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A future technology shift at Sprint Nextel could pave the way toward a merger between the third-and fourth-largest U.S. wireless companies, the Financial Times suggests in an article published Tuesday.

According to the FT report, Sprint Nextel CEO Dan Hesse told the news agency that he sees "logic" in a merger between Sprint and T-Mobile USA, if the two companies were using the same 4G technology. He declined to comment further on merger talks. And Deutsche Telekom CEO René Obermannhas ruled out any "multibillion" euro deals this year. Deutsche Telekom owns T-Mobile USA.

Sprint … Read more

Verizon Wireless is toying with the idea of eliminating its unlimited data plans and switching to tiered pricing, according to its parent company's chief financial officer, John Killian.

In an interview with Bloomberg's BusinessWeek, Killian said, "We will probably need to change the design of our pricing where it will not be totally unlimited, flat rate."

A jump to tiered pricing would mimic a similar move by AT&T, which put the brakes on its unlimited data plan earlier this month.

Under AT&T's DataPlus plan, customers will now pay $15 a month … Read more

The move to 4G and the longevity of 3G will kick off a rise in the number of devices shipped with baseband cellular modems to more than 2 billion annually in another four years, according to a report released Thursday by In-Stat.

Devices with baseband modems--wireless chipsets that enable the connection to cell towers--include traditional mobile phones, smartphones, Netbooks, notebooks, tablets, and e-readers. Though Wi-Fi will continue to be a practical technology for short-range connections, baseband devices will still offer greater coverage by tapping into cellular networks, according to In-Stat.

As the current onslaught of mobile devices taxes existing 3G … Read more

Representatives from network gear supplier Huawei demonstrated last week the company's Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband running on the super-fast "maglev" train.

The train runs on a magnetic levitation track that stretches for about 19 miles from the center of the Shanghai district of Pudong, China, out to Pudong International Airport. The train reaches a maximum speed about 267 miles per hour and a trip from end to end takes about seven minutes and 20 seconds.

Huawei said the LTE network installed along the track will give passengers maximum uplink speeds of 50Mbps with a 99.… Read more

The number of LTE subscribers around the world will surpass 200 million in another five years, according to a new report released Monday by research firm Maravedis.

Mobile operators committed to LTE (Long-Term Evolution) wireless broadband will pick up more customers over these next five years by offering dual-mode devices that can use both 3G and LTE, says the new report, called "The Top 25 LTE Operator Commitments: Deployment Scenarios and Growth Opportunities." As part of its study, Maravedis spoke with executives from mobile carriers around the world to learn about their plans and their challenges in rolling … Read more

Verizon Wireless could make good on its promise to get 4G wireless broadband to rural America.

The nation's largest wireless provider is in talks with rural wireless operators to expand its 4G network to consumers in hard to reach areas of the country, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

Verizon is building its next-generation wireless network using $4.7 billion worth of spectrum it acquired in the Federal Communication Commission's 700MHz auction in 2008. Using a technology called Long Term Evolution, or LTE, the carrier hopes to be in 25 to 30 markets by the end of this … Read more

When backed into a corner, the FCC acts less like a bear and more like a kitten ... which is probably a good thing for the Internet overall. Facebook takes another lump, the HTC Evo shows up for pre-order at The Shack at all places, and Google Chrome is faster than a potato. Well, French fries, to be really accurate.

New U.S. Push to Regulate Internet Access http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703961104575226583645448758.html http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20004313-266.html

Facebook patches … Read more

Verizon Communications is nearly finished building its Fios fiber-to-the-home network. And now it will concentrate on expanding its customer base, say executives.

Verizon, which began building its all-fiber network nearly six years ago, is quickly approaching its goal of passing 18 million homes in about 70 percent of its original customer footprint by the end of this year.

Verizon took a bold risk when it decided to build the Fios fiber network. Its telecommunications counterpart SBC Communications, which is now AT&T, decided to invest substantially less capital to extend fiber to the node or to the neighborhood. AT&… Read more

The show's a pretty well-controlled train wreck right up until we start talking about the underwear that texts when it's, um, moist. No, you're not listening to the 404 (or Gadgettes), it's actually Buzz Out Loud. In real news (if you will), the first week's worth of iPads have apparently sold out and actual competition is coming to the wireless space ... around 2011. Also, cosmic rays are making your car go fast. No, really.

Apple runs out … Read more