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NEWS ABOUT: cell phone industry

Cell Phone Market Nears Saturation

Which means services for customers should get better

(Newser) - The number of Americans signing up for cell phone service is slowing down after more than a decade of explosive growth, reports USA Today. Within a couple of years, experts say, just about everybody who wants a cell phone will have one, meaning good news for consumers as companies focus... More »

Sprint Loses 1M Customers, $505M in Q1

Embattled carrier will cut 4K jobs, close outlets, sell assets

(Newser) - Sprint Nextel continued to hemorrhage customers in the first quarter, losing more than 1 million subscribers and tallying losses of $505 million, more than double its losses in the same period last year, reports Bloomberg. Sales slipped nearly 8% to $9.33 billion. The carrier, rumored to be a takeover... More »

T-Mobile Parent Mulling Bid for Sprint Nextel

Deutsche Telekom continues looking outside Germany for growth

(Newser) - T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom may bid for troubled Sprint-Nextel, a deal that would move the German telecom to the top of the US mobile communications heap, ahead of AT&T and Verizon, reports the Wall Street Journal. DT increasingly has looked to global options to help fuel earnings hurt by... More »

Whew! Google Saved by the Highest Bidder

Search giant OK with not winning FCC spectrum auction

(Newser) - Google nearly became the unenthused owner of a $4.71 billion slice of wireless airwaves in a recent Federal Communications Commission auction, the New York Times reports. Its bid was part of a deal with the FCC to open some spectrum to third-party services, but for much of the bidding,... More »

Moto Slashes Workforce

Cell phone maker cuts more jobs as it readies spin off; takes $104M loss

(Newser) - Troubled cell phone maker Motorola is laying off another 2,600 workers and will take a first quarter pretax charge of some $104 million to cover severance costs, reports the AP. Moto has cut its workforce by more than 10,000 workers since January 2007, as the company's . mobile phone... More »

Facebook App 'Nose' Where U R

SNIFF allows users to pinpoint cell phone locations

(Newser) - A Facebook application launching in the UK will put people’s friends on the map—in real time, reports the Times. The Social Network Integrated Friend Finder or ‘Sniff’ app lets users pinpoint a friend’s cell phone down to the nearest 650 feet. Privacy is a priority: users... More »

Google Android a Hit with AT&T

Wireless chief praises open-source mobile system, but doesn't commit to it

(Newser) - Google’s Android mobile operating system may find a home with AT&T, the Wall Street Journal reports. Signalling what could be a major victory for the platform, the telecom’s wireless chief said he was “confident” Android “is something we are going to want in our portfolio.... More »

Cell Phones Worse Than Smoking, Study Says

Neurosurgeon warns that handsets double brain tumor risk

(Newser) - Cell phones may cause more deaths than smoking or asbestos, warns a new study in which an Australian neurosurgeon found that a decade of cell use can double brain tumor risk—an effect that he says will show in coming years. "We are currently experiencing a reactively unchecked and... More »

In the Works: Wireless Bill of Rights

States fight feds over who will regulate

(Newser) - Wireless carriers seem to have angered a few too many consumers with hidden fees and surprise charges. Politicians in 22 states are considering various versions of a wireless consumers’ bill of rights, reports BusinessWeek. But the wireless industry, daunted at facing different regulations in every state, is throwing its weight... More »

AT&T, Verizon Will Dominate New Airwaves

Wireless spectrum auction saw no major first-time entrant

(Newser) - AT&T and Verizon were the two top bidders in the airwaves auction that ended this week, representing 80% of the FCC’s record $19.6 billion haul and positioning themselves to offer advanced wireless Internet services, reports the Wall Street Journal. Google, sans licenses, was another winner, gaining open... More »

Verizon Opens Its Network to Outside Phones

Provider answers calls for more open industry

(Newser) - Verizon will open its cell-phone service to any phone builder willing to meet its technical specs, the Wall Street Journal reports. The provider has so far restricted access to its own retailer, but hopes to stave off pressure from regulators, consumers, and tech companies pushing for a more universal industry. More »

The Next Big Thing: Live TV on Your Phone

Free new Spanish system could replace download services

(Newser) - A new way to watch TV on your phone is in the works in Spain, the Wall Street Journal reports. DVB-H technology, from a small company called Abertis Telecom, will let users tune into live broadcasts rather than pre-recorded shows. What some are calling the next big thing in cell... More »

Phone Makers Chase Fickle Customers

Execs obsess over consumer wants, 'subliminal' needs

(Newser) - With the cellphone industry increasingly hit-driven, phone designers are plumbing the consumer psyche through cultural experts and focus groups, reports the New York Times. "Our job is to be behaviorists and psychologists," says an exec. Competition has heated up as consumers buy—and discard—phones at an ever-faster... More »

Sprint Nextel Takes $29B Loss as Customers Walk

Loss includes huge one-time writedown; company announces cover-everything plan

(Newser) - Sprint Nextel posted a net fourth-quarter loss of $29.45 billion and doesn’t expect a quick recovery, the Wall Street Journal reports. The No. 3 US wireless company will hold off dividend payments and draw down credit lines for protection as more customers leave the service. It has also... More »

Motorola Left Holding Troubled Handset Unit

With no buyer in sight for wireless equipment division, company may look to self-reform

(Newser) - It’s looking increasingly important for Motorola to shore up its troubled handset unit itself, as no buyers have materialized in the near-month since the company said it was exploring options for the business, reports BusinessWeek. Fixing the problematic division would make it easier to attract a higher sale price,... More »

Cell Carriers Roll Out Unlimited Calls for $100/Month

Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile get with the program

(Newser) - Cell phone users tired of rationing their minutes have a new alternative—unlimited calling plans for $99.99 a month. Verizon Wireless yesterday introduced a nationwide plan with no domestic roaming or long-distance fees, AP reports. AT&T quickly announced a matching plan, and T-Mobile execs say they’ll unveil... More »

Reorganization Shakes Microsoft Management

Cellphone, online services VPs out

(Newser) - Under pressure from strong competition, especially in the cellphone business, Microsoft revealed a major executive shakeup yesterday, reports the New York Times. Mobile communications operations senior VP Pieter Knook is heading off to help Vodafone get into mobile Internet services, according to the Wall Street Journal. Another big departure is... More »

At Cell Phone Trade Show, Eyes on Google

But company keeps low profile as it pushes phone software

(Newser) - At this week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Google kept to the shadows, holding meetings away from the crowds as it pursued its telecom future. But its presence was everywhere as companies discussed Android, Google’s new phone platform, the New York Times reports. Android faces resistance from phone... More »

25% of iPhones Get Unlocked

Gray market Apple handsets getting reconfigured globally

(Newser) - The worldwide demand for the iPhone is creating a growing gray market where the phones are bought and sold outside of Apple’s restrictions, BusinessWeek reports. The devices are supposed to operate only through cell phone carriers who have contracts with Apple. But as many as 1 million iPhones, or... More »

Motorola, Nortel Talk Joint Venture

Latest deal in ailing telecom-equipment industry

(Newser) - Motorola and Nortel are in talks about a possible merger of their wireless-infrastructure units, insiders tell the Wall Street Journal. In the works is a joint venture with Nortel holding a majority stake and likely revenues of around $10 billion from sales of network equipment for wireless phone carriers. The... More »

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