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C-Spire debuts pre-paid tablet and hotspot plans
As far as regional carriers go, C-Spire is a pretty big deal. Which makes it all the more surprising that the company hasn't offered standalone pre-paid data plans until now. The southern cellphone network now has three tiers of pre-paid access for your tablet or Mi-Fi, beginning with a $15 100MB package that expires after a week. $30 nets you 300MB over two weeks, while the top tier grants you a whole month's access and 1GB of data -- but will set you back a rather steep $50. Of course, there's always post-paid solutions for the more demanding, that start at $20 for 1GB per-month and go up to $50 for 5GB. For more, check out the PR after the break.
Samsung Galaxy S III coming to C Spire 'later this year'
And then there were six. With US Cellular breaking the barrier of regional carriers getting a flagship device at the same time as its national rivals, C Spire (formerly Cellular South) wants to join the cause by announcing that it will carry the Samsung Galaxy S III -- and we doubt it will be the last to hop on board, given that MetroPCS was listed on the US sign-up page alongside these other six carriers. The company wasn't so keen on providing exact details of pricing or availability, so all we know is that it's on track for a release "later this year" and we'll get more information in the coming weeks. If we were the gambling sort, we'd bet that C Spire is aiming to push this as its inaugural LTE device when the network is deployed this coming September. Judging by the picture alone, we're not expecting any major surprises with this particular flavor, but that shouldn't come as a shocker to anyone who has been following the GS3 news on the US front. Welcome to the party, pal. [Thanks, Fred]
Refresh Roundup: week of May 14th, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
iPhone waltzes into top spot of US phone satisfaction index, small carriers trump the giants
We know almost too well how smartphones perform in US market share; what we don't usually see is how happy customers are once the shrink wrap's off. Going by a newly-expanded American Customer Satisfaction Index, it's the iPhone that most scratches the itch at a score of 83. Despite having just been added, Apple was noticeably ahead of a three-way tie between HTC, LG and Nokia at 75. You might not want to look if you're a freshly-minted RIM executive: the BlackBerry made its freshman debut on the charts at the bottom, or 69. Big carriers have their own reasons to wince, too, knowing that smaller carriers like US Cellular and TracFone scored higher on the happiness meter than incumbents hiking service fees. While there's definitely some wiggle room for your own experience to have been better or worse, if you were an iPhone owner on a regional carrier in the past few months, you were statistically the most likely to be on Cloud Nine.
Samsung Galaxy S III US sign-up page goes live
So enthused with the Galaxy S III that you want to know exactly when in the summer Americans can buy one? You can follow us, of course, but Samsung has you covered with a sign-up page that will take your vitals with promises that you'll "get the latest on the Next Galaxy." We wouldn't read too much into seeing AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and others in the list of carriers to choose from, though. Samsung has run identical sign-up campaigns in the US before, and it focused the initial Galaxy S II launch on three major carriers rather than carpet bombing every network at once. [Thanks, Michael]
C Spire restarts LTE rollout, aims for September launch in Mississippi
After missing its year-end 2011 target date, C Spire is once again set to get its LTE network up and running -- this time with a more realistic fall launch. The regional carrier announced plans for that initial rollout today, aiming to blanket 20 markets in Mississippi this September. Bear in mind, this particular flavor of 4G is more akin to the brisk, though not blistering performance achieved by HSPA+, given average downlink speeds should range between 4Mbps to 12Mbps and uplink at 1Mbps to 5Mbps. Considering this may be the first taste of non-3G for some denizens of the Magnolia State, it's not a bad start. For the sake of our southern brethren, we just hope the carrier can actually fulfill on its grandiose, next-gen promises this time 'round. Check out the official presser after the break.
C Spire drops iPhone 4S price to $150, asks you for two years of commitment
If you've wanted to cozy up to Siri, only holding back in your search for a price break on Apple's current iPhone 4S, then your latest opportunity has arrived. C Spire Wireless is now offering the device at the starting price of $150 for the 16GB model in return for signing a two-year commitment. Naturally, $250 snags you 32GB of storage, while the 64GB variant will run you $350. All in all, these iDevices at about $50 dollars less than you'd normally find 'em for on carrier subsidies -- unless you happen to reside in Puerto Rico, that is. Best of all, it appears that this isn't merely a limited-time offer. Don't take our word for it, hit up the source link below for all the details.
