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Verizon plans price hikes for Fios, wireless users

On the wireless side of the business, Verizon will soon move customers off its unlimited data plans and force all customers onto 4G LTE “share plans.” These plans will allow users to share their data with other people on their plans or to connect multiple devices to their account, such as iPads and other Internet-enabled devices. And eventually, Shammo theorized this move will lead to more consumption, and thus more money in Verizon’s pockets.

“I think revenue ARPU [average revenue per user] will continue to grow as we get into data share plans and people start to connect more devices [on the network],” he said, according to the transcript of the event. “As they add more devices, they are going to have to buy up into tiers. So again, you will see the revenue increase there.”

In terms of Fios, Shammo said that the company is already winning about 50 percent of the available market in some areas. And even though he said that the paid TV and broadband markets are competitive, he believes the company doesn’t have to be so aggressive in its pricing to continue to win new customers.

“I think you’re seeing a little bit of pullback on those promotional-type items and the aggressiveness that we have in the marketplace,” he said. He went onto say that strong customer satisfaction for the Fios TV product means that the company can charge more for the service.

“Given the Consumer Reports article and the Consumer Index article, I think we can be less aggressive,” he said. “Word-of-mouth is the best advertising we can get.”

What this means is that sweet deals once offered by Verizon to new subscribers that undercut cable competitors will likely go away. Existing Fios customers can also expect price increases when they renew their contracts.

“You’ll see us do some price increases here over the next two quarters to offset the content increase,” Shammo said. “And that will also contribute more profitability to the bottom line…We are switching around our bundles and the customers that are coming out of the current bundles will be priced up to the newer bundles. So you are going to see really a shift over the next two to three quarters in price-ups coming out of FiOS.”

Shammo said that the company will increase fees on rental charges for set-top boxes and digital converters.

Verizon’s price hikes and plans to bump up consumer spending for wireless services may not sit well with consumers. Still, Shammo said he doesn’t expect these changes to drive consumers toward its competitors. He pointed the company’s recent move to charge a $30 upgrade fee to wireless subscribers who want to buy a new smartphone when their contracts are up for renewal. This new fee is to help offset the cost of the subsidy that Verizon pays for every new smartphone it sells to subscribers. Shammo said that the company has not seen “any impact from a customer base from that fee. So that was the right thing to do.”

Article source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57435906-94/verizon-plans-price-hikes-for-fios-wireless-users/

Verizon Wireless to end unlimited data plan

Fran Shammo, CFO of Verizon Communications, which owns a controlling share of Verizon Wireless, first revealed the change Wednesday at an industry conference and it was first reported by Fierce Wireless, an online publication.

Verizon is expanding the latest generation of its wireless network, called 4G LTE. Customers wanting to upgrade phones from their current 3G data plan to use 4G LTE will be required to sign on to Verizon’s new data-share plan to be introduced this summer, Shammo said.

The data-share plan, whose pricing hasn’t been announced, will provide a limited bucket of data that can be shared among family members or devices.

“As you upgrade in the future, you will have to go onto the data-share plan,” Shammo said. “A lot of our 3G base is unlimited. As they start to migrate into 4G, they will have to … go into the data-share plan. And that is beneficial for us.”

Verizon dropped its $30-a-month unlimited data plan last July for new customers. But it let existing subscribers keep their unlimited data plans, even after their contracts expired or they upgraded to 4G LTE devices.

For a limited time, they still will be able to do that, at least through the new contract. Verizon wouldn’t specify when the change for current customers will kick in. Until then, spokeswoman Brenda Raney said, nothing changes. “Unless Verizon releases more details about this, there could be some customers who might go ahead and try to lock in their current unlimited plan while upgrading to a new phone,” says Roger Entner, analyst at Recon Analytics.

Still, the move is sure to draw the ire of “grandfathered” customers who remained loyal to Verizon to keep their unlimited data plans, says Ross Rubin, an analyst at tech research firm NPD Connected Intelligence.

Because the new LTE network is faster, it likely will drive subscribers to consume more data. Verizon’s plan to herd all users into pay-as-you-go plans reflects its efforts to generate more revenue to pay for its new network, Rubin says. “They used the 3G network to prime the pump for data consumption.”

Sprint and T-Mobile offer unlimited data plans. T-Mobile slows data transmission after 2 gigabytes for users with its basic unlimited plan.

Article source: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/telecom/story/2012-05-16/verizon-wireless-unlimited-data/55028254/1

Verizon ending unlimited data plans, upsets customers on Twitter

A Verizon official announced the company will begin forcing users with grandfathered-in unlimited data plans to choose data share plans when they migrate to the company’s 4G network.

