Verizon

Verizon: Perhaps a Gentle Giant

Nazmus Khandaker News, Techtronica , , , ,

There has been news lately about AT&T and Verizon jumping in on a purchase for Vodafone Group PLC. Verizon though recently denied the claim that they were taking part of this $245bil buyout of Vodafone. The rumors floating around sent Verizon Shares up in trading yesterday April 3rd, 2013 as speculation of this would mean a big boost for potential revenue and profits. Verizon though looking to keep the record straight came out to refute the claim that they were taking part of this large deal. This in turn sent Verizon shares down.

Would this have been a good idea though? I honestly think this would have been a wise move on the part of Verizon especially considering the potential gain of customers and new revenue found from this $245bil purchase. The aspect of gaining more coverage area for users would also be a big plus. Now, Verizon Communications who does business as a few other entities such as Verizon Wireless, is already doing business with Vodafone through it’s cellular branch Verizon Wireless. It would only make sense that Verizon jump in on this deal despite the stagering price attached to this buyout plan. AT&T is currently the only confirmed major firm jumping in on this buyout which will become of big benefit for the same reasons it would benefit Verizon.

What are your thoughts on this? Should Verizon jump in on this deal for the potential that it offers or should they back off like they have and continue with the plans which they have for their subsidiary groups like Verizon Wireless? Let us know in the comments below.

-Seth

iPad 3: Does That Rhyme with LTE?

Nazmus Khandaker Apple, Techtronica , , , , ,

Reports from the Wall Street Journal suggested that Verizon and AT&T were going to be in for quite a test over the course of 2012. Their LTE networks, which for those who don’t know what LTE is, it is a fourth generation wireless technology being widely adopted by many major carriers in the US as the next step in wireless reliablity and speed on the go. The Wall Street Journal showed reports that Apple plans to release their iPad 3, 4G model sometime in early March. Whether this is true or not, many sources show much anticipation for the launch of the next iPad for the simple reason is it begins to put to test, the actual strength of the fourth Generation LTE wireless technology’s infrustructure. Verizon and AT&T as of now are the only confirmed sellers of the newest iPad as Apple, Sprint, and T-Mobile declined to comment when asked about a possible release. Continue reading →

Sprint- Falsely Advertising Their Data Plan? “No Limits”?

Nazmus Khandaker Apple, Techtronica , , , , , , , ,

Well, as we all know most US Cellular companies have been somewhat truthful in how they advertise their data by confirming that they do throttle your cellular plan’s data or have a set usage plan like AT&T. Well, someone has finally [possibly accidentally] come out of the closet about their data plan. Sorry to tell everyone but today, Sprint’s CEO; Dan Hesse has admitted that Sprint is throttling the Data used by their top 1% of users. He did not state a certain data usage that puts Sprint’s users in that 1% range but he did directly say this:

“For those that want to abuse it, we can knock them off,” Hesse said.

Also after this statement was made and Hesse made the comment that they were throttling Sprint executive Bill White had this to say on the what Hesse said:

“We don’t throttle our unlimited postpaid customers…” “He is not referring to postpaid.”

“Unlimited doesn’t mean you can hook it up to a server farm…”

So two different people in the same company with two different beliefs. He must be with marketing because apparently they don’t know what Sprint is really doing either, advertising with phrases like;

“The Only National Carrier with no throttling, no metering, no overages.”

As some of us may know Sprint has already taken away Pre-Paid Business’s Unlimited Data and Laptop Cards. In the past, Sprint retreated on their unlimited offers from all plans except for its smartphone data plan. So is there really a true unlimited plan in the US anymore? Will Verizon prove us wrong and prove that one of their CEO’s had the wrong story? All I have to say is don’t depend on the Sprint Marketing team to let you know what’s going on. They know about us much as their Executives do but the CEO knows more. Personally, I believe Sprint should be sued for false advertisement. Do you not think so? Post your comments below and let us know!

Verizon Network- You’re Out?

Nazmus Khandaker Operating Systems , , , , , , ,

Verizon has just hit their 3rd strike this month for failures in they network systems.  For the 3rd time this month Verizon’s 4G and 3G network is under much criticism from recent outages or what some customers are calling “intermittent” service. As many of you may know Verizon does claim [in their commercials] to be in a higher class when it comes to reliable network systems and an overall service. Well, some customers beg-to-differ. In many major cities such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Sacramento, Columbus, Jacksonville- FL and Fort Worth 4G LTE, 3G or both services have been reported down or extremely slow by many users.

Verizon has said this about the problem:

“We are investigating reports of some customers experiencing trouble accessing the 4G LTE network,” Verizon said in a statement issued to CNET. “The network itself continues to operate and all customers continue to be able to make calls, send text messages and utilize data services. 3G devices are operating normally.”

Outages were reported: December 6, Last week, and earlier Wednesday. Stay tuned to Techtronica as we follow any releases and update you as Verizon attempts to not have a 4th Strike before 2012.

