| This week's sponsor is Qualcomm. |  | Webinar: LTE Advanced in unlicensed spectrum?
Tuesday, December 10th, 1pm ET /10am PT As the operators prepare for the looming 1000x data challenge, small cells and utilizing all spectrum resources are in the front and center. But, does it work? What is needed? Tune into this webinar to get the answers Register Today! |
Editor's Corner: Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile detail holiday marketing strategies Also Noted: Radisys
Spotlight On... LG: We're committed to the mobile market
HTC unveils gold HTC One; Apple selling unlocked versions of iPhone 5s and much more... 
The 25 Most Powerful People in U.S. Wireless and Wireline 2013
This list is a compilation of who we think are the innovators and leaders in the U.S. wireless and wireline markets. The Fierce editors scrutinized every person we selected to make sure we could justify their position. Let us know if you disagree with our picks or think we overlooked someone. Special Report
1. Lowell McAdam, Chairman, CEO and President, Verizon Communications
2. Randall Stephenson, Chairman and CEO, AT&T
3. Larry Page, co-founder and CEO, Google
4. Tim Cook, CEO, Apple
5. John Legere, CEO and President, T-Mobile US
6. Glen Post, CEO and President, CenturyLink
7. Dan Hesse, CEO, Sprint
8. J.K. Shin, Co-CEO, Samsung
9. Paul Jacobs, Chairman and CEO, Qualcomm
10. Charlie Ergen, Chairman, Dish Network
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News From Across the Wireless Industry:
1. Reports bullish on prospects for LTE RAN, multimode femtos
2. Iotera aims to use unlicensed spectrum for long-range tracking
3. Putting the fun back into European telecoms
| 
Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile detail holiday marketing strategies
The fourth quarter holiday shopping season is the most critical sales period for the nation's top wireless carriers. The fourth quarter is typically when they spend the most on advertising, and it's usually when they add the most subscribers. According to historical data from research firm Nielsen, Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) and AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T) have consistently spent more on marketing in the fourth quarter than Sprint (NYSE:S) and T-Mobile US (NYSE:TMUS), which makes sense, given the disparities between the sizes of the companies' subscriber bases and revenues. In the fourth quarter of 2012, Verizon spent $476 million on marketing, according to Nielsen (though that figure includes money for Verizon's wireline operations as well). AT&T Mobility spent $364.3 million, Sprint spent $222.2 million and T-Mobile spent $234.7 million. Looking at this year's holiday season, the carriers will have plenty of reasons to increase their marketing spend. According to research firm comScore, for example, "Cyber Monday" after Thanksgiving is expected to be the heaviest online spending day in history, growing 20 percent year-over-year to around $2 billion. But what exactly will each of the nation's Tier 1 carriers focus on in their holiday advertising campaigns? FierceWireless spoke with marketing executives from each of the top carriers to find out. Here is a breakdown of what to expect from the Tier 1 carriers through the end of the year:
Verizon Wireless
AT&T Mobility
Sprint
T-Mobile US |
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Today's Top News 1. BlackBerry shakes up management, ousts top execs
BlackBerry (NASDAQ:BBRY) continued to reconfigure its operations as it tries to revive its business under interim CEO John Chen, and announced the departure of several top executives, including those responsible for the rollout of its BlackBerry 10 platform, which has failed to reignite sales. BlackBerry said COO Kristian Tear and CMO Frank Boulben are leaving the company. Additionally, CFO Brian Bidulka is leaving and will be replaced by James Yersh, the company said. Yersh, who has worked at BlackBerry since 2008, previously served as senior vice president, controller and as the company's head of compliance. Bidulka will stay on as a special advisor to Chen for the remainder of the company's fiscal year to assist with the transition. Bidulka had been with BlackBerry since 2005 and served as CFO since late 2009. Tear and Boulben, who each have backgrounds in the wireless industry, were brought into the company in May 2012 by former CEO Thorsten Heins as part of the company's troubled rollout of BlackBerry 10. BlackBerry said it won't have a COO or CMO going forward, according to the Wall Street Journal, which will put even more