Network access

AT&T shaves $100 off iPad with two-year contract

Those of you interested in a 3G or 4G iPad can score $100 off the full price, but you'll have to pony up the monthly costs for a two-year contract with AT&T.

The carrier is selling both new and refurbished versions of the iPad 2 and the third-gen iPad. For example, a new third-gen Wi-Fi + 4G LTE model with 16GB of storage sells for $479, down from the regular price of $579. A refurbished edition of the same model goes for $429. Meanwhile, a new iPad 2 with Wi-Fi + 3G and 64GB of storage will cost you $… Read more

T-Mobile USA loses 492,000 contract customers in Q3

T-Mobile USA has lost close to half a million subscribers during the third quarter, according to the company's earnings statement out this morning (PDF).

The network lost a total of 492,000 postpaid contracts -- the lucrative long-term contracts that that bring in regular income for a cellular network -- during the quarter, causing a drop in its average revenue per user (ARPU) to $42.78, a decline of 7 percent on the same quarter a year ago.

The firm also reported a net 287,000 wholesale customers, including machine-to-machine (M2M) agreements and through its resellers.

However, T-Mobile USA … Read more

BlackBerry 10 wins U.S. security clearance ahead of launch

Research in Motion has won key government security certification for its BlackBerry 10 operating system months ahead of its launch, allowing the smartphone to be used in secure government workplaces.

The FIPS 140-2 certification signals that U.S. and Canadian government agencies, along with private firms, can deploy BlackBerry 10 smartphones as soon as they launch, with a guarantee that data stored on the devices is appropriately secured and encrypted.

FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) certification is issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and it's a must for mobile platforms before the U.S. government can … Read more

Time Warner offers free Wi-Fi and charging stations to NYC

More help has arrived for mobile device owners in New York without power or Internet access as a result of Hurricane Sandy.

Courtesy of Time Warner Cable, multiple vehicles outfitted with Wi-Fi access points and charging stations headed into areas of New York City as of yesterday. Anyone able to find their way to one of the vehicles could charge their smartphone, tablet, or laptop, and tap into a 4G Wi-Fi connection to get online.

The vehicles will make other stops in Time Warner's service area today. Affected New Yorkers able to access Twitter can see which areas are … Read more

U.S. Cellular expands LTE to more than 30 new markets

U.S. Cellular is expanding its 4G LTE coverage area to more than 30 new markets on Monday, extending the carrier's footprint for the high-speed network to more than half of its customers.

The rollout will bring LTE to select cities in Iowa, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Oklahoma, and brings new LTE coverage to some of U.S. Cellular's markets in Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The next wave of market launches will follow shortly in Rockford, Ill., Medford, Ore., Yakima, Wash., and Knoxville, Tenn., the company said today.

By the end of … Read more

Huawei looks to German security researchers for help

Huawei, the embattled Chinese telecom equipment company, is reaching out to a security researcher in Germany for a little help.

The company's global security chief, John Suffolk, told Reuters in an interview published today that Huawei has dispatched engineers to Germany to meet with Felix "FX" Lindner and go over the security flaws he has found in a host of its products.

According to Reuters, which spoke with Lindner earlier this month, Huawei products ranging from a cheap home router to major telecom equipment appear to be vulnerable to hacking. Lindner stopped short of saying a backdoor … Read more

ItsOn gets its funding on, targets mobile data 'bill shock'

A mobile company that wants to change how you access data just raised a boatload of cash.

ItsOn announced today that it has closed a $15.5 million Series B round of financing. Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz led the round. The firm was joined by investment company SV Angel.

ItsOn takes a unique stance on data usage by allowing customers to choose how much data they need and for what purpose. The company's Web site is shy about details on its service, but in a statement, ItsOn founder and CEO Greg Raleigh says that his firm's focus … Read more

MetroPCS Q3: 1 million LTE subscribers, strong profit

MetroPCS, the fifth largest cellular network in the U.S., has posted strong third-quarter earnings, along with more than 1 million LTE subscribers on its network.

The cellular network today reported third-quarter net profit of $193 million -- more than double the $69 million profit it recorded a year ago -- on revenue of $1.3 billion, or 52 cents a share. Revenue was up by 4 percent year over year.

Analysts had expected revenue of $1.25 billion for the third quarter.

MetroPCS did have a net loss of 312,000 subscribers during the quarter, dropping its total subscriber … Read more

Vodafone eyes mobile payments, thanks to CorFire

Vodafone, one of the larger carriers in the world, is bringing a mobile-payments service to its customers next year.

The companies announced the plans today, saying that CorFire -- the mobile-commerce arm of SK C&C, a South Korea-based IT service provider -- will deliver the technology behind it. According to CorFire, Vodafone customers will be able to make payments from their smartphones, just as customers do with competing services, like Google Wallet.

The deal could be a major opportunity for CorFire, since Vodafone has over 406 million customers in 30 countries around the world.

However, CorFire needs to … Read more