Verizon activates 6.2M iPhones in Q4 2012, but quarterly loss doubles

By Christian Zibreg on Jan 22, 2013

Carrier Verizon Wireless Tuesday morning posted results for the 2012 holiday quarter. The numbers don’t look good: the company posted a huge loss of $1.93 billion, despite adding a “record-high” 2.1 million new subscribers on smartphone penetration of 58 percent.

Even though quarterly revenues increased 5.7 percent to as much as $30 billion, Verizon reported negative EPS of a whopping $1.48, blaming the decline on pensions and costs associated with Hurricane Sandy. In a conference call with analyst, Verizon’s finance chief confirmed that iPhone activations hit 6.2 million units out of 9.8 million smartphones, or 63 percent. This was the first quarter with full three months of iPhone 5 sales on the Verizon network… Read More

 

Nearly 50% of Verizon’s data traffic travels over LTE

By Cody Lee on Jan 11, 2013

Although LTE may not be available in some corners around the world yet, it’s certainly taken the US by storm. Three out of our four largest carriers have live LTE networks, and the fourth one, T-Mobile, will have one up shortly.

In fact, Verizon, who was first to market with LTE technology back in 2010, has its 4G network lit up in close to 500 markets. And the company says that it’s now seeing nearly 50 percent of its data load travel over that network… Read More

 

Verizon activates 9.8M smartphones in Q4 amid a ‘higher mix’ of iPhones

By Ed Sutherland on Jan 9, 2013

Verizon announced it activated 9.8 million smartphones during the holiday 2012 fourth quarter. In a statement to federal regulators, the nation’s largest carrier said there was a “higher mix of smartphones”, causing some observers to believe the wireless provider sold more than 5.3 million iPhones during the three-month period.

Rival AT&T yesterday told the Securities and Exchange Commission it sold 10 million smartphones during the fourth quarter, prompting one analyst to suggest the Dallas-based carrier sold at least eight million Apple handsets… Read More

 

AT&T and Verizon also looking into ending device subsidies

By Cody Lee on Jan 8, 2013

Last month, T-Mobile confirmed that it was ending device subsidies ahead of its official iPhone launch. The carrier hopes that customers will buy into the idea, which has them paying full retail prices for mobile devices in exchange for lower monthly fees.

Well apparently, the idea has attracted the attention of the big wigs at Verizon and AT&T. According to a new report, CEO’s from both companies are intrigued by the theory, and will be watching T-Mobile’s experiment closely over the next several months… Read More

 

Kantar: the iPhone is America’s top smartphone as Android falters

By Ed Sutherland on Jan 7, 2013

Apple’s iOS is now the top-selling smartphone operating system in the United States, capturing for the first time more than 50 percent of sales, a new survey finds.

The improvement is the result of repeat iPhone buyers and new smartphone owners purchasing the discounted iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S, researchers say.

Android sales fell to 41.9 percent of the US market, a 10.9 percent drop during the same three-month period ended November 25. Meanwhile, Microsoft landed in third place, registering just 2.7 percent of smartphones sold domestically… Read More

 

Verizon brings LTE service to 29 more markets

By Christian Zibreg on Dec 20, 2012

Carrier Verizon Wireless Thursday morning announced another wave of expansion, bringing its fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network to 29 more markets in the United States, including Selma, Alabama; Clarksburg, West Virginia; and Port Angeles, Washington.

With the addition of these 29 cities, Verizon’s LTE is now available in 470 markets to more than 250 million people in the United States… Read More

 

Redbox Instant, Verizon’s Netflix-killer, launches as private beta on iOS and Android

By Christian Zibreg on Dec 19, 2012

Redbox Instant is a joint venture between Verizon Communications and Redbox, a subsidiary of Coinstar that specializes in the rental of DVDs, Blu-ray discs and video games via automated retail kiosks. Today, they started gradually rolling out their service, accompanied by the iOS and Android client which lets you stream unlimited movies from their catalogue for eight bucks per month.