pressure on Chen. "I thank Kristian and Frank for their efforts on behalf of BlackBerry. I look forward to working more directly with the talented teams of engineers, and the sales and marketing teams around the world to facilitate the BlackBerry turn-around and to drive innovation," Chen said in a statement. "I also thank Brian for his eight years of dedicated service to BlackBerry. I look forward to working with James and his finance team as we move forward, execute on our plans and deliver long-term value for our shareholders." Chen, a former CEO of Sybase, took the helm at BlackBerry on Nov. 4 from Heins. The company announced earlier this month it had halted its plans to go private in a $4.7 billion deal led by Fairfax Financial Holdings, its largest shareholder, and will instead receive $1 billion in financing in the form of convertible notes from Fairfax and other investors. Fairfax CEO Prem Watsa, one of Canada's most wily and contrarian investors, recently told the Globe and Mail that while he recruited Chen he did not ask former Heins to leave. Chen has acknowledged that BlackBerry faces many challenges, but has also vowed that he would not axe BlackBerry's money-losing handset business. The company recently posted a $965 million quarterly loss, which was primarily due to a $934 million charge it took related to unsold inventory of its Z10 smartphone. BlackBerry has also said it will cut 4,500 jobs, around 40 percent of its workforce. Chen said in a statement that the company has a strong cash position and continues, "by a significant margin," to be the top provider of trusted and secure mobile device management solutions to enterprise customers. "Building on this core strength, and in conjunction with these management changes, I will continue to align my senior management team and organizational structure, and refine the company's strategy to ensure we deliver the best devices, mobile security and device management through BES 10, provide multi-platform messaging solutions with BBM, and expand adoption of QNX embedded systems," he said. BlackBerry also announced that Roger Martin, a board member since 2007, has resigned. For more:
- see this release
- see this CNET article
- see this Bloomberg article
- see this WSJ article (sub. req.)
Related Articles:
Report: BlackBerry's board rejected offers to break up company
BlackBerry investor Fairfax draws support from Qatar, Canadian funds
Report: Lenovo wanted to bid for BlackBerry, but Canadian government signaled opposition
Interim BlackBerry CEO Chen has turnaround experience, but faces challenges
BlackBerry halts sale process, gets $1B investment and ousts CEO Heins
BlackBerry issues open letter to customers, says it's here to stay Read more about: Frank Boulben, BlackBerry 10
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| This week's sponsor is Acronis and MobileIron. |  | Webinar: MobileIron and Acronis Deliver Secure File Access & Editing on Android
Thursday, December 12th, 11am ET /8am PT Join us on December 12th to learn how Acronis mobilEcho and MobileIron AppConnect together provide a complete solution for organizations supporting Android smart phones and tablets. Register Today! |
2. Analyst: T-Mobile and other carriers' spectrum purchases to boost tower companies
T-Mobile US' (NYSE:TMUS) rumored potential bid for Verizon Wireless' (NYSE:VZ) 700 MHz A Block spectrum, along with upcoming auctions of other airwaves, could prove to be a boon for tower companies, according to a financial analyst. In a research note, New Street Research analyst Jonathan Chaplin wrote that the market "is underestimating organic growth for the towers. Based on our detailed, bottom-up analysis of carrier network deployment plans, we estimate revenue growth of 9% annually over the next five years compared to a consensus forecast of 6%." T-Mobile has approached Verizon about buying spectrum from Verizon, likely A Block licenses, according to a Reuters report from last week. The report, citing an unnamed source familiar with the matter, said although T-Mobile has broached the matter with Verizon, the process is still in the early stages. T-Mobile has raised $3.8 billion in capital this month and Verizon has reiterated its interest in selling the spectrum if the price is right. In addition to the A Block, Chaplin is accounting for the planned auction of a group of spectrum blocks known as AWS-3. Those airwaves run from 1755-1780 MHz and 2155-2180 MHz. "We now believe TMUS will acquire the A Block and deploy it over the course of 3-4 years starting in 2014," Chaplin wrote. "AWS-3 will likely