester, N.H.;
Portland, Maine; Lakeland, Fla.; York, Pa.; Lancaster, Pa.;
Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; Reading, Pa.; Hagerstown, Md.; Temple, Texas;
Gainesville, Fla.; Tyler, Texas; Joplin, Mo.; Salisbury, Md.; and
Kankakee, Ill. and 20 Mhz of PCS spectrum in Tampa, Fla. and El Paso,
Texas
Atlanta Business Chronicle, 1 August 2003
NextWave
License Deal Would Be Big Boost For Cingular
Cingular is currently at the Bottom Rung of
Spectrum
Wireless Week, 31 July 2003
Wireless
hot spots maybe not-so-hot
Commercial windfall in doubt as Wi-Fi areas
grow
Boulder Daily Camera, 30 July 2003
J.D.
Power Reports: Verizon Wireless Ranks Highest in Network Quality
Performance
National rankings: 1-Verizon, 2-Nextel,
3-Cingular, 4-AT&T, 5-Sprint, 6-T-Mobile, 7-Alltel
J.D. Power Press Release, 29 July 2003
Obviously this survey was done in urban areas since Nextel did so
well!
PUC
introduces final draft of telecommunications "bill of rights"
Contra Costa Times, 24 July 2003
Final draft available at: http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/static/Industry/Telco/gotor0002004.doc
Verizon,
Nextel Trade Barbs
Espionage, Trademarks, and Copyrights
Wireless Week, 24 July 2003
ANALYSIS:
What does AT&T Wireless get from Tokyo connection?
AT&T willingly accepted a major string
hanging from NTT's $10 billion; by 2004 AT&T must build a W-CDMA
infrastructure
America's Network, 23 July 2003
You
Can Take It with You
"Regulators, Congress and the states
refuse to let competition work its magic -- instead the industry faces
meddling, mandates and more taxes and fees," says CTIA President
and CEO Tom Wheeler.
Wireless News Factor, 22 July 2003
Maybe Tom Wheeler
should threaten to hold his breath until he turns blue!
Portable
cell phone numbers expensive
Expect at least a $50 fee and watch out for
higher cancellation fees on new contracts
Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2003
US
mobile phone ARPU up to US$48.40 in 2002
DigiTimes.com, 17 July 2003
Andrew
Seybold: Return of the Wireless Guru
Respected industry analyst Andrew Seybold answers questions on a
variety of subjects, including LNP, 3G data, GSM versus CDMA,
Churn, Mergers, WiFi, and more.
Wireless Week,
15 July 2003
Wi-Fi
wild card
Wi-Fi threatens the business model of 3G data, but provides
desperately needed spectrum relief
America's
Network, 15 July 2003
2.5G EDGE requires 5 Mhz of cleared spectrum, but AT&T and
Cingular are running low on spectrum in some markets
Strains
between telecom giants threaten venture
Vodafone executives frustrated by company's lack of control in
Verizon
Wall Street
Journal, 15 July 2003
Sprint
ad campaign attacks AT&T Wireless
Sprint claims to offer a wider coverage area, clearer calls and
faster data transfers
Seattle
Post-Intelligencer, 15 July 2003
Sprints Claims are true since clearly they are comparing AT&T
1900 Mhz GSM to their own 1900 Mhz CDMA. Left unsaid by Sprint is that
Verizon has wider coverage, equally fast data transfer, and better
indoor coverage.
A
different deal: Cell phone providers use prepaid plans to lure new
customers
>30 percent of consumers are being rejected by carriers for credit
reasons
San Mateo
Times, 13 July 2003
Doing
the Walkie-Talkie
Are "push-to-talk" calls the next big thing in wireless?
The Economist,
10 July 2003
PTT doesn't work well with GSM or CDMA networks
Sprint
PCS is dialed in to promise, threat of number portability
6% of all Wireless Subscribers Expected to Change Carriers, 27% will
switch for a better deal.
The Business
Journal of Kansas City, 7 July 2003
Same
number rule causes cellular-phone bills to rise
Carriers adding $13.20 to $21 per year to bills (except for Verizon
and T-Mobile)
Lorain Morning
Journal, 4 July 2003
Cingular
Bets Everything on Edge
No commitment to deploy high speed data (W-CDMA)
America's
Network, 3 July 2003
Their
Number's Up
One-third of cell phone customers say they would jump ship
immediately with LNP.
L.A. Times, 2
July 2003 (registration may be required)
Not sure where that one-third number came from
Microsoft's
Second Assault on Smartphones
Products
to be introduced by Sprint PCS or Verizon Wireless
Wireless
Newsfactor, 1 July 2003
Verizon
network arrives speedily
Last area in the U.S. is switched on
Denver Post, 30
June 2003
Verizon
Wireless sues Nextel over "push to talk"
Nextel obtained Verizon prototypes and gained unauthorized access to
Verizon's network, Verizon alleges
Reuters, 29
June 2003
Is
the “Wi-Fi” wireless internet boom about to turn into a bust?
Users may be deterred by high prices
The Economist,
26 June 2003
AT&T and Cingular are counting on Wi-Fi to mitigate the effect
of their spectrum shortage caused by their ill-advised decision to go to
UMTS instead of CDMA2000.
Sprint
PCS Changes Terms of Service
Removes restriction of not using phone as a modem with the
$10-$15/month Unlimited Vision plan.
O'Grady's Power
Page, 26 June 2003
Verizon
Wireless Giving Up Number-Portability Fight
They finally realize that they have the most to gain!
