In a television interview with PBS's Charlie Rose, Sprint chairman Masayoshi Son declared that he was interested in buying T-Mobile. Citing "steps and details" that have yet to be negotiated, the executive claimed that he "would like to have the real fight, OK? Not the pseudo fight, the real fight" with competitors AT&T and Verizon.
Offering customers smartphone subsidies should not be abandoned by carriers, the Chief Financial Officer of Verizon has advised, with other aggressive promotional strategies apparently being viewed in a similar way. Speaking at a Deutsche Bank technology conference, Fran Shammo suggests carriers should not keep attempting to undercut their opponents in an effort to gain more subscribers, claiming "We're not going to buy customers. You have to earn customers."
Verizon has updated its prepaid mobile phone offerings, by launching a set of new plans with upgradeable data options. The Allset plans provide basic set services depending on the device, with customers able to pay for an extra allocation of data called "Bridge Data" that adds to the existing amount and can carry over from month to month.
In an interview with CNBC, Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam noted that he was fairly certain that he would strike a similar deal as Comcast's with Netflix, making the streaming video purveyor pay for bandwidth, at least in part. McAdam called the Netflix deal with Comcast a "good thing," which allows for funding necessary infrastructure maintenance and build-outs.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will not appeal a court ruling that declared key parts of its net neutrality rules invalid. As part of its attempt to rectify the situation left by the Verizon court case, the FCC is working on rewriting the rules, so that they can "meet the court's test for preventing improper blocking of and discrimination among Internet traffic."
Verizon has launched its More Everything plans today, providing customers with more data on a number of plans. Just as leaked yesterday, the data allowances for the 500MB and 1Gb Share Everything plans will be doubled at no extra cost, the 2GB plan will offer 3GB of data, as well as some pricing changes to plans that take advantage of the Verizon Edge upgrade offers.
Verizon is planning to launch a promotion which consist of changes to its price plans, the company has teased via Twitter. The claim that "More is coming" tomorrow could potentially be related to recently-leaked images claiming to show upgraded data allowances for some of its plans under a "More Everything" promotion, as well as changes to its Edge pricing, as the company continues to fight similar plans from AT&T and Sprint.
Nokia has launched its Lumia Icon, a Windows Phone 8 device that is exclusive to Verizon. Surfacing in earlier rumors, the Lumia Icon takes most of the specifications of the Lumia 1520 and squeezes it down into a much smaller device, and is fronted by a 5-inch Full HD display with Nokia ClearBlack technology for viewing the screen in direct sunlight.
Verizon is finally preparing to offer the Google Nexus 7 on its LTE network, with the tablet going on sale through the carrier from February 13th. Taking place half a year after its launch, the tablet has received LTE certification on the carrier after a prolonged process, with both the Nexus 7 sold through Verizon itself as well as already-owned versions able to use the Verizon's LTE cellular network.
Verizon has introduced a pair of promotions that it hopes will attract customers away from AT&T and T-Mobile, by offering a number of incentives that are relatively similar to those of its competitors. Line activation fees have been eliminated for a short period of time, while customers trading in devices will apparently receive a Verizon gift card worth at least $100.
Nokia has started to tease what it could be showing at Mobile World Congress this month, with the release of a short but mysterious video clip. The YouTube video arrives alongside some claimed specifications for the rumored Android-powered Nokia X, a device which is also set to be revealed at the conference by the company, and suggestions the video could relate to the Lumia 929 or the Treasure Tag accessory.
Path has finally added video to the Android version of its app, bringing it in line with the iOS version. The official Path blog writes that users of Android 4.0 or later can use the video function in the app, which takes after Vine and Instagram in offering up to 30-second clips, with the option to add a variety of camera filters to the video before sharing with others. Path 3.4 is available to download via Google Play.
US President Barack Obama is today announcing commitments from several US corporations towards connecting more students to high-speed Internet, says the Associated Press. In all, about $750 million has been pledged; Apple is offering $100 million in iPads, computers, and other tools, while Verizon is providing the same amount in straight cash and in-kind contributions. AT&T and Sprint are offering free Internet access; Microsoft is promising copies of Windows at discounted rates, and 12 million free copies of Microsoft Office.
