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Tag: t-mobile

  • Sony Xperia Z1S Waterproof Smartphone almost Right


    The Xperia Z1S is Sony’s first smartphone launch since it took over the company from its former partner, Ericson. Sony and T-Mobile almost got it right with the Z1S.

    The phone is built with remarkable technology: a 20 M camera, a 5” screen with 441 pixels per inch (ppi) pixel density, and a quad core 2.2 GHZ Snapdragon 800 processor. Not forgetting, of course, that it is waterproof.

    The Z1S, though gorgeous, is a late entrant to the 5” competition and its competitors may come better recommended because of a few design hiccups that the Sony smartphone has come with. The unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy S5, which is coming very soon does not make things better for the Z1S either.

    AT 6 ounces and 5.67” x 2.91” x 0.33”, the Z1S looks very different from the Samsung Galaxy S4, LG G2, HTC 1 or the iPhone S5. It is a little bigger and heavier than the other 5” screen phones.

    Most of the ports and jacks on the phone have are covered by a flap and there is always a quick reminder to keep the covers closed in order to secure its waterproofing every time you awaken the phone with open flaps.

    The on/off button has cleverly been placed around the middle of the right perimeter which makes it easy to to awaken it when holding it, lifting it, or balancing it on your hand.

    The volume button is also right below the on/off switch, making it easy to use during a call.

    Unlike the Samsung Galaxy S4 waterproofing, the Z1S is only waterproof in fresh water. The camera closes after 20 seconds under water and the phone goes back to the latest open application.

    The smartphone’s power cell can last 13 hours of talk time and power saving modes can lengthen this further.

    The Sony Z1S is a unique 5” smartphone and its rear camera resolution is the second highest in the market. Although the camera takes poor indoor shots, the 5-inch screen and waterproof features are one of its best selling points.

  • AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless to Build National Mobile Commerce Network

    AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless have announced the formation of a joint venture chartered with building ISIS, a national mobile commerce network that aims to "fundamentally transform how people shop, pay and save."

    Isis’ initial focus will be on building a mobile payment network that utilizes mobile phones to make point-of-sale purchases. By utilizing smartphone and near-field communication (NFC) technology to modernize the payments process, Isis intends to deliver new levels of competition and value to consumers and merchants.

    Thew company expects to introduce its service in key geographic markets during the next 18 months.

    Michael Abbott has been named as Chief Executive Officer of Isis. Formerly with GE Capital, Abbott is a veteran financial services executive with extensive experience in the payment and technology industries. "We plan to create a mobile wallet that ultimately eliminates the need for consumers to carry cash, credit and debit cards, reward cards, coupons, tickets and transit passes," Abbott said.

    Founding members, AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless, collectively provide wireless services to more than 200 million consumers who will have access to the Isis service. Isis is working with Discover Financial Services’ payment network, currently accepted at more than seven million merchant locations nationwide, to develop an extensive mobile payment infrastructure for the joint venture.

    Barclaycard US, part of Barclays PLC, is expected to be the first issuer on the network, offering multiple mobile payment products to meet the needs of every customer.

    How It Works

    The new venture will enable contactless mobile payment and commerce services using near-field communication technology. NFC uses short-range, high frequency wireless technology to enable the encrypted exchange of information between devices at a short distance. The new system is being designed and built to include strong security and privacy safeguards.

  • iSuppli: Wireless Carriers See Tiers as Key to Rising Profits

    T-Mobile’s move to offer tiered pricing based on bandwidth usage represents the latest development in the wireless industry’s attempt to cash in on exploding demand for mobile data demand, according to iSuppli. Global mobile data traffic is expected to nearly double each year through 2014.

    “We believe that strong execution of a tiered pricing model will translate to significant increases in market capitalization for wireless carriers,” said Steve Mather, principal analyst, wireless, for iSuppli.

