Regional Wireless Network Opposses Verion-Alltel Union

The news about Verizon Wireless' plan to acquire Alltel first surfaced during the first week of June. It was a significant development in the wireless network industry as it would make Verizon the biggest American wireless carrier. However, many expected that the union will not go smoothly as many obstacles have to be cleared before Alltel completely merges with Verizon Wireless. Another obstacle to the Alltel-Verizon merge have surfaced as some rural or regional carriers have declared their strong opposition.

In an effort to stop Verizon from Acquiring Alltel, some rural wireless network operators have sent a letter to FCC. The letter addressed to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin requested that the commission deny the approval of Verizon Wireless's acquisition of Alltel.

Here's a list of the wireless network operators and wireless associations who signed the letter:

• Leap Wireless
• SouthernLINC
• LCW Wireless
• Revol Wireless
• Mobi PCS
• NTELOS Inc.
• National Telecommunications Cooperative Association
• Rural Telecommunications Group
• Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies

The groups and carriers opposing to Verizon Wireless-Alltel union are concerned about the issues that might go unresolved if the FCC allowed the acquisition. The groups and carriers want the FCC to rule on the unresolved issues on roaming, spectrum concentration and handset exclusivity before they vote to allow Verizon Wireless to acquire Alltel. The Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to vote on this issue ion Nov. 4.

These members of the groups that oppose the merge believe that it would be against the interests of the public. They also feel that allowing Verizon to acquire Alltel without properly addressing the unresolved issues on roaming, spectrum concentration and handset exclusivity is anti-competitive and anti-consumer.

If the FCC voted to approve the merger, then Verizon Wireless will surpass AT&T as the biggest wireless network operator in the US. However, the FCC will need to address the concerns expressed by the regional carriers and wireless consumer groups before the Verizon-Alltel union becomes a reality.

I thinks its good that these groups have publicly expressed their stand on the issue. If the FCC do not heed their concerns, then it might be possible that a lot of problems will surface from the union between two major wireless carriers. Tune in to this blog for more news and updates on the the regional and national US carriers.

HTC Touch Diamond to Hit Sprint Stores on September 2?

I've got another juicy bit of wireless network information scoop. This time it's for Sprint subscribers. Now, according to the folks at wmexperts.com, Sprint may be launching the HTC Touch Diamond on September 2.

The HTC Touch Diamond has been one of the most anticipated handsets since it was officially announced last May. Only the 3G iPhone has clearly surpassed it in terms of anticipation. It was rumored that Verizon and Sprint will offer the HTC Touch Pro in US soil. Prior rumors and announcements indicate that the HTC Touch Pro will be available in the third quarter. This makes the rumored release date of September 2 plausible.

The source of this info is apparently a slide or internal document that was leaked. The documents contained details and the release dates of several handsets that will be launched by Sprint. Here are the handsets that will be released in September according to the leaked document:

• Sanyo Katana Eclipse
• Motorola VE20 Vegas
• Motorola i365
• MotorolaV950 Renegade
• Samsung m220
• Samsung m320

Of course, the highlight of the list was the HTC Touch Diamond or the HTC 6950. The HTC Touch was designated as the HTC 6900. Since this info case from a leaked document, more confirmation is required. It's expected that the wireless network operator will make the official announcement in the next few weeks.

Here the expected specs and features of Sprint's upcoming HTC Touch Diamond:

• 101mm x 51mm x 14mm dimensions
  
• EVDO Rev A
• WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0
• Qualcomm MSM 7510A Processor running at 528MHz
• 256 ROM, 256 RAM, 4 Gigs internal (no expansion)
• Opera 9.5 for the browser
• 3.2mp Camera
• 640x480 screen
• 1340 mAh battery

Tune in to this blog for more wireless network operator rumors news and info.

Recent Wireless Network Rumors

After surfing through various mobile phone websites, I noticed that there are plenty of exciting rumors about wireless network operators and handset launches. So I decided to post some of the recent rumors I've read about. Here they are:


AT&T mobile phone devices and services rumors

According to the mobile phone spies at Boy Genius Report, the Samsung Omina may be coming to AT&T in the third quarter. The Samsung Omnia is a a Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional device with a 5 megapixel camera with face detection. It also has quad-band EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, 3.2″ WQVGA touch screen, Bluetooth, and either 8GB or 16GB of internal memory. The rumors also indicate that the Samsung Omnia for AT&T will offer Mobile TV, AT&T Navigator and other services.

Here's more interesting mobile phone scoop for AT&T subscribers. According to GearDiary.com, AT&T's roadmap has been leaked and the info suggest that a number of exciting new handsets will be released in the coming months. AT&T has scheduled the third quarter for the launching of the BlackBerry Curve 8320 and the BlackBerry Bold. The mobile phone carrier will also release that BlackJack III which offers Windows Mobile 6.1, a 528 MHz processor, 3MP camera, aGPS, and more.

A new Pantech Duo sporting Windows Mobile 6.1, GPS, HSDPA, and a 528MHz processor may also hit AT&T stores in the fourth quarter. The leaked AT&T info also mentions a replacement for the HTC Tilt called the Tilt II, which will offer a Qualcomm 528 MHz processor, aGPS, HSDPA, 256MB ROM/ 128MB, and more. The AT&T Tilt II is expected to be launched on the fourth quarter together with the HTC Touch Pro.

The mobile phone operator has also scheduled a slew of Windows Mobile 6.1 upgrades for the Pantech Duo, BlackJack II, Moto Q9h, AT&T Tilt and other handsets.


