Isis finally launches mobile payments service in two cities

Salt Lake City – Salt Lake Temple
(Photo credit: Kwong Yee Cheng)

Reuters – Isis, formed by Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc and T-Mobile USA, is a mobile wallet service that allows consumers to make payments by waving their phone at a check-out terminal, instead of using a plastic card.

Starting on Monday (Oct 22) the company said the service was available in Austin, Texas, and Salt Lake City, Utah, with support for the service on nine different handset models.

The service will work on payment cards from American Express, Capital One as well as an Isis cash card. more> http://tinyurl.com/8pgbk32

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Deutsche Telekom to merge U.S. ops with MetroPCS

Reuters – Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE) and MetroPCS agreed to merge their operations in the United States, leading to an impairment charge of at least 7 billion euros ($9 billion) for Telekom in a move that might allow the company to exit the U.S. wireless market.

Deutsche Telekom will hold 74 percent and MetroPCS 26 percent in the combined entity. more> http://tinyurl.com/8qb99pd

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Rivals seek delay of Verizon cable deal review

1980s Dodge Ram Van Verizon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Jasmin Melvin – Sprint Nextel Corp (S.N), DirecTV (DTV.O) and others asked U.S. communications regulators on Tuesday to suspend their 180-day clock for reviewing proposed multi-billion dollar airwaves deals between Verizon Wireless and several cable operators.

The Federal Communications Commission is on the 96th day of its review of Verizon Wireless’s plan to buy about $3.9 billion worth of wireless airwaves from cable companies including Comcast Corp (CMCSA.O) and Time Warner Cable Inc (TWC.N).

The cable operators would be allowed to resell Verizon’s mobile service as part of the deals. Verizon Wireless is a venture of Verizon Communications (VZ.N) and Vodafone Group Plc (VOD.L).

Verizon rivals Sprint, Deutsche Telekom AG‘s (DTEGn.DE) T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS Communications (PCS.N), have 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. more> http://is.gd/n1dCHe

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Throttled iPhone user takes AT&T to court, wins $850

By Josh Lowensohn – A man who became dissatisfied with AT&T throttling data speeds on his iPhone has won a case against the carrier in small claims court.

The Associated Press reports that iPhone owner Matt Spaccarelli, who filed a complaint against AT&T after it began slowing down his data speeds, was awarded $850 earlier today.

Spaccarelli made the claim that AT&T purposely slowed down data speeds, despite the fact that he was subscribed to an “unlimited data” plan. This slowdown came after he had used 1.5GB to 2GB of data inside of one billing cycle, he told the court. more> http://is.gd/MYE3rw

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AT&T reports $6.7 billion loss on hefty charges, iPhone costs

By Sinead Carew – AT&T Inc posted a $6.7 billion quarterly loss as it was weighed down by a hefty break-up fee for its failed T-Mobile USA merger and other big charges on top of costly subsidies for smartphones.

AT&T’s wireless service margin fell to 28.7 percent, based on earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, from 43.7 percent in the third quarter and 37.6 percent a year earlier, missing already low analysts’ expectations. more> http://tinyurl.com/72zy3h4

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