be auctioned in 4Q14. The timing of AWS-3 deployment is a little more difficult to gauge because the [Department of Defense] will still have to vacate the band; however, once the deployment begins it will likely be pervasive, with at least three carriers deploying the spectrum nationwide." Chaplin wrote that T-Mobile is very close to a deal with Verizon for A Block licenses covering around 150 million POPs, for which Verizon paid $2.4 billion. "Once they have secured this we expect the company to roll-up most of the remaining A Block licenses," he wrote. "The band is very fragmented; however, most of the licenses are in the hands of companies that are likely sellers (at a price)." Other A Block licensees include U.S. Cellular (NYSE:USM), Leap Wireless (NASDAQ:LEAP), C Spire Wireless and Vulcan Wireless. Regarding AWS-3, Chaplin noted the Pentagon currently occupies the lower 25 MHz channel at 1755-1780MHz, but that the DoD is close to an agreement with the FCC to vacate the band, which could take around three years, though some portion of the band could be useable sooner. "We think Verizon, AT&T (NYSE:T) and TMUS will all likely acquire and deploy 10-20 MHz each, nationwide. In addition, [Dish Network] (NASDAQ: DISH) has expressed interest in this band," he wrote. "Our checks with equipment vendors and the companies suggest that they will all need to deploy new equipment to use the AWS-3 band. Assuming three carriers deploy AWS-3 nationwide, we estimate they would generate amendment revenue across ~108,000 tower leases at the major tower companies." Although he did not discuss the two bands that Chaplin noted, in a recent interview with FierceWireless, Crown Castle CEO Ben Moreland contended that there will still be a lot of cell site activity and amendments in the next few years. He pointed specifically to Sprint (NYSE:S), which has indicated it plans to build out TD-LTE service using its 2.5 GHz spectrum to 100 million POPs by the end of 2014 on top of its existing 1.9 GHz LTE network and planned 800 MHz LTE service. Moreland also noted that Verizon has started to deploy AWS spectrum in congested LTE markets to add in extra capacity. Related Articles:
Report: T-Mobile approached Verizon about buying 700 MHz A Block spectrum
Analysts: Sprint, T-Mobile ditched H Block to focus on other spectrum, avoid Dish complications
Crown Castle CEO: Sprint, Verizon LTE overlays will pump up tower activity
Moody's: Sprint, AT&T LTE rollouts will boost tower companies
Analyst: Sprint's nationwide 2.5 GHz LTE network could be boon for tower companies Read more about: Verizon Wireless, Sprint
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3. Apple confirms acquisition of PrimeSense
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) confirmed yesterday that it is the new owner of PrimeSense, the Tel Aviv-based developer of 3D-based gesture recognition technology. In a comment cited by multiple media outlets, Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said, "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans." The Wall Street Journal said "a person familiar with the acquisition" placed the deal's value at $350 million, while AllThingsD reported that Apple paid around $360 million for the startup. Speculation regarding a potential deal between Apple and PrimeSense began back in July, at which time a $280 million to $300 million price tag was kicked around. PrimeSense's technology was used in Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) original Xbox 360 game console. The newly launched Xbox One includes gesture recognition software developed in house at Microsoft, using technology it gained in its acquisition of PrimeSense rival Canesta. PrimeSense has earlier raised funding exceeding $80 million from firms such as Silver Lake Sumeru, Canaan Partners, Gemini Israel and Genesis Partners, the Wall Street Journal said. Though Apple has its hands on PrimeSense, it is unclear exactly what the Cupertino, Calif., company intends to do with the startup's technology. Speculation has ranged from the addition to 3D-recognition capabilities in iPhones and iPads to use of the technology in the long-rumored Apple TV project or even an Apple smartwatch. Bloomberg noted Apple has been on an acquisition spree lately. So far this year, the company has bought Passif Semiconductor, navigation-software company Embark, online transit-navigation service HopStop.com, business-locations maps company Locationary and indoor-positioning technology company WifiSLAM. For more:
- see this Globes article
- see this Wall Street Journal article (sub. req.)
