F.C.C. Backs Verizon Sale in 3 States
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Regulators cleared the way for Verizon Communications to sell its phone lines in three New England states for $2.7 billion to FairPoint Communications Inc.
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Verizon Wireless has agreed to pay US$3 billion to buy the remaining spectrum of a bankrupt wireless firm, allowing Verizon to expand its network capacity in big markets such as New York and Los Angeles.
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The extra licenses will give Verizon Wireless, the country's second-largest mobile phone provider, room to grow in 23 markets.
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Sprint Corp., the third-largest wireless phone company in the US, doled out US$3 billion worth of contracts Tuesday to long-time suppliers Lucent Technologies, Nortel Networks and Motorola.
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LOS ANGELES  - Mobile ESPN is back on  the line. After hanging up its branded cellular phone package  in September, the Walt Disney Co. is re-entering the wireless  business with a pair of deals announced Thursday with Verizon  Wireless and MediaFlo USA.
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Well, it looks like things are getting a bit more interesting regarding the Sprint/Nextel deal. It seems that Vodafone, which owns 45% of Verizon Wireless in the US, is supporting a move by Verizon to potentially buy Sprint PCS.
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Verizon Wireless said it has reached a deal to buy all of NextWave&#39;s remaining spectrum licenses for US$3 billion in cash, just the latest instance of consolidation in the wireless industry
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BEDMINSTER, NJ -- Verizon Wireless announced that it today signed a definitive agreement with NextWave Telecom Inc. to purchase all of NextWave&#39;s PCS spectrum licenses, in 23 markets around the country, for $3.
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By Bloomberg News. Cingular Wireless, which is buying AT&amp;T Wireless, said yesterday that third-quarter sales rose 4.9 percent, to $4.
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Verizon Wireless said on Thursday that it had signed an agreement with NextWave Telecom Inc. to purchase all of its airwave licenses for $3 billion.
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(InfoWorld) - Vodafone Group has denied a Monday report by the Financial Times that it was considering buying Verizon Communications in a huge $160 billion deal. The paper, citing unnamed sources, said the international mobile operator was contemplating such a deal but hadn't approached Verizon and wouldn't necessarily go ahead with it. But Verizon's shares were up $1 at $42.76 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Vodafone issued a statement to the London Stock Exchange to squelch the report. "Vodafone notes press speculation that it is considering a possible offer for Verizon Communications. Vodafone wishes to make it clear that it has no plans to make such an offer," the statement said. Vodafone owns 45 percent of Verizon Wireless, the rest of which is owned by incumbent wireline carrier Verizon Communications. The dual ownership could tie Verizon's hands as it goes up against rival AT&T, which now owns all of its mobile business and is moving toward "quad-play" bundles of broadband, video, wireline voice, and mobile services. The arrangement gives Vodafone a stake in a profitable U.S. mobile business but doesn't allow it to chart its own course in the market. Vodafone tried to acquire AT&T Wireless in 2004 but was outbid by Cingular. The company has expanded aggressively in other countries, including Germany, where it bought Mannesman in 2000. Buying all of Verizon would create a company valued at about $300 billion. But as part of the deal, Vodafone might spin off Verizon's wireline business in order to build an all-wireless carrier, the Financial Times said. Verizon is the second-largest U.S. carrier behind AT&T in both wired and wireless customers. It had 60.7 million wireless subscribers and 7.4 million broadband customers at the end of the first quarter. Its Fios TV fiber-to-the-home service had attracted about 348,000 households. Verizon also operates a global enterprise communications business. Vodafone, based in Newbury, U.K., had 198.6 million customers across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Â and the Asia-Pacific region at the end of last year.
