Sevana: #TBT: AT&T and T-Mobile merger rumors swirl … this week in 2011

Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes all in for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the top headlines from the past. Fire up the time machine, put on the sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories!

Industry veteran Stanton in favor of AT&T/T-Mobile USA deal, with conditions

Few industry veterans can provide the sort of perspective as John Stanton, who through his years in the mobile space has been involved with wireless carriers both big and small. (For those not familiar with Stanton, he was instrumental in the founding of McCaw Cellular, before going off on his own to found Western Wireless Corp. and VoiceStream Wireless Corp., before more recently joining Clearwire Corp.) And with that perspective in mind, Stanton told attendees at this year’s Rural Cellular Association Fall Expo that he was in favor of AT&T Mobility’s proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA Inc. – a position not taken by RCA – but that his position was dependent on a set of strict conditions that would allow smaller players a chance to remain competitive. … Read More

Recent rumors could spell opportunity for equipment, tower space

Not that the mobile industry ever sits still, but AT&T Inc.’s pending $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA Inc. has to an extent paralyzed the industry as the outcome of the deal will likely impact just about every inch of the space. Should the deal go through as described by AT&T, the mobile industry will gain a new No. 1 operator with size and scale yet unseen in the domestic space. While at the same time it will lose a feisty No. 4 operator that despite its size disadvantage has aggressively attacked the market from a network and marketing perspective. … Read More

Meg Whitman’s challenges as new CEO, president at HP

Hewlett-Packard Co. named former eBay Inc. CEO and candidate for California governor, Meg Whitman, as its president and CEO. Whitman replaces Léo Apotheker who held the position for 11 months. HP also reported that Ray Lane has moved from non-executive chairman to executive chairman of the board of directors, and the board intends to appoint a lead independent director. In a statement, Lane admitted that HP is at “critical moment and we need renewed leadership to successfully implement our strategy and take advantage of the market opportunities ahead. Meg is a technology visionary with a proven track record of execution. She is a strong communicator who is customer focused with deep leadership capabilities. Furthermore, as a member of HP’s board of directors for the past eight months, Meg has a solid understanding of our products and markets.” … Read More

Cooperation the name of the game for rural players

A hot topic at the recent Rural Cellular Association’s Fall 2011 Expo was getting rural operators, that have historically been very competitive, to cooperate for the common good of their survival. Several speakers, including RCA Chairman Hu Meena, noted that such collaboration could be vital for smaller operators to remain viable outlets for equipment vendors. Meena is also president and CEO of Cellular South. In addition, there was mention that on the device side this collective could provide a more attractive option for device makers to provide attractive mobile phones compatible with the spectrum bands controlled by smaller operators. This has become a significant issue for rural players looking to deploy LTE technology in the 700 MHz band as current deployments from Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility are not using bands that are available to smaller players and thus current devices are not compatible. … Read More

RIM looks cheap, but is there a buyer?

Even before Canada’s Research in Motion Ltd. lost almost a quarter of its market valuation in the wake of last week’s Q2 earnings report, some investors were wondering if the behemoth that once dominated the smart phone market might be a takeover target. Hopeful buyers of RIM’s shares point out that although market share and margins are declining, the company still has some valuable assets and no debt. BlackBerry is still the handset of choice for many corporate customers, and unlike other handset makers RIM still gets monthly revenue from corporate subscribers who use its proprietary network for email and other data transmission. Patents are another part of the picture. RIM was part of the consortium of six companies that recently purchased patents from Nortel Networks, adding new patents to the 2,000-plus that it has already filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Investors became keenly aware of the value of patents when Google Inc. agreed to pay a 63% premium last month to buy Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc., which holds more than 15,000 patents by some estimates. … Read More

Global Tower Partners to acquire GS Cell Site Holding

Global Tower Partners is making another big acquisition this week, sealing a deal to buy GS Cell Site Holding LLC from GS Global Infrastructure Partners. GS Cell Site Holding LLC owns more than 1,600 communications sites, including rooftop easements, ground easements, land beneath third party towers, and easements of third party structures on which wireless carriers’ telecommunications equipment is located. … Read More

AT&T Mobility’s LTE network off to a fast start

AT&T Mobility’s recently launched LTE network posted robust throughput speeds during drive tests over the past weekend, according to a report from Signals Research Group L.L.C. (Obviously, the speed tests were conducted on a extremely uncluttered network as the carrier has just begun offering the service commercially.) The firm noted that testing in the Houston area using a Sierra Wireless Inc. wireless modem showed average download speeds of 23.6 megabits per second, with peak download speed of 61.1 Mbps. The testing also showed that speeds exceeded 40 Mbps 8.6% of the time, 21 Mbps 38.2% of the time and was greater than 5 Mbps 95% of the time. … Read More

NII Holdings changes Nextel’s brand, but keep community approach

In the midst of rolling out its 3G network throughout Latin America, NII Holdings L.L.C. said today it plans to alter its Nextel brand identity across the region. The changes will include a new logo, tagline and graphic design. However, the “club” approach, such as its advertising slogan “Welcome to the club,” will be kept. “The concept of community is a really important part of our brand,” said Greg Santoro, NII Holding’s chief marketing officer. The company said the new logo is designed to support the company’s growth strategy based on its 3G network and focus on working through channels. Besides the 3G network, which will allow Nextel to bring new products and services to its customers, another growth pillar is to have new channels of distributions. “Since our customers are coming more from individuals we want to invest in channels such as retail, new and more places where people can interact to our services,” the company explained. … Read More

MetroPCS says small size helps it create big value for money

Being a small carrier is a key advantage in the wireless space according to Metro PCS’ senior vice president of corporate development, Doug Glen. “We are very entrepreneurial even if we’re small. We make decisions quickly and we pick partners who are committed, Glen told the audience at the Telecom Council’s TC3 event in Silicon Valley on Thursday. The firm’s small size has even facilitated the decision to effectively skip a generation and move directly to 4G LTE, with a testbed already up and running in the San Francisco area. … Read More

Score one for Microsoft in patent wars

Microsoft shareholders can thank the company’s lawyers for another deal that should boost the bottom line. For the seventh time in 3 months, Microsoft has won the right to collect royalties from sales of another company’s products. Samsung, the world’s number two smartphone maker after Nokia, has agreed to pay Microsoft a licensing fee for patented technology that is part of the Android operating system. That means Microsoft can collect a payment from Samsung every time Samsung sells an Android smartphone or tablet. The companies did not disclose the exact terms of their settlement. But after Microsoft reached a similar deal with Android-based smartphone maker HTC last year, one analyst reported that HTC will pay Microsoft $5 for each smartphone it sells. … Read More

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