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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:
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]
Galaxy Nexus signup page includes seven US carriers, endless speculation
Samsung and Google still haven't officially revealed which US carriers will be getting the Galaxy Nexus next month -- even though Verizon has been leaked, is shown in the official trailer (included after the break, look at 0:22), and there was a quickly-retracted Facebook confirmation earlier today. Now, the official signup page for release info on Samsung's site allows users to show their carrier preference between AT&T, Cellular South, Metro PCS, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Verizon. It's hardly a confirmation this latest Android phone will ever be available on all of them, but even if you're not on Big Red, we won't kill your Ice Cream Sandwich dreams yet.[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.
Cellular South renamed C Spire Wireless, becomes Puff Daddy of regional carriers
We were expecting something big to come out of Cellular South this coming Monday, but we definitely didn't anticipate the company going all Diddy Dirty Money on us. Letting the cat out of the bag a few days early, the regional carrier is re-branding itself as C Spire. The name is apparently inspired by the company's dedication to customized wireless services, and will become official Monday with a new website: cspire.com. The new service includes an app recommendation program, known as Scout, a rewards program called Percs, "social media integration," and customer service initiatives known as Pulse and Circle. This new name also ushers "personalized plans" with "infinite data," which C Spire's CEO, Hu Meena, points out is actually unlimited, with no nights-and-weekends-style restrictions -- except when it comes to streaming data (which will carry its own unique charges). He went on to say that the new services will come at no charge to existing Cellular South C Spire customers. And the whole shebang looks like it's going to be an opt-in affair.
Cellular South files antitrust lawsuit against AT&T over proposed T-Mobile takeover
Sprint and Uncle Sam aren't the only ones taking issue with AT&T's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile, because Cellular South has a bone to pick, as well. Yesterday, the provider filed a lawsuit against AT&T in a DC federal court, charging that its $39 billion merger with T-Mobile would violate US antitrust laws. "The merger of AT&T and T-Mobile is anti-competitive, and will result in consumers facing higher prices, less innovation, fewer choices and reduced competition," Cellular South said in a complaint. The company went on to argue that legal evaluation of the merger must incorporate the perspectives of smaller, regional carriers who, like Cellular South, will "find it harder to secure both wireless devices at competitive prices and times and nationwide roaming." An AT&T spokesman declined to comment on the case, but you can find more details about it at the source link below, or in the full press release, after the break.
HTC 7 Pro continues its tour of smaller carriers, launches on Cellular South for $200
Four months after launching on Sprint under the moniker HTC Arrive, it looks like the HTC 7 Pro is making the rounds among smaller carriers: earlier this week it hit US Cellular, and starting today you can also pick one up through Cellular South for $199.99 with a two-year contract and a $50 mail-in rebate. To recap, the 7 Pro is a full tilt-up QWERTY slider with a 3.6-inch WVGA display, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 5 megapixel camera, and 16GB of storage. So is it worth the $200? That all depends on how long you've been holding out for Microsoft's slick Metro UI -- the 7 Pro is, after all, the only WP7 device you can buy through Cellular South. Full press release after the break.
The AT&T / T-Mobile senate hearing: deciphering the war of words
Over the course of the next year, AT&T and its opponents will be in the ring, duking it out in a war of words in attempt to convince the government that a $39 billion takeover of T-Mobile by AT&T should or should not take place. Consumers have the most to win or lose here, yet we are resigned to watching from the sidelines as both sides lob countless facts and stats at each other like volleys in a tennis match. If you look at the merger process as a stairway to climb up, AT&T is still near the very bottom. Every rung will be full of intense scrutiny as it is: if the two companies are allowed to merge, the national GSM market becomes a monopoly, and the wireless industry as a whole would shift to only three national players plus a handful of less-influential regional carriers. The carrier's going to blow as much as $6 billion if the merger is not approved -- almost enough to buy Skype -- it can't just expect to put up some feel-good facts and stats to win the hearts of the decision-makers. AT&T has to be absolutely sure it'll come out victorious in the war, else it risks losing the trust (and money) of its shareholders. But to accomplish such a feat, it has to be on top of its game. There was no better time to show off what it's made of than last week's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing conducted by the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights. When the Committee entitles a hearing "Is Humpty Dumpty Being Put Back Together Again?," it's either exercising a sense of humor or a preconceived notion of the merger due to the implication that Ma Bell is simply reforming. CEO Randall Stephenson appeared as a sacrificial lamb, going before Congress and his opponents to explain his side of the story, answer hardball questions, and endure a hard-hitting round of criticism. Continue reading as we take you topic by topic and examine what he -- and his opponents -- had to say about the merger.
Cellular South inks deal with LightSquared, gets LTE with stroke of a pen
Cellular South just dropped a nugget, announcing it's hopped aboard with LightSquared to provide nationwide LTE service to its 900,000 subscribers. In turn, the 4G wholesaler promised to bring coverage to rural communities (and offer satellite service for those in really distant locales). Cellular South joins Cricket, Best Buy Connect and SI Wireless as the latest to add LTE coverage the easy way, though they're left waiting for the network to come online sometime in 2012. Meanwhile, LightSquared continues working to resolve those pesky GPS concerns, with a final report due to the FCC on June 15th. PR after the break. [Image courtesy Flickr]
HTC Merge coming to Alltel, preloaded with Amazon Appstore on Cellular South
The elusive HTC Merge has been on our radar since last fall, and while it's been officially announced, played with, and FCC approved, carrier availability has been all but a mystery -- until now that is. Alltel is presently taking pre-orders for the Merge with a price of $125 on contract (after $50 mail-in rebate) and a ship date of April 5th. Meanwhile, Cellular South is launching the Merge "next month" for an undisclosed price, but will offer the handset pre-loaded with the Amazon Appstore for Android -- a world first. Strangely, there's still no indication when (or even if) the device will emerge on Verizon. Just a quick recap: the Merge is a global smartphone (dual-mode CDMA / GSM) with a slide-out keyboard, 3.8-inch touchscreen, and 5 megapixel autofocus camera, running Android 2.2 with Sense UI. Hit the source link below for Alltel's pre-order page, and jump past the break for Cellular South's press release. [Thanks, Chase M.]
