AT&T

AT&T eyes international expansion for growth

AT&T is interested in buying a European carrier for growth, according to the Wall Street Journal.

With the U.S. market about to get more competitive, AT&T is looking at markets in Europe where it can upgrade technology and roll out new services and pricing strategies, the Wall Street Journal said, citing unnamed sources. It reported that AT&T is studying potential acquisitions, and could strike a deal by the end of the year. In particular, AT&T is looking at the U.K., Germany, and the Netherlands.

While the U.S. carriers have … Read more

AT&T opens FaceTime to all tiered-data customers

AT&T said today that it will allow any wireless customer with a tiered-data plan to use Apple's FaceTime videoconferencing app over AT&T's cellular network.

This is yet another change to AT&T's policy for this app, which when it was first introduced on the iPhone 4 was restricted to Wi-Fi networks only. In Apple's iOS 6 release of software, all FaceTime enabled iPhones were then capable of operating the app over a cellular network. Initially, AT&T still restricted usage to Wi-Fi.

In August, AT&T started to open … Read more

BlackBerry 10 to be carried on AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile

With BlackBerry 10's big debut coming at the end of this month, three major U.S. carriers have confirmed that they will carry devices on this new platform, according to Reuters.

AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile USA all said that they plan to support BlackBerry 10 handsets on their networks.

"We're extremely optimistic that it's going to be a successful product and our business customers are extremely interested in it," T-Mobile USA chief executive John Legere told Reuters.

Verizon's chief executive Lowell McAdam also confirmed the carrier will support BlackBerry 10 devices. And … Read more

AT&T's New York network is 'crap,' T-Mobile CEO says

T-mobile CEO John Legere delivered quite the show at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Not only did he unveil plans for the carrier's own 4G LTE network; Legere also derided rival AT&T's wireless network in New York City as "crap."

Attending the press conference in Las Vegas, CNET's Roger Cheng documented the spectacle via Twitter, noting that T-Mobile's CEO seems determined to revamp the reputation of the carrier.

"If you thought T-Mobile went away, think again," Legare said. As it tries to bring back the "cool" … Read more

T-Mobile already has 1.9 million iPhones on its network

LAS VEGAS--For a carrier that doesn't actually sell the iPhone, T-Mobile certainly has a decent amount of them on its network.

There are 1.9 million iPhones on T-Mobile, and the carrier has a monthly run rate of 100,000 new iPhones coming in, Chief Technology Officer Neville Ray told CNET.

The amount of iPhones coming in has accelerated since T-Mobile began actively looking to poach customers dissatisfied with AT&T's service, or looking for a more competitively priced plan. The carrier launched a campaign in September to get customers to make the switch, and even featured … Read more

AT&T sells record 10M smartphones in 4th quarter

The fourth quarter was good to AT&T.

The carrier said this morning that in the final quarter of 2012, it sold a record number of smartphones -- 10 million. That topped its previous quarterly high of 9.4 million, set in the fourth quarter of 2011.

The three-month period just ended included best-ever quarterly sales of both Android and Apple smartphones, AT&T said.

"We had another incredible quarter of smartphone sales as the mobile Internet continues to drive strong growth in wireless," Ralph de la Vega, chief executive officer for AT&T Mobility, … Read more

Secure line: AT&T to launch home security biz in March

LAS VEGAS--AT&T said today that it plans to launch its home security service in March in eight markets, representing a new business for the telecommunications giant.

The Dallas company said it will make its "Digital Life" home service available in 50 markets by the end of the year as the company slowly expands its rollout.

Why is a phone company getting into home security? AT&T believes it's a market that's ripe for "a face-lift," one that's fragmented and based on antiquated technology.

"We hope to completely change the … Read more

AT&T takes on Netflix, Hulu with own VOD service

LAS VEGAS--AT&T today unveiled a new video-on-demand service for its U-Verse TV offering amid the rising threat of companies such as Netflix.

As more consumers consider dropping their cable TV in lieu of Web-based alternatives, including Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, AT&T said today that it is offering the U-Verse Screen Pack for $5 a month, available only to its U-Verse customers. It will allow users to access a library of 1,500 movies from their TV, computer, or wireless devices.

Existing U-Verse TV customers will get a free preview of Screen Pack between January 7 … Read more

AT&T unveils Unite, its second touch-screen LTE hot spot

Days before CES kicks off in Las Vegas, AT&T and Sierra Wireless pull back the curtain on the AT&T Unite, the carrier's second touch-screen hot spot.

Riding AT&T's 4G LTE network, the Unite features a 2.4-inch display and more conventional design than its rival, Novatel Wireless' AT&T Liberate.

Like the Liberate, the Unite also supplies connectivity for up to 10 Wi-Fi devices and offers touch access to device and network settings from the screen.

AT&T hasn't shared pricing information yet, but you will be able to … Read more

GM sponsors connected car hackathon ahead of CES 2013

Steve Ballmer famously chanted "Developers, developers, developers!" in 2000, and automakers have finally heard the call. GM will take part in AT&T's Developer Summit Hackathon this weekend, sponsoring a new Connected Car Challenge.

Developers at the Hackathon will have from noon Saturday until 2 p.m. Sunday to build their apps. Winners will be announced at 6 p.m. on Sunday, and some finalists will be selected to pitch their apps on stage during the Summit's keynote addresses on Monday.

AT&T says there will be more than $100,000 in cash and … Read more