Sprint mobile phone devices and services rumors

According to SprintUsers.com, rumors indicate that Sprint is getting set to increase data costs for new and old customers. The rumors also indicate that the mobile phone carrier is planning to cancel their current standalone Vision and Power Vision plans. Apparently, the have decided to replace them with a mandatory Everything plans that begin at $69/month. This new set of plans will offer voice minutes, Sprint TV, GPS nav, and other services. However, these changes may affect customers who only signed up for a simple data-only plan.



Verizon Wireless mobile phone devices and services rumors

According to Phone Arena.com, leaked information indicates that Verizon may be preparing to unveil a
host of exciting new mobile phonesin the upcoming months. The leaked information suggest that Verizon will launch the the HTC Touch Diamond and Touch Pro which are headed to the carriers CDMA lineup.

These handsets are expected to be launched on the middle of fall. even though no definite date have been mentioned. Verizon may also launch the Motorola Blaze which is scheduled to hit stores by September 22. The leaked documents also mention the Palm Treo 800w but no specific release date was indicated. The Samsung SCH-U430, Samsung SCH-U440, UTStarcom TXT8010, Nokia 2605 and the Nokia 7205 will also join Verizon's mobile phone lineup according to the leaked information.

There you have it. I hope these mobile phone and wireless network operator rumors have gotten you excited. Tune in to this blog for more rumors as well as news and info on mobile phones and cell phone carriers.

Verizon Wireless May Merge with Alltel

Here's some explosive wireless network controller news. According to a Reuters article, Verizon Wireless may be able to surpass AT&T as the top US mobile phone service provider if it succeeds in negotiating a merge with Alltel Corp.

Alltel Corp is one of the top rural mobile service provider in the US. The source of this scoop revealed that Verizon is offering to but Alltel for bout $27 billion in debt and cash. However, the $27 billion valuation could be comprised of mostly debt and a smaller amount of cash.

This merger will certainly have a significant effect in the wireless network operator industry. Alltel had more than 13 million customers at the end of the first quarter which means that a merge with Verizon will spawn a company with more than 80 million customers. AT&T, is considered the biggest U.S. wireless service based on customers with 71 million subscribers but will fall in second place should this merger becomes complete.

The source of this wireless network info also divulged that the ownership structure of Verizon Wireless would be altered if the deal is completed. Fifty-five percent of the company is owned by Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc owns the rest.

Needless to say, this development was met by surprise. The timing of this deal was unexpected since Verizon did not make any move when private equity investors bought Alltel about a year ago. However, Verizon Wireless expanding through an acquisition makes sense. Some experts also believe that Verizon may be able to operate Alltel more efficiently than Alltel. Verizon is a strong wireless franchise and has advantages of scale to run the business with greater efficiency.

As expected with these mega deals, both parties wanted to limit the information about the merger. Verizon declined to release comment on the matter while Alltel representatives were not immediately available for comment.

Mobile phone industry experts expect that a close review from U.S. antitrust authorities and regulators at the Federal Communications Commission will be conducted if Verizon proceeds to purchase of Alltel.

Well, this is certainly interesting. It seems that Verizon is making a move to wrest the top spot from AT&T. This is a major development so I think it's unsure if the deal will be completed. All we can do at this point is to tune to to the updates to this story. Tune in for more wireless network news and information on this blog.

AT&T and Sprint May Get LG Voyager

I have picked up this interesting wireless network rumor while surfing the web. This enticing scoop involves LG's iPhone response or killer. It seems every mobile phone maker is trying to come up with an answer to Apple's gem. Nokia has the "Tube", Samsung recently announced the "Instinct" and LG has the Voyager.

Well, I can't blame cell phone manufacturers and wireless networks with trying to launch the true iPhone slayer. After all, it's probably the hottest mobile phone on the market. The number of fake iPhones in the world market should be a good proof of this Apple handset's dominance. But enough with the introduction. Let's get on to the meat of this juicy wireless network rumor.

Currently, Verizon has the exclusive rights to the LG Voyager or VX10000. However, some rumors have surfaced that Sprint and AT&T may also be able to add the device to their mobile phone line ups. The LG Voyager has performed well since it was launched so it will certainly draw some consumers.

As basis for this rumor, the Electronic Times quoted an LG official making this statement,

"We plan to expand the supply of Voyager to AT&T and Sprint within this year. That will lay the strong foundation for LG in the North American market."

Well, that statement is indeed tantalizing. It's very probable that LG is trying to expand the success of their handset by offering it on other wireless networks. However, there are also a few puzzling facets to this rumor.

Spring Nextel is trying to recover from various problems and the LG Voyager can help them retain their fickle subscribers. However, Sprint has been working with Samsung to launch another iPhone response in the Instinct. The wireless network was reportedly willing to spend a hundred million to market the Samsung Instinct. Launching the Voyager and the Instinct may cause some conflict. Then again, having two high-end and highly touted mobile phones may be the part of solution to Sprint's problems.

AT&T is already the sole distributer of the iPhone so it is puzzling why they would offer an "iPhone killer". Maybe they want to offer new alternatives to their customers. It would be interesting to see what happens if AT&T offers both of these handsets.

In the end, this is just a juicy rumor. We just have to wait and see if these will be fulfilled. I'll be waiting for related press releases, info leaks and more rumors that are related to this topic. I hope that this post have intrigued and stimulated your mobile phone taste buds.