As you can see from the above image, the destruction and slow reconstruction of AT&T is quite a story. With the T-Mobile merger currently being debated by Congress, potentially adding another chapter to the saga, we thought it might be a good idea to look at the genesis of AT&T Mobility as it stands today. It all started back in 2001 with AT&T Wireless…

AT&T got its start in wireless communications when it purchased the Washington-based company McCaw Cellular in 1994. With a subscriber base just north of 2 million users, AT&T had officially thrown its hat into the cellular arena. The company continued to grow and collect end-users, and in 1997 — with current Sprint CEO Dan Hesse as its chairman and CEO — AT&T became the U.S.’s largest cellular provider. In 2000, the company was jettisoned from the main AT&T brand and in 2001 it turned into a separately traded company on the New York Stock Exchange; known as AT&T Wireless.

In 2004, with customer subscriptions declining, the company began to accept bids for an acquisition. U.S.-based wireless provider Cingular — a venture of BellSouth and SBC Communications — agreed to purchase the company for $41 billion. Cingular, through the acquisition, ousted Verizon Wireless, a joint venture between Verizon Communications and Vodafone, as the largest cellular provider in the States.

Fast forward to late 2005 and early 2006: SBC Communications purchases AT&T Corp. and begins to market itself under the AT&T brand; the new AT&T announces that it will acquire the phone operations of BellSouth and its stake in AT&T Wireless; and a new company is born. In 2007, after a three-year hiatus, an AT&T-branded wireless company returned with the christening of AT&T Mobility.

Were the AT&T and T-Mobile merger to go through, the company would again — for the third time — become the country’s largest wireless provider through the use of its checkbook. And the vicious cycle continues.

BGR’s Throwback Thursday is a weekly series covering our (and your) favorite gadgets, games, and software of yesterday and yesteryear.

In the company’s first-quarter earnings disclosure, Motorola Mobility finally put a number on XOOM tablet shipments: 250,000. “The Company shipped a total of 9.3 million mobile devices, including 4.1 million smartphones and more than 250,000 Motorola XOOM tablets,” reads the report. “In the first quarter of 2010, the Company shipped 8.5 million mobile devices, including 2.3 million smartphones.” Motorola Mobility also posted $3 billion in net revenues, up 22% year-over-year, with mobile device revenues of $2.1 billion, up 30% year-over-year. The company did post a GAAP net loss of $0.27 per share, however, which was down from a $0.72 share loss in the first-quarter of 2010. Motorola’s complete earnings statement is after the break.

Motorola Mobility Announces First-Quarter Financial Results

April 28, 2011

First Quarter Financial Highlights

• Net revenues of $3.0 billion, up 22 percent from first quarter 2010
• GAAP net loss of .27 per share compared to .72 loss in first quarter 2010
• Non-GAAP loss of .08 per share compared to .48 loss in first quarter 2010
• Mobile Devices revenues of $2.1 billion, up 30 percent from first quarter 2010; GAAP operating loss of $89 million; non-GAAP operating loss of $61 million
• Shipped 9.3 million mobile devices, including 4.1 million smartphones and more than 250,000 tablets
• Home revenues of $904 million, up 8 percent from first quarter 2010; GAAP operating earnings of $53 million; non-GAAP operating earnings of $81 million
• Positive operating cash flow of $107 million

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – April. 28, 2011 – Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MMI) today reported net revenues of $3.0 billion in the first quarter of 2011, up 22 percent from the first quarter of 2010. The GAAP net loss in the first quarter of 2011 was $81 million, or .27 per share, compared to a loss of $212 million, or .72 per share, in the first quarter of 2010. On a non-GAAP basis, the net loss in the first quarter of 2011 was $25 million, or .08 per share, compared to a loss of $142 million, or .48 per share, in the first quarter of 2010.

In the quarter, the Company generated $107 million in operating cash flow, its seventh consecutive quarter of positive cash generation. Total cash of $3.3 billion at the end of the quarter includes cash, cash equivalents and cash deposits.

Details on non-GAAP adjustments and the use of non-GAAP measures are included later in this press release and in the financial tables.

“In the first quarter, we reached a major milestone in our history by becoming a new independent, public company. We enhanced our product portfolio by delivering compelling experiences with the launch of Motorola ATRIX™ and Motorola XOOM™, as well as offering unique end-to-end video solutions for the home,” said Sanjay Jha, chairman and chief executive officer, Motorola Mobility. “With a well-recognized brand, a strong balance sheet and industry leading intellectual property, we have the right assets to deliver an exciting pipeline of products, continue to grow our business and further improve our financial results.”

