carriers

Sprint eyes vanity numbers with $3-a-month StarStar initiative

Sprint customers will now be able to have their own vanity numbers.

The mobile carrier has announced a partnership with Zoove that will now allow its customers to have their own StarStar numbers. According to Sprint, customers can choose their names, personal handles, or other tags, and set them as their StarStar Me numbers.

StarStar is run by Zoove, which has heretofore delivered its services to companies. Zoove's CEO Joe Gillespie previously served as executive vice president of CBS Interactive, CNET's parent company.

Upon picking a handle, a company's customers can text or call it by entering … Read more

Apple's iPhone 5 said to be coming to Virgin Mobile

A question that has been lingering since the launch of the iPhone 5 is where is Virgin Mobile?

Over the summer, Sprint's prepaid Virgin Mobile unit began offering, the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, but word has been mum on the newest version of Apple's smartphone. Until today, that is.

According to MacRumors, Apple confirmed that it has readied Virgin-specific CDMA iPhone 5 units. Apparently, Virgin Mobile USA iPhone 5 models will come in both black and white and in 16, 32, and 64 GB. Virgin Mobile has yet to confirm this, however.

Several carriers, including AT&… Read more

iPhone 5 dials up discount for regional carrier debut

A week after the iPhone 5 made its debut with the major carriers, Apple's new smartphone is going on sale tomorrow at regional wireless carriers -- with some offering a $50 discount.

Regional carriers Cellcom, nTelos, Appalachian Wireless, C Spire, GCI, and Leap Wireless' Cricket Communications will join AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and Sprint tomorrow in selling Apple's new smartphone, PC Magazine reports. But in a bid to attract the undecided, Cellcom, nTelos, and Appalachian plan to cut $50 off the normal retail price, bringing carrier-subsidized purchase prices down to $149 for the 16GB version, $249 for … Read more

iPhone 5 preorders indicate hot demand

Friday's tech news roundup didn't plan ahead:

A rush of iPhone 5 preorders online have pushed back shipping dates at Apple and wireless carriers for at least two weeks. Some stores, like Wal-Mart and Target, are also offering iPhone 5 preorders for in-store pickup. The initial supply of iPhones for Apple preorders went in less than an hour, which is much faster than years prior. It shows that either demand is way up for this model, or Apple didn't have as many available for the preorder crowd (or a mix of both). We won't know for … Read more

China Unicom to have iPhone 5 by end of 2012

Apple's iPhone 5 will come to China by the end of the year, a carrier in that country has confirmed.

China Unicom told Chinese technology site Sohu IT in an interview published yesterday that it'll launch the iPhone 5 within the next three months. The carrier didn't say exactly when the device will launch. Separately, China Telecom told the publication that it, too, will be carrying Apple's iPhone 5 around the same time.

The Next Web was first to report on the story.

Apple announced the iPhone 5 on Wednesday. The company said that it'll … Read more

Competitive wireless carriers take on AT&T and Verizon

Competitive carriers both large and small, urban and rural are banding together to take on the nation's two largest carriers, AT&T and Verizon Wireless, as they amass more control over the wireless market.

On Monday, the Rural Cellular Association will announce that it is rebranding its organization and calling itself the Competitive Carrier Association. Steven Berry, CEO of the Washington, D.C., lobbying group, said the change is a reflection of how the wireless industry has evolved over the past few years.

Owing to increasing consolidation in the market, small rural carriers, which were RCA's original … Read more

Samsung, carriers to modify infringing devices, report says

Samsung is working to modify its products to ensure they don't get caught up in an injunction, a new report claims.

The Korea Times reported yesterday, citing sources, that it spoke with Samsung officials who said that the company is in talks with U.S. carriers, including Verizon Wireless, to determine the best way to modify designs across its Galaxy line. The products it plans to modify were cited as infringing in last week's landmark patent loss to Apple.

According to the Korea Times' source, Samsung and carriers will "jointly develop modified design technology," though the … Read more

Only AT&T Mobile Share plan users can FaceTime over its cellular network

Amid speculation that AT&T may charge its iPhone users for running the video chat feature, FaceTime, over its cellular network, the carrier sent an official statement to CNET confirming that those who are on its Mobile Share plan will be able to access FaceTime without Wi-Fi, at no extra cost.

AT&T will offer FaceTime over Cellular as an added benefit of our new Mobile Share data plans, which were created to meet customers' growing data needs at a great value. With Mobile Share, the more data you use, the more you save. FaceTime will continue to … Read more

Samsung: Our smartphones are 'distinctly different'

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- A Samsung executive testified that the company has as many as 100 different smartphones available in the U.S. market at any given time, many of which look "distinctly different" at the request of U.S. carriers.

The testimony aimed to rebut Apple's contention in its patent case here that Samsung has "slavishly" copied Apple's own iPhones and iPads.

"The carriers want to differentiate their portfolios, as well as their services," said Samsung chief strategy officer Justin Denison. "They typically ask us for some element of uniqueness … Read more

Get to know America's carriers, big and small

How well do you know your carrier options?

Maybe very well, if you happen to follow the ins and outs of changing plans and perks. However, you may not be aware that Cricket has a roaming agreement with Sprint, or that Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile now have 4G.

If you're a beginner, or just happen to enjoy carrier trivia, check out this quick guide to carriers.