tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38423573094816153562024-02-07T13:56:57.284-05:00economITechNiklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.comBlogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-61453457350229006862019-06-06T14:00:00.001-04:002019-06-06T14:04:49.509-04:00Amazon Prime Mobile would be the carriers worst nightmare <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There has recently been speculation in the press that Amazon is preparing to enter the US wireless market, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sprint-corp-m-a-t-mobile-amazon-com-e/exclusive-amazon-interested-in-buying-boost-from-t-mobile-sprint-sources-idUSKCN1T02OV">either as a MVNO</a> or as a fourth carrier, buying <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/what-amazon-might-want-with-boost-mobile/">the forced divestitures</a> of a theoretical T-Mobile/Sprint merger.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On the face of it, this looks to be just another one of many companies trying their luck at the wireless market, where few succeed and many exit with bruised egos and empty wallets.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Amazon would be different and could pose a significant challenge to all the existing carriers as well as MVNOs. The main difference has to do with two things, margins and valuations and how they work together. Let me explain.</span><br>
<a href="https://www.economitech.com/2019/06/amazon-prime-mobile-would-be-carriers.html#more">Read more »</a>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-79236846839711319332017-11-16T21:47:00.000-05:002017-11-17T11:07:35.629-05:00Uncertain future for 5G revenues<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bengtnordstrom">Bengt Nordström</a> of <a href="http://northstream.se/">Nordstream</a> recently <a href="http://telecoms.com/486150/dont-hold-your-breath-for-5g-new-revenue-streams-northstream/">shared some interesting interesting thoughts</a> about the roll-out and future revenues from 5G. I am even less optimistic than Bengt regarding 5G as a savior for the carriers for two main reasons.</div>
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1. Many of the use cases being discussed for 5G can quite comfortably be handled by Gigabit LTE and especially Low-Latency LTE. This in combination with the inevitable sticker shock of 5G will make <a href="https://www.totaltele.com/498642/BT-CEO-says-industry-must-build-strong-business-case-for-5G">carriers want to wring every last bit out of LTE</a> before going all in on 5G. Instead they will start with core upgrades and MIMO etc before taking the full step to 5G NR. So while 5G components will start to go live in networks reasonably soon, it will be a long time before 5G as a full standard, including NR, is as widely deployed as LTE is today.</div>
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2. OTT (Over The Top). I have yet to see a compelling reason for why future 5G revenue streams would end up on the wireless carriers income statements. They have not shown that they are nimble enough to incorporate solutions to end user use cases into their business model of providing basic connectivity. I have not gotten the impression that startup incubators at carriers have moved the needle much in that regard. It is therefore much more likely that new 5G revenue streams will be gobbled up by OTT players. Implementation of Gigabit and Low-Latency LTE and 5G NR removes the last barrier to the possibility of an all-OTT future. If the networks can deliver the performance now being promised, what services could not be run OTT then?</div>
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That said, the future is not all dark for the carriers. Especially in the US market there are several low-hanging possibilities to revenue growth. The SMB and enterprise markets are under served and especially Sprint and T-Mobile have every incentive to more aggressively promote an all-mobile and cloud PBX future for SMB and enterprises. There is still some, but not a lot of, time for the US carriers to avoid <a href="https://www.ringcentral.com/">RingCentral</a> and <a href="https://www.twilio.com/">Twilio</a> becoming the <a href="https://www.whatsapp.com/">WhatsApp</a> equivalents for enterprise OTT services. To avoid that, they must move quickly and aggressively to promote the benefits of a fixed to wireless transition, with the accompanying services, to business customers. </div>
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Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-43659634718879414572015-06-28T15:55:00.000-04:002015-06-28T15:59:34.567-04:00Just do it, Greece!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Flag_of_Greece.svg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Flag_of_Greece.svg" width="400"></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For months and years the drama, or more likely, tragedy that is the Greek debt negotiations have been ongoing. We have been told how the potential collapse of the Greek economy threatens the world economy and how Greece must impose tough reforms in exchange for debt relief and further support from the IMF, ECB and fellow European Union members.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, the math behind this supposedly complex drama is incredibly simple.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Greece does not generate enough revenue to be able to pay off its debtors. There may be a thousand and one causes of this and the Greek economy may have been very inefficient, but this is the one major problem.</span><br>