- see this AllThingsD article
- see this BBC article Related articles:
Rumor mill: Apple paying $345M for 3D firm PrimeSense
Juniper Research: Mobile augmented reality users to reach 200M in 2018
UC Berkeley gesture recognition system targets wearable devices
A look at advanced guides from Cablevision, DirecTV, AT&T, and the future of channel surfing
CES to shine spotlight on motion-based navigation
Report: Amazon working on high-end smartphone with 3D screen
3D smartphones: The quick death of a nascent technology Read more about: Apple, 3D, augmented reality
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4. Google's Motorola signs hardware partner 3D Systems for Project Ara modular phone program
Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Motorola Mobile unit has inked a deal with 3D printing company 3D Systems to serve as its hardware partner for Project Ara, Motorola's plan to create modular smartphones. 3D Systems confirmed the multi-year partnership and said it is working with Motorola to "create a continuous high-speed 3D printing production platform and fulfillment system" for Project Ara. "Project Ara was conceived to build a platform that empowers consumers all over the world with customization for a product made by and for the individual," 3D Systems CEO Avi Reichental said in a statement. 3D Systems said it plans to substantially expand its multi-material 3D printing capabilities, including conductive and functional materials. If the development phase of the partnership is successful, 3D Systems said it is "expected to manufacture 3D-printed Ara smartphone enclosures and modules as Motorola's exclusive fulfillment partner." Project Ara, which Motorola unveiled in late October, is being spearheaded by the Motorola Advanced Technology and Projects group, the unit led by Regina Dugan, a former DARPA chief. Project Ara has been in the works for more than a year and its goal is audacious in the same way Google's Project Loon is for expanding Internet access via balloons. Analysts have expressed some skepticism with Project Ara, especially because similar ones have failed in the past. In effect, Motorola wants to give end users the ability to retrofit and continually customize the hardware of their smartphones. The core of Ara is an endoskeleton (endo) and modules. The endo is the structural frame that holds all the modules in place. A module can be anything from a new chipset, display, keyboard or sensor. The project is similar in many ways to Phonebloks, a venture unveiled in September, and Motorola is working with Dave Hakkens, the creator of Phonebloks. Project Ara will be working with the Phonebloks community throughout its development process as well as "Scouts" or volunteers who will be testing the concept. Motorola said in a few months it will also send an invitation to developers to start creating modules for the Ara platform (and may provide prizes). Motorola expects to have an alpha release of the Module Developer's Kit (MDK) sometime this winter. For more:
- see this release
- see this The Verge article
- see this AllThingsD article
Related Articles:
I love Motorola's Project Ara for modular phones - I just don't think it will work
Google's Motorola unveils Project Ara, focuses on customizing smartphone hardware
Google's Motorola unveils low-cost Moto G, pushes for emerging markets
Google urges patience on Motorola, which continues to bleed cash Read more about: Google, Motorola Mobility
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5. ZTE plans smart watch for 2014 to challenge Samsung, others
ZTE plans to launch a smart watch of its own in the second quarter of next year to challenge Samsung Electronics and others, according to Lu Qianhao, ZTE's head of handset marketing strategy. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Lu said ZTE's smart watch will offer features that are similar to existing products such as Samsung's Galaxy Gear, but will be cheaper in an attempt to grab more market share, especially in China. "We are focusing on the mainstream market," he said. The Gear can notify users of incoming messages, such as calls, texts, emails and alerts, and delivers a preview of those messages. Users can also conduct hands-free calls with the Gear using the device's built-in speaker, and can snap pictures and video with a 1.9-megapixel camera. ZTE expects to announce smart watch in the first quarter of next year (perhaps at a trade show such as the Consumer Electronics Show or Mobile World Congress) and start selling it in the second quarter, Lu said. ZTE will first sell its smart watch only in China, but it wants to gradually expand to the U.S. and European markets later. Just as Samsung's Gear is only compatible with Samsung smartphones, the still-unnamed ZTE smart watch will only be compatible with its own smartphones, but Lu said the company may consider releasing other smart watches in the future that will work with all Android smartphones. He said that the company is also considering other products in wearable computing, such as smart glasses and smartphone-connected shoes for healthcare purposes but that there are no plans for those right now. Lu said ZTE's smart watch will make the company's smartphones more attractive, and that since ZTE's core competency is as a network gear maker, it will bring that expertise to bear, an argument ZTE executives often make. Research firm Juniper Research expects app-enabled smart watch shipments will reach 36 million per year by 2018, compared to just over 1 million this year. Samsung said earlier this month it had shipped 800,000 Gear smart watches in two months since its debut despite middling reviews of the gadget. In China, Coolpad has unveiled a waterproof smart watch called the cWatch. More broadly, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and other heavyweights are rumored to be developing their own smart watches. Additionally, Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) said it will begin selling its Toq smart watch on Dec. 2--Cyber Monday, the day after the Black Friday holiday shopping bonanza--for $349. Qualcomm announced its Toq smart watch the same day Samsung unveiled its own Galaxy Gear smart watch. However, Qualcomm has made it clear the device is more of a proof of concept than a mass market attack on the smart watch segment. For more:
- see this WSJ article (sub. req.)