The Samsung SM-W750V, codenamed "Huron," will be heading to Verizon in the future, according to a leak. A new image of the rumored Windows Phone 8.1 device has surfaced along with the Verizon Wireless claim, with the timing of the leak at the same time as media invitations were sent out to the Samsung Unpacked event suggesting a launch at Mobile World Congress later this month.
[Updated with Apple statement] As part of his State of the Union address Tuesday evening, President Barack Obama thanked four tech firms -- including Apple, Microsoft, Verizon and Sprint -- for their involvement and support of his and the FCC's ConnectED high-tech initiative, which aims to level the playing field for poorer districts by providing high-speed Internet access to all of America's schools and students. Obama described the participation as a "down payment" on connecting schools and students over the next three years.
A tablet believed to be the LG G Pad 8.3 could be heading on to Verizon in the near future, if a rumor over a recent FCC filing is proved correct. Yesterday's filing shows a tablet from LG with a model number VK810 as having been approved for sale in the United States with support for LTE bands 4 and 13, the same bands used to access Verizon's LTE network.
Amid increased scrutiny over privacy regulations, Verizon has released its first transparency report detailing the number and type of government requests for customer data. The carrier was asked to respond to over 320,000 requests from federal, state or local law-enforcement agencies in the US during 2013. Notably, nearly 1,500 of the requests resulted in wiretaps and between 1,000 and 2,000 National Security Letters were included in the numbers.
Verizon has made yet another change to its plans, following its recent changes to the Edge upgrade program and adding another Share Everything tier. The carrier's World Messaging Unlimited plan costs $5 per line per month as an add-on to an existing plan, with customers able to send unlimited texts from the United States to other countries, as well as reducing the rates of calls to a number of locations.
Verizon Wireless has announced its fourth-quarter earnings, which have been bolstered by 1.7 million new subscribers. The company also reports significant progress in its LTE deployment, spreading 4G service across 99 percent of its existing 3G footprint and reaching approximately 97 percent of the US population.
Verizon has agreed to buy Intel's Internet television business, the two companies have confirmed. Intel Media, which is working on Intel's OnCue Cloud TV platform, will remain in Santa Clara and continue to use its existing management team, with Verizon hoping to retain the 350 employees in the unit once the acquisition is completed sometime in the first quarter of this year.
Verizon is increasing the range of its Share Everything group plan tomorrow, by offering a new additional lower tier. The new $20 option provides the same unlimited voice and unlimited SMS that the rest of the plans offer, except that the basic cost of the plan has been trimmed down from the $40 of the 500MB tier to $20 for a shared data allowance of 250MB.
Verizon has updated its early upgrade program to allow subscribers to upgrade earlier than before, as the carrier attempts to compete with similar offers from other mobile phone networks. Verizon Edge will now permit customers to upgrade to a new device just 30 days after starting a contract or upgrading, rather than the six-month wait it originally launched with.
The HP Chromebook 11 has gone back on sale through Google Play in the United States, following its charger-related issues. At the same time, a new version has gone on sale through Best Buy, with an Altair 4G chip allowing it to offer support for 4G LTE connections over Verizon's network, giving customers the option of using just Wi-Fi or to have a cellular-connected model.
A number of rules set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for "net neutrality" have been ruled invalid by an appeals court in Washington. The ruling, a 2-1 decision in a suit between the FCC and Verizon, effectively prevents the FCC from requiring all Internet service providers (ISPs) treat traffic equally, and could lead to providers requesting payments from content providers in order to give better service to subscribers.
Motorola has started to offer off-contract purchasers of its Moto X flagship smartphone a free Google Chromecast. The offer comes at the same time as the company's budget-oriented Moto G goes on sale in the US through Verizon, and a week before the phone manufacturer is expected to launch the Moto X in Europe at a special event in London.