    “Rapidly rising demand for wireless data access represents the biggest opportunity of the decade for wireless carriers,” Mather said. “iSuppli’s discussions with leading wireless carriers indicates that tiered pricing, like that offered by AT&T and T-Mobile, represents one of the best tactics to monetize growing demand to access their pipes. Tiered pricing will allow these companies to find data consumption sweet spots, enabling them to segment users into various pricing and data cap buckets, and to prompt upgrades as mobile services become even more a part of consumer’s lives. The flexibility of adjusting both the price and the cap is particularly compelling.”

    For carriers, the stakes are enormous as they try to regain their share value and profitability. “iSuppli’s analysis of the top 15 wireless carriers worldwide indicates operating margins have dwindled to 20 percent in 2010, down from 22 percent just three years ago,” Mather said. “With the rise of data usage and the arrival of tiered pricing programs, we expect margins to rise over the two years from their summer 2010 lows.”


    T-Mobile’s first tiered pricing offer became available in the United States on Nov. 3.

    The first tier is a promotional offer with a two-year contract, priced at $10 per month for 200Mbytes of data. The next tier charges $15 per month on a month-to-month basis, with no contract. Moving up, the next tier charges $30 per month for unlimited data. Finally, tethering costs an additional $15 per month.

    T-Mobile also launched of a variety of Android-powered smart phones with retail prices less than $100 to complement its new service plans.

    The move follows in the footsteps of the tiered program offered by industry benchmark AT&T for the Apple Inc. iPhone and iPad. AT&T charges $15 per month for 200Mbytes, $25 per month for 2Gbytes and tethering for an incremental $20 per month.

    Verizon is also experimenting with a promotional offer of $15 per month for 150Mbytes, $30 per month for unlimited data to phone and $15 per month for 2Gbytes of tethering. It also is charging $20 per month for the phone to be used as a multi-line tethering hotspot.

    “Wireless carriers are intent on spurring incremental data usage among their subscribers,” Mather said. “This strategy centers on enticing more consumers to adopt mobile data access as part of life’s necessities. Two tactics to encourage more data consumption are to experiment with tiered pricing, and to heavily market data-hungry devices.”

    Tiers put carriers back in control of their pipe’s capacity, with a newfound capability to monetize the increasingly essential mobile data demands.

  • T-Mobile HSPA+ Network to Deliver Broadest Reach of 4G Speeds in U.S.

    T-Mobile today announced the continued expansion of its super-fast mobile broadband network to more than 85 million Americans-the most pervasive network to offer 4G speeds in the country.

    The company is on track to deliver HSPA+ speeds in 100 major metropolitan areas with backhaul in place, covering 185 million people in the U.S. by the end of this year.

    "The aggressive pace of our HSPA+ network rollout means our customers can enjoy a better mobile broadband experience on more devices in more places today-but we’re not done yet. Our first HSPA+ smartphone is coming soon and our footprint will double between now and the end of the year," said Neville Ray, chief network officer for T-Mobile USA.

    Now HSPA+ network service is available in nearly 50 major metropolitan areas across the country.

    According to the company, 16 of T-Mobile’s current 3G devices, including more than a dozen smartphones, can benefit from enhanced speeds when they’re on the HSPA+ network in all of these major metropolitan areas, including the newest smartphone available from T-Mobile-the Samsung Vibrant.

    The company also said that later this summer it will unveil its first HSPA+-capable smartphone.

    In addition, T-Mobile has introduced the webConnect Rocket 2.0 USB Laptop Stick, an updated form factor of its first HSPA+-capable device. Featuring a new rotating swivel USB form factor, the webConnect Rocket 2.0 is designed to deliver the same home broadband experience on the go as its predecessor, so customers can surf the Web, download large files or watch video from a laptop anytime on-the-go with a blazing-fast connection.

    The webConnect Rocket 2.0 enables customers to take full advantage of T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network in areas where the service is available-delivering 4G speeds.

    Related articles
    T-Mobile USA CEO Robert Dotson to Leave Company in May 2011
    Everything Everywhere Joint Venture by Orange and T-Mobile Unveiled
    3 Scandinavia Launches World’s First 84Mbps HSPA Network
    T-Mobile Confirms 21Mbps HSPA+ Rollout for Mid-2010

  • T-Mobile USA CEO Robert Dotson to Leave Company in May 2011

    Robert Dotson, president and CEO of T-Mobile USA, has informed that he plans to leave the company in May 2011, after 15 years of service with T-Mobile.

