Tag Archive: Verizon Wireless
The iPhone’s comeback and the power of carrier distribution
Jan. 18, ‘12: Survey data from Nielsen suggests that Apple’s iPhone almost closed the gap with Google Android in December, as far as new smartphone purchases go. Assuming it’s accurate, this says as much about the value of carrier distribution as it says about … Continue reading →
Why Google is bending to Verizon over Google Wallet
Dec. 8, ‘11: Google has complied, so far, with Verizon Wireless’s request to withhold the Google Wallet mobile payments service from the new Galaxy Nexus phone. Why? Because Verizon is a very important partner for Google: Its biggest Android customer in the country and … Continue reading →
Is Verizon even allowed to discriminate against NFC apps like Google Wallet?
Dec. 7, ‘11: Verizon Wireless has been careful to point out that it is not technically blocking the Google Wallet app/service from the new Galaxy Nexus phone, and that it is still negotiating with Google. Google, too, has not used the “blocked” word … Continue reading →
Isn’t it ironic: Google Wallet “closed” on the airwaves Google lobbied the FCC to keep “open”
Dec. 6, ‘11: About four years ago, Google was in activist mode, campaigning the FCC to force our wireless airwaves “open”, serving consumers’ interests above those of wireless operators. Google called for rules like: “Open applications: Consumers should be able to download and utilize any … Continue reading →
While AT&T fights for T-Mobile, Verizon teams up with the cable industry
Dec. 2, ‘11: A huge new alliance in wireless and telecom just happened — this time, without the messiness of a merger: Verizon is getting in bed with the cable industry. (Here’s the official announcement. And here’s Peter Kafka’s smart take: Comcast and Verizon merge … Continue reading →
Macworld: Verizon and Sprint unlock the iPhone 4S SIM card slot for international roaming
Oct. 11, ‘11: Big news for frequent travelers. Here’s Jason Snell, writing for Macworld: Sprint plans to sell the iPhone 4S with its micro-SIM slot unlocked; Verizon’s will be initially locked, but if you’ve been a customer in good standing for 60 days, … Continue reading →
Why the carriers will probably lose the mobile payments race
Aug. 29, ‘11: Bloomberg’s Olga Kharif reports how AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile plan to take on Google and other rivals in the nascent and messy (but lucrative) mobile payments industry: By investing more than $100 million in Isis, their joint venture. The good … Continue reading →
Will Verizon be Sprint’s 4G LTE savior?
Aug. 24, ‘11: Five years after Sprint made its first bet on WiMax as its 4G network technology, it’s clear that a rival technology called LTE has won the 4G format war. Now Sprint will need to figure out how to build a … Continue reading →
Verizon and AT&T have grown like crazy over the past 5 years, while Sprint is flat
Jul. 28, ‘11: With 52 million subscribers, Sprint is now back around its 2006 size. Meanwhile, AT&T and Verizon have both grown by more than 50% since then, with around 100 million subs each. That’s the difference between good M&A (AT&T-BellSouth, Verizon-Alltel) and … Continue reading →
Verizon isn’t driving the iPhone’s growth — the rest of the world is
Jul. 27, ‘11: Another great analysis (and more cool charts) from Asymco’s Horace Dediu. The iPhone is Apple’s most important business, and its real growth is coming from abroad. Related: The iPhone 4 gets better with age