Liquid Image used its CES spotlight to announce the Ego LS sports camera with 4G LTE connectivity. Electronista had a chance to check out the device, which will use the Verizon Wireless network to stream or upload its feed to the web. It can double as a security camera as well, thanks to its motion sensor. It's not possible to stream at the camera's full, 1080p resolution over the LTE network, however, as users are limited to just 800x480 videos. Other options for recording to the microSDHC/microSDXC memory card include 1080p at 30fps and 720p at 60fps.
Motorola is making a bigger push for sales of its flagship Moto X in the United States, by giving it a permanent price cut. The change, coming after a number of similar discounts on the smartphone, comes at the same time as reports that its cheaper stablemate, the Moto G, is being sold at Best Buy for $100 on Verizon with no contract.
Verizon is discounting Motorola's customizable Moto X handset to just $50 on contract as part of its End of Year Savings promo. The carrier is also offering discounts on a range of other Android handsets, with savings available for Samsung smartphones and tablets, HTC's 2013 flagship, and Verizon's own line of Motorola-produced Droid devices. The promo runs through December 31, and customers can save up to $200 for certain electronics.
Verizon is rolling out Android KitKat to its current range of Droid smartphones. Owners of the Droid Ultra, Droid Maxx, and Droid Mini will receive the update from today onwards, with version 4.4 of the operating system bringing a full-screen mode, camera improvements, an updated Droid Zap app, an update for Motorola Assist, and support for the Fitbit, among other items.
Verizon Communications could announce a deal to buy Intel's unreleased Internet television startup as early as next week. This according to Bloomberg, which cites sources close to negotiations between the two tech giants as saying that Verizon is quite close to closing a deal for Intel's OnCue service. The communications giant's thinking is that it has the clout to succeed where the chipmaker has so far failed.
Even though the carrier is undergoing a restructuring of ownership, Verizon Wireless has managed to improve its LTE network in a number of cities. The carrier has reportedly increased the amount of bandwidth available to customers, with some markets seeing Verizon tripling its LTE capacity, thanks to its earlier $3.9 billion wireless spectrum purchase.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved Verizon's $130 billion buyout of Vodaphone's share of Verizon Wireless. The ruling paves the way for Verizon's complete ownership of the wireless business when all aspects of the transaction are concluded in the first half of 2014.
Nokia apparently will soon release its Lumia 929 smartphone on Verizon, as images of the device have shown up on the Internet. Windows Phone Central published leaked images of the device on Saturday, seemingly confirming that Verizon will get a special White colorway of the handset. Serial leaker @evleaks also published photos of the deviceThe release date for the device is as yet unknown, but a number of leaks have shown off what will likely be its specifications.
Work on a national stolen phone database covering AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless handsets has been completed, according to an announcement from CTIA. The wireless association revealed that the multi-carrier database has been implemented before its November 30th deadline, one which it hopes to connect to overseas carriers to protect against thefts worldwide.
Roughly 90 percent of iPhone 5s models are back in stock at US Apple Stores, according to data collected by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. Breaking figures down by carrier, the two biggest US providers -- AT&T and Verizon -- are showing 99 and 98 percent availability, respectively. The ratio shrinks to 72 percent for Sprint; unmentioned are figures for T-Mobile or SIM-free models.
Sprint, the United States' third-largest wireless carrier, came in last among the major carriers in the newest Consumer Reports survey of customer satisfaction. The Consumer Reports National Research Center polled 58,399 subscribers, and their responses indicated a precipitous drop for Sprint from last year, when it placed second among the major carriers. The overall leader among the major carriers was Verizon, which saw high marks for both data service and some aspects of customer support.
In a tweet from its corporate Twitter account, HTC confirmed that Verizon-based HTC One owners would still receive their updates to Android 4.4 by the end of January. The announcement came by way of an assurance that the company's current delay in delivering Android 4.3 to those customers would not affect the next update to 4.4 The Verizon One is supposed to see an update to Android 4.3 some time in December.