    According to T-Mobile, “in order to ensure a smooth transition of leadership,” Dotson has committed to stay actively engaged in the business until May 2011.

    His designated successor is Philipp Humm, an experienced DT executive and former CEO of T-Mobile Deutschland. Humm is currently responsible for sales and service in Europe as chief regional officer Europe. After a period of transition with Dotson, it’s the intention that Humm will take over as CEO of T-Mobile USA in February 2011, while Dotson will remain on as a T-Mobile USA non-executive board member until May 2011, as the company informed.

    "For 15 years it has been a privilege to lead the talented T-Mobile USA team in its journey to become a leading U.S. wireless provider. The time is right to ensure a thoughtful leadership transition to position T-Mobile USA for the next 15 years of opportunity," Dotson said.

    "It has long been my intent to step away from the business at this stage in my life in order to devote more time to family and to take on entirely new and unique challenges. That change can only be made possible if a suitable successor is in place. Over the next year, it will be my relentless focus and responsibility to work closely with Philipp to ensure marketplace success, and to enable a seamless leadership transition," he added.

    Before joining Deutsche Telekom, Humm worked for ten years for a number of U.S.-based companies including McKinsey & Company, Procter & Gamble, and Amazon in senior level positions. Humm has since served as CEO of T-Mobile Deutschland from 2005 until 2008. He was responsible for the successful market introduction of the iPhone in Germany in 2007.

    Humm said, "It is a privilege for me to take over the reins from an established leader such as Robert. I look forward to working with him and the T-Mobile USA team during the transition phase, and I relish the prospect of leading such a proud company as T-Mobile USA – a force to be reckoned with in one of the largest markets in the world. It is a great challenge, and I am grateful for having been given the chance to make a difference."

    Rene Obermann, CEO of Deutsche Telekom, said, "I sincerely regret Robert’s decision to leave, however I absolutely respect his decision, and am most grateful that he has offered to stay on for another year in order to work with Philipp to ensure continuity in running the business."

  • Everything Everywhere Joint Venture by Orange and T-Mobile Unveiled

    Everything Everywhere, the joint venture that is claimed to be Britain’s biggest communications company, has been unveiled by Orange and T-Mobile.

    The new company has a customer base of 30 million people: over half of the UK adult population. Orange and T-Mobile promise to transform the industry and give UK consumers” the best coverage, devices, service and communications experience possible.”

    Everything Everywhere is the name of the company that runs Orange and T-Mobile, and the company that all 16,500 employees will work for. The company will be officially integrated on July 1.

    Orange and T-Mobile will continue as brands in the market, with each brand having its own shops, marketing campaigns, propositions and service centers. However, behind the scenes, the two brands will be run by one company, with “one team and one vision.”

    As the companies said, their ambition is to combine both the Orange and T-Mobile networks, cut out duplication, and create a single “super-network.”

    Later this year, customers will experience the first benefits of the merger, with the ability to roam across both networks at no additional cost.

    According to Orange and T-Mobile, the new company intends to propel itself beyond mobile communications, with a greater focus in developing new revenue streams based on the way customers will use their devices in the future. With greater scale, the company intends to develop new revenue streams in adjacent markets, such as mobile advertising and mobile commerce.

    With the company’s new coverage and scale, it also intends to ramp up offers to the business market, as the companies informed.

    There is also a new leadership team for Everything Everywhere, with key personnel from both Orange and T-Mobile. The team is led by Tom Alexander, Chief Executive, and Richard Moat, Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief Executive.

    “We are on the verge of a communications revolution. Up until a few years ago, mobile was just about voice and text – not now. Multimedia phones have already started to change the way our customers access the world – for entertainment, education, information – wherever they are, whenever they want,” said Tom Alexander.