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(InfoWorld) - BroadcomÂ and Verizon Wireless have reached a deal that will allow Verizon to continue importing and selling phones that are the subject of continuing litigation between Broadcom and Qualcomm. On June 7, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC)Â banned the importation of new models of phones and PDAs that hit the market after that day and include certain Qualcomm chips. Broadcom had sued the rival mobile chip vendor over alleged patent infringement. Under a licensing agreement, Verizon will pay Broadcom $6 for every handset, PDA, or data card that uses EvDO (Evolution-Data Optimized) mobile broadband technology. The carrier will make the payments up to a ceiling of $40 million per calendar quarter and a lifetime maximum of $200 million. As part of the deal, Verizon also will drop an effort to overturn the ruling. Other terms are confidential, according to a statement released by the two companies. The move is a blow to Qualcomm, which pioneered the CDMAÂ technology on which EvDO is based. Verizon is the largest carrier in the U.S. using EvDO. It will pay Broadcom to license technology that Qualcomm has argued does not belong to Broadcom in the first place. Qualcomm was not immediately available for comment. In addition to the licensing deal, Broadcom has entered a strategic alliance with Verizon Communications, the parent company of Verizon Wireless. That deal covers new mobile device chipsets as well as Bluetooth, wireless LAN, optical network, GPS, DSL, fiber, set-top box, and home network equipment components. Broadcom, in Irvine, California, makes chips for a wide range of wired and wireless network products. Qualcomm, in nearby San Diego, is focused on wireless technology. Qualcomm said last month it would try to convince President George Bush to overturn the June 7 ruling, which was effective immediately. Bush has 60 days to decide whether to take action. If he doesn't, Qualcomm could appeal the ruling in federal court. The June 7 ruling came after the ITC ruled last year that Qualcomm had infringed on a Broadcom patent for power management technology. Broadcom had said the system is used in essentially all EvDO and Wideband CDMA phones.
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(InfoWorld) - Verizon Business, a unit of U.S. communications service provider Verizon Communications, has applied for a license to provide international long-distance services in India. The move reflects Verizon's recognition of the growth potential of Asian markets, Verizon Business said Wednesday. Leading multinational telecommunications services companies have applied for licenses to operate national and long-distance telecommunications services in India, to take advantage of a new policy that liberalized direct foreign investment in telecommunications services companies. Before the new policy, some multinational telecommunications services companies including Verizon were offering services in India through cooperation agreements with local licensed service providers. New government rules, announced in 2005, allow companies with foreign ownership of up to 74 percent to offer telecommunications services in the country. Before this rule, foreign investment was limited to 49 percent, which deterred foreign carriers from setting up operations in India. AT&T's majority-owned Indian joint venture, AT&T Global Network Services India was awarded licenses last year by the Indian government to operate national and international long distance telecommunications services from the country. AT&T holds 74 percent of the equity in the joint venture. BT Telecom India, an Indian joint venture of BT Group, applied to the Indian government in November for licenses to provide national and international long-distance services. The government awarded it letters of intent in December, as a first step to the award of licenses. As part of its expansion in India, BT announced Tuesday that it has signed an agreement for the acquisition of i2i Enterprise, a Mumbai-based enterprise services company specializing in IP (Internet Protocol) communications services for Indian and multinational companies. The acquisition would be through its Indian joint venture, BT said. I2i already has licenses to provide international and national long-distance services, Internet services, and Internet telephony services. Verizon is planning to offer its telecommunications services to multinational companies that are expanding in India, as well as Indian companies expanding abroad. It has set up a joint venture, Verizon Communications India, with India's Leo Communications, a part of the Videocon Group of Mumbai. Verizon will hold a 74 percent stake in the joint venture, while Leo will hold the balance 26 percent. Verizon Business is one of three operating units of Verizon Communications, and delivers IP, data, voice and wireless services to large business and government. In India, Verizon Business plans to offer a full range of services to multinational customers, including MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching), international private leased circuits and IP VPNs (virtual private networks).
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Verizon Wireless, the No. 2 U.S.  carrier, said on Friday more than 95 percent of its customers  had phones capable of identifying their location when they call  911 for help.
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Lack of bidders forces largest US local telephone companies to terminate efforts in small markets. NEW YORK  - Verizon Communications Inc.
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Alltel Corp.'s proposed $24.7 billion acquisition by private- equity firms may lead to the sale of other mobile-phone providers that serve rural areas.  Dobson Communications Corp., Centennial Communications Corp., Rural Cellular Corp. and United States Cellular Corp.
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Verizon Wireless announced yesterday that it plans to buy airwave licenses in 23 markets from NextWave Telecom Inc. for &#36;3 billion in cash, giving the cellular phone giant the ability to carry more calls in some of the nation's largest cities.