With 3G no longer the fastest option, users are expected to migrate to Verizon’s 4G LTE network, and as they do, they will be forced to give up their unlimited plans for Verizon’s tiered data plans, said Fran Shammo, chief financial officer for Verizon Communications, Wednesday at the JPMorgan Technology, Media and Telecom conference.

“As you come through an upgrade cycle and you upgrade in the future, you will have to go onto the data share plan,” Shammo said, according to a transcript available online from Verizon. “And moving away from, if you will, the unlimited world and moving everybody into a tiered structure data share-type plan.”

But the announcement has not been well-received by Verizon customers on Twitter, who have immediately begun expressing their disappointment.

At least one user tweeted Verizon would be losing his business and another user said, “Soo Verizon is going to punish us long time customers for upgrading to a 4G LTE device by taking away our unlimited data plans? :(“

The announcement is the latest move by the communications industry to step away from unlimited data plans and shift to tiered data plans.

Verizon stopped selling unlimited data plans to new users last summer after ATT stopped selling its unlimited plan in 2010. With T-Mobile’s unlimited data plan that slows down users’ data after 2GBs of usage, Sprint is the only company that still offers a true unlimited data plan.

Verizon’s shared data plans, which the company has said will roll out around mid-summer, according to CNET, will allow Verizon customers to share data within family plans and over multiple devices.

“A lot of our 3G base is unlimited. As they start to migrate into 4G, they will have to come off of unlimited
and go into the data share plan,” Shammo said. “And that is beneficial for us for many reasons, obviously.”

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Article source: http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-verizon-ending-unlimited-data-plan-20120516,0,372189.story

PIAA District 11 boys and girls lacrosse playoff picture at a glance

View full sizeExpress-Times Photo | JIM MIDDLEKAUFFCourtney Lonesky, left, and Easton make their second appearance in the district playoffs this year. Sarah Kazmierski and Emmaus are looking to defend their district crown.The Lehigh Valley Conference finished its lacrosse championships on Monday before the heavy rain forced officials to change the games to water polo matches.

So, that means the District 11 tournaments are set to begin Thursday.

In the girls bracket, Southern Lehigh’s reward for running over most of the LVC during the regular season is a No. 4 seed and a matchup against fifth-seeded Easton (8-8) in a play-in game 4 p.m. Thursday.

It’s not much of a reward for the Spartans (12-4), who defeated the Red Rovers 15-6 in their first meeting.

Nazareth (13-7) secured the top seed by defeating Emmaus in the conference title game. The Blue Eagles play the Easton/Southern Lehigh winner in the semifinals 7:30 p.m. next Wednesday at Emmaus High School.

The Green Hornets (15-5) play Parkland (14-5) at 5:30 p.m. in the other semifinal.

The District 11 girls title game will be held 5 p.m. May 25 at Emmaus.

The boys tournament is comprised exclusively of LVC competitors, with No. 4 Parkland (10-7) and No. 5 Easton (8-10) meeting 7 p.m. Thursday at Orefield Middle School in the opening play-in game. The Trojans swept the Red Rovers in two games during the regular season.

Top-seeded Emmaus takes on the Parkland/Easton victor 7 p.m. May 23 at J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown.

No. 2 Central Catholic (12-6) meets No. 3 Nazareth (13-6) for the fourth time this season in the other semifinal at 5 p.m. The Vikings defeated the Blue Eagles two times in the regular season before being upset 10-5 in the semifinals of the conference tournament.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:

Name: Anthony Raposo

School: Voorhees High School

Class: Senior

Position: Midfielder

Statistics: Raposo, along with his twin brother Zack, guided the Vikings to the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex title game with a big statistical week. Anthony tallied 16 points in three games, highlighted by seven points (two goals, five assists) in a win over High Point and six points (four goals, two assists) in a victory over Pope John.

Honorable mention: Sr. MF Zack Raposo, Voorhees; Sr. ATT Josh Janssen, Delaware Valley; Jr. ATT Hank Joyce, North Hunterdon; So. G Kevin Hoffman, Nazareth; Sr. MF Kat Francis, Voorhees; Sr. MF Lauren Nunes, Phillipsburg; So. MF Julia Wood, North Hunterdon; Sr. MF Kaity Wiltraut, Nazareth; Sr. ATT Lindsay Hughes, Delaware Valley; Sr. ATT Monica Perla, Easton.

The boys final is scheduled for 7 p.m. May 25 at Emmaus.

Voorhees vs. Goliath

With a 10-9 victory over rival North Hunterdon on Monday, the Voorhees boys lacrosse team advanced to the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex final against Hunterdon Central. The Vikings (12-3) face the Red Devils (14-2) at 6 tonight at Hunterdon Central.

