Most Clicked CTIA SmartBrief Stories
1. T-Mobile parent sees little chance of carrier's sale
CTIA SmartBrief | May 24, 2012
In the aftermath of the failed attempt to sell T-Mobile USA to AT&T, the head of parent company Deutsche Telekom said it was unlikely that the carrier would be sold. "We are investing in modernizing the networks and are now developing an LTE network," CEO Rene Obermann told shareholders today. Reuters (05/24) Bloomberg Businessweek (05/24)
2. Google's Page points to Motorola's hardware value
CTIA SmartBrief | May 23, 2012
In the aftermath of Google's closing on its purchase of Motorola Mobility on Tuesday, industry observers pointed to Google CEO Larry Page's emphasis on the hardware aspects of his new division rather than the thousands of wireless patents the company has acquired. Some had speculated that Page would shed the hardware division, but observers now say that's unlikely. Also, advertising and marketing executives expressed concern about Google's increasing control over Android devices. Meanwhile, a handful of top Motorola executives have joined former Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha in exiting the company. ReadWriteWeb.com (05/22) GigaOm (05/22) MediaPost Communications (05/23) All Things D (05/22)
3. Samsung rolls out Galaxy S III to eager fans
CTIA SmartBrief | May 29, 2012
Samsung Electronics got the jump on Apple today by launching the Galaxy S III, the sequel to its wildly popular flagship smartphone, bringing the handset to 28 countries in Europe and the Middle East. Vodafone UK said pre-orders for the S III outnumbered those for any previous Android device. Samsung also has launched Music Hub, its streaming-audio competitor to Apple's iTunes. Music Hub carries a catalog of 19 million songs in its cloud locker. Reuters (05/29) Pocket-Lint.com (U.K.) (05/29) Bloomberg Businessweek (05/29)
4. Will Facebook become Buffy the smartphone player?
CTIA SmartBrief | May 29, 2012
Facebook is working on a smartphone to be released by next year, according to published reports that say the social networking company has been recruiting engineers for the effort with HTC on a handset that carries the code name "Buffy." In a separate report, Facebook is said to be looking into buying Opera, the Norwegian company whose browser has roughly 200 million users. Guardian (London), The (05/28) New York Times (tiered subscription model), The (05/27) Pocket-Lint.com (U.K.) (05/25)
5. RIM loses another key executive: Global sales chief quits
CTIA SmartBrief | May 24, 2012
Research In Motion is losing another top official with the resignation of its global sales chief, 14-year veteran Patrick Spence, the company said Wednesday. RIM added that Spence's department will eventually report to Chief Operating Officer Kristian Tear. More bad news for RIM: The company's long-standing dominance in providing instant messaging services may be starting to erode, according to The Wall Street Journal. Wall Street Journal, The (05/23) Reuters (05/23) Wall Street Journal, The (05/23)
6. RIM may lay off thousands, risks write-down on inventory
CTIA SmartBrief | May 29, 2012
Research In Motion may be preparing to eliminate 2,000 or more jobs as part of a massive global restructuring, according to a published report, which predicts that the BlackBerry-maker will announce the layoffs this week. In more bad news, RIM's stockpile of unsold PlayBook tablets and BlackBerry phones could force the Canadian company to issue the third write-down of its inventory since December, analysts say, and RIM announced Monday that Chief Legal Officer Karima Bawa is the latest top executive to leave the company. Reuters (05/28) Bloomberg Businessweek (05/29) Globe and Mail (Toronto), The (05/28)
7. Sprint gets FCC clearance for deploying LTE on 800 MHz band
CTIA SmartBrief | May 29, 2012
The Federal Communications Commission has opened a section of the 800 MHz band to enable Sprint Nextel to use the frequencies for its planned Long-Term Evolution network. Sprint has been limited to using the spectrum for the 2G iDEN network that it acquired when it bought Nextel in 2005. Engadget (05/25) Network World (05/25)
8. CTIA sees wireless use soar past one per person
CTIA SmartBrief | May 23, 2012
CTIA-The Wireless Association® has released its semiannual survey on the state of the wireless market and reports that U.S. mobile penetration reached 104.7% -- or slightly more than one connection per person -- for the period ending Dec. 31. Total connections grew 7% last year, reaching 331.6 million, as data traffic more than doubled. Telecompetitor.com (05/22)
9. Obama tells major agencies to mobilize within a year
CTIA SmartBrief | May 24, 2012
President Barack Obama offered a boost to mobile services on Wednesday when he issued a directive ordering all major federal agencies to put two important services on cellphone platforms within 12 months. He also told agency officials to build websites within 90 days that would detail their progress. Obama said many agencies had ignored or neglected wireless platforms. Steve Largent, CEO of CTIA-The Wireless Association, praised the move but used the occasion to press Obama on the need to free up more spectrum to meet the burgeoning demand for mobile data. Multichannel News (05/23) Network World (05/23)
10. Google launches in-app billing for Android
CTIA SmartBrief | May 25, 2012
Google may find new revenue opportunities after giving Android developers the ability to offer in-application subscriptions that will enable downloaders to pay by the month or year with automatic renewals, the company disclosed. The move will give developers and Google another way of monetizing the apps and could spark content development within Google Play. CNET (05/24) Wired.com (05/24)
Sign up for CTIA SmartBrief
