t-mobile

AT&T CEO says he likes concept of handset financing

AT&T has looked at the idea of making consumers pay for their own smartphones in monthly installments, according to CEO Randall Stephenson.

The idea of handset financing runs counter to the current model of subsidizing phones at a lower initial price in exchange for a higher monthly bill. Under handset financing, consumers would pay an upfront fee for the phone, and then steadily pay off the phone's cost over the next few months.

In exchange, the consumer would presumably get a lower rate on their phone bill, and could conceivably leave whenever they want after paying off … Read more

AT&T spends $780 million to buy more spectrum

AT&T is spending $780 million in cash to scoop up more wireless spectrum.

The company announced Tuesday that it is buying the U.S. retail wireless operations of a carrier called Atlantic Tele-Network or ATNI. As part of the deal, AT&T will acquire wireless spectrum licenses, network assets, retail stores and approximately 585,000 subscribers.

ATNI operates under the Alltel name in the U.S. Its network covers roughly 4.6 million in rural areas in six states including, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, and South Carolina.

The spectrum licenses that AT&T is … Read more

AT&T eyes international expansion for growth

AT&T is interested in buying a European carrier for growth, according to the Wall Street Journal.

With the U.S. market about to get more competitive, AT&T is looking at markets in Europe where it can upgrade technology and roll out new services and pricing strategies, the Wall Street Journal said, citing unnamed sources. It reported that AT&T is studying potential acquisitions, and could strike a deal by the end of the year. In particular, AT&T is looking at the U.K., Germany, and the Netherlands.

While the U.S. carriers have … Read more

T-Mobile expands Nexus 4, Nexus 7 sales

Better late than never. T-Mobile is increasing the number of ways you can buy Google's Nexus 7 tablet and Nexus 4 smartphone on its network.

Yesterday, the carrier started selling the LG-made Nexus 4 in more of its brick-and-mortar stores. Moreover, T-Mobile will carry the high-end smartphone in all stores nationwide in the coming weeks. On January 23, T-Mobile also plans to sell it online.

Beginning today, you'll be able to buy Google's 7-inch Nexus 7 tablet, complete with a T-Mobile SIM card, through Google Play.

T-Mobile is the only U.S. carrier to sell the Nexus … Read more

4K TV, tablets, and timepieces at CES 2013 (week in review)

Forget about 3D TV -- this year's Consumer Electronics Show was all about 4K.

Sony got the ball rolling with the unveiling of new 55-inch and 65-inch 4K TVs, as well as the world's first 4K video distribution service, which offers native 4K movies from Sony Pictures and other 4K content creators. Additionally, the company also said it would be selling "4K mastered" Blu-ray discs this summer; they'll be standard 1080p resolution (not 4K), but supposedly look better than traditional Blu-rays.

The electronics giant unveiled a prototype 4K OLED TV at 56 inches, although little … Read more

FCC, stakeholders align on communications policy -- for now

LAS VEGAS--Peace appears to be breaking out between mobile Internet users and regulators.

During the three-day Innovation Policy Summit here at CES, members of Congress, FCC commissioners, industry representatives, and consumer groups found little to disagree on, whether the topic was incentive auctions for more broadband spectrum, retiring legacy copper networks in favor of native IP, sharing government spectrum in the 5 GHz band for high-speed Wi-Fi, or the continuing threat of international efforts to turn Internet governance over to repressive national governments so they can destroy it.

Some minor skirmishes broke out, of course, but the conversation this week … Read more

BlackBerry 10 to be carried on AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile

With BlackBerry 10's big debut coming at the end of this month, three major U.S. carriers have confirmed that they will carry devices on this new platform, according to Reuters.

AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile USA all said that they plan to support BlackBerry 10 handsets on their networks.

"We're extremely optimistic that it's going to be a successful product and our business customers are extremely interested in it," T-Mobile USA chief executive John Legere told Reuters.

Verizon's chief executive Lowell McAdam also confirmed the carrier will support BlackBerry 10 devices. And … Read more

Verizon will be late to the HD Voice game

LAS VEGAS--HD Voice has suddenly become a hot topic at this year's Consumer Electronic Show.

The feature, which significantly enhances call quality by improving voice clarity while blocking out background noise, has been long touted by the wireless carriers. Widely available in Europe for years, the U.S. carriers have lagged behind.

T-Mobile said yesterday that HD Voice was now available on select phones in its lineup. PC Mag reported that AT&T was shooting for a launch some time this year. Now Verizon has stepped in, and told CNET that it would offer the feature in 2014. … Read more

AT&T's New York network is 'crap,' T-Mobile CEO says

T-mobile CEO John Legere delivered quite the show at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Not only did he unveil plans for the carrier's own 4G LTE network; Legere also derided rival AT&T's wireless network in New York City as "crap."

Attending the press conference in Las Vegas, CNET's Roger Cheng documented the spectacle via Twitter, noting that T-Mobile's CEO seems determined to revamp the reputation of the carrier.

"If you thought T-Mobile went away, think again," Legare said. As it tries to bring back the "cool" … Read more

iPhone on its way to T-Mobile in three to four months, CEO says

The wait on Apple's iPhone is soon coming to an end at T-Mobile.

The carrier's chief executive, John Legere, told Reuters in an interview published today that the iPhone will come to T-Mobile "in three to four months." He didn't say exactly when the smartphone would be made available to customers, but indicated that the iPhone will launch around the same time that his company plans to eliminate subsidies.

Interestingly, T-Mobile is already home to iPhone customers. In an interview with CNET yesterday, company Chief Technology Officer Neville Ray said that there are now 1.9 million iPhones … Read more