Central has won all four county tournament championships. This year, the Red Devils have trounced both of their H/W/S opponents (North Warren and Vernon) by 14 goals apiece.

The Vikings have been powered by twin brothers Anthony and Zack Raposo, both Express-Times All-Area first teamers, who have a combined 32 points in Voorhees’ three county games.

Voorhees enters the final on a six-game win streak. Central has won its last seven.

Vath hits 200

Delaware Valley junior midfielder Kristen Vath has reached another career milestone, scoring her 200th goal in a win over Warren Hills on Thursday.

Vath, a two-time Express-Times All-Area first team choice who notched her 100th goal in a win over Voorhees last season, is averaging 4.6 goals per game for the Terriers (17-1).

Article source: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/05/the_district_11_boys_and_girls.html

Despite dangers, U.S. teens still text and drive: poll

NEW YORK — Virtually all teenagers agree that texting while driving is dangerous but nearly half admit they have done it anyway, according to a new nationwide survey released on Monday.

Three-quarters of teenagers also said in an online poll that texting while driving was common among their friends, and reported that their parents text at nearly the same rate as they do while driving.

The poll, conducted by an independent research firm for ATT, was the second survey in a week to show teens agree that text messaging while driving was dangerous, even as many admit to doing it.

Consumer Reports said last week its survey showed that while eight in 10 said they knew the risks, some 29 percent of drivers aged 16 to 21 had text messaged while driving in the past month.

With texting as teens’ main mode of communication, at an average rate of more than 3,400 per month according to Nielsen research, the implications are alarming, said Andrea Brands, ATT’s director of consumer safety and education.

“We know that underreporting is always an issue, and even so we’re seeing staggeringly high numbers of teens who admit to texting and driving,” Brands said.

Some 97 percent of the 1,200 teens surveyed said texting while driving was dangerous, with about two-thirds saying it was very dangerous. Yet 43 percent said they had done so in the past three months.

Compounding the issue was the finding of what teens thought constituted texting while driving.

“The findings indicate reading a text is somehow (seen as) less dangerous than typing a text,” she said.

Sixty-one percent of teens said they glanced at their phone while driving in the past three months.

Some 41 percent also said they had seen parents driving and texting in recent months. Seventy seven percent agreed with the statement that adults text while driving “all the time.”

Brands said that findings have helped the company respond with an its ‘It Can Wait’ initiatives. One aspect is a 30-city tour of a texting-while-driving simulator which was launched, mainly in schools last week. A computerized car allows users to text and drive virtually, providing a realistic look at what can happen.

The survey showed that 89 percent of teens expect a reply to emails or text messages right away, or within five minutes.

Other findings included higher texting rate among Hispanic drivers, both teens and parents, versus Caucasian or African-American drivers. The full results can be found at att.com/itcanwait.

According to the U.S. National Highway traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), some 3,092 people were killed in 2010 in “distracted-affected crashes,” or 9.4 percent of road deaths.

A NHTSA survey this year found that drivers 18-to-20 showed the highest level of phone involvement in crashes or near-crashes, with drivers that age three times more likely to read or send emails or texts while driving, than those 25 and older.

Thirty-seven of the 50 U.S. states have banned using mobile device keyboards while driving and 10 states have outlawed the use of handheld phones.

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

Article source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47416857/ns/technology_and_science-wireless/t/despite-dangers-us-teens-still-text-drive-poll/

Verizon Jetpack MiFi 4620L mobile hot-spot review: It’s a Rocketeer

Even when used with the included double-capacity battery, the MiFi 4620L mobile router is still very compact.

(Credit:
Dong Ngo/CNET)

I can’t count anymore how many mobile routers I have reviewed, but that also means that I know the Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi 4620L by Novatel Wireless is different.

And it’s not because of its crazy long name. Instead, it’s partly because of its craz,y long battery life. The router is the first I’ve seen that comes with two batteries. The standard one offers about 5.5 hours of continuous usage on a charge, and the second one offers about twice that. Combine the two, you have about two days’ worth of charge, if you only use it during working hours that is.

Chances are, however, that you will use it all the time since it also offers one of the fastest 4G connection speeds I’ve seen. Throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, I was able to consistently get a solid 4G signal and download speeds of around 10Mbps, and upload speeds of around 9Mbps. That’s comparable to, if not faster than, many high-end home broadband services.

Unfortunately, you won’t be able to use the router as much as you want since it comes with two expensive and limited data plans of $50 and $80 per month with data caps of just 5GB and 10GB, respectively. After that, you’d have to pay another $10 per gigabyte. Not a very good deal.