    “That is why, through our scale and Britain’s only super-network with its unsurpassed coverage and capacity, we will be leading this revolution, giving customers instant access to everything, everywhere,” he added.

  • Google Officially Announces Nexus One – the “Superphone”

    At the special Android press conference in Mountain View, Google officially confirmed the company’s first phone – the Nexus One.

    This HTC-branded device is running Android 2.1 and comes with 3.7" AMOLED 480×800 WVGA display, 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, 512MB flash onboard memory and 4GB removable SD Card (expandable to 32GB), 5 megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash and geo tagging, stereo Bluetooth, 3.5mm headphone jack, compass, GPS, accelerometer and light and proximity sensor.

    There is also an option of personalized laser engraving: up to 50 characters on the back of the phone.

    Android 2.1, a version of the platform’s Eclair software offers applications like Google Maps Navigation (offering turn-by-turn driving directions with voice output), Email (multiple Gmail accounts; universal inbox and Exchange support), Phone book (aggregate contacts from multiple sources, including Facebook), and Android Market with the access to more than 18,000 applications.

    Additionally, it futures voice-enabled keyboard for all text fields and voice-searching.

    Nexus One is initially available from the new Google web store in the US without service for $529 or starting at $179 with a two-year contract from T-Mobile USA. It is also coming to Verizon this Spring and Vodafone later this year.

    Google will initially take orders from consumers in the US and three other markets – the UK, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

    In the coming months Google plans on partnering with additional operators. They also expect to launch more phones with Android handset partners (including Motorola) and to expand the web store to more countries.

    "The Nexus One belongs in the emerging class of devices which we call ‘superphones,’ with the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset making it as powerful as your laptop computer of three to four years ago. It’s our way to raise the bar on what’s possible when it comes to creating the best mobile experience for consumers," said Andy Rubin, VP of Engineering.

  • T-Mobile to Offer First 3G BlackBerry with Voice Calling over Wi-Fi

    RIM announced the upcoming availability of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 with Wi-Fi Calling from T-Mobile.

    It will be the first 3G-powered BlackBerry available through T-Mobile USA, and also the first smartphone from RIM that includes built-in support for both 3G connectivity and voice calls over Wi-Fi, according to T-Mobile.

    T-Mobile customers can continue to get mobile coverage and nationwide Wi-Fi calling with the company’s Unlimited HotSpot Calling service or, for business customers, the new Wi-Fi Calling with MobileOffice solution.

    Wi-Fi calling will require Unlimited HotSpot Calling mobile plan or Wi-Fi Calling with MobileOffice service, qualifying rate plan, broadband internet connection and wireless router.

    T-Mobile’s Unlimited HotSpot Calling is an add-on feature to qualifying mobile plan that enables unlimited nationwide calling over Wi-Fi from home and from all of US T-Mobile HotSpot locations across the country. It starts from $9.99. Regular plan minutes are used when call does not originate on Wi-Fi network.

    Rumored as the Onyx, Bold 9700 comes with new BlackBerry OS 5.0, 624 MHz processor, 2.44” light-sensing display, 256MB Flash memory, built-in GPS and Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g), 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, flash and video recording, full-QWERTY keyboard, touch-sensitive optical trackpad and micro SDHC 2GB card.

    It includes support for 3G HSDPA networks around the world and provides all well known RIM’s mobile e-mail and messaging solution, and access to social networking applications.

    Many applications from BlackBerry App World are readily available directly on the 9700, such as Slacker Radio (free music), TeleNav GPS Navigator (turn-by-turn directions), and visual voicemail.

    The new BlackBerry smartphone is expected to be available in November.

    By the end of the year T-Mobile’s 3G network is planned to be available to approximately 200 million people across the U.S.

  • T-Mobile and Orange Merge to Create the UK's Largest Mobile Carrier

    Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom are planning to merge T-Mobile UK and Orange UK. The companies have entered into exclusive negotiations to combine T-Mobile and Orange in a new 50:50 joint venture company.