Operating Results

Mobile Devices net revenues in the first quarter were $2.1 billion, up 30 percent compared with the year-ago quarter. The GAAP operating loss was $89 million compared to an operating loss of $192 million in the year-ago quarter. The non-GAAP operating loss was $61 million compared to an operating loss of $148 million in the year-ago quarter. The Company shipped a total of 9.3 million mobile devices, including 4.1 million smartphones and more than 250,000 Motorola XOOM™ tablets. In the first quarter of 2010, the Company shipped 8.5 million mobile devices, including 2.3 million smartphones.

Mobile Devices highlights:

• Introduced the award-winning Motorola ATRIX™, the world’s most powerful smartphone, with leading carriers around the globe. With Motorola’s innovative webtop application and smart accessories, Motorola ATRIX transforms into a mobile information and entertainment center, and enables a PC-like computing experience.
• Introduced the award-winning Motorola XOOM™, the first tablet to use the Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) platform. In the U.S., Motorola XOOM launched with Verizon as a 4G LTE upgradeable device and Motorola XOOM with Wi-Fi launched with seven leading retailers in North America.
• Announced four powerful new mobile devices specific to the China market – dual-core, Android 2.3 XT882 and MT870 plus MT620 and XT316.
• Announced the acquisition of Three Laws Mobility, Inc. (3LM), a developer of mobile enterprise security and device management software for the Android operating system. Motorola plans to integrate 3LM’s technology into its smartphones and license the technology to other Android smartphone providers.
• Home segment net revenues in the first quarter were $904 million, up 8 percent compared with the year-ago quarter. GAAP operating earnings were $53 million, compared to $20 million in the year-ago quarter. Non-GAAP operating earnings increased to $81 million from $47 million in the year-ago quarter. The Company maintained its leadership in key markets with set-top shipments up more than 20 percent as compared to the year-ago quarter.

Home highlights:

• Leveraged Motorola’s 4Home managed services solution with the announcement of Verizon’s connected home services which offers home control and monitoring to FiOS subscribers.
• Acquired Dreampark, allowing the continued expansion of the Company’s cloud-based Medios software suite and strengthening the Company’s ability to provide systems integrators, service providers, enterprises and content providers with innovative solutions for deploying converged media experiences.
• Launched a new wireless video bridge solution, the VAP2400, enabling content distribution for the broadband home.
• Achieved a world record for upstream speed using Motorola’s RX48 high-sensitivity DOCSIS CMTS receiver technology, a solution that enables operators to generate incremental revenue from their existing network.
• Selected by HBO Latin America to upgrade its satellite network using MPEG-4 equipment for high-definition video service delivery.

Conference Call and Webcast

Motorola Mobility will host its quarterly conference call beginning at 5:00 p.m. (U.S. Eastern Time) on Thursday, April 28. The conference call will be webcast live with audio and slides at http://investors.motorola.com.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information

In addition to the GAAP results included in this presentation, Motorola Mobility also has included non-GAAP measurements of results. Motorola Mobility has provided these non-GAAP measurements to help investors better understand Motorola Mobility’s core operating performance, enhance comparisons of Motorola Mobility’s core operating performance from period to period, and allow better comparisons of Motorola Mobility’s operating performance to that of its competitors. Among other things, the Company’s management uses these operating results, excluding the identified items, to evaluate the performance of its businesses and to evaluate results relative to certain incentive compensation targets. Management uses operating results, excluding these items, because it believes this measurement enables it to make better period-to-period evaluations of the financial performance of its core business operations. The non-GAAP measurements are intended only as a supplement to the comparable GAAP measurements and the Company compensates for the limitations inherent in the use of non-GAAP measurements by using GAAP measures in conjunction with the non-GAAP measurements. As a result, investors should consider these non-GAAP measurements in addition to, and not in substitution for or as superior to, measurements of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Highlighted items: The Company has excluded the effects of highlighted items (and any material reversals of highlighted items recorded in prior periods) from its non-GAAP operating expenses and net income measurements because the Company believes that these historical items do not reflect expected future operating earnings or expenses and do not contribute to a meaningful evaluation of the Company’s current operating performance or comparisons to the Company’s past operating performance.

Stock-based compensation expense: The Company has excluded stock-based compensation expense from its non-GAAP operating expenses and net income measurements. Although stock-based compensation is a key incentive offered to our employees and the Company believes such compensation contributed to the revenue earned during the periods presented and also believes it will contribute to the generation of future period revenues – the Company continues to evaluate its performance excluding stock-based compensation expense primarily because it represents a significant non-cash expense. Stock-based compensation expense will recur in future periods.