Moto X owners with Verizon as a carrier should see access to Android 4.4 KitKat starting today. Motorola announced today that Verizon would begin rolling out an Android 4.4 update in phases, and the notification should begin appearing on the devices of Moto X users. The new update comes just over two weeks after Motorola promised a rapid update cycle for its new flagship device.
Nokia's Lumia 2520 tablet will land on Verizon on November 21, according to a post from the United States' largest carrier. The Windows RT-powered tablet, Nokia's first entry in the segment, will be available to Verizon customers for $500, and the carrier will not require a wireless contract for that price. Verizon is also getting a special red edition of the device for customers buying it online. Customers buying it in stores will only have access to a black version.
Verizon is having issues providing LTE service to customers in large metropolitan areas, claims Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo. The carrier is finding that it is struggling to provide sufficient bandwidth to cover subscriber demand for the high-speed connection in areas such as New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, and that the quality of the service is suffering as a result.
As many expected, the Moto Maker Moto X customization feature has now expanded from AT&T to include all four major American carriers. The Moto X site now shows Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile as carrier options, along with AT&T. The expansion of the feature to at least Verizon was anticipated by many, as the carrier accidentally leaked a page showing off the Motorola flagship and saying it could be customized. That page, though, was quickly taken down, and the feature was put back under wraps until its proper launch today.
Verizon's own version of the Moto Maker site reportedly came online for a brief period earlier today, with a page giving the option for the customer to customize their own Moto X smartphone. The Moto Maker page, now redirecting to the front page of the Verizon online store, apparently came online the day before the store is rumored to go live for Verizon customers.
Customized versions of the Moto X could be heading to the other carriers in the near future, according to reports. Leaked images said to be from Sprint allegedly show that the Moto Maker system will be available to customers in the near future, while another rumor claims that T-Mobile will also be receiving access to it soon.
Verizon will not be attempting to certify the Google Nexus 7 for use on its LTE network until Android KitKat is released, the carrier has revealed. Though the carrier advised that it was trying to get the tablet through certification to allow it to activate on the cellular network a few months ago, it has blamed Google for the delay in the process.
Verizon has launched its rumored seven-inch tablet, one which connects to the carrier's LTE network. The Ellipsis 7 tablet, running on Android Jelly Bean, is said by Verizon to be the first in a new Ellipsis family of devices, though the carrier did not suggest whether that extends to other sizes of tablets or even smartphones.
Photographs for two unannounced Nokia Lumia devices have surfaced, suggesting that two more device launches are in the works before the company hands its mobile phone arm over to Microsoft. The Lumia 525 has appeared in a filing with a Chinese certification agency, while another report offers a large number of close-up photographs of the Lumia 929.
Pandora has updated its Android app with a new design specifically for tablets. Aside from offering an interface made for a larger display, Pandora 5.0 for tablets retains most of the features the smaller-screen version currently offers, with more details for stations available to read, lyrics and artist information, and improved social sharing. The update also introduces Chromecast streaming for the first time.
Intel's as-yet-unrevealed streaming media service may never see the light of day under the chipmaker's brand, as a new report from AllThingsD has Intel considering handing over the project to Verizon. Intel is reportedly close to sealing a deal with the telecommunications giant, though it is uncertain whether Intel would retain any control or interest in Intel Media should it choose to sell off the unit. If the deal does go through, it would mark the end of a nearly three-year saga in which Intel's service was perpetually just around the corner but never materialized.
Nokia appears to have a new, high build quality Windows Phone 8 device in the works, as a new video has emerged showing what is said to be the Lumia 929. The video showed up on the WPCentral forums, having been posted to the YouTube account of SDphones on Saturday. It appears to show a Lumia device with an aluminum construction, much like the company's Lumia 928 from earlier this year.
Samsung fans that are looking for a smaller smartphone experience will be able to purchase the Galaxy S4 mini on one of four major American carriers beginning in November. The 4.3-inch handset will be available on AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and USCellular. Samsung has not announced specific launch dates for the device on each carrier.
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