Verizon’s Elmination Chamber

Nazmus Khandaker Apple, News, Techtronica , , , , , , , ,

Ever since Verizon announced the release of their iPhone 4 there have been many remarkable changes in the cell phone industry. Today, Verizon made another game changing decision. As of April 17, Verizon users will no longer have the option of a one year contract.

Customers who opted for the one-year contract were still able to purchase new equipment at a discount, albeit a lesser discount than the subsidized two-year agreements.
-Verizon

Another widely discussed objective about the new plan is that there will be a monthly plan for $50.00 which includes unlimited texting and minutes. Data will not be included in the package, but will be (reportedly) $30.00 per month for an unlimited plan.

Verizon iPhone 4 vs T-Mobile Nexus One Speed Test [Video]

Nazmus Khandaker Apple, Hardware & Devices , , , , ,

Joe does a quick speed test between a Verizon iPhone 4 and a T-Mobile Nexus One. Whose gonna win? (NOTE: At the time the sped test was done, the Nexus One was running a custom ROM with the Korean 5.08 radio installed. The iPhone was not jail-broken at this time. This is not mentioned in the video.)

Verizon Releases Pricing for iPhone

Nazmus Khandaker Announcements, Hardware & Devices, News, Techtronica , , , ,

Wednesday, Verizon released some critical information to those of you who are still debating on whether or not your are buying Verizon’s iPhone. Verizon’s basic plan will cost users $40.00 for 450 minutes of talk. Their data plan (e-mail and web included) will cost the same as it does for the Droid, $30.00. One feature that AT&T doesn’t have is the Wi-Fi Hotspot which will cost users an extra $20.00 to add to their plan. Verizon will also include a $60.00 voice and unlimited texting plan, compared to AT&T’s $60.00 voice plan with no texting included. Data wise, Verizon will offer unlimited data for $30.00 while AT&T offers a 2GB data plan for $25.00. Pre-orders were being accepted yesterday, February 3, 2011.

AT&T iPhone vs. Verizon iPhone

Nazmus Khandaker Apple, Hardware & Devices , , ,

One of the most talked about topics in the nation is the recent release that Verizon will also host Apple’s iPhone. One of the most recent surveys state that an astonishing 2.5 million customers will be switching from AT&T to Verizon. So, will it cost less to switch from AT&T? It all depends on when you bought your iPhone. If you purchased your iPhone before June 2010 than your early termination fee is a nice amount of $175.00, then subtract $5.00 for each month you have paid for your iPhone. Now, for the jaw dropper… If you bought you iPhone after June 1, which is mostly the iPhone 4 users, than your fee is an astonishing $325.00 then subtract $10.00 for each paid month. So, you could spend less switching (by buying Verizon’s VZ or Fortune 500) or you could be looking at a soaring bill. Another positive effect for you switchers is that Verizon will offer $30.00 unlimited data, but only for a limited time. Here is one thing that will help you though. Verizon’s trade in service (which you will have to use because of different setups in the phones from company-company) will depend on how good of condition your iPhone is in, but that still means you will have to pay at least $150.00 for your new iPhone 16GB, but this is in Verizon gift cards, not cash. When all is said and done though, your main reasoning for switching is going to be just how much you want Verizon present day.

iPhone on Verizon-Changing the world, again

Nazmus Khandaker Hardware & Devices, Uncategorized , , , ,

Today was all the hype that it was expected to be. With Verizon and Apple teaming up again to bring you the iPhone. Verizon is considered the Nation’s largest wireless carrier with well over 93 million subscribers. The iPhone has been a deal in the making according to Verizon CEO, and Apple COO. Since 2008 Apple and Verizon have been itching to release what many people have been dreaming about since the first iPhone release on AT&T who is no longer the exclusive carrier of the iPhone. Though only on CDMA/Evdo Rev-O, Verizon is prepared to offer their loyal subscribers and soon to be subscribers Unlimited Data and 3G mobile hot spot which is unheard of on AT&T. To add fuel to the fire, upset AT&T users are eager to drop AT&T and switch to Verizon because of poor customer service, bad call quality, dropped called among various other things. The iPhone 5 which is expected to release on both Verizon and AT&T in July this year is expected to be a dual mode phone being able to run off of the new LTE technology and CDMA/Evdo Rev-O, along with AT&T’s supposed 4G HSPA+ and the soon to be AT&T LTE network. Whether or not AT&T will recover from this. Verizon is Expected to pick up anywhere from 5-10 million subscribers while also subsidizing more that 5 billion dollars on iPhones pricing to make it more affordable for their subscribers to upgrade. Analyst suspected that T-mobile and Sprint had the most to lose in this deal because now the two top dogs in the industry have the worlds most popular phone.

I myself will be getting the iPhone 4 or possibly the iPhone 5. Being a subscriber of Verizon’s top notch network, I prefer reliability over speed, and the speed isn’t to bad anyways. I live in a Rural area in Wyoming and AT&T doesn’t even come close to scratching the area with the closest service area for AT&T being 78 miles north west up in Jackson, WY. Only time will tell how well Verizon does with the iPhone, but you could say, it is the greatest thing since the Game Boy Color.

