MetroPCS this week brought back its Unlimited $40 per month plan for 4G handsets. It's available on the Samsung Galaxy Attain 4G, LG Esteem, and Samsung Galaxy Indulge smartphones, which were only previously available with the $50 or $60 LTE plans. The same unlimited web browsing and YouTube access in addition to the same unlimited talk and text as before is included.
MetroPCS has dropped its lowest-cost "unlimited" LTE wireless phone plan. The no-contract carrier first offered the $40 LTE plan last January. Its lowest price for voice, text, and enhanced LTE data services is now $50 per month.
Cellphone carrier MetroPCS on Wednesday announced it will bring out phones with built-in mobile TV tuners later in 2012. These signals are sent out from certain TV stations and are Mobile DTV signals. The first device to use the ATSC Mobile technology at MetroPCS will be from Samsung, in the form of an as-yet unnamed premium Android device.
LG appears to be readying yet another LTE-equipped handset, the Connect 4G MS840, which is reportedly on its way to metroPCS. The smartphone is said to integrate a four-inch display with 800x480 resolution, paired with a dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM.
AT&T isn't making any progress in its attempts to sell T-Mobile assets to rescue its attempted buyout of T-Mobile, insiders uncovered Sunday. Discussions with smaller carriers have reportedly "gone cold," the Wall Street Journal heard. Among other problems, attempts to sell assets to Leap for its Cricket service fell as doubts existed that even this could salvage AT&T's proposed T-Mobile merger.
US Cellular has become the next major US carrier to plan out an upgrade to LTE-based 4G. The regional carrier plans to deploy the faster network starting from early 2012 and plans to cover a handful of cities in Iowa, Wisconsin, Maine, North Carolina, Texas, and Oklahoma. Among the highlight will be Des Moines, Greenville, Milauwkee, and Portland, although most will have more than one city covered.
(Updated with policy notes) C Spire on Tuesday said it would join the third iPhone 4S launch wave by releasing its version on November 11. The device, as well as the 8GB iPhone 4, will go on sale at the same contract prices as on other carriers. No mention has been made of an off-contract option.
AT&T has reportedly established a deal with MetroPCS that will give the latter company top priority to purchase divested assets that may be required to finalize the former's T-Mobile buyout proposal. AT&T is said to have approached a number of potential suitors as government agencies scrutinize the acquisition.
A now active signup page for the Galaxy Nexus has given a chance the Android 4.0 phone might arrive on most US carriers. The carrier preference drop-down gives the option not just for the Verizon LTE model but also AT&T, C Spire (Cellular South), MetroPCS, Sprint, T-Mobile, and US Cellular. Only niche or 'virtual' carriers like TracFone and Virgin Mobile are out of the list.
MetroPCS has officially launched its latest 4G LTE-enabled phone, the LG Esteem. The carrier is targeting the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) based smartphone towards "entertainment-minded" customers. Information on the Esteem was originally leaked last Thursday.
Public advocacy group Free Press put forward a formal petition for review (below) of the FCC's net neutrality rules before they take effect November 20. The group said the rules were too light on the mobile Internet as they only included a basic no-block rule and transparency on monitoring, not a guarantee that all legal traffic should be treated fairly. With cellular gaining ground, the argument that wireless was too new didn't work.
MetroPCS appears to be readying LG's rumored Esteem handset to operate on the carrier's LTE network. Image leaks, taken from the LG Partner Portal and posted by Androidcentral, suggest the device will offer a midrange set of smartphone features, including a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and a 4.3-inch LCD with 800x480 resolution.
Largely unknown patent holder LVL Patent Group late last week quietly sued much of the US cellphone business and beyond for alleged patent violations (below). It claims that the iPhone, many Android devices, Symbian, and basic feature phones as well as their carriers violate one or more of a group of four generic patents, including data transaction servers and devices for entering transactions. Most of the patents were issued in or before 2000, but one of the device patents was only live on September 13, two days before the lawsuit was filed.
