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Clearwire is in talks with a number of carriers, including AT&T and Verizon Wireless, about eventually providing wireless capacity with its planned 4G LTE network.

"We're talking to everybody," Clearwire Chief Executive Eric Prusch said in an interview with CNET today.

Prusch didn't specifically name the two, but only said the company was talking to multiple companies when asked about AT&T and Verizon. The company's decision to move to LTE, a more widely accepted standard of 4G used by other U.S. carriers, has helped spur new discussions.

"The level … Read more

The emergence of one--or even two--additional carriers selling the iPhone shouldn't change the competitive dynamics for AT&T, according to the company's chief executive.

"Anytime there's another competitor launching Apple's hit device, the expectations for what would happen to the carrier that had it before is overblown," AT&T Chief Executive Randall Stephenson told investors today during a conference hosted by Goldman Sachs. "The competitive dynamic will be no different than the last time."

AT&T faces the prospect of not one, but potentially two rivals selling the next … Read more

AT&T has talked to smaller rivals about divesting spectrum and customers in an effort to salvage its deal with T-Mobile USA, according to Bloomberg.

AT&T has talked to MetroPCS Communications and Leap Wireless about selling some of its assets. The telecom giant is also talking to CenturyLink, Dish Network, and even Sprint Nextel--which has opposed the deal--about their interest in buying assets.

AT&T has been scrambling to save a deal that was put in jeopardy when theU.S. Department of Justice recently sued to block the merger, which would create the nation's … Read more

Clearwire enlisted some big help in its effort to switch to another flavor of 4G technology.

The upstart high-speed wireless provider said today that it had formed a partnership with China Mobile to work together to develop products and equipment using a standard of 4G technology called TD-LTE, which is incompatible with what the other major U.S. carriers are using.

By partnering with China Mobile, Clearwire takes advantage of the breadth and scale of the Chinese company, which is the world's largest carrier with more than 700 million subscribers. The goal is to set common standards and product … Read more

Verizon Wireless plans to launch a cheaper contract-free plan nationally this week, allowing it to better compete for bargain-seeking consumers.

The nation's largest wireless carrier will offer the plan, which includes unlimited calling, text messages and Internet use for $50 a month and is known as "Unleashed," on Thursday, according to the Dow Jones Newswires. The offer will be available in Verizon stores, Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Target.

Verizon's move underscores the growing allure of the prepaid business as one of the last areas of growth in the wireless industry. Verizon has long held a lackluster … Read more

It's not a good time to be a Clearwire investor, according to Morgan Stanley.

The 4G wireless provider faces several problems, the investment firm says, including the need to obtain further funding, a rapidly vanishing lead in the 4G race, and the potential of a Sprint iPhone. Such a device would run on a competing network and cut into sales of other smartphones at Sprint--Clearwire's largest source of wholesale customers.

With all of these issues, Morgan Stanley says, the base case value of the company is $1 a share--or less than a third of its current stock price … Read more

AT&T may not have to pay T-Mobile USA's parent, Deutsche Telekom, the $6 billion break-up fee even if the mega-merger between wireless carriers falls apart, according to Reuters.

AT&T may not be on the hook for the fee under certain conditions, a source told Reuters in a story that ran today.

Spokesmen for AT&T, T-Mobile, and Deutsche Telekom didn't immediately respond to CNET's requests for a comment.

AT&T and T-Mobile were thrown for a loop last week when the Department of Justice sued to block AT&T's planned acquisition … Read more

Consumers love their applications. Carriers do too, unless the applications are bandwidth hogs.

With carriers trying to clamp down on excessive data consumption, it's more important than ever for developers to make sure they aren't creating apps that hog the data highway.

"Bandwidth is not infinite and it's not free," said Larry Rau, director of technology for the application ecosystem for Verizon Wireless. "It's something developers have to be aware of."

Consumers are starting to grow aware of the issue. Last year, AT&T opted to offer tiered data plans, introducing … Read more

Rumor has it that Apple is planning to sell its latest crop of iPhones not just to AT&T and Verizon Wireless customers, but also to Sprint Nextel and possibly T-Mobile USA customers.

This is great news for millions of customers who have remained loyal to these smaller operators. But some consumers are wary about buying a new iPhone from T-Mobile when the company is expected to be purchased by AT&T early next year. Will a T-Mobile iPhone even work on the AT&T network? I answer this very question in the column below.

Also in … Read more