The router itself, however, is quite reasonable if you’re willing to sign up for a two-year contract. In this case it costs just around $50. If you’re not, it will cost around $260.

For more information on how this new, compact router will make a great travel companion, check out the full review of the Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi 4620L by Novatel Wireless.

Article source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57435054-1/verizon-jetpack-mifi-4620l-mobile-hot-spot-review-its-a-rocketeer/

Verizon Again Named to Working Mother Magazine List of Best Companies for Multicultural Women

NEW YORK, May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Verizon has been ranked No. 10 on Working Mother magazine’s 2012 list of Best Companies for Multicultural Women. This is the seventh consecutive year Verizon has earned placement on the list, which this year recognizes 25 companies dedicated to promoting advancement of multicultural women within their organizations. Last year, Verizon ranked No. 11.

Overall, women make up more than 40 percent of Verizon’s U.S. workforce and 29 percent of senior management (vice president and above). Multicultural women make up 18 percent of Verizon’s U.S.-based workforce, and in 2010 constituted 21 percent of all new hires.

Verizon has several leadership development programs to help retain and advance multicultural talent throughout the corporation. For example, the Diversity Leadership Institute, a multicultural diversity and leadership symposium for high-potential talent, has been proven to help retain participants more effectively, compared with their nonparticipating peers. Last year, this program was expanded to have a more global focus and was renamed the Global Leadership Institute.

Two other programs, My Backfill and Insights for success, specifically focus on the development and advancement of multicultural women by identifying, tracking and promoting high-potential managers.

Another program, REALIZE, focuses on both men and women. Forty-two percent of the program’s participants who gained director-level promotions were women and 18 percent were women of color.

“Verizon is committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where we celebrate what is unique and common among employees so that each person is free to unleash his or her authentic perspectives,” said Magda Yrizarry, Verizon’s chief talent and diversity officer. “It is this diversity of people and ideas that helps drive relevant customer solutions, innovation and our success. We are honored to have Working Mother magazine recognize this commitment for the seventh consecutive year.”

To be considered for the list of Best Companies for Multicultural Women, each company provided Working Mother with 2010 data about the hiring, pay and promotion of multicultural employees as well as benefits and programs targeted at that specific demographic.

The recognition from Working Mother is the latest in a number of awards and recognitions Verizon has received this year for its efforts to create an inclusive and effective workforce.

The National Association of Female Executives named Verizon to its NAFE Top 50 Companies and 10 Nonprofits for Executive Women list. Training Magazine ranked Verizon No. 1 on the publication’s Top 125 list of the companies with the best training programs for its employees. DiversityInc named Verizon to the magazine’s list of Top 50 Companies for Diversity. And most recently, Verizon’s military recruiting efforts were recognized by Military Times EDGE and CivillianJobs.com.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America’s most reliable wireless network, with 93 million retail customers nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America’s most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500.  A Dow 30 company with $111 billion in 2011 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of nearly 192,000.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

VERIZON’S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high-quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon’s News Center on the World Wide Web at www.verizon.com/news.  To receive news releases by email, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/verizon-again-named-working-mother-155100665.html

FCC seeks details on Verizon spectrum sale offer

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Communications Commission asked Verizon Wireless for more details on its offer to sell some wireless spectrum on the condition that the company’s purchase of another set of airwaves is approved by regulators.

Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group Plc, said April 18 that it would sell spectrum depending on the outcome of the FCC’s pending review of its plan to pay about $3.9 billion for spectrum owned by cable operators.

The FCC said on Tuesday it needed more information on the link between both deals by May 22. It also asked Verizon Wireless for details of any efforts it made to use the spectrum it wants to sell.

The licenses Verizon Wireless bought in a 2008 FCC auction came with buildout requirements, and the FCC noted that Verizon Wireless had yet to deploy service using the spectrum.

Verizon executive Tom Tauke said last month that the looming June 2013 deadline to build out a portion of its licenses prompted the decision to sell the A and B spectrum licenses in the 700 Megahertz (MHz) frequency band.

He added that the airwaves from the cable operators were more compatible with Verizon’s current spectrum holdings than the A and B block spectrum. Selling them now, he said, would give potential buyers more time to meet the buildout requirements and was not related to the proposed multibillion-dollar airwave deals with cable operators.

The company declined to comment on Tuesday’s FCC inquiry.

Verizon Wireless, the largest U.S. carrier, announced plans in December to pay Comcast Corp and Time Warner Cable Inc $3.6 billion in a spectrum and marketing deal.