There’s a free trial available, too, and you also get four DVD credits to boot from. The partners do not specify how many Hollywood movies are available for streaming. What we do know is that titles from Warner Bros and EPIX are included and that Redbox Instant won’t stream television shows, at least not initially. Something tells me that Netflix should be worried. Isn’t competition good for all? Read More

 

Apple actually tests LTE networks before giving 4G on its devices a go-ahead

By Ed Sutherland on Nov 30, 2012

When it comes to the question of an LTE network being compatible with the iPhone, Apple isn’t ready to take a carrier’s word. Although they’ve put up with clean desktops and higher-than-traditional licensing fees, wireless providers are now publicly irked that the Silicon Valley smartphone maker reportedly runs it’s own tests before iPhones can operate on a 4G network.

A Swiss carrier has told a news site that Apple will issue a software update allowing iPhones to operate on an LTE network only after testing the carrier’s live system. Recently, Swisscom announced the opening of its 4G network for customers – except for iPhone owners… Read More

 

Consumer Reports: AT&T has the best 4G LTE, worst voice and data service quality

By Christian Zibreg on Nov 29, 2012

Consumer Reports, an influential U.S. magazine that has been reviewing products since 1936, is out today with its annual rankings of major United States wireless operators. And just like last year and the year before, AT&T again was ranked the worst in the United States in customer satisfaction. On a brighter note, AT&T’s 4G service garnered the least complaints from customers… Read More

 

New LTE iPads hit AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and Best Buy

By Christian Zibreg on Nov 16, 2012

Cody told you earlier this morning that U.S. carrier Sprint started selling Apple’s iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad with Retina display in its retail stores. Not to be outdone by the nation’s #3 telco, carriers AT&T and Verizon announced that both Wi-Fi and cellular versions of the two tablets are now available across their retail and online stores in the United States. Additionally, we are hearing that Best Buy has the tablets and will begin selling them later today. Both carriers are offering the iPad mini and the fourth-gen full-size iPad with or without shared data service, with Sprint of course having the upper hand with its unlimited data offering (and limited 4G coverage).

The devices have also arrived in Apple’s retail outlets. Some customers who pre-ordered their units saw their shipment delivered as early as yesterday or are seeing their packages out for delivery… Read More

 

Google reportedly looking to launch wireless service

By Cody Lee on Nov 16, 2012

According to a new report, Google has been talking with Colorado-based satellite TV provider Dish Network to launch a new wireless service. So essentially, it sounds like it’s trying to become its own carrier.

This actually isn’t the first time we’ve heard that the tech giant was looking to get into the wireless business. But this particular story stems from a fairly credible news outlet, so it certainly holds more water… Read More

 

Apple catching up to iPhone 5 demand at US Apple Stores

By Ed Sutherland on Nov 9, 2012

After Foxconn admitted to falling behind iPhone 5 orders, it seems that supply of Apple’s popular handset is finally catching up with demand. That’s the word from one veteran Apple watcher who told investors Friday that inventory of the smartphone at Apple’s brick-and-mortar stores are at their highest level yet. For the first time, availability of iPhone 5 models for AT&T, Verizon and Sprint customers topped 20 percent.

The iPhone 5 version for Sprint remains the most available, with 84 percent of  Apple Stores reporting inventory for that model. The AT&T version followed with 54 percent and Verizon with 24 percent, according to a Wall Street survey conducted by Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster… Read More

 

Verizon to complete LTE network by mid-2013

By Cody Lee on Nov 8, 2012

With more and more devices coming to market supporting 4G LTE (long term evolution) networks, people are paying more attention to carriers’ LTE coverage. And here in the States, no body comes close to Verizon.