AT&T adds record number of iPhones, posts tax gain

Nazmus Khandaker Hardware & Devices, News, Techtronica , , , ,

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Source: http://www.dailyjournalonline.com/news/tech/article_f8a7941e-7e1a-56ce-b472-e47fda3e3f3b.html

 

AT&T Inc. sold a record number of iPhones in the latest quarter, continuing to siphon subscribers from other wireless carriers in a tightening industry.

The country’s largest telecommunications company on Thursday said it activated 5.2 million units of Apple Inc.’s phone, roughly 400,000 more than analysts had expected.

The iPhone 4 went on sale on June 24, just before the start of the quarter. Apple’s worldwide sales figures, reported Monday, had already shown the device to be a blockbuster hit, despite early complaints about reception problems.

AT&T is the exclusive U.S. carrier for the iPhone, but news reports have said Verizon Wireless is getting it early next year. The companies haven’t confirmed that. If that is the case, AT&T is in the last quarters of loading up on high-paying iPhone customers before it has to share the phone. Sanford Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett described the iPhone sales as an “inoculation” against losing exclusivity.

Across all types of phones, AT&T added a net 745,000 subscribers on contract-based plans, matching analyst expectations. That’s much less than it has in previous years, but still strong considering growth in the industry has stalled now that nearly everyone has a phone. AT&T ended the quarter with 92.8 million wireless subscribers.

Helped by the iPhone, AT&T is taking a lead in moving people from “dumb” phones to smarter ones. Chief Financial Officer Rick Lindner said 80 percent of the phones activated in the quarter were “smart” or texting-oriented, the highest figure ever for the company.

However, there doesn’t seem to be a big pot of gold waiting for phone companies that get people on to smart phones. It does help the companies compensate for a decline in the price of phone calls, but it comes with heavy costs in the form of subsidies for the phones and in network investment to support data users.

AT&T pays hundreds of dollars in subsidies for each new smart phone. The Dallas-based company makes those back through monthly fees over the run of two-year contract, but the launch of a new iPhone model in the summer reliably holds back AT&T’s third-quarter earnings.

Excluding a gain on a tax settlement and the effects of the sale of a subsidiary, AT&T’s income was 55 cents a share, up 3.8 percent from a year ago, despite having 14 percent more wireless subscribers and getting higher fees out of its smart phone subscribers each month. The earnings matched Wall Street expectations.

Including the settlement and unit sale, net income rose to $12.3 billion, or $2.08 per share, for the three months ended Sept. 30. That compared with $3.2 billion, or 54 cents per share, a year earlier.

Revenue climbed 3 percent to $31.58 billion from $30.7 billion a year ago. Analysts were expecting revenue of $31.25 billion, according to a poll by Thomson Reuters.

AT&T shares fell 28 cents to $28.33 in midday trading Thursday.

AT&T continued to take the lead in adding non-phone devices such as e-readers and GPS units to its wireless network. It added 1.16 million such devices in the quarter. That figure excludes Apple’s iPad tablets, for which AT&T is also the exclusive U.S. carrier.

On the wireline side, which accounts for nearly half of AT&T’s revenue, results have been on a long slide as consumers give up their landlines in favor of relying on their cell phones or phone service from cable companies.

For the quarter, AT&T touted a slight increase in wireline consumer revenues, the first such gain in more than two years. That’s due to U-Verse, a cable-TV-like service it offers in some areas where it’s upgraded its phone network.

AT&T also posted a net increase in broadband subscribers, reversing the previous quarter’s first-ever loss.

AT&T continued to trim its overall work force during the quarter, cutting 4,730 jobs, or nearly 2 percent, to end at 267,720.

AT&T is the first major telecommunications company to report results for the quarter. Verizon Communications Inc. weighs in on Friday morning.

iPad MiFi Package confirmed Verizon Site

Nazmus Khandaker Uncategorized , , , ,

iPad

 

Just this morning while sipping some coffee I heard my brother down the hall saying that Verizon was going to start selling the iPad. I thought, no way this can not be. But when I looked into the matter i then knew he wasn’t joking. By following this link(http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/splash/ipad.jsp) you can go to the Verizon site to see for yourself. Though this is only the Wifi model of the iPad, it is being offered with the MiFi device thru Verizon wireless. This i think is an amazing step in the right direction. It only shows that Verizon and Apple are willing to work together to reach a wider variety of customers and users. To add to this, it also may give us an incite on what to expect from both Verizon and Apple in the next coming months. With Apple working on iPhones with LTE and both Verizon and AT&T moving forward to distribute their 4G LTE wireless, we can only speculate that these recent actions by Apple and Verizon put us one step closer to having the ever sought after, Verizon iPhone.

Recently you may have heard rumors about Apple getting shipments of hundreds of thousands of CDMA chips for their devices. This may have some tangibility to it now with this recent release. According to an Apple Fan site, Apple’s COO confirmed that Apple and Verizon Wireless were working hard on relations to open up to a larger customer bases for selling products such as the iPad.

 

-UBRz