Dow Jones, 24
June 2003
Cingular
Takes Wireless Battle to New Low Price
Unlimited Calling for as Low as $50 per month
Reuters, 19
June 2003
Mobile
phone firms attack; Customer rights proposal opposed
Mobile phone companies launch lobbying blitz to kill the proposal in
California. Phony-grassroots campaign sponsored by industry groups; not
an outcry from constituents.
San Francisco
Chronicle 19 June 2003
Cingular
in talks to end probe; State maintains it deceived customers
UCAN proposed fining Cingular $100 million or more
San Francisco
Chronicle 18 June 2003
Dobson
takes over AT&T's cell coverage in Alaska, AT&T takes over
Dobson's coverage in Santa Cruz
SWAP: Only the name will change for now, companies assert.
Anchorage Daily
News, 18 June 2003
Cingular
Wireless Reinforces Commitment to California
Promises to increase coverage and capacity
Cingular Press
Release, 3 June 2003
SB
128 would give California cell users 30 days to cancel
Subscribers dissatisfied with service quality would have 30 days to
cancel without penalty
San Jose
Mercury News, 13 May 2003
Let's
Make a Cell-Phone Deal
Sprint is the most aggressive in retention deals, Verizon the least
Wired News, 2
May 2003
Wireless:
wonder or woe?
A little of both. Overall sales are up but average revenue per user
is down as price wars persist.
CNN/Money, 23
April 2003
AT&T
Wireless and Edge Wireless Sign GSM/GPRS Roaming Agreement
This is especially good news for AT&T GSM subscribers. Note that
Cingular and T-Mobile cannot roam on Edge Wireless, even for a fee.
Morningstar.com,
15 April 2003
Edge Wireless serves Oregon, Northern California, Idaho and
Wyoming.
Overseas
LNP: From Benign to Catastrophic
Germany, Australia and the United Kingdom saw relatively subtle
impacts on their wireless markets, but local number portability
delivered a whammy to Hong Kong operators.
Wireless Week,
1 April 2003
"It's
like those French have a different word for everything!"
Darrell
Issa (R-Calif) becomes the laughingstock of tech circles worldwide
with his statements regarding GSM.
SiliconValley.com,
28 March 2003
Darrell
Issa is bankrolling the effort to recall California Governor Gray
Davis. He hopes to become governor in a special election (see Sacramento
Bee Story)
Samsung
developing CDMA+GSM Handset
Courtesy of Qualcomm's MSM6300 Mobile Station Modem chipset, Samsung
is now working to develop the world's first multi-mode, multi-band
GSM/GPRS/CDMA/1xRTT handset
Infosync World,
27 March 2003
Hopefully they won't forget AMPS!
US
market passes 50% penetration with CDMA continuing to dominate
GSM will account for 33% of all US users in 2007, with CDMA
continuing to dominate with a forecasted market share of 44% in 2007.
EMC, 13 March
2003
Number
Portability will hurt Cingular and AT&T, Help Verizon and T-Mobile
AT&T and Cingular could lose customers in the transition.
Wired News, 4
March 2003
Troubled
Times for a Telco Titan
NTT Docomo's W-CDMA 3G service plagued by technical problems and lack
of subcribers while rival KDDI's CDMA2000 3G service works well and has
signed up far more users.
Wired News, 20
February 2003
This article is relevant because it parallels what is happening in
the U.S. with W-CDMA (which AT&T is trying to roll out, versus
CDMA2000 which is being rolled out by Verizon and Sprint PCS).
Will
your cell phone reach 911?
You can't be sure. Consumer Reports research produced some disturbing
results
Consumer
Reports, February 2003
Note that there are some errors in this report, specifically
regarding which carriers have analog back-up. Unfortunately there is no
way to correct errors in Consumer Reports.
Steve
Wozniak Moving out of Los Gatos Hills Mansion
"There's no GSM coverage. I need it, so I'm moving."
Wired News, 12
February 2003
Wow, talk about dedication to a specific wireless technology!
Urgency
slows for wireless 3G
Edge is the end of the line for Cingular (no spectrum for W-CDMA),
other carriers see no demand
Seattle Times,
13 January 2003
Wireless
phone service amounts to 'cell hell,' consumer advocates say
Verizon Wireless ranked best by Consumer Report's subscribers in all
six cities surveyed (New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Dallas, Los
Angeles and San Francisco), about 22,000 respondents.
AP, 7 January
2003
The
following are older news stories, but they are still relevant
‘Wi-Fi’
gives cell carriers static
Wireless firms’ expensive bet looks increasingly risky
29 November
2002, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Wi-Fi hotspots kill about 80% of the good near-term applications
that the cellular providers were expecting to make money off of,”
WiFi
activists on free Web crusade
"A huge amount of marketing and cash speculation rides on the
success of 3G and relies on increasing customer spending and a fresh
round of overcharging for questionable quality and unknown demand for
service."
CNN.COM 29
November 2002
Dead
Zones, Bogus Fees and Dropped Calls
How Cingular Wireless celebrates its Year of the Customer
OC Weekly,
22-28 November 2002
Sprint
PCS roaming into Wi-Fi
Business Week
Online, 5 November 2002
Sprint PCS follows AT&T Wireless's & T-Mobile's lead in
establishing "802.11 hot-spots"
Will
W-CDMA Take Longer to Reach the US?
ComputerWire
via COMTEX 5 November 2001
This article addresses the whole issue of insufficient spectrum
for W-CDMA
CINGULAR
BACKS AWAY FROM W-CDMA
Telephony
Online, 5 November 2001
A brutally honest assessment of W-CDMA and why Cingular has no
plans to deploy it (it is "a long term vision"). No spectrum,
no market, and incredibly high costs!
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