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<a href="https://www.economitech.com/2015/06/just-do-it-greece.html#more">Read more »</a>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-51977155063128475552014-09-29T12:43:00.000-04:002014-09-29T12:43:18.143-04:00VoWiFi has come a long way<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After having had some time to work with VoWiFi (Voice over WiFi) on an iPhone5S running iOS8.0 on the T-Mobile network I can say that it works as advertised. No setup required, no UI issues since you just use the regular App and no new phone numbers involved. It just works. Finally!</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back in 2006 when I was involved with a startup that was mainly focused on VoIP, but did some experimenting with VoIP over WiFi, that was far from the case. The company mainly used Nokia handsets, such as the E61, to test the use-case for VoIP over WiFi. While basic functionality such as voice quality performed well, the service ended up being virtually unusable because of several issues.</span><br>
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<a href="https://www.economitech.com/2014/09/VoWiFi.html#more">Read more »</a>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-45888826955323581172014-09-25T23:25:00.000-04:002014-09-25T23:25:14.131-04:00FBI may be mad at Apple because of iOS8 encryption, but it was most likely just the first step<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">FBI director James B. Comey <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/fbi-blasts-apple-google-for-locking-police-out-of-phones/2014/09/25/68c4e08e-4344-11e4-9a15-137aa0153527_story.html?tid=HP_more">today sharply criticized</a> Apple for locking the government out of even legal snooping by encrypting iOS8 devices. The move by Apple has been seen as a reaction to information about massive government privacy intrusions through NSA programs revealed by Edward Snowden.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However damaging the iOS8 encryption is to law enforcement, it is most likely just one part of a long-term effort to restore customer confidence in smart products, the cloud and the transport networks that bind it all together.</span><br>
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<a href="https://www.economitech.com/2014/09/FBI.html#more">Read more »</a>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-52249357814218509182014-09-17T12:58:00.001-04:002014-09-17T12:58:28.187-04:00Apple fixes two-step verification<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yesterday, Apple sent an
email to all two-factor verification users, explaining that the service
now also covers their content on iCloud, not just the account management
features. This update brings the service closer to what Google,
Facebook and Twitter already offers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-21322934177036929052014-09-02T11:18:00.000-04:002014-09-02T19:33:15.794-04:00Apple two-step verification offers false sense of security<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the past days compromising <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/leaks-of-nude-celebrity-photos-raise-concerns-about-security-of-the-cloud/2014/09/01/59dcd37e-3219-11e4-8f02-03c644b2d7d0_story.html?hpid=z1">photos of celebrities</a> have been posted on <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/09/02/the-shadowy-world-of-4chan-the-shock-post-site-that-hosted-the-private-jennifer-lawrence-photos/?tid=hp_mm&hpid=z3">the Internet</a>. While it is still unclear if any of these photos were stolen from iCloud accounts and even less certain if the users had in fact activated the <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5570">Apple ID two-step verification solution</a>, it is still worth mentioning the inherent weakness in the two-step verification solution for Apple ID.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It does not protect your content.</span><br>
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<a href="https://www.economitech.com/2014/09/apple2step.html#more">Read more »</a>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-28273871385807212872014-06-06T14:40:00.000-04:002014-06-06T15:51:54.213-04:00Sprint is not in Kansas (City) anymore....<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The rumors that Sprint will make a bid for T-Mobile has been circling for months now. While I think it is likely that the Department of Justice, and to a lesser degree the FCC, will intervene to stop the merger, let's take a look at what is likely to happen if the merger goes through.</span><br>
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<a href="https://www.economitech.com/2014/06/sprint-is-not-in-kansas-city-anymore.html#more">Read more »</a>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-4643544930382220562014-01-09T12:46:00.003-05:002014-01-09T13:14:59.829-05:00Is Softbank after T-Mobile's network?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There has been <a href="http://www.dailywireless.org/2013/12/16/sprintt-mobile-talking-merger/">continued speculation</a> over the past weeks that <a href="http://www.rcrwireless.com/article/20131226/carriers/report-softbank-talking-to-banks-sprint-t-mobile-us-stocks-spike/">Sprint is about to make a bid for T-Mobile</a>. Most of the discussion has centered on the possibility to create a "strong third carrier" in the US market. While I understand the motivation for this from the perspective of protecting margins and decreasing the competitive pressure in the US wireless market, I offer a complimentary strategy for this kind of merger, if the rumors are true.</span><br>