Intangible assets amortization expense: The Company has excluded intangible assets amortization expense from its non-GAAP operating expenses and net income measurements, primarily because it represents a significant non-cash expense and because the Company evaluates its performance excluding intangible assets amortization expense. Amortization of intangible assets is consistent in amount and frequency but is significantly affected by the timing and size of the Company’s acquisitions. Investors should note that the use of intangible assets contributed to the Company’s revenues earned during the periods presented and will contribute to the Company’s future period revenues as well. Intangible assets amortization expense will recur in future periods. Details of the above items and reconciliations of the non-GAAP measurements to the corresponding GAAP measurements can be found at the end of this press release.

Business Risks

Motorola Mobility cautions the reader that the risk factors below, as well as those on pages 13 through 34 in the Company’s 2010 Annual Report on Form 10-K and in its other SEC filings available for free on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and on Motorola Mobility’s website at investors.motorola.com, could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those estimated or predicted in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future performance, and the Company’s financial outlook for the second quarter of 2011. Many of these risks and uncertainties cannot be controlled by the Company and factors that may impact forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (1) possible negative effects on the Company’s business operations, financial performance or assets as a result of becoming an independent, publicly traded Company, which may include: (i) diminished purchasing leverage and increased exposure to market fluctuations as a result of being a smaller, more focused Company, and (ii) potential negative consequences of licensing certain logos, trademarks, trade names and service marks, including “MOTOROLA” to Motorola Solutions, Inc.; (2) the economic outlook for the telecommunications and broadband industries; (3) the Company’s ability to improve the financial performance in its Mobile Devices business, including the success of its smartphone strategy; (4) Mobile Devices’ dependency on third-party operating systems and software, including Google’s Android operating system; (5) the level of demand for the Company’s products, particularly if customers defer purchases in response to tighter credit or as a result of the recent earthquake and resulting events in Japan; (6) the Company’s ability to introduce new products and technologies in a timely manner; (7) unexpected negative consequences from the restructuring and cost reductions; (8) negative impact on the Company’s business from global economic conditions and uncertainties; (9) the Company’s ability to purchase sufficient materials, parts and components to meet customer demand, particularly as we continue to assess the impact of the recent earthquake and resulting events in Japan; (10) risks related to dependence on certain key suppliers; (11) the impact on the Company’s performance and financial results from strategic acquisitions or divestitures, including those that may occur in the future; (12) risks related to the Company’s high volume of manufacturing in Asia and operations in foreign countries, including Brazil; (13) variability in income received from licensing the Company’s intellectual property to others, as well as expenses incurred when the Company licenses intellectual property from others; (14) unexpected liabilities or expenses, including unfavorable outcomes to any pending or future litigation or regulatory or similar proceedings; (15) the impact of foreign currency fluctuations, including the negative impact of a strengthening U.S. dollar on the Company when competing for business in foreign markets; (16) the impact on the Company from ongoing consolidation in the telecommunications and broadband industries; (17) the impact of changes in governmental policies, laws or regulations; (18) the outcome of currently ongoing and future tax matters; and (19) negative consequences from the Company’s outsourcing of various activities, including certain manufacturing, information technology and administrative functions. Motorola Mobility undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement or risk factor, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Motorola Mobility
Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE:MMI) fuses innovative technology with human insights to create experiences that simplify, connect and enrich people’s lives. Our portfolio includes converged mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets; wireless accessories; end-to-end video and data delivery; and management solutions, including set-tops and data-access devices. For more information, visit motorola.com/mobility.

Read

In a press release just moments ago, Motorola Mobility announced the release of the its Wi-Fi only XOOM tablet in the United States. Available beginning March 27th for $599, the 32GB device will be available at Amazon.com, Best Buy, Costco, RadioShack, select Sam’s Club locations, Staples and Walmart. The XOOM was the first tablet to launch with Google’s Honeycomb operating system (Android 3.0) back in February. The price tag, which has been a point of contention amongst technology pundits and analysts, mirrors that of Apple’s 32GB Wi-Fi iPad. The full press release is after the break.

Motorola Mobility Brings MOTOROLA XOOM™ Wi-Fi to United States

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – March 16, 2011 – Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MMI), today announced the upcoming availability of MOTOROLA XOOM™ Wi-Fi edition from leading retailers across the United States starting March 27. Amazon.com, Best Buy, Costco, RadioShack, Sam’s Club (select locations), Staples and Walmart will be offering the 10.1-inch widescreen HD tablet with Android™ 3.0 (Honeycomb) through both online and retail store channels. The MSRP for MOTOROLA XOOM Wi-Fi with 32 GB of memory will be $599.

