T-Mobile USA gained 371,000 subscribers for the fourth quarter but the majority of these were the less-lucrative prepaid customers. The company is still squarely in fourth place with 33.8 million customers, while Verizon and AT&T remain the big dogs with 91.2 million and 85.1 million subscribers, respectively. Sprint’s customers have been leaving in droves over…
India 3G auctions finally to start on April 9th
The government of India has set a new date for the start of the 3G spectrum auctions – April 9th, in hope to raise 350 billion rupees ($7.5 billion). Today, the government will issue a formal notice, setting a March 19 deadline for submissions of interest. The auctions would be held for 20 of India’s…
Zain re-focuses on the Middle East for growth
After failing to make money out of its African networks, Zain is looking at its backyard (the Middle East) for opportunities to grow. More precisely, the company said it will concentrate on growth in key existing markets such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Sudan; and will also look to enter other markets in the region…
Hi, I’m Marin and I’ll be your editor
I thought it would be prudent to do a proper introduction as I’m the new guy and you’ll be seeing my mug around here a lot. I’m a tech reporter who’s written about mobiles for InformationWeek, CNET, Androinica, Know Your Cell and various other sites. I’ve spent a ton of time thinking about smartphones and…
Status Update: I’m the new editor for IntoMobile!
Hi everyone, my name is Blake Stimac, and I am one of the newest additions to the IntoMobile team. Originally from Texas, I’ve lived in Western Massachusetts for eight years, but for the past two, I’ve called the Mission District in San Francisco home. I have loved mobile phones for many years, but it wasn’t…
Google, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon defend ETFs to FCC
Google and the four major U.S. carriers (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile) told the FCC that early-termination fees are necessary to recoup costs of handset subsidies, and that customers are well aware of these fees. The news comes in response to an FCC inquiry in January that was triggered by Verizon raising its ETF for “advanced…
India’s Bharti Airtel bids $10.7 billion for Zain’s African networks excluding Morocco and Sudan
Bharti Airtel has made a $10.7 billion bid for Zain’s 14 African mobile businesses excluding Morocco and Sudan, as part of its efforts to grow outside of India. In an official company statement, Bharti said that it had entered into “exclusive discussions with Zain” that will last until March 25th, but gave no guarantees that…
Japan’s fourth largest operator Willcom files for bankruptcy
Given the carriers’ huge margins, it’s not an every-day scene to have a company going under. Well that just happened with Japan’s number four mobile operator Willcom, which has filed for bankruptcy with 206 billion yen (about $2.2 billion) in debt. The move won’t please anyone, especially not the U.S. private equity group Carlyle that…
KDDI acquires 51% of U.S.’ prepaid carrier Locus Telecommunications
Japan’s KDDI bought a controlling stake (51%) in the little known, Englewood Cliffs, NJ-based prepaid carrier Locus Telecommunications. The two companies plan to work together to introduce new products and services. Locus’ CEO Jason Chon said that he likes the idea of taking advantage of KDDI’s global telecommunication network and expertise in wireless business to…
Nabil Bin Salama appointed as Zain’s new CEO
After Dr Saad al Barrak resigned from his post, Zain has appointed Mr Nabil Bin Salama as a new CEO of the group, effective Sunday, February 14, 2010. The Board of Directors stated their confidence in Mr Bin Salama’s professional capabilities to guide the future direction of growth for the company. For the record, Mr…