AT&T and Verizon lobby for less FCC spectrum control, Sprint and other carriers respond
Since 1993, the FCC has held the ability to restrict bidders' participation in spectrum auctions based on their current spectrum holdings, needs and dominance in the marketplace. Given that wireless spectrum is a public resource, the current law tasks the FCC with the responsibility to ensure competition in the marketplace and prevent monopolies and duopolies from forming. A new proposal contained within the JOBS Act, H.R. 3630 -- a sweeping bill that primarily addresses the extension of unemployment benefits -- threatens to strip the FCC of this authority and return spectrum auctions to the freewheeling wild west era. The bill is so controversial that former FCC chairman, Reed Hundt, recently called this proposal "the single worst telecom bill" he'd ever seen, and, "a repudiation of the smartest auction theorists in the world." Today, the CEOs from many of the US's smaller telecoms -- which include Sprint, T-Mobile, Cricket, C Spire and Bluegrass Cellular (among others) -- officially lodged their objections to this proposed bill based on the notion that, left unrestricted, AT&T and Verizon Wireless could start bullying smaller carriers in the race to acquire more spectrum.While the majority of the bill deals with making additional spectrum available, Section 4105 of Title V -- the controversial bit in question -- is ostensibly the work of lobbying efforts on behalf of AT&T and Verizon. Are the nation's top two carriers legitimately concerned that the FCC will limit their ability to participate in future auctions? Sprint contends that the current law has worked rather well for both top dogs, which together control approximately 73 percent of the spectrum under 1GHz. There's no doubt that spectrum is the bread and butter of the wireless industry, but as a public resource, it deserves to be allocated in a way that promotes competition and best serves the citizens. Regardless of your gut reaction, it seems that the topic deserves some legitimate debate. If the proposed bill hits the Congressional floor and is mired down amongst discussions of unemployment benefits and flood insurance reform, just how much of this important discussion will fall on deaf ears?[Tower photo via Shutterstock]
C Spire's LTE rollout appears stalled, GPS interference doesn't help matters
Target dates come and go, and other times, they're merely brushed aside. That seems to be the case for C Spire Wireless, which (back in its days as Cellular South) announced that it would have a live LTE network by the close of 2011. At the time, the regional provider had linked arms with Samsung to build up the necessary infrastructure, although now, all the carrier can muster is, "We did not launch 4G LTE at the end of 2011. We have no further comment beyond that." Its homegrown ambitions for LTE aren't the only front that's stalled, either. If you'll remember, the network had previously inked a deal with LightSquared to provide additional LTE coverage, although without regulatory approval, it seems that C Spire will be forced to find a new game plan if it cares to match speed with the big boys.
Mobile Miscellany: week of December 19, 2011
This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of December 19, 2011:
AT&T, Sprint and C Spire halt suits over T-Mobile acquisition, wireless competition to die another day
It's never nice to beat a dead horse when it's down and the same seems to be true for the litigious mudslinging Ma Bell's had to endure. Now that the nation's second largest carrier has been granted a stay in its pending and publicly messy T-Mobile acquisition, vocal opponents like Sprint and C Spire are withdrawing their respective suits (and fangs) to block the merger for the time being. But don't take this latest courtroom move as a supportive change of heart -- both wireless companies will likely lawyer up again in the new year when these M&A wheels begin to roll anew. So while this potential AT&T&T deal appears to be dead in the water, there's always a chance it'll resurface with an extra face.