“MOTOROLA XOOM is a truly innovative tablet – its design, coupled with being the first tablet to have Android 3.0, results in a user experience that is one-of-a-kind,” said Dan Papalia, vice president of retail sales for Motorola Mobility. “We are now continuing to expand the choices available to consumers with the MOTOROLA XOOM Wi-Fi to be available soon from numerous leading retailers in the United States.”

In addition, the MOTOROLA XOOM Wi-Fi will be available to commercial IT channels and regional retailers through a distribution agreement with Synnex Corporation, and regional carriers through Brightpoint, Inc.

MOTOROLA XOOM showcases the innovations of the Honeycomb user experience – including widgets, true multi-tasking, browsing, notifications and customization – on a 10.1-inch widescreen HD display, enabling video content that’s richer and clearer than ever before. With a 1GHz dual-core processor and 1 GB of RAM, MOTOROLA XOOM delivers exceptionally fast web-browsing performance. The latest Google Mobile services include Google Maps 5.0™ with 3D interaction and access to more than 3 million Google eBooks and apps from Android Market™. MOTOROLA XOOM also supports a Beta of Adobe® Flash® Player 10.2 downloadable from Android Market, enabling the delivery of rich Flash based web content including videos, casual games and rich Internet applications.

As the first device running Android 3.0, MOTOROLA XOOM benefits from our aggressive work with developers across the ecosystem through MOTODEV, Motorola’s developer support program to enable world-class tablet and smartphone experiences. These devices will be able to access more than 150,000 applications within the Android Market as well as the rapidly increasing number of applications optimized directly for the Android 3.0 OS. In addition, thousands of Flash-based web applications and sites will become available for the MOTOROLA XOOM.

As a part of the company’s commitment and leadership — along with Google’s — to the Android ecosystem, Motorola announced a series of global developer events in 11 cities across North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia. These MOTODEV events give developers access to tools, support and Motorola’s team of Android experts. The first of these events was hosted in San Francisco on March 1 and had more than 665 developers in attendance.

MOTODEV also recently announced a new testing and certification program for Honeycomb applications, encouraging developers to submit their applications to get early feedback and support on MOTOROLA XOOM performance. This is a part of the company’s ongoing commitment to supporting the ecosystem in delivering high quality experiences to the consumer.

More information about MOTODEV tools, resources and events can be found at http://developer.motorola.com.

Despite the fact that Canadian wireless provider Bell Mobility will be rolling out LTE in the near future, it — like many of its peers — has decided to play the name game when it comes to “4G.” In an internal memo to employees, Bell explains that its high-speed HSPA+ network will henceforth be known as 4G. “Given the significant improvements in performance and quality the wireless carriers have made to their networks, the ITU has reassessed the definition of 4G standards,” reads the note. “This re-classification allows Bell to promote the HSPA+ network as 4G.” The changes take effect today, though there’s no word on how Bell’s marketing department will differentiate its 4G LTE network from its 4G HSPA network. Hit the jump to check out the full memo.

Thanks, B!

One of our Bell Mobility connections has just sent us some concrete proof that our Canadian friends will not be left out in the cold when it comes to the Motorola ATRIX 4G. The Ma’ Bell of the North will launch the newly announced device “soon”, albeit without the 4G tag dangling from the end of its name. The device sports the same specs its AT&T cousin, including the ability to hook itself up to that nifty laptop dock — no word yet on pricing. Start saving your pennies Bell customers… the ATRIX is coming!

Thanks, B!

Last month, we told you about Bell Mobility’s plans to charge a $10 premium for access to the highest speeds on its HSPA+ network. This month, it looks like that report is becoming a reality. BGR has obtained a memo that indicates that Bell will launch the Novatel Wireless U547 data stick — capable of 42Mbps speeds — on November 23rd. The memo boasts that the U547 will be able to achieve real-world downlinks ranging from  7Mbps to 14Mbps in select markets; at launch, Toronto will be the only market with 43Mbps HSPA+ coverage. The new data stick will retail for $199.95; the memo did not indicate if there would be subsidized pricing.

Like all good things, the new, higher speeds will not come free of charge. Bell will be taxing U547 users an extra $10 per month to access the face-melting speeds, but said users are not required to purchase the add-on; the device will still operate at 21Mbps without it.

