Deutsche Telekom recently detailed the breakup terms AT&T agreed to following the deterioration of its planned acquisition of T-Mobile USA. Deutsche Telekom will receive $3 billion in cash and T-Mobile USA will benefit from fresh AWS spectrum as well as a new 7-year 3G roaming deal with AT&T. “As part of the break-up fee, T-Mobile USA will receive a large package of AWS mobile spectrum in 128 Cellular Market Areas (CMAs), including 12 of the top 20 markets (Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta,...

Beginning on September 18th, AT&T will offer a new $25 GoPhone prepaid plan that will include 250 minutes and unlimited messaging. Starting on the same day, customers can opt to sign up for a new $10 international long distance plan that offers 250 minutes of calling to more than 50 countries. The minutes for both plans expire after 30 days. GoPhone customers will also be able to roam in Canada at a rate of $0.39 per minute. Text messages in Canada will cost $0.25 per message sent and $0.20 per message re...

Verizon Wireless announced on Tuesday that it will offer the BlackBerry Torch 9850 on September 8th for $199.99 with a new two-year contract. The Torch 9850 offers a full 3.7-inch touchscreen display with an 800 x 480-pixel resolution, a 1.2GHz processor, support for global roaming in more than 200 countries, a 5-megapixel camera capable of recording 720p HD video and 16GB of storage. The Torch 9850 was first unveiled during a RIM event in Toronto on August 3rd where we published hands-on impressions of the p...

FedEx just buzzed by and dropped off Sprint’s latest QWERTY Android smartphones, the Motorola XPRT. The XPRT reminds us a lot of the DROID Pro on Verizon Wireless, but it feels just a bit cheaper, which likely explains the lower price tag. It lacks the polished finished of the DROID Pro and it feels much more plasticky. That said, the keyboard feels pretty stellar so far and we are already whizzing away while typing emails and other messages. The big selling point for the XPRT is that it also supports i...

It’s more like a pre-prenuptial agreement, but you get the idea. T-Mobile’s parent company, Deutsche Telecom, has confirmed that it stands to receive a $6 billion settlement from AT&T should the companies’ proposed merger fall through. According to DT, a $3 billion cash payment would be made along with additional spectrum and a national roaming agreement. While the exact valuation of the spectrum and roaming agreement was not disclosed, Reuters appraises the two intangibles at close...

Sprint, which owns the majority stake of Clearwire, has agreed to pay the company at least $1 billion through 2012 for fees associated with the use of its 4G WiMAX network. Sprint and Clearwire entered arbitration late last year after Sprint argued that it shouldn’t have to pay a fee for 4G handsets that exist where Clearwire’s 4G WiMAX network isn’t available. Sprint charges its customers an extra $10 monthly for the option to run on 4G networks and Clearwire charges an estimated $4.46 per ...

Verizon Wireless has taken a beating over the years because its CDMA network is very prohibitive for international travelers. As such, the carrier has released some new resources in an effort to remind subscribers that they’re free to roam the world with their Verizon phones in hand — it might cost an arm, a leg and a few vital organs in some regions, but it can be done. According to the carrier’s new release, there are about 35 countries that use CDMA and have roaming agreements with Verizon. ...

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday voted in favor of a new set of rules that will force larger cellular carriers such as Verizon Wireless and AT&T to provide roaming access to their data networks at prices set by the FCC. The move will allow smaller regional carriers to take advantage of the large investments made by national carriers at a mere fraction of the cost of building out their own data networks. Immediately following the FCC’s vote, Verizon Wireless’ executive vice pre...

WIND Telecom SpA announced on Thursday that the shareholders of Russian mobile operator VimpelCom have voted to approve the acquisition of WIND Telecom for $6 billion. VimpelCom said regulators approved the acquisition as well. The deal covers all of WIND Telecom’s assets, which includes Orascom Telecom, a major WIND Mobile shareholder, and VimpelCom will add nine new markets including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burundi, Italy and Canada to the eleven it already covers. When finalized, the purchase will make...

While the debate over domestic data limits — 2GB versus 5GB versus truly unlimited — continues, another, more controversial smartphone bandwidth topic is slowly coming to a boil: international data. For those of you who frequently venture out of the confines of these United States, you know what we’re talking about. If you haven’t yet made your way out of the country in the smartphone era, you’re in for a rude awakening. Exorbitant costs, pathetic data allowances, and little recourse&#...

While this isn’t the most comprehensive global-roaming agreement you will ever see, it’s a start. Via a short press release, the U.S.’s third largest wireless provider — Sprint — has announced a global-roaming deal that will allow its WiMAX customers to operate on the Digicel and Global Mobile networks in Jamaica and Taiwan respectively. Sprint users traveling to the aforementioned areas with WiMAX-enabled devices will be able to purchase an unlimited, 24-hour data pass for ...

Sixteen WiMAX operators from around the world convened in Taipei this week to draft an international roaming agreement for their 4G networks. The WiMAX Forum Global Operator Summit, as it is being called, had just shy of seventy representatives working on the deal. Global roaming is projected to be a $67 billion business by 2015.“The WiMAX Forum Global Operator Summit was created to specifically address overcoming both business and consumer perceptions that data roaming is expensive, and to explore ways t...

Are you currently deciding whether you should get a new iPhone 4 from AT&T or wait a few weeks for the imminent Verizon iPhone launch? Do you need help determining which carrier provides the best cellular coverage in your most treaded areas? Do you just want extra fodder for the perpetual and infinitely ridiculous “my network is better than your network” argument that takes place on countless forums and blogs? Say hello to Coverage?, a new iOS app from Technomadia. The function of this great l...

Today, Sprint announced a new, 4G international-roaming agreement it signed with Jamaican carrier Digicel and Taiwanese carrier Global Mobile. The new agreement will allow select Sprint devices — currently the Sierra Wireless 250U and Sprint U600 — to operate on the aforementioned networks while traveling abroad.“With these agreements, Sprint is kicking down the door to 4G international roaming and taking a first step toward allowing people to enjoy 4G service wherever they are around the gl...