Mobile Miscellany: week of December 5, 2011
This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of December 5, 2011: C Spire announced this week that it's launching the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. The device is currently available for purchase for $50 with a two-year commitment and after a $50 mail-in rebate. [AndroidCentral] Images and specs of Philips' first Android device, the W920, surfaced this week, and its spec sheet doesn't look very good: Froyo, a 1GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 CPU, 512MB of RAM, a 4.3-inch WVGA display, a 5MP camera, 10.5mm thin frame and it has a 1,280mAh battery. The fun part is the rumored price tag: £400 ($627). [LandofDroid] Ting is a new Sprint MVNO that'll launch mid-2012. It'll be prepaid and use a bump-up and bump-down model for pricing -- in other words, going over your minutes will just bump you into the next higher plan, while using fewer minutes can bump you to a lower plan. [Cnet] Another prepaid provider in the news this week is PrepaYd Wireless, which launched this week. It offers a "Y Pay More" plan that will give you unlimited talk, text and 3G data for $40 per month. If you don't need data, you can get all-you-can-eat talk and text for $35. Much like Ting, PrepaYd Wireless utilizes the Sprint network. [MobileTechNews] If you use a BlackBerry OS 7 device on AT&T, the carrier is offering you two free months of BBM Music. Normally you need to pay $5 a month to store 50 songs. [Crackberry] While we're on the subject of BlackBerry phones, Twitter for BlackBerry just got updated to version 2.1 and now offers multi-account support. In addition to being able to view up to five accounts in the same feed, it also includes the ability to tweet one thing to more than one account simultaneously. [BlackBerry] Pandora and Windows Phone may never mix well, but at least the radio service can be enjoyed now through an unofficial Pandora app called MetroRadio. It's free, and is finally available in the Windows Phone Marketplace. [WPCentral]
C Spire Wireless will begin selling the iPhone on November 11
A few weeks ago, Mississippi-based C Spire Wireless announced it had inked a deal with Apple to sell the iPhone, making it the country's first regional carrier for Apple's smartphone. Today the company announced that both the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S will go on sale on November 11th. From the press release: iPhone 4S will be available starting at $199.99 for the 16GB model, $299.99 for the 32GB model and $399.99 for the 64GB model with a new two-year contract and data plan. In addition, the iPhone 4 8GB model is available for $99.99, also with a new two-year contract and data plan. iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 will be available at C Spire Wireless retail stores, online at www.cspire.com/iPhone and through the Telesales group at 1-855-CSPIRE4. C Spire Wireless is a CDMA carrier that serves Mississippi and parts of Alabama, Florida, and Tennessee. If you live in its coverage area, you can begin pre-ordering your device today. The pricing of the handsets are the same as the iPhone's national US carriers. However, a look at its data pricing plans reveals that C Spire is trying to undercut the national carriers by offering an entry-level voice and data iPhone plan for only $50. Oddly though, the $50 plan and a $70 plan do not allow customers to "stream" data, which I've contacted the company about because I'm not exactly sure what that means; perhaps it has something to do with streaming video and audio, but it's not clear how transport-agnostic applications like YouTube or Pandora would know the difference. No word from Apple on whether other regional carriers will join the iPhone bandwagon yet, but it seems very likely considering the exclusivity agreements with the national carriers have come to an end.
iPhone 4S gets official date and blessing by C-Spire, all yours on November 11th
Oh, heck yeah. We've already been delighted by the news that C-Spire (the hip carrier formerly known as Cellular South) is the lucky recipient of the iPhone 4S, but we now have a date -- and it's coming up pretty fast. Both the 4S and the 4 will be ready for your purchase on November 11th, unsurprisingly for the same exact cost as the big three national carriers: $99 for the 8GB iPhone 4 and $199-399 for the iPhone 4S, but the deal's sweetened by the offering of unlimited data (though the two lowest plans exclude streaming). If you're down with that, it's a good idea to head over to the site and get pre-registered as soon as possible. Now that the little guys officially have the iconic device, who's next? Full press release after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
AT&T asks court to dismiss lawsuits filed by Sprint and C Spire Wireless
Well, look at Ma Bell now, wishing it'd all just go away. Tied up in lawsuits, the company has filed motions to dismiss the two complaints brought by Sprint and C Spire Wireless (formerly Cellular South), which seek to block AT&T's acquisition of T-Mobile. In the filings, it's argued that the two providers represent their own interests, rather than that of the public. AT&T further reveals that C Spire had pursued private negotiations prior to the lawsuit, where the regional provider agreed to support the merger "if AT&T would agree not to engage in facilities-based competition in Mississippi." Ma Bell goes on to state, "This inappropriate proposal confirms that what Cellular South fears is competition, not lack of competition." Given the latest maneuver (which smacks heavily of PR spin), there's no doubt that lawyers for Sprint and C Spire will have a bit of homework for the weekend.