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<a href="https://www.economitech.com/2014/01/NetworkMess.html#more">Read more »</a>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-9153200843490222062014-01-07T12:30:00.000-05:002014-01-07T12:30:14.677-05:00AT&T Sponsored data may be a way forward without violating net neutrality<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">AT&T <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/06/att-allows-advertisers-to-sponsor-mobile-data/">recently presented</a> their platform for <a href="http://gigaom.com/2014/01/06/att-launches-sponsored-data-inviting-content-providers-to-pay-consumers-mobile-data-bills/">"toll-free" or "sponsored data"</a> whereby a content owner can pay for the data usage caused by the end user. This way the sponsored data will not count towards the users included plan data.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">AT&T has been shopping this idea around for quite a while and has so far not presented any customers. Initially this kind of pricing was seen as a direct threat towards the principle of net neutrality which has been endorsed by the FCC. The way AT&T describe their sponsored data program, it now appears as if it will not violate the principles behind net neutrality.</span><br>
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<a href="https://www.economitech.com/2014/01/SponsoredData.html#more">Read more »</a>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-86867529083432116712013-12-16T16:48:00.003-05:002013-12-16T16:48:50.262-05:00The US wireless carrier market is firmly stuck in the past<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the past year or so, there has been a lot of talk about how the US wireless market is leading the way globally and that a new dawn is coming for the carriers. This line of reasoning is mainly built on the argument that the carriers here (especially Verizon) are at the forefront with 4G LTE deployment.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would beg to differ. I think the US wireless market is one of the last, globally, to be liberated from its bloated past and suffer a massive reality check. I see two major trends affecting the US wireless market in the short and medium term that spell trouble for the carriers and will be awesome for everyone else.</span><br>
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<a href="https://www.economitech.com/2013/12/StuckInThePast.html#more">Read more »</a>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-90038024462297561262013-12-16T16:07:00.000-05:002013-12-16T16:07:09.403-05:00Sprint is dreaming...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">According to <a href="http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/report-sprint-considering-bid-t-mobile/2013-12-13?">Fierce Wireless and WSJ</a>, Sprint is considering a bid for T-Mobile to bring the four national carriers down to three and ease competition.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If these rumors are true, I think it is extremely doubtful that this deal will actually happen for several reasons.</span><br>
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<a href="https://www.economitech.com/2013/12/sprint-is-dreaming.html#more">Read more »</a>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-39104557354526140912013-11-24T19:09:00.000-05:002013-11-25T05:01:26.164-05:00Why do I love the Jean-Claude Van Damme commercial for Volvo trucks so much?<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/M7FIvfx5J10" width="560"></iframe>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Just like <a href="http://distractify.com/people/amazing/the-epic-split-featuring-van-damme/">Avril Simmons</a>, I have watched and re-watched the recent Volvo Trucks commercial featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme, and I agree, it is one of the best commercials I have seen in a long time.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The question that has been bugging me a bit, is, why?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Let me explain. For me, this commercial is all about <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000241/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Jean-Claude</a>. </span><br>
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<a href="https://www.economitech.com/2013/11/why-do-i-love-jean-claude-van-damme.html#more">Read more »</a>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-9870556831661805052013-09-11T14:23:00.000-04:002013-09-11T14:23:31.871-04:00Optimal level of carrier competition<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just read <a href="http://www.cellular-news.com/story/61958.php">this wonderful quote</a> from Orange CEO, Stephane Richard, "The optimal level of competition looks to be three carriers per market rather than four." I agree with Richard, when it comes to the profit margins of the carriers, three is better than four, but I would like to suggest that maybe just one carrier would be even better!</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For users of carrier services, consumers and businesses, it is quite clear that optimal market outcomes indicate something entirely different. The facts, both EU-wide, in France (Orange home market) and in the US market tend to strongly suggest that when you go below four carriers in a market, competition decreases significantly.</span><br>
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<a href="https://www.economitech.com/2013/09/Competition.html#more">Read more »</a>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-24772762320504114212013-09-11T10:11:00.000-04:002013-09-11T10:11:17.770-04:00Why do we include unprofitable products in global smartphone market share?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we look at measuring the market shares of various smartphone manufacturers today we first of all can observe the battle going on between the two OS platforms, iOS and Android.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, most of the attention in both mainstream media and in dedicated tech media has focused on the occasionally shrinking market share of the Apple iOS device family. And while this is certainly true, I would like to ask the question: </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is this measurement relevant?</span><br>