A similar deal with privately held cable operator Cox Communications, worth $315 million was reached later that month.

Verizon rivals Sprint Nextel, MetroPCS Communications and Deutsche Telekom AG’s T-Mobile USA, all complained to the FCC about the bigger company’s cable deal on concerns that it would give too much market power to the already dominant company.

Others have said the deals would create allies out of former rivals, to the detriment of consumers.

marketing agreements accompanying the spectrum sale would create a joint entity and allow the cable operators to resell Verizon’s mobile service as part of the deals.

(Reporting by Sinead Carew and Jasmin Melvin in Washington; editing by M.D. Golan)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

Article source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47437258

Baton Rouge, LA seeing AT&T 4G LTE?

ATT confirmed this past weekend that Baton Rouge would be getting 4G LTE, but didn’t bother to offer a time frame other than “soon.” We’ve gotten a couple of independent reports that the network is live today, though we haven’t been able to find much more than that. It’s strange that ATT would launch the network in that market without an announcement so we assume they’re just testing the network and allowing anyone who notices to hop on.

It’s not unlike what usually happens with Verizon’s rollouts as users sometimes report coverage up to a week in advance of Verizon’s official launch date. There are quite a few of you with ATT LTE phones now so if you’re in the Baton Rouge area and you have a phone that can take advantage of LTE, be sure to check to see if you can connect. Let us know in the comments section below if you can or can’t. [Thanks Spoosh!]

Article source: http://phandroid.com/2012/05/15/baton-rouge-la-seeing-att-4g-lte/

Months After Failed AT&T Merger, T-Mobile Champions Competitive Balance

Given its very recent attempts to merge with ATT, you would think T-Mobile wouldn’t be a vocal proponent of maintaining competitive balance in the wireless industry.

The reality, however, is that T-Mobile has had no issues repositioning itself as a champion of small carriers everywhere in its vocal opposition to Verizon’s proposed deal to purchase spectrum from several major cable companies. During a conference call held by the newly formed Alliance for Broadband Competition Monday, T-Mobile Regulatory Affairs Vice President Kathleen Ham said that her company is opposed to Verizon’s prospective spectrum acquisition because of the impact it will have on consumers.

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“Our principle opposition comes down to the public interest,” she said during the call. “It will lead to excessive concentration of spectrum in the hands of the nation’s largest carrier.”

Ham went on to say that Verizon’s acquisition of the spectrum would block competitors from getting the spectrum they needed to launch their own LTE offerings and also criticized Verizon for sitting on a significant chunk of LTE-capable spectrum that could be used to enhance its current mobile broadband services. She also questioned why Verizon would already need more spectrum for LTE when only 9% of its subscribers are using the network and when the company isn’t even close to hitting capacity on its LTE services.

To further emphasize Ham’s arguments, T-Mobile released a statement outlining its core objections to the proposed deal, especially emphasizing that the company believes the deal to be “against the public interest.”

T-Mobile’s opposition to the proposed Verizon deal comes on the heels of its recent acquisition of 7MHz of spectrum that it received from ATT as compensation for the failed merger between the two carriers. With the new spectrum in tow, T-Mobile at last has enough to build out its own nationwide LTE network using the 1710MHz-1755MHz band for the uplink and 2110MHz-2155MHz band for the downlink. T-Mobile has said that it will launch its own LTE services next year.

Verizon’s plan to buy AWS spectrum has been controversial ever since the company announced late last year that it planned to purchase 122 AWS licenses from Comcast, Time Warner and Bright House for $3.6 billion. The company subsequently worked out a deal with Cox to purchase 20MHz on the AWS band for $315 million. The deal has attracted the attention of both lawmakers and government regulators as the FCC has asked Verizon to deliver a wide range of information on its spectrum holdings and its plans for the spectrum it wants to acquire from the cable companies. Among other things, the letter asked Verizon to detail why spectrum in the prized lower 700MHz band was not suitable for expanding out LTE at a nationwide level; whether the company had considered repurposing spectrum currently used for other services; to provide all analyses about how Verizon would use the companies’ spectrum for its LTE services and to detail the cost impacts of adding the spectrum to its LTE portfolio; and to provide a timeline of all talks between Verizon and the cable companies leading up to their proposed spectrum deal.

Brad Reed covers Google, wireless carriers and mobile applications for Network World. Be sure to check out Google Reed-er, a blog filled with his ramblings on Google and whatever else he feels like discussing. Follow him on Twitter at @bwreednww.

Read more about anti-malware in Network World’s Anti-malware section.

Article source: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/255588/months_after_failed_atandt_merger_tmobile_champions_competitive_balance.html