There you have it. Let us know what you think.

Thanks, B!

Seems to be a good day for Canadian news, no? On the heels of our BlackBerry Bold 9780 scoop, we’ve obtained another Bell memo that indicates the Canadian wireless carrier will release HTC’s Desire Z on November 3. The phone will have the ability to operate on Bell’s HSPA+ network and sport a 3.7-inch touchscreen display, full QWERTY keyboard, Android 2.2, Sense 2.0, and an 800MHz processor. Subsidized pricing was not listed in the memo; the device will retail for $499.99 off-contract. Could this be one of the HSPA+ devices that Bell plans on charging an extra $10 for? Time will tell.

Thanks, Brendan!

The release of the BlackBerry Bold 9780 is right around the corner, officially. Canada’s Bell Mobility has announced that they will be offering the Bold 9780 beginning on November 2, 2010. The handset, which will be available in both black and white, packs a 2.44-inch HVGA display with 480 x 360 resolution, BlackBerry 6, Wi-Fi, 5 megapixel camera with flash, 512 MB of RAM, tri-band UMTS radio 850/1900/2100MHz, and a quad-band GSM radio 850/900/1800/1900MHz. Subsidized pricing was not disclosed in the memo obtained by BGR; the device will retail for $499.99.

Now… when will this bad-boy show up Stateside?

Thanks, Brendan!

The BlackBerry Torch 9800 might be exclusive to one carrier in the U.S., but that hasn’t stopped the floozy of a handset from making the rounds in Canada. Bell Mobility recently announced that they too will be carrying the BlackBerry Torch slider — which we knew – beginning on September 24th. The device will retail for $199 on a 3-year contract and $599 off-contract. This brings the total number of Canadian networks launching the 9800 on September 24 to four: Bell, Rogers, Telus, and Virgin Mobile. Bell hasn’t put out an official press release yet, but we have a statement for you after the break.

Bell Mobility will launch the BlackBerry® Torch™ on September 24, and clients will be able to get the device for as low as $199.99 on a three year contract. The BlackBerry Torch will operate on the HSPA+ network, which is the largest and fastest wireless network in Canada, and reaches 93% of Canadians coast to coast in thousands of cities and towns.

The new BlackBerry Torch combines a large capacitive touch screen and optical trackpad with a 35 key full QWERTY backlit slide-out keyboard, designed to feel optimally balanced when opened for typing. It offers support for high-speed 3G (UMTS/HSDPA) networks around the world, includes the latest generation in Wi-Fi® (b/g/n) connectivity and built-in GPS for location-based applications and geo-tagging. Its 5 MP camera takes exceptional pictures with continuous auto focus, image stabilization, scene modes and zoom, as well as video recording. It also comes with a combined 8 GB of media storage out-of-the-box, including a microSD/SDHD memory card slot that can bring the total storage memory to 36 GB for customers that want more.

The BlackBerry Torch is the first to launch with BlackBerry 6, a new operating system for BlackBerry smartphones. It features a redesigned interface, and a new and rich WebKit-based browser that renders HTML web pages (as well as HTML email) quickly and beautifully for a great browsing experience. The browser includes tabs for accessing multiple sites simultaneously, double-tap to zoom that can intelligently wrap text in a column while maintaining the placement of a page’s key elements, and pinch to zoom.

BlackBerry 6 offers expanded messaging capabilities and RSS feeds (Social Feeds), which provides integrated access to the popular BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) service as well as Facebook®, Twitter™, MySpace™ and various instant messaging applications. The enhanced multimedia experience includes a dedicated YouTube app, and BlackBerry Podcasts, allowing users to easily discover, acquire and enjoy audio and video podcasts from leading content providers. A universal search feature, accessible from the Home Screen, allows users to search for content on the smartphone, as well as extend the search to the Internet or to discover applications on BlackBerry App World™, which is included and supports credit card payments.

Here at BGR we need to be portable. Armed with a laptop, our favorite mobile device (or two), a mobile hotspot, and camera, we enjoy being mobile, agile, and hostile… when necessary. Agility and hostility come naturally to the BGR crew, but mobility is something we continuously work on. And what is the key to being mobile? A really, really ridiculously good bag. Our swag-bag of choice these days is the Timbuk2 H.A.L. (we have no idea what that stands for). The H.A.L. is specifically designed for people who carry a lot of equipment and are very active. The form-fitted straps provide easy access to your laptop while the bag is slung from one shoulder, the zippers are thick and don’t get jammed or caught, and we can’t seem to kill, or mangle, the nylon fabric that the pack is constructed from. The bag has a ton of storage space and compartments — several hidden — and can accommodate up to a 14.35” wide laptop in its armored compartment (14.35” wide is big enough to fit most 15” laptops as laptops are measured on the diagonal). Simply put: it’s a great bag. We’ve got a propaganda video from Timbuk2 queued up after the break… just in case you don’t want to take our word for it.