- see this Engadget article
- see this GigaOM article
Related Articles:
Samsung ships 800K Galaxy Gear smart watches in 2 months
Qualcomm's Toq smart watch: $349 and available Dec. 2
In wearables, more questions than answers
ZTE eyes wearable computing market, backs Windows Phone
ZTE's cost cutting to help it return to profitability in Q3 Read more about: Qualcomm, samsung
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Also Noted | This week's sponsor is Radisys. |  | eBrief | Partnering for DPI Deployment Analysts project DPI in the marketplace will boom in the near term to secure networks and manage available bandwidth. See how carriers are teaming up with vendors for successful deployment. Learn more today! |
SPOTLIGHT ON... LG: We're committed to the mobile market LG Electronics sharply refuted a report from a South Korean publication that it was considering exiting the smartphone market, dismissing it as "completely false." The report, late last week from South Korean publication ET News, said that LG was shifting its resources away from the mobile business and toward TVs. "We are more committed than ever in making the LG brand a major player in the mobile space," LG said in a brief statement to media outlets. "And we think our products this year speak for themselves." LG told Mobile World Live that it challenged ET News on the story's facts and after the news outlet couldn't back up its claims, the article was removed from the ET News website. Indeed, the article in question is no longer accessible. LG sold 12 million smartphones in the third quarter, only down slightly from the record 12.1 million it had in the second quarter. The company sold 18.3 million total handsets (smartphones and feature phones) in the quarter, up from 16.2 million total handsets in the second quarter and 14 million handsets in the year-ago period. Article Quick news from around the Web. @FierceWireless: RT@AllthingsD. Eric Schmidt's Easy, Four-Step Guide to Switching From iPhone to Android -by @MikeIsaac. Article | Follow@FierceWireless > The FCC clarified on Friday that it will be up to airlines, and not the FCC, to allow cell phone calls on airplanes if they FCC gives the technical go-ahead. Article > Google is working to improve the quality of camera apps on Android. Article > Huawei is recruiting more Western executives and rolling out a long-term incentive program to attract foreign workers. Article > HTC unveiled a gold version of the HTC One. Article > The European Union is expected to approve Microsoft's proposed $7.30 billion takeover of Nokia's mobile phone. Article > A hedge fund manager says that Apple is not going to become the next Motorola or BlackBerry. Article > Apple made the unlocked iPhone 5s available online. Article > RedBox Instant is available on Nokia's Lumia Windows Phones from Verizon Wireless. Article > Qualcomm acknowledged that U.S. restrictions on Chinese companies and concerns about NSA surveillance are impacting its business in China. Article (sub. req.) > Alcatel-Lucent, the Las Vegas Metro Police Department and the Nevada Department of Transportation, conducted a six-month trial of an LTE public safety network in Las Vegas. Release Wireless Tech News > The Internet of Things will likely turn our residences into power-hungry energy suckers. Commentary > Startup Iotera says it is developing a low-power, long-range wireless tracking technology that relies upon unlicensed spectrum over a range exceeding eight miles. Article > Analysts predict heady days ahead for sales of LTE radio access network (RAN) equipment, including small cells. Article European Wireless News > Vodafone CEO said he would be open to a buyer if they were interested enough. Article > Analysys Mason reports that mobile in-market consolidation (mergers or acquisitions between two mobile players in the same country) is gaining momentum in Western Europe. Commentary > Vodafone is rolling out its Near Feld Communications-based mobile wallet service in Europe, and said this is the first European mobile payment service to be based on the open-standard GlobalPayment platform. Article And finally… Waze unveiled a new feature where celebrities can give you driving directions. Article > Is your strategy for small and medium-sized businesses bringing rewards? - Wednesday, December 4th, 11am ET / 8am PT / 4pm GMT Gain insights into where service providers are currently experiencing problems in the sales cycle, with a benchmark for the SMB market by sector, as well as ideas on how to increase efficiency. Register Today! > LTE Advanced in unlicensed spectrum? - Tuesday, December 10th, 1pm ET /10am PT As the operators prepare for the looming 1000x data challenge, small cells and utilizing all spectrum resources are in the front and center. But, does it work? What is needed? Tune into this webinar to get the answers Register Today! > Unraveling the LTE Roaming Puzzle- Wednesday, December 11th, 2pm ET/ 11am PT This webinar will delve into the challenges of LTE roaming as well as explore potential solutions. 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