Major phone companies have begun selling data related to their subscribers’ locations, travels, interests and Web browsing habits. The availability of such data provides a long-anticipated and powerful tool for marketers, but not surprisingly raises a number of privacy concerns. Mining data for profit marks a shift in the relationship between carriers and subscribers, similar to what is typically expected today with services such as Google and Facebook. Continue reading Phone Companies Begin Selling Customer Data to Marketers

Notable handset makers and telecom carriers are turning to alternative mobile operating systems in an effort to beat Microsoft and Research In Motion to the punch as the next credible challenger to smartphones run by Apple and Google. A range of companies are hoping an alternative platform to market leaders iOS and Android will emerge. Watch for devices running Firefox OS, Tizen, Ubuntu and Sailfish. Continue reading Alternative Mobile Platforms Look to Join Apple and Google

AT&T announced that it has launched its Digital Life home security and monitoring service in 15 U.S. cities with plans to expand to 50 locations this year. Built on the telecom’s 2010 acquisition of Xamboo, it will compete with security offerings by companies like ADT and various startups building devices for the connected home. Digital Life will provide visual access via Web-connected cameras and sensors hooked up to a broadband connection. Continue reading AT&T Launches Digital Life Home Security and Monitoring

Pay TV operator Dish Network announced yesterday that it has placed a $25.5 billion bid for wireless carrier Sprint Nextel, which is presently ranked third in the U.S. behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T. Dish Network’s chairman and former CEO Charlie Ergen is hoping to bridge the gap of current wireless models by offering customers faster and more affordable television, high-speed Internet and cellphone services in a single package. Continue reading Dish Network Submits $25.5 Billion Bid for Sprint Nextel

During Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam’s speech at the NAB conference on Tuesday in Las Vegas, he noted that roughly half of the traffic on Verizon’s mobile networks currently involves video. And by 2017, Verizon expects that percentage to grow to two-thirds. Is this the average trend across mobile consumption or is Verizon an exception? The answer may lie in LTE. Continue reading Verizon CEO Says LTE is Steering Rise in Mobile Video

On Tuesday at NAB, Verizon chairman and CEO Lowell McAdam joined a growing contingent of consumers and insiders who believe the answer to combating cord-cutting is for the television industry to allow for a-la-carte cable subscriptions. He thinks it would be an answer to ongoing consumer pressure and says he understands when consumers ask questions such as, “Why should I have to pay for 300 channels?” Continue reading NAB 2013: Verizon CEO Supports A La Carte Programming

Verizon Communications wants to switch up the way things work in the pay TV industry. Presently, the provider pays fees in order to carry various TV channels, but the company is proposing to tie those fees directly to how many viewers actually watch the channels. Verizon, whose FiOS TV is the sixth-largest pay TV provider in the nation, has begun talks with several smaller media companies about the prospect. Continue reading Verizon Proposes to Pay for Channels Based on Audience

Redbox Instant by Verizon officially launched last week, opening to the public after a three-month-long closed beta test that drummed up interest from thousands of consumers, according to Redbox Instant CEO Shawn Strickland. He said the beta test period was a great learning opportunity for the company and the service, which offers subscribers access to 4,600 subscription titles and four DVD rentals for $8 a month. Continue reading Redbox Instant By Verizon Offers DVDs and Streaming

A group of Internet service providers including AT&T, Cablevision, Time Warner, Verizon and Comcast have teamed together to join a coordinated effort to address the ongoing problem of subscribers illegally downloading entertainment media such as movies, TV shows and music. The ISPs are implementing an alerts system based on “six strikes” that carry tiered degrees of penalty for their subscribers who choose to illegally access media. Continue reading Copyright Alert System: ISPs Join Effort to Curb Media Piracy

AT&T announced it will acquire licenses for Verizon’s 700MHz spectrum, which would allow AT&T to expand its 4G LTE coverage to 42 million people across 18 states in the U.S. The carrier will spend $1.9 billion to acquire the licenses from Verizon. AT&T will also provide licenses of its AWS spectrum to Verizon in markets including Los Angeles, Fresno and Portland in order for Verizon to further deploy its own network. Continue reading AT&T to Expand 4G LTE Network with Verizon Spectrum Deal

Even though Apple experienced a successful fourth quarter with its popular iPhone, “underneath the big numbers at the largest U.S. carriers are signs Apple Inc. faces a rapidly changing marketplace that could erode its dominance,” suggests the Wall Street Journal. It seems that customers are purchasing iPhones at a rapid rate, but aren’t buying newer, more expensive models with the same frequency. Continue reading Apple iPhone Sales Strong, but Fewer Buying Newest Models

Samsung announced its first two Windows 8 smartphones in October with Verizon, but missed the December delivery date on both. Now it appears ready to ship the 3G LTE ATIV S, possibly as soon as January or February, but after talking up the 4G LTE ATIV Odyssey at CES, shoppers have little incentive beyond a thin form factor and slick brushed steel housing to dive in with the ATIV S. Continue reading CES 2013: Samsung Rings Up Pair of Windows 8 ATIV Phones

Delphi wants to get rid of charging cords in the car, redesign the dashboard to display more than just MPH, and to help drivers track their vehicle’s health. The company is showing wireless charging tech, which it hopes will go into production in one to two years; functions such as navigation and phone calling through its digital dashboard partnership with NVIDIA; and its soon-to-be-released Vehicle Diagnostics device, developed with Verizon. Continue reading CES 2013: Delphi Demonstrates Cloud Connectivity for Your Car

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell joined Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam during his keynote Tuesday to emphasize the company’s vision for the future of broadcasting over LTE and the league’s desire to accelerate its adoption of connected devices. The two discussed the power of the connected stadium, while McAdam stated his goal of broadcasting the Super Bowl live over Verizon’s LTE network in 2014. Continue reading CES 2013: Verizon and NFL Eye 2014 LTE-Based Super Bowl

Wireless has revolutionized the world, and now it’s going to take a shot at saving it. Verizon is launching a $10 million competition to find enlightened solutions to formidable global challenges. Called the Powerful Answers Award, it will be a yearlong challenge to top thinkers in technology to develop cloud-based, wireless or even wireline solutions for issues in education, healthcare and sustainability. Continue reading CES 2013: Verizon Looks for Powerful Answers to Global Issues