This post is part of our “Live Like A Genius” content series sponsored by Buick and the all-new 2010 LaCrosse.

Read

Yes, yes y’all, we’re ready to bring the action straight from the first day of CTIA 2010. Up first is the opening keynote with AT&Ts CEO of Mobility, Ralph de la Vega. Sit back, relax, and hopefully stand up and shout when some news breaks!

9:00 AM: It’s just getting started and we’re in our seats ready to go!

9:09 AM: Ralph de la Vega is on the stage.  He’s talking about a revolution (insert Beatles lyrics here).

9:12 AM: speaking about the transformation of industries as a whole and the important role that wireless is going to play in the future world and U.S. economy.

9:14 AM: U.S. has 117 million 3G subscribers, accounts for 18% of world’s subscribers.  Only has 7% of world’s customer base.

9:15 AM: U.S. has 70,000 Wi-Fi hotspots, the next closest country is China with 36,000.  de la Vega says that these hotspots are complimentary to a vibrant mobile broadband network.

9:16 AM: U.S. is predicted to spend $22-33 billion on wireless capital expenditures in 2010.

9:17 AM: Ralph just threw in a dig about the success of the U.S. wireless industry being due to the “lack of regulation.”

9:19 AM: de la Vega declares LTE the winner in 4G technology.  Wonder if Dan Hesse will have anything to say about that when he speaks at tomorrow mornings keynote.

9:20 AM: This talk is very U.S. focused.

9:22 AM: 75% of workers will depend on a mobile broadband network (in some capacity) by 2013 (IDC Mobile Worker Study, December 2009).

9:25 AM: “Consumers have gotten a taste of what the U.S. mobile broadband ecosystem can deliver…” from CTIA’s statement to the FCC today.

9:25 AM: Pew research says that by the end of 2020 mobile devices will be the primary internet device for most people world wide.

9:26 AM: Cisco predicts that mobile video will the lions-share of mobile broadband traffic by 2014.

9:30 AM: He’s killing us with numbers… and isn’t the most captivating speaker.

9:30 AM: LTE is 2.5x more efficient than HSPA.

9:31 AM: LTE isn’t enough to supply the bandwidth consumers want.  Will have to leverage Wi-Fi hotspots and femtocell technology.

9:34 AM: Talking about adding spectrum (call to FCC) and on the entire wireless broadband ecosystem (all carriers) working together to give consumers the best experience possible.

9:36 AM: Talking about legal policies (think Congress) that will allow the industry to grow.

9:36 AM: Mercifully, he has finished.

9:37 AM: Up next…

9:38 AM: We’re now watching a professionally done video about Wi-Fi use. And… it was 15 seconds long.

9:39 AM: 285.6 million wireless subscribers, is $41.3 billion in revenue for wireless companies

9:40 AM: +28% year-over-year

9:40 AM: 1.6 trillion text message were sent in 2009 (didn’t specify whether that was in the U.S. or worldwide), along with 34.5 billion MMS in the U.S.

9:42 AM: Chairman of the FCC has a video for us about the U.S. Mobile Broadband Plan and how awesome said plan is.  Fosters freedom, transformative, totally rad, you get the idea.

9:43 AM: Chairman (via video still) is talking about spectrum owners voluntarily surrendering some of their spectrum in exchange for a share in the auction proceeds.

9:46 AM: Video is done.  Steve Largent has the mic again — he’s introducing Randal Stephenson, Chairman, CEO and President of AT&T, Inc.

9:50 AM: Just referred to “well intended but stifling regulation” being a cause for some of the U.S.’s wireless issues.

9:50 AM: Talking about innovation, jobs, U.S. lead in wireless usage/subscribers/investment.

9:54 AM: AT&T’s network carrier’s around half of all U.S. wireless data traffic, so says the CEO.

9:56 AM: Talking about lab tests AT&T is conducting.  One interesting one was a device that can scan a geographic area of cell phones and blast a text message out to those devices even if the network does not know the phones MAC address. Useful for disaster warnings and first responders.  Obviously it will be controlled from the network side, won’t be able to pick one up at RadioShack®.