With more than a year head start over the other providers, Verizon is the leader in LTE coverage by a mile. It currently has the 4G tech in more than 400 markets, and it sounds like it’ll be everywhere by next summer… Read More

 

Verizon and HTC announce November 13 media event

By Cody Lee on Nov 6, 2012

Apple continues to struggle to keep up with iPhone 5 demand, and Samsung just announced that it’s sold more than 30 million units of its flagship handset, the Galaxy S III. Is there room for another big player?

HTC is hoping so, as the Taiwanese company has just sent out press invitations for a jointed Verizon media event to take place on November 13th. And word has it that it’s going to unveil a new 5-inch superphone… Read More

 

Does your iPhone 5 have the time-shifting bug?

By Christian Zibreg on Oct 19, 2012

In what appears to be a repeat of the DST software bug – and we’ve been here plenty of times before - some owners of Apple’s new iPhone 5 report that their handset is showing incorrect time and/or day. Several people on Apple’s discussion forum decribe their device as displaying times and dates that are days, even weeks, ahead or behind actual ones. The issue appears to manifest itself on devices that have automatic date and time setting feature enabled. Specifically, owners of a Verizon iPhone 5 appear to be affected the most… Read More

 

Verizon activates 3.1M iPhones in Q3, nearly 1 out of 5 was iPhone 5

By Ed Sutherland on Oct 18, 2012

Verizon reported today it activated 3.1 million iPhones during the three-month period ending September 30. About 650,000 were iPhone 5 units that had been purchased in just one week, the largest US carrier reported. The iPhone represented 46 percent of smartphones Verizon sold during the period. Overall, smartphones now account for 53 percent of the handsets Verizon sells.

The 650,000 iPhone 5 sales figure is impressive, given Apple’s latest handset was released in late September, permitting only one week of sales during the third quarter. The Cupertino, California-based Apple confirmed it sold 5 million of the new handsets during its opening weekend last month… Read More

 

Study: Americans pay too much for their LTE plans

By Ed Sutherland on Oct 15, 2012

American smartphone owners are taking a bath on LTE and 3G pricing compared to European mobile consumers, a new study indicates. Verizon Wireless subscribers pay $7.50 per gigabyte on that carrier’s LTE network versus an average of $2.50 in Europe, for example. Even more shocking: Sweden’s LTE users pay as low as 63 cents.

According to the London-based GSM Association, despite the U.S. being the largest LTE market in the world, Americans pay much more for the superfast wireless technology than anyone else. The reason boils down to fewer choices… Read More

 

How to stop Verizon from sharing your user data with advertisers

By Cody Lee on Oct 9, 2012

New iPhone owners on the nation’s largest LTE network might be interested to know that the carrier gives its customers 30 days to opt-out of participating in a user data sharing program with advertisers.

The program tracks smartphone users, recording things like location data (though it’s anonymized), age, dining habits and other demographics, and shares them with advertisers for targeted marketing… Read More

 

T-Mobile and MetroPCS to grab Sprint’s prepaid market share

By Ed Sutherland on Oct 3, 2012

Sprint executives must be consuming antacids by the barrel about now. Not only is the carrier a mere footnote when U.S. wireless providers are mentioned, but today’s agreement between T-Mobile and MetroPCS could put on life-support Sprint Nextel’s only real market: inexpensive prepaid cell service.

Until today, when the two carriers announced they’d merge, T-Mobile was known as the carrier without an iPhone and was left at the altar after a marriage to AT&T was derailed by federal regulatory concerns. As for Metro-PCS, it was a regional carrier barely on anyone’s radar. Now, however, the combined companies (if the merger is approved) will boast 43 million subscribers, closing in on Sprint’s 56 million… Read More

 

Most iPhones not sold by Apple Stores

By Ed Sutherland on Oct 3, 2012

When it comes to sales of Apple products, the much-publicized Apple Stores are like a cruise ship captain: lots of glitz and glamour, but having little connection to the mostly-hidden work which keeps the boat steaming along. That’s the view of new research finding Apple’s retail partners sold more iPhones than Apple’s physical stores… Read More

 
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