AT&T is now talking directly with MetroPCS and Cricket's parent company Leap in an attempt to save its now seriously threatened buyout of T-Mobile, a pair of sources divulged Monday. The carrier is hoping to sell customer bases and wireless spectrum licenses to its smaller sometime-competitors in hopes of reaching a settlement, Bloomberg said. Bank of America is being tapped specifically to help negotiate the deal.
The White House Office of Management and Budget approved the Federal Communication Commission's proposed net neutrality rules on Friday, setting the stage for a certain court challenge by wireless broadband providers. Verizon and MetroPCS have already tried to block the new rules in Federal court once, as soon as they were announced. Those cases were dismissed on appeal in April, with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruling that any challenges would be premature until the regulations had been published in the Federal Register. Publication generally happens within three weeks of approval by OMB.
Cricket Wireless has announced that it is set to launch Samsung's Vitality handset, which will be the company's first Android device to offer Muve Music service. The introduction confirms earlier rumors pointing to a new handset that is nearly identical to the Admire handset offered through competing carrier MetroPCS.
A new Samsung phone, the Vitality, has shown up in a computer-based Cricket training manual and has been shared online by Engadget. It's a near-twin to MetroPCS' Admire, sharing the same 800MHz CPU, 3.5-inch 320x480 touchscreen and a 3.2-megapixel camera. It will run on Android 2.3.
Dish Network is asking the FCC to allow it to combine the S-Band spectrum licenses it acquired with its $1.38 billion purchase of TerreStar Networks and DBSD North America to offer terrestrial-only devices. This is part of a larger goal of offering a satellite-terrestrial 4G network that uses LTE-Advanced. Dish claims this hybrid network that will use the 40MHz spectrum under a subsidiary called Gamma will help meet the FCC's goal of expanding broadband access. Dish cited the conditional waiver the FCC gave to LightSquared as a reason it should get its request granted.
MetroPCS and Cellular South have confirmed their first Android 2.3 phones. Samsung's Admire tackles the entry level with a 3.5-inch, 320x480 touchscreen and a 3.2-megapixel rear camera. Although budget, it's one of Samsungs most straightforward phones and uses the stock Google interface instead of its own TouchWiz.
MetroPCS has confirmed plans to transition to voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) communications early next year. During a conference call that focused on recent earnings, chief executive Roger Linquist suggested the company is already deploying technology that will be necessary to jump from a circuit-switched voice system to the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) technology.
MetroPCS is set to get a phone running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) in the shape of the Samsung SCH-R720. When it launches sometime between August and September it will be branded as the Samsung Admire. When it joins the MetroPCS line-up, it will replace the discontinued LG Optimus M.
A US Bankruptcy Court in NY has approved Dish Network's proposed purchase of TerreStar. The deal has been valued at $1.38 billion. The main asset that Dish will be getting is the bankrupt satellite communications provider's 20MHz of wireless spectrum.
Dish Network's hopes to buy out TerreStar may have come true as reports have surfaced Tuesday that it's now the only bidder for the satellite smartphone creator. A deadline Monday night has passed with only a nearly $1.38 billion bid from Dish still around, giving it a near-certain win. Cellular carrier MetroPCS had considered a bid to get much-needed wireless spectrum, Reuters says, but has since backed out for unknown reasons.
The Netherlands has become the first European country to embrace network neutrality. Dutch lawmakers have passed legislation that prevents the nation's Internet service providers from charging customers extra for, or blocking access to, online-based services such as Skype. To date, the US is the only other country to have enacted net neutrality provisions.
Dish Networks is close to reaching an agreement to purchase bankrupt satellite smartphone provider Terrestar Networks for $1.2 to $1.4 billion, according to a Reuters report on Tuesday. Terrestar declared bankruptcy in October of last year and its assets include wireless spectrum.