9:59 AM: The three pillars of wireless according to the CEO: regulation, spectrum, strategic industry collaboration and cooperation. “We get these right, the U.S. leads the world in innovation.”

10:01 AM: Stephenson is done. Up next, world famous handball player (yes, I’m serious), Chairman of Telophica International USA Iñaki Urdangarin.

10:02 AM: ANNOUNCEMENT CTIA will provide Latin American carriers with a short code standard (as it does in the U.S.), creating the worlds largest mobile marketing tool.

10:06 AM: Okay, he’s beginning his keynote now. We’re seeing a video. “Just follow the day and reach for the sun…” I hate this song.

10:07 AM: He looks sort of short to be an Olympic handball player.

10:11 AM: Telefonica’s services are ranked #2 worldwide in Enterprise Value (AT&T is #1) and #4 in worldwide market capitalization (ChinaMobile is #1).

10:14 AM: Talking about how the majority of cash reserves and in-turn investment potential are in “emerging economies” and not “advanced economies.”

10:19 AM: Captain’s Log: I need a Red Bull.

10:19 AM: “movilforum”  is connecting developers with Telefonica’s corporate client’s.  First even will be in Brazil and will have over 2,000 developers in attendance.

Oops. While neither handset is due for launch until this Friday, apparently LG just couldn’t wait to take the wraps off either of these puppies. Both handsets are now fully detailed on LG’s Canadian site and, despite their humdrum specs, we just can’t resist it when a company leaks its own handsets. Beginning with the LGBliss, pictured above left, we’re looking at an August 7th launch from Bell with pricing coming in at $79.95 CAD on a 3-year contract. In terms of specs you’ve got a full 3-inch 240×400 pixel touchscreen, 2 megapixel camera, video capture capability, 4 1/2 hours of talk time and a UI that even looks terrible in the marketing renders. TELUS’ Keybo2 will also launch on August 7th and will be priced at $129.99 CAD on a 3-year contract. Here we’ve got a dual-keypad clamshell with a 2.6-inch 320×240 pixel internal display and a 1.56-inch 160×96 pixel external display. Other notable specs include a 3 megapixel camera with video capture, stereo Bluetooth support and up to 5 1/3 hours of talk time. There’s still no word on whether or not we can expect either handset to launch elsewhere in the near future, not that you care.

[Via MobileSyrup]

Read (LGBliss)
Read (Keybo2)

We’ve received a flurry of emails over the past few weeks questioning whether or not AT&T will let people out of contracts ETF-free due to substantial changes to its terms and conditions. First it was a series of changes to permissable data service usage and more recently AT&T has amended its arbitration clause to limit a customer’s right to sue, in theory at least. Common sense might suggest that changes these drastic would result in a window of opportunity, during which time customers may sever ties without a penalty, but since when has common sense applied to carriers? In short, no, these changes will not result in an ETF-free departure from AT&T. The CTIA’s current policy states that carriers will give customers an opportunity to cancel contracts without penalty in the event of material changes to the carrier’s TOS. How does AT&T define a “material change”? As PhoneNews.com recently ascertained in a conversation with Mark Siegel, Director of Media Relations at AT&T:

Under [AT&T's] terms of service, there are only two situations in which we would allow you to terminate your agreement because of a change in TOS without having to pay the ETF: If we increase the price of the service, or if we materially decrease the geographical area in which your airtime rate applies.

So what can you do if you disagree with this position? Filing a complaint with the FCC is surely a good start but you certainly shouldn’t expect this policy to change during the lifetime of your current contract. The bottom line is we’re all at the mercy of our carriers — at least until enough class action suits are filed that it becomes cheaper for carriers to change their policies than continue to pay out settlements…

Following this morning’s rebate sheet from Verizon, one of our AT&T ninjas apparently got fired up and snapped a couple of shots of the carrier’s upcoming rebates for May 11th through June 21st. Unfortunately, no real bomb dropping on AT&T’s sheet either but there are a few items of interest. As is always the case, this doesn’t mean all of the handsets listed will be out during the rebate period but it does mean they’ll be dropping soon enough. Above, highlights include the sliding QWERTY-rocking Motorola QA1 Karma and Sony Ericsson’s 8.1 megapixel beast, the C905a. The second shot, pictured after the break, includes the Samsung i637 Jack and of course everyone’s favorite EDGE-only messaging machine, the BlackBerry Curve 8900. Hit the jump for the second image and let us know if there’s anything in particular on the new rebate sheet that catches your eye.