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<a href="https://www.economitech.com/2013/09/MS.html#more">Read more »</a>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-73890529570950265452013-09-10T15:07:00.000-04:002013-09-10T15:10:02.925-04:00Both iPhone5C and S will support TD-LTE<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Based on the technical specifications for the new <a href="http://www.apple.com/iphone-5s/specs/">iPhone5S</a> and <a href="http://www.apple.com/iphone-5c/specs/">iPhone5C</a>, it appears that both models will come in versions that will support TD-LTE in addition to the, as of now, more commonly used FDD-LTE 4G technology.</span><br>
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<a href="https://www.economitech.com/2013/09/TDLTE.html#more">Read more »</a>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-90889090889673766452013-09-09T15:33:00.000-04:002013-09-09T15:33:05.635-04:00Verizon want to end the Internet (they just don't know it)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/09/business/verizon-and-fcc-net-neutrality-battle-set-in-district-court.html?_r=0">Verizon squared off against the FCC</a> in what promises to be a long fight over the future of the Internet. What is at stake is something called Net Neutrality. FCC want to keep it, Verizon does not. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the face of it, the case argued in Federal Court in DC today is about whether the <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2013/09/09/federal-courts-to-hear-potentially-landmark-net-neutrality-case-today/">FCC has legal authority</a> to regulate the internet (within the US) at all. But the reason why this case came to be in the first place was that the FCC decided that Net Neutrality was one of the core principles that had contributed to the explosive growth and innovation provided by the Internet as we know it.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Verizon didn't like it and <a href="http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/verizon-fcc-square-court-over-net-neutrality/2013-09-09?">decided to go nuclear</a> by questioning the FCC authority in court.</span><br>
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<a href="https://www.economitech.com/2013/09/NoNet.html#more">Read more »</a>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-54699937998012520402013-09-02T17:45:00.001-04:002013-09-02T17:45:34.062-04:00Vodafone return of cash and shares to investors signals bleak future<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, <a href="http://www.vodafone.com/content/index/investors/verizon_wireless_transaction.yes.html">Vodafone and Verizon finally announced</a> their expected deal where Verizon buys out the remaining Vodafone ownership share in their US joint venture. This deal has been expected but also <a href="http://www.cellular-news.com/story/61810.php?">a long time coming</a>.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think this deal is v<a href="http://www.economitech.com/2013/08/VMobile.html">ery well timed by Vodafone</a> as the competitive landscape in the US wireless market is most likely about to change and Vodafone may have sold their interest in Verizon "at the top".</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I do <a href="http://www.economitech.com/2013/08/VMobile.html">support this rare win</a> for Vodafone. </span>However, after reading through the details of the <a href="http://www.vodafone.com/content/index/investors/verizon_wireless_transaction.yes.html">Vodafone announcement</a>, I think there is a significant risk that the Vodafone management and board has pretty much given up on the future of the company and that we can expect the past decline to continue and possibly accelerate. Even a takeover might be in the cards.</span><br>
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<a href="https://www.economitech.com/2013/09/VodaFail.html#more">Read more »</a>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-32611835546294196812013-08-29T22:31:00.000-04:002013-08-30T00:55:26.685-04:00Vodafone should sell Verizon and buy T-Mobile<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The speculation over what will happen with the 45% Vodafone ownership stake in Verizon Wireless has <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-verizon-vodafone-20130830,0,754314.story">heated up</a> over the past few days with <a href="http://www.mobile-tech-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=89377">reports of ongoing negotiations</a> between the two companies. Pundits valule the stake at around $130Bn.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While it is unlikely that Vodafone would be paid in full with cash and very likely that analysts would prefer that Vodafone use whatever gains they get to lower their debt burden, I have a different proposal.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vodafone should sell the stake in Verizon Wireless and then use some of the proceeds to immediately buy T-Mobile.</span><br>
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<a href="https://www.economitech.com/2013/08/VMobile.html#more">Read more »</a>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-4908755037176781982013-08-16T18:10:00.002-04:002013-08-16T18:10:38.734-04:00Carriers lost. OTT won. Now what?<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I think the <a href="http://www.fiercewireless.com/europe/story/operators-are-not-going-ott-joyn-what-other-options-do-they-have/2013-08-16?">"war" on OTT</a> from the carriers perspective is more or
less lost. It is now more about running down the clock and eking out as