Cellular South hooks up with Samsung for LTE network, two LTE-enabled phones next year
Regional carriers -- which historically haven't had the highest-tech networks around -- have been surprisingly quick to support LTE (heck, MetroPCS remains the only US carrier with a live network), and now it's little Cellular South jumping on the bandwagon. Samsung sent out a press release a few days ago touting a new partnership to help Cellular South in its grand endeavor, supplying both infrastructure equipment and two LTE-compatible phones for a launch in 2011 with expanded availability in 2012 in the carrier's 700MHz spectrum. Interestingly, the companies have also committed to launch voice over LTE next year, meaning Cellular South will no longer need to rely on its legacy 3G network for phone calls -- that's something that Big Red won't be doing initially when its network goes live next month, though it's not clear what standard Cellular South will be using for the deployment. Follow the break for the full press release.
Samsung Galaxy S hits Cellular South for $200
Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and US Cellular all decided to give their respective versions of the Galaxy S fancy trademarks, but not lil' Cellular South: the regional is just sticking with Sammy's original name for a change of pace. This would also seem to be the closest North American Galaxy S to its European cousin, featuring the standard industrial design and what appears to be a fairly stock TouchWiz load (if you can really call TouchWiz "stock") atop Android 2.1. Oh, there is one nice bonus, though: this version's got an LED flash for the 5 megapixel camera, a feature many variants left out. It includes a 16GB microSD card pre-installed to complement the 2GB of internal storage, and it's available right now for $199.99 on contract after a $50 rebate. Follow the break for the full press release.
Cellular South bolts CTIA, says organization favors the big boys
Years of bad blood between the States' rural carriers and the nationals -- particularly over roaming agreements -- looks like it's on the verge of boiling over with Cellular South firing one of the most damning volleys so far: withdrawal from the CTIA. For the record, the CTIA is the industry association that's supposed to be looking after all carriers' interests in Congress (it should come as no surprise that they're based in Washington, DC), but there are a few key issues where the little guys and the Big Four don't necessarily see eye to eye -- roaming spats aside, there are outstanding issues of handset exclusivity and spectrum allocation. Ultimately, it's unclear how going rogue is going to benefit an 800,000-strong player like Cellular South, but if this kicks off a domino-like exodus, maybe we'll see some interesting policy changes.
Cellular South scoops up Sprint-spec Hero
If you'd told us that privately-held regional Cellular South would be just the third carrier in the US to properly offer an Android handset, we would've laughed until we cried -- but now that it's official, our laughter has turned to steely solemnity and respect for a tiny company going above and beyond the call of duty. The carrier hasn't announced an availability date, but interested parties can now sign up to be notified when the Hero -- an exact duplicate of Sprint's version -- will be launching. Just like Sprint, you get Sense, a 5 megapixel cam, and that chinless bottom that's less likely to make your thumb upset in day-to-day use than its GSM cousin. We'd say "sign us up," but then again, we're not Cellular South subscribers, nor could we be if we wanted to -- that's the perpetual tragedy of the regional carrier, sadly. [Thanks, Bill]
Cellular South hosts HTC Touch Diamond for $199.99
Last we heard from Cellular South, it was making waves by offering to pay early termination charges in order to hook new subscribers. Now, it's trying to lure even more paying customers in with the launch of the HTC Touch Diamond. The carrier, which serves much of Mississippi and portions of surrounding states, is now offering the touchscreen-based handset for $199.99 on a 2-year agreement, or if you're not really down with a data plan, it'll cost you a stiff $449.99. We're also told that a few new service plans have emerged, with family plans starting at $50 and packing in 700 to 1,400 nationwide minutes along with unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling with other CS users. Also of note, the Total Unlimited plan includes unlimited talk, text, mobile web and email for $80 / $100 per month for featurephones / smartphones.[Via phonescoop]
Major wireless carriers all slapped with text-messaging class-action lawsuit
Text messaging rates have always been a little ridiculous, but a new class-action suit filed in Mississippi alleges that virtually every wireless carrier you can think of is basically cheating you by charging you for received texts and not allowing you to turn the service off. The suit names AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, Alltel, US Cellular, Cellular South, and Virgin Mobile (surprisingly, T-Mobile didn't make the cut), and says that members of the class are entitled to relief for the unauthorized charges, wrongful collection, and unjust enrichment. Of course, this will all likely end in a useless settlement that nets subscribers like three extra text messages and a 20 percent discount on an "approved accessory," while the plaintiff's law firm banks millions, but we'll see how things go.
Cellular South wants you so bad, it'll pay your early termination fee
Cellular South, which is headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi and provides service to around 5 million folks in its home state, coastal Alabama, the Florida panhandle and portions of Memphis, really wants your business. So much so, in fact, that it's willing to pay your early termination fee that'll undoubtedly bite you in the wallet as you attempt to port your number over from your current carrier. Of course, there are some strings attached: it will only pay up to $200, and that cash will be applied as credits towards your bill rather than bills towards your pocket. Still, the premise alone here is extraordinarily fantastic, and we'll go ahead and wish that more mainstream carriers would get the notion that they too should adopt such a consumer-friendly policy (and fast).[Via Phone Scoop]