The FCC on Monday sent out a request (PDF) to carriers asking them for information to help its investigation into the AT&T and T-Mobile deal. Verizon, Sprint, and regional carriers like Cellular South and US Cellular were all asked to provide responses to the deal and supporting evidence. Each got the same nine questions relating to coverage, cell site ownership, expansion, relationships with AT&T, their future spectrum plans, billing, and competitive reports.
California has become the second major state to formally move towards investigating AT&T's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile. On Thursday, the California Public Utilities Commission began preparing a proposal for assessing the $39 billion deal. Its move might raise challenges to the deal beyond what the Department of Justice and FCC will offer as part of their formal investigations.
Cricket's parent company Leap Wireless provided its own objection on Tuesday to AT&T's proposed buyout of T-Mobile. The carrier suggested that letting the deal go through would lead to "alarming concentration" by putting too much power in the hands of two carriers, AT&T and Verizon. A merger would only hurt customers, it said.
The FCC claimed a minor victory Monday after a US federal appeals court tossed attempts by Verizon and MetroPCS to challenge its net neutrality order. The US agency took advantage of technicalities as both of the carriers had complained before the neutrality rules were entered in the Federal Register. Court judges said the early filings were "incurable" and had to be dismissed outright.
MetroPCS will soon begin offering a special-edition version of the Huawei Ascend Android smartphone. Sanctioned by the mixed martial arts league Tapout, the phone will ship with two back covers, one wearing the Tapout logo. It will contain ten virtual training center videos, 12 static wallpapers and six live wallpapers, along with an unspecified number of apps, all Tapout-themed.
MetroPCS is reportedly considering all options for being able to deliver 4G services, including the LightSquared satellite back-end service for the delivery of high-speed mobile communications. The company is busy searching for all possible avenues that can help it expand its spectrum as it continues is US expansion plans, particularly with regard to the delivery of 4G network access. “We’re looking at everything out there” on spectrum, CFO J. Braxton Carter said during a conference call at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference in San Francisco.
The bundled SanDisk microSD memory card with the Samsung Galaxy Indulge at MetroPCS will be capable of tracking what users put on it, SlashGear reported on Tuesday. Each time the user places something on the card, the information will be sent to MetroPCS servers. This will allow the carrier to personalize the content they offer users in the future, though the statistics will remain anonymous.
MetroPCS is reportedly set to introduce an HTC handset that supports Voice Over LTE functionality, according to GSM Association technology director Dan Warren. Additional details surrounding the mystery device have yet to surface, though the single known feature indicates the handset will support simultaneous use of the data network while a user is involved in a voice call.
MetroPCS on Wednesday managed to preempt Verizon with the first LTE-capable Android phone in the US. The Samsung Galaxy Indulge (also known as the Forte) is a close cousin of Sprint's Epic 4G but makes use of a smaller 3.5-inch, 480x320 LCD and a three-megapixel camera to keep the price and size down, even as the LTE gives it much faster 4G. It shares the same 1GHz Hummingbird chip and ships with Android 2.2 from the start.
The Samsung Forte smartphone due at MetroPCS and with 4G LTE support may soon be out on the market, a recent FCC filing reveals. The device is expected to sport a 1GHz CPU, a five-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi and an 800x480 touchscreen. While no real evidence of the handset was offered beyond what's known, the handset may ship on February 11.
Verizon's latest attempt in its fight against the FCC's net neutrality laws has just been rejected by a US appeals court. The carrier was reported on Wednesday as having tried to hand-pick a specific panel of judges to hear out its arguments. The judges were to be the same ones that ruled the FCC lacked the authority to stop Comcast from blocking bandwidth-heavy apps in 2010.
The FCC on Friday filed motions to dismiss attempts by MetroPCS and Verizon to overturn net neutrality rules. An agency official told Reuters the two had been caught on a technicality as both had appealed the net neutrality order too early. The rules for when to challenge were "clear" and had to take place in the first 60 days after the order appeared in the Federal Register, the government agent said.