It took exactly a month from the day we first scooped the possibility of an AT&T Mobility contractual issues that could have lead to a strike, but it looks like we have some good news to report. Crisis averted — or so it would appear. The CWA site has been posting bargaining reports regularly and yesterday evening the union issued a final report covering a tentative agreement between AT&T Mobility and the CWA union. Woo! As long as nothing crazy happens, it looks like it’s a done deal and workers can go back to doing their jobs without a potential strike looming overhead. Hit the jump for the full report and if you’re an AT&T employee, let us know how you feel about the tentative agreement in the comments section.

Thanks, Ryan and everyone else who sent this in!

The following information is a brief summary of the tentative agreement reached between CWA and AT&T Mobility.

A more comprehensive summary will follow along with specific information on a contract ratification vote. Date to be determined.

WAGES/ECONOMIC ISSUES:

1.  The General Wage Schedules for all employees will be increased as follows:
TOP                       BOTTOM
2009                       1%                         1%
2010                       2.5%                      2.5%
2011                       2.5%                      2.5%
2012                       2.5%                      2.5%

All employees will also receive a $500.00 lump sum payment upon ratification

2.  Job Upgrades for the following titles:

• Wireless Technician I and Wireless Technician II titles will be eliminated. All existing employees will move into the Wireless Technician title at the wage schedule associated with the current Wireless Technician II title.
• CSR 1 reps in the Technical Support Group will be upgraded to a new title of Customer Support Specialist with a new maximum rate of $683.00 for year 2009. Current employees in the Technical Support Group above the new maximum rate will receive the general wage increase based on existing wage rates.
• CSR I reps in the Office of the President will be upgraded to a new title of Client Service Specialist with a new maximum wage rate of $672.50 for year 2009.
• CSR I reps and Clerks in the Workforce Operations group will be upgraded to a new title of Workforce Administrator with a new maximum rate of 632.50 for year 2009.
• Care Function Evaluation-Company to evaluate the CSR functions to see if additional titles should or could be created.

3.  On-call pay-increased from $28 to $32 for each day of such assignment
4.  Relief Differential-Employees assigned the duty of performing managerial opening and/or closing (Key Holder) will receive a 10% differential payment for each hour the employee performs this work.
5.  Severance Payment-Increased from a maximum payment of $12,000 to $15,000
6.  Travel Payment-Travel time exceeding normal commute time when on a temporary assignment will be paid as work time.  Mileage reimbursement for use of personal vehicles will    be reimbursed at the IRS Standard.
7.  Sales Compensation Plan

• Minimum at-risk commission pay of $12,000/year for years 2009 and and 2010 and $12,500/year for years 2011 and 2012 for those reaching 100% of their targeted goal
• National Sales Compensation Committee -to be reestablished

8.  Quota Relief-quota relief for 8 hour increments of time (8 aggregate hour in a calendar month) has been added for discipline purposes only.

OTHER ISSUES:

1.  Definition  of Employees-If the Company reclassifies from Full Time to Part Time, they will seek volunteers first and then force in reverse order.
2.  Seniority-seniority will apply to all Articles and LOA’s and the middle two digits of SSN will be used as tie breaker when employees have same NCS date and same last 4 of SSN
3.  Work Assignments-Laid off employees will be given priority placement for rehire
4.  Non-Discrimination-Company will not discriminate against an employee because of ones position or membership or non membership in the union
5.  Company-Union Relationship-increase in union time from 240 hours to 300 hours and up to 20 reps may take or pool up to 960 hours each/year. (20 X 960= 19,200 hours)
6.  Vacations-Company will maximize the allotment of vacation weeks during the most desirable vacation periods.
7.  Holidays-holiday schedules to be posted by Friday at noon 2 weeks prior to the Holiday
8.  EWP’s-change in hour increment availability from 2 hours to 1 hour.
9.  Personnel Records-employees will be provided a copy of all disciplinary write-ups
10.  Subcontracting-Original language to remain with understanding that within 60 days of ratification, subcontracting reports and data requests will be provided to bargaining chair and going forward quarterly reports on subcontractors will be provided
11.  Alliance Committee-new language to explore the possibility of the Alliance.
12.  Strategic Alliance Committee-Establishment of Committee to explore innovative methods of operation
13.  Scheduling Trial-Retail Sales Group trial to explore more effective methods of scheduling. Company will review results with Union and consider input.
14.  Job Satisfaction (Monitoring)-Company to review call observations within 2 days of the employee’s next two (2) scheduled workdays with the understanding the coverage is to be done in a private area.

Read