much revenue as possible.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A more pressing problem going
forward is not the death of SMS or other services exposed to OTT, it is
the failure to be open to innovation as well as often times missing out
on strategic openings that are much more closely aligned with the
carriers strengths than fighting OTT.</span><br>
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<a href="https://www.economitech.com/2013/08/OTTwon.html#more">Read more »</a>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-7606543051230658732013-07-15T21:05:00.000-04:002013-07-15T21:05:26.601-04:00The case for T-Mobile bidding on Leap Wireless<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the never-ending Leap Wireless and Metro PCS merger speculation saga, AT&T finally decided the other day to put Leap Wireless out of their misery by <a href="http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=24533&cdvn=news&newsarticleid=36744&mapcode=corporate|financial">agreeing to purchase the company for $1.2Bn</a>.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The deal makes sense for AT&T, no doubt about it. They get an interesting mix of PCS and AWS spectrum which they badly need after the T-Mobile merger debacle. To sweeten the deal, they also get about 5M Leap customers as well as ownership of the brand "Cricket". On top of this, the deal is a test to see what the federal regulators, FCC and Department of Justice will tolerate after the regulators killed the proposed T-Mobile merger.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All this for only $1.2Bn. Congratulations AT&T!</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will here make the case for why T-Mobile (or to a lesser degree, Sprint) should, or possibly must, get involved and start bidding on Leap Wireless before the deal with AT&T is closed.</span><br>
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<a href="https://www.economitech.com/2013/07/leap.html#more">Read more »</a>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-65221042283327492002013-04-17T17:29:00.001-04:002013-04-17T17:34:41.491-04:00What is next for the US wireless market?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are three major trends that will shape the US wireless market over the coming 12-24 months. </span><br>
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<a href="https://www.economitech.com/2013/04/Next.html#more">Read more »</a>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-3528885702992149772013-04-17T16:40:00.002-04:002013-04-17T16:40:57.580-04:00Dish eager to extract value from spectrum holdings concocts elaborate plan to buy Sprint<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dish Network Corp. recently launched an <a href="http://touch.latimes.com/#section/4/article/p2p-75437042/">unsolicited bid for Sprint</a> in the midst of the Sprint - Softbank merger. At the same time, Verizon <a href="http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/report-verizon-wants-buy-clearwires-spectrum/2013-04-15?">declared that they would be interested in purchasing spectrum</a> from Clearwire that would become part of the Sprint - Softbank merger.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Both of these offers are unlikely to prevail and it is very unclear wether they would deliver any benefits beyond Dish and Verizon. </span><br>
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<a href="https://www.economitech.com/2013/04/Dish.html#more">Read more »</a>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-80216084758557498652013-04-17T16:03:00.002-04:002013-04-17T17:22:12.264-04:00Justice Department nails it with FCC filing about spectrum auctions<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The US Department of Justice <a href="http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7022269624">recently filed a brief</a> with the FCC commenting on upcoming rules for spectrum auctions. The brief outlines <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57579433-38/justice-dept-to-fcc-give-small-carriers-a-chance-in-next-auction/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=title">reasons for why</a> ensuring low frequency spectrum access to smaller carriers (in this case Sprint and T-Mobile) would be good for the competitiveness of the US wireless market and by extension, the American consumer and society at large. </span><br>
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<a href="https://www.economitech.com/2013/04/JusticeDepartment.html#more">Read more »</a>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842357309481615356.post-17258381273271484092013-04-09T14:15:00.001-04:002013-04-09T14:15:32.137-04:00AT&T immediately matches Google Fiber offering in Austin<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It took only moments for <a href="http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=24032&cdvn=news&newsarticleid=36275&mapcode=consumer%7Cmk-att-wireless-networks&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AttAllCategoriesRssFeeds+%28AT%26T+All+Categories+RSS+Feeds%29">AT&T to react</a> to the <a href="http://googlefiberblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/google-fibers-next-stop-austin-texas_9.html">Google announcement</a> that they were <a href="http://www.dailywireless.org/2013/04/09/its-official-austin-gets-google-fiber/">deploying Google Fiber</a> in the Austin, TX market. Consumers, apparently competition works after all! This is what you can look forward to in the coming markets Google enters. </span><br>
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<a href="https://www.economitech.com/2013/04/GoogleFiberAustin.html#more">Read more »</a>Niklas Munckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082564179609290663noreply@blogger.com0