sprint

FCC chair backs Dish Network as wireless carrier, but with a catch

The FCC's chairman has given his thumbs-up to Dish Network's desire to enter the wireless market. But Dish is none too happy with the restrictions proposed.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said yesterday he would approve Dish's request to build its own 4G wireless network, the Washington Post reported. The federal agency, which opposed the proposed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile last year, wants to see more competition in the wireless industry.

"If approved, these actions will promote competition, investment, and innovation, and advance commission efforts to unleash spectrum for mobile broadband to help meet … Read more

Ultra-cheap $19 Republic Wireless service opens back up

Republic Wireless, the service provider that made waves last year with its super-low $19 unlimited voice, data, and text messaging plan, is back and open to all.

The company garnered headlines and a lot of buzz for its plans when it launched a year ago, and consumers likewise gravitated toward the service -- the service provider had to shut its beta trial shortly after it opened up because of a surge of demand.

Republic Wireless, which buys and resells capacity from Sprint Nextel's network, is able to deliver such a low-priced service because it's betting that users will … Read more

LTE-equipped iPad Mini, fourth-gen iPad now in stores

Apple's LTE-equipped iPad Mini and fourth-generation iPad are now available in carrier stores -- at least some of them do.

Both Sprint and AT&T announced today that they're now carrying the devices. Verizon hasn't announced its own availability, but the company is also expected to be carrying the tablets in its stores today. The iPads are already available for immediate shipment on Verizon's site.

Apple launched the Wi-Fi-only fourth-generation iPad and iPad Mini on November 2. The company had promised last month when it announced both devices that it would deliver the LTE-equipped models &… Read more

Larger carriers losing prepaid phone sales to smaller players

Top carriers such as Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile are losing sales of prepaid smartphones to the likes of Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, and MetroPCS, according to an NPD report out today.

Third-quarter prepaid smartphone sales for the smaller carriers rose 23 percent over the prior quarter. But sales among the tier-one carriers dropped by 12 percent over the same period. Why? The smaller players won over customers by offering lower prices and a larger selection of prepaid phones, NPD said.

In the third quarter, 70 percent of smartphone buyers who bought their phones through a prepaid carrier had … Read more

ZTE's Sprint Flash launches, has 12-megapixel camera

Sneaking under the radar, Sprint is offering a ZTE handset, known as the Sprint Flash, for $129.99 after users sign a two-year carrier agreement and send in a rebate.

The 4G LTE device ships natively with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, and sports a 4.5-inch HD touch screen.

Under its hood is a 1,780mAh battery, which roughly translates to 8 hours of reported talk time. It's also equipped with NFC.

Perhaps most notable, however, is the Flash's 12-megapixel camera, which features single-motion panoramic shooting as well.… Read more

Sprint adds 9 new LTE cities to its to-do list

Sprint is building out its 4G LTE network little by little, today listing nine more markets to get LTE treatment.

The areas are:

Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn. Fort Smith, Ark. Ardmore, Okla. Oakland/Fremont/Hayward, Calif. Eau Claire, Wis. Key West, Fla. Bloomington, Ind. Michigan City/La Porte, Ind. McAllen/Edinburg/Mission, Texas

Minnesota's Twin Cities center is the largest of the bunch, with several key traffic areas also accounted for. Speaking from local experience, the San Francisco Bay Area cities of Oakland, Fremont, and Hayward are significant, high-population coverage areas, though Sprint has skipped the much more populous … Read more

Sprint to offer landline-cutting device to its wireless providers

Sprint's Phone Connect device will now find its way to more people anxious to get rid of their landlines.

Known as Sprint Phone Connect, the "plug and play" device operates via Sprint's 3G network. Users can simply plug their home or office phones into the device, and calls are then carried over the network instead of the traditional landline.

Sprint already sells the product directly. But now the company is offering it to its MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators), wireless providers that buy network services from the major carriers and then sell them to customers. This … Read more

Sprint adds Multi Window View to Galaxy Note 2

Just two weeks after it introduced the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Sprint has begun issuing a software update for the king-size smartphone. A posting on the carrier's forum indicates that the update features a number of minor changes affecting various aspects of the user experience.

Most notable among the changes is Multi Window View, a feature that lets the user run and view two applications at the same time. Considering how much real estate the Galaxy Note II provides, this will likely be an oft-used and welcome addition for many.

Other details found in the change log include GPS … Read more

Sprint inks $480 million deal for U.S. Cellular customers, spectrum

Sprint is starting to flex some muscle with regional carriers.

The company announced today that it has inked a deal with U.S. Cellular for $480 million. The deal: Sprint will acquire 20MHz of PCS spectrum in the 1900MHz band across Chicago, South Bend, Ind., and Champaign, Ill. Sprint will also get 10Mhz of spectrum in the St. Louis market, as well as 585,000 customers, or about 10 percent of U.S. Cellular's subscriber base.

"Acquiring this spectrum will significantly increase Sprint's network capacity and improve the customer experience in several important Midwest markets including Chicago … Read more