Hasta La Gadget!

AT&T has announced plans to buy NextWave Wireless, hoping to use the company’s WCS and AWS spectrum licenses to increase its own 4G LTE coverage. NextWave was granted Wireless Communication Services (WCS) and Advanced Wireless Service (AWS) spectrum some time ago, but if the FCC approves a June submission requesting approval to begin using WCS airwaves for mobile data, those holdings could become invaluable to AT&T.

The combination of the NextWave acquisition and the FCC rule changes “represent an alternative approach to creating additional wireless network capacity to help support skyrocketing wireless data usage on smartphones and tablets” AT&T said in a statement today. “If approved, the proposal will enable AT&T to begin initial deployment of WCS spectrum for added 4G LTE capacity, in approximately three years.”

That’s still a big “if”, given the FCC is still looking over the spectrum request made by both AT&T and Sirius XM. Previously, the FCC had concerns that using WCS spectrum for wireless broadband might interfere with satellite radio broadcasts in adjacent bands.

AT&T will pay $25m for NextWave’s equity, along with a contingent payment of around $25m; it will also settle or retire any outstanding NextWave debt, for a total of $600m in cash. Outstanding debt will be settled by a combination of cash or NextWave asset transfers, and AT&T claims “a majority” of shareholders are happy with the agreement.

The FCC will still have to approve the acquisition, and AT&T warns that the FTC and Department of Justice might want to have a look at the asset transfer part of the deal too. Still, it hopes to close by the end of the year.

AT&T grabs NextWave for 4G LTE boost is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Motorola’s initial promise to allow unlocked bootloaders came across to many enthusiasts as somewhat hollow: as long as there was an escape clause, carriers like AT&T and Verizon could clamp down and maintain the tough-to-modify status quo. RAZR-philes will be happy to know that there’s a plan to cut their own chains loose, after all. Starting with the Photon Q 4G LTE’s August launch, owners will have the option to unlock the bootloader of at least some devices in an official way that reportedly keeps carriers satisfied. Details of how the process works will come later; we don’t know if Motorola will take a cue from HTC’s identifier tokens or try something more exotic, even if it’s likely in either case to offer a big, fat disclaimer regarding the warranty. The option won’t be the same as buying a phone that’s unlocked from the start, but we don’t think too many custom ROM lovers will mind after knowing that one more Android manufacturer is on their side.

[Thanks, RTbar]

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola to allow bootloader unlocking from Photon Q 4G LTE onwards originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 19:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As British readers bang their heads on desks, and LTE remains something perpetually happening “next year,” another island nation is very much on-board with the new tech. NTT DoCoMo, one of Japan’s biggest mobile carriers, has announced it now has over 4 million LTE users, with the last million joining its 4G Xi (pronounced “crossy”) network in the last month and a half. Speeds top out at an impressive 75 Mbps, with eight of its most recent releases — including the Galaxy S III and the Optimus Vu — compatible with the new network. NTT DoCoMo saw uptake growth double after launching the LTE-centric summer range.

Filed under: Cellphones

Japan LTE growth continues, NTT DoCoMo adds a million users in under 2 months originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jul 2012 04:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T activated 3.7m iPhones in Q2 2012 and sold a total of 5.1m smartphones, the carrier has confirmed, recording its best ever wireless margins with revenues totaling $31.6bn. 61.9-percent of postpaid subscribers on AT&T have a smartphone, the carrier’s latest financial figures reveal, and that’s good news for AT&T’s bottom line: average revenue per smartphone user is twice that of non-smartphone subscribers.

Meanwhile, over a third of AT&T postpaid smartphone customers use a 4G capable device, though given AT&T refers to HSPA+ as 4G that’s not an indicator solely of LTE success. It wasn’t just smartphone that saw improvements in sales, either; AT&T recorded a net increase in wireless subscribers in every category, ending the quarter with 105.2m subscribers.

Connected devices were among the biggest gains, up by 382,000 device net adds in the three month period. Prepaid net adds dawdled at the other end of the scale, though, rising but only by 92,000. Tablets, tethering plans, mobile hotspots and data cards grew in activations to 6.3m by the end of the quarter, up by almost half a million devices, and of which 219,000 were tablets.

Overall, wireless data revenues increased by a cool $1bn, while total wireless revenues – including sales of devices – rose 4.8-percent o $16.4bn. AT&T’s expenses in wireless were flat quarter-on-quarter, but operating income rose to $5bn.

AT&T Q2 2012: 3.7m iPhone activations and best-ever wireless margins is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The Financial Times has reported that Nokia is in “exploratory” talks with several European carriers to share revenue for its upcoming Windows Phone 8 handsets in exchange for dedicated support. This would be a shift from its normal modus operandi, which is to sell as many phones as it can across all carriers at once, in favor of an approach which resembles Apple’s deal with AT&T for the iPhone in 2007. The Finnish company could be hoping to create the same level of excitement for its WP8 phone that Cupertino did back then — and may also be trying to offer a more profitable carrier alternative to Apple and Samsung, who use their dominance to grab the lion’s share of handset revenue. While operators like France Telecom (Orange) and Deutsche Telekom are said to be involved, all parties have declined to comment. So, take this for what it is — just a rumor at the moment — but based on deals it made in the US with AT&T and the Lumia 900, it wouldn’t be a shocker for Nokia to at least consider it.

Filed under: Cellphones

Financial Times: Nokia mulling revenue split with carriers for Windows Phone 8 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 01:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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