    If the negotiations are successfully accomplished (the deal is expected to be completed by the end of October), the new joint venture will create the UK’s leading mobile operator. It will have a combined mobile customer base of around 28 million, representing approximately 37 percent of UK mobile subscribers.

    The companies assure that this combination will result in expanded network coverage and better customer proximity through a larger network of own shops.

    Obviously, the other aim of the new enlarged business is to compete more effectively with the other two large UK operators – O2 and Vodafone.

    “By combining our operations in the UK, we anticipate the long-awaited consolidation in one of Europe’s most competitive markets. This will reinforce fair competition and will provide strong benefits for our customers through improved coverage, quality of service and an enhanced capacity to develop new services and technologies,” said Gervais Pellissier, CFO of France Telecom.

    “Our shareholders will benefit from higher profitability and an immediate cash flow per share accretion without impacting the overall indebtedness of the parent companies.”

    The business will have pro forma 2008 revenues of approximately £7.7 billion. The merger and integration of the operators should generate estimated synergies with a net present value in excess of £3.5 billion, as the companies claim.

    Estimated opex-based synergies should reach an annual run rate of over £445 million from 2014 onwards.

    The operators predict that the key areas for the opex synergies of the joint venture will be network & IT – large-scale site rationalisation leading to savings notably in site rental expenses, network operations and maintenance expenses – and distribution and marketing – higher proportion of sales through own shops, resulting in lower distribution costs and savings in marketing costs primarily post roll-out of a new branding strategy.

    “We will become market leader,” stated Timotheus Höttges, CFO of Deutsche Telekom.

    “Our customers will benefit in many ways, for example from the best mobile broadband offer in Britain. In the second-biggest market in Europe, which is undoubtedly one of the toughest and most competitive, we are giving T-Mobile UK a clear and strong future.”

    The joint venture expects to invest £600 to £800 million in integration costs over the period from 2010 to 2014. Those costs would primarily relate to the decommissioning of mobile sites, the rationalisation of the network of retail stores and the streamlining of operations.

    The Board of the new joint venture company will have balanced representation from both firms. The management team would be led by Tom Alexander, currently CEO of Orange UK, as CEO and Richard Moat, currently CEO of TMobile UK, as COO.

    The T-Mobile UK and Orange UK brands will be maintained separately for 18 months after completion of the transaction.

  • Save the Date for Motorola’s Android Sholes and Morrison

    With the giants of the mobile phone industry battling it out at the top, little has been said about the struggling Android platform that was rumored to be a unique way users could interface with their phones. While not entirely without its merit Motorola has suffered with the few struggling Windows Mobile platform phone it’s tried to release, making little impact in the cellular market.

    It’s unfortunate that the power players in the mobile market have literally ousted some of the more well known brand names in the industry, specifically Motorola, which does not even rank in the top ten of most used phones. Will they be relegated to focus on the less expensive consumer market or is there room for them to still make a splash?

    Mark your calendars friends, because September 10th will see a huge announcement regarding Motorola’s unveiling of their own Android phone line. This announcement is the planned cornerstone for the rebirth of Motorola.

    The event which will take place in San Francisco, CA has had little information released on just what the announcements will be. Still, rumors say that the announcement of the Sholes and the Morrison phones will be the first out of the gate.

    The first, Sholes, will be a high end phone focusing on the professional power user focusing on high processing speeds and a 5 megapixel camera. The second, Morrison, will be a more economically based Android phone which will end up on the T-Mobile network and support 3G.

    These phones are just the first in what is expected to be a long line of phones on various networks in order to regain some of the market share lost to the bigger brand names in play.

    Motorola looks to increase excitement with their innovation and the possibility of a glimpse into Android 2.0 which could very well power these new phones and offer such extras as entire phone search, multi-gesture shortcuts and multi-touch.

    For now, it’s stated that the phones will come activated with the Blur interface which looks to tie every social aspect of the individual into a unique experience with the OS. This would definitely attract a vast majority of mobile users as connectivity through various networks has been on the rise, and would be a high selling point if the platform is able to show ease of use.