Netflix while discussing breakthrough results on Wednesday surprised the industry with word that the new Apple TV was already more popular than the iPad for Netflix movie viewing. Apple's media hub had already accumulated more viewing hours in its first four months than the iPad managed in nine. The movie rental service didn't try to explain the gap, but it suggested many still preferred to use Netflix's movie streaming on a TV despite the surge in tablet video.
MetroPCS on Tuesday copied Verizon's actions and filed an appeal in an attempt to freeze the FCC's LTE plans violate net neutrality and codify its current practices.
MetroPCS looks set to add a new Samsung LTE-enabled mobile for its nascent 4G network. The new phone has been identified as the Samsung Forte from a set of leaked photos. It is an Android 2.2-based slider that is rumored to launch on February 11.
Several public interest groups have accused wireless provider MetroPCS of violating the new net neutrality rules approved by the FCC. Specifically, the Free Press, the Center for Media Justice, the Media Access Project, the New America Foundation Open Technology Institute, and Presente.org maintain the provider blocked certain Internet content in a letter (PDF) sent to the FCC on Monday. MetroPCS allegedly blocks services like Skype and Netflix on some of its entry-level data plans.
An image was sent into BGR and reportedly shows MetroPCS' first LTE-capable smartphone, the Samsung SCH-R910. Resembling a Galaxy S, the phone is said to sport both CDMA and LTE radios and run on the same Android 2.2 build overlaid with TouchWiz. Again like the Galaxy S, it's expected to get both a 1GHz Hummingbird CPU and a five-megapixel camera.
MetroPCS on Monday revealed new rates for its non-contract 4G LTE service. The basic plan starts at $40 and includes YouTube access and what MetroPCS calls unlimited web browsing, though some web browsing features aren't included. The $50 plan adds 1GB of additional data access for such features.
Regional pre-paid wireless provider MetroPCS on Wednesday announced it will soon offer its 4G LTE wireless service in Boston, New York City and Sacramento. The expansion means MetroPCS now offers the 4G LTE service in nine urban areas. The unlimited plans as before don't require an annual contract, and the only handset that can take advantage of the high-speed network is the Samsung Craft.
Samsung may be the first to provide a portable router for Verizon's just-launched 4G network based on a newly discovered FCC filing. The SCH-LC11 would support LTE on the 750MHz band that should fit in Verizon's range, making it a prime candidate. It would also have an EVDO fallback for the majority of the network still using 3G.
Regional wireless provider MetroPCS will launch its first Android-powered smartphone that supports its LTE network in the first quarter of 2011. The company already offers Samsung's Craft LTE handset, having launched it along with the network back in September. News of the Android handset came from MetroPCS CEO Roger Linquist during an investor call.
AT&T today claimed to have an edge in cellular performance through a study that gave it the lead in wireless speed. The US-wide test, reportedly conducted independently by Global Wireless Solutions, put an unnamed "nearest competitor" 20 percent slower on a national average. Its larger rival, Verizon, was 60 percent slower on average.
MetroPCS today leapt into Android smartphones for the first time with LG's Optimus M. The Android 2.2 phone is a close cousin of the CDMA Optimus S but is closer to stock, dropping extras like Sprint ID in favor of the optional @metro App Store. Android Market is still built-in.
Pre-paid wireless provider MetroPCS has now announced it added a third LTE-based 4G market in Detroit. The Motor City joins Las Vegas and Dallas/Fort Worth, with the service available on the carrier's Samsung Craft 4G handset. The plans start at a tax-inclusive $55 and top out at $60. The base plan includes unlimited US calling, texting, messaging and data. The $60 plan adds a RealNetworks streaming portion.
Samsung said today it has began supplying provider MetroPCS with its Freeform II handset. Equipped with a QWERTY hardware keyboard, the feature phone has a 2.2-inch, 320x240 screen. Other features include stereo Bluetooth audio and a 1.3-megapixel camera.
