Carriers

UK’s Everything Everywhere launches 4G LTE network

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 30, 2012

Everything Everywhere today launched its 4G LTE network in the United Kingdom, giving UK shoppers plenty of reasons to buy the new iPad mini, the iPhone 5 and the fourth-generation iPad this holiday season. All these devices feature improved cellular connectivity that supports a wider gamut of LTE frequency bands across the world's carriers.

Apple's web site also lists Everything Everywhere as being compatible with the 4G LTE flavors supported by Apple's late-2012 iOS devices. Go past the fold for plans and pricing information...

Sprint activates 1.5M iPhones in Q3, same as in June quarter

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 25, 2012

Carrier Sprint, the nation's third-largest, today posted results for the fiscal 2012 third quarter ended September 30. The company reported activating 1.5 million iPhones throughout the quarter, mirroring the iPhone activation numbers from the June quarter.

Sprint continues to be under pressure, reporting a net loss of $767 million, nearly half of the $1.38 billion net loss from the June quarter. Some 40 percent of iPhone activations were new customers, or 900,000 people. Sprint also surpassed one million LTE smartphones sold prior to the launch of iPhone 5...

Sprint unveils new no-contract 4G tablet data plans

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

After two years of sitting on the sidelines, Sprint will finally be landing the iPad this fall. Once they become available, the carrier will be offering LTE versions of both the new iPad and the iPad mini.

And it looks like it has some new data plans to go with the new tablets. The company announced last night that starting November 11, it will be offering new 4G tablet data plans starting as low $15...

AT&T activates 4.7M iPhones in Q3, 77 percent of total smartphone sales

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 24, 2012

Carrier AT&T, which had a multi-year exclusivity on iPhone sales in the United States, this morning posted its third-quarter earnings, reporting it activated 4.7 million iPhones, representing more than three out of four smartphones activated on its network during the quarter. The number represents approximately a 178 percent increase over the year-ago quarter, when it activated 2.7 million iPhones.

The company in total activated 6.1 million smartphones in the third quarter. Of the 4.7 million AT&T iPhones, 18 percent went to new customers as the carrier, like everybody else, was struggling to meet pent-up demand from the existing subscribers amid the widely reported iPhone 5 supply constraints, which AT&T said affected its postpaid performance as well...

Test finds that Sprint iPhone 5 has the best call quality

Cody Lee ∙ October 21, 2012

According to Apple, the iPhone 5 has much better call quality than its predecessor thanks to its new wideband audio technology. Unfortunately, no US carrier supports this feature yet.

This means that call quality on your iPhone 5 still greatly depends on your location and who your service provider is. And according to a new report, Sprint is the one to beat in this category...

AT&T voices concern over Sprint’s Clearwire deal

Cody Lee ∙ October 18, 2012

About this time last year, AT&T's plans to buyout T-Mobile were crumbling. Thanks to strong opposition from its competitors — namely Sprint, and the US government, the carrier was forced to withdraw its merger application from the FCC.

With that in mind, it's no surprise that AT&T is being vocal about the recently announced Softbank-Sprint-Clearwire deal. The carrier says it's worrisome that a foreign carrier will have control over such a large chunk of US airwaves...

Sprint has acquired control of Clearwire

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

It was reported that the nation's third-largest telco Sprint Nextel is looking to buy a controlling stake in Clearwire without an acquisition. Sure enough, Sprint instead opted to buy out one of Clearwire's other shareholders to increase its 48 percent stake to a controlling 50.8 percent stake. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Sprint acknowledged as much in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday...

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

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

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...

Sprint to take control of Clearwire without acquisition

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Sprint is said to be in high-level negotiations with Clearwire, a wireless broadband provider, that would give it greater control over its long-time partner. The deal would give the carrier the ability to appoint a majority of the company's board members, without having to pony up cash for a buyout.

The news actually comes as a bit of a surprise, as many folks (especially investors) believed that Softbank's announcement that it was going to take a controlling stake in Sprint from earlier this week would lead to a Clearwire acquisition. But apparently, the carrier had other plans...

Analyst says T-Mobile could finally land the iPhone in 2013

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 20, 2017

Here we go again. T-Mobile USA, the nation's fourth-largest carrier and the only major U.S. telco without Apple's iconic smartphone, should finally land the latest iPhone early next year, if an analyst with Morgan Stanley is to be trusted.

This isn't the first time analysts made such an estimate and the carrier on its part has been appeasing to its iPhone-totting customers with free support to unlockers, Nano SIMs for the iPhone 5 and a broad marketing push to sell Apple users to its unlimited data plans...

Japanese carrier Softbank buys 70% stake in Sprint for $20 billion

Cody Lee ∙ October 14, 2012

There were reports last week that Softbank was interested in making a major investment in Sprint. Well those rumors materialized today, as the Japanese carrier is said to have purchased a 70% stake in the company.

The deal isn't exactly official yet, but the two parties are expected to make an announcement tomorrow morning. The purchase will give Softbank the controlling interest in the third largest carrier in the US...

Japan’s Softbank wants to buy Sprint

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 11, 2012

This just in. According to a new report out this morning, Softbank, Japan’s third-largest wireless operator, is in talks to buy a controlling stake in Overland, Kansas-based Sprint, the nation's third-largest carrier. The transaction is said to be worth an estimated 1.5 trillion yen, or $19 billion, and would file as the largest purchase of a foreign company by a Japanese firm.

SoftBank used to be the only official iPhone carrier in Japan until the release of iPhone 4S last November. According to people familiar with the situation, Softbank is aiming to buy all of the outstanding shares in Sprint, which had more than 56 million users at the end of June...