verizon

Verizon: We sold 6.2M iPhones in the fourth quarter

Verizon Wireless activated 6.2 million iPhones in the fourth quarter, according to Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo.

A vast majority of the remaining 3.6 million smartphones activated in the period were Android devices, Shammo said during a conference call with analysts today following the release of the company's fourth-quarter earnings report.

Because it got the iPhone late, Verizon has done a better job diversifying its smartphone sales than rival AT&T, which still heavily relies on Apple's flagship smartphone for growth. But with the launch of the iPhone 5, even Verizon saw a shift toward … Read more

Verizon Q4 loss doubles, pushed by Sandy, pension costs

Superstorm Sandy and mounting pension costs took a toll on Verizon.

The New York telecommunications provider posted a fourth-quarter loss of $4.22 billion, or $1.48 a share, compared with a year-ago loss of $2 billion, or 71 cents a share. The results were affected by costs associated with Superstorm Sandy, which devastated the Northeast region late last year, and by a change in the valuation of its pension liabilities owed to its employees. On an adjusted basis, the company earned 38 cents a share.

The pension liabilities cut into earnings by $1.55 a share, while the early … Read more

Developer allegedly outsources his whole job to China, fired

Work is an overrated concept, created by those in power to subjugate those who are trusting or have several children.

This might, at least, have been the thinking of a developer who believed he had found a magical ruse to prevent him from being subjugated.

As The Next Web tells it, relying on a case study presented by the security team at Verizon, the gentleman in question was very interested in Reddit, eBay shopping, and watching cat videos during working hours.

So he allegedly outsourced his work to China. Yes, all of his work. He did nothing at all -- workwise, that is, according to Verizon.… Read more

BlackBerry 10 to be carried on AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile

With BlackBerry 10's big debut coming at the end of this month, three major U.S. carriers have confirmed that they will carry devices on this new platform, according to Reuters.

AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile USA all said that they plan to support BlackBerry 10 handsets on their networks.

"We're extremely optimistic that it's going to be a successful product and our business customers are extremely interested in it," T-Mobile USA chief executive John Legere told Reuters.

Verizon's chief executive Lowell McAdam also confirmed the carrier will support BlackBerry 10 devices. And … Read more

Verizon will be late to the HD Voice game

LAS VEGAS--HD Voice has suddenly become a hot topic at this year's Consumer Electronic Show.

The feature, which significantly enhances call quality by improving voice clarity while blocking out background noise, has been long touted by the wireless carriers. Widely available in Europe for years, the U.S. carriers have lagged behind.

T-Mobile said yesterday that HD Voice was now available on select phones in its lineup. PC Mag reported that AT&T was shooting for a launch some time this year. Now Verizon has stepped in, and told CNET that it would offer the feature in 2014. … Read more

Redbox Instant is no Netflix killer

LAS VEGAS -- Redbox Instant by Verizon isn't a Netflix killer, and it's okay with that.

Executives from the joint venture were at the Consumer Electronics Show to talk up its video streaming and DVD rental service, which went into beta a few weeks ago.

CEO Shawn Strickland, a former Verizon executive, wanted to make it clear Redbox Instant would not compete against Netflix. His service would offer up new and some older movies -- and only movies. He said he believes there's a segment of consumers who are hungry for nothing but a film experience.

"… Read more

Verizon's snoozer keynote short on news

LAS VEGAS--Anyone tuning in to the livestream of Verizon's 2013 CES keynote hoping for news likely left disappointed. The hourlong event featured lots of rhetoric but little in the way of new data or product announcements.

In his first address to the CES audience as Verizon's CEO, Lowell McAdam spent an hour explaining the various industries being transformed by mobile Internet connections -- and, indirectly, talking up Verizon's prospects in a world in which more and more workers need persistent, high-bandwidth connections everywhere they go.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Ford Motor Co. Chief Technology Officer Paul … Read more

Verizon unloads more unwanted 700MHz on U.S. Cellular

Verizon Wireless found a buyer for more of its unwanted 700MHz wireless spectrum.

On Tuesday, Verizon announced it has struck a deal with regional carrier U.S. Cellular to sell its 700MHz A block spectrum licenses in Oklahoma City and in 31 surrounding counties. The licenses cover roughly 1.9 million potential customers. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Federal Communications Commission must still approve the transaction.

Verizon acquired some 700MHz licenses in the lower A block in various markets during the FCC's 2008 auction. It also bought the nationwide 700MHz in the upper C block. Verizon … Read more

Verizon at CES 2013: Join us Tuesday, 4:30 p.m. PT (live blog)

Lowell McAdam officially took over as CEO and chairman of Verizon on January 1, 2012. Just over a year into the job, McAdam will take the stage at CES on Tuesday to discuss Verizon's plans for 2013. The event kicks off at 4:30 p.m. PT (7:30 p.m. ET) on Tuesday, January 8, and CNET will be there to cover it live. We'll have a live blog full of news and analysis, as the event unfolds.

You can tune in to the blog and video stream here:

CNET's live coverage of Verizon's 2013 CES press conference … Read more

Verizon CEO: We had our best fourth quarter ever

LAS VEGAS -- In a prelude to his keynote at CES here, Verizon chief executive Lowell McAdam told investors that the company's fourth quarter was its best quarter ever. Verizon added 2.1 million net subscribers during the quarter, a historic high for the company, he said.

"Thirty percent of our net adds are new to Verizon," McAdam said.

McAdam, who made the remarks at the 2013 Citi Global Internet, Media & Communications Conference that's also taking place in Las Vegas, stated that Verizon's base of LTE devices grew from 16 percent to 23 percent … Read more