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Sprint acquires Virgin Mobile USA for a cool $483m

by Joshua Topolsky posted Jul 28th 2009 @ 8:39AM

Remember Virgin Mobile? Sure you do -- not long ago the last-man-standing MVNO snapped up Helio, and seemed ready to take its place as one of the few boutique prepaid operations still... er, operating. Well that appears to be all but done and done, as Sprint has just announced a "definitive agreement" to purchase the company for $483 million worth of sweet, succulent stock (which looks to be right about what it was valued at to begin with). It looks like Sprint will pair the acquisition with its Boost Mobile brand, which till now was in direct competition with VM. It's not quite rival city, however, Virgin Mobile USA was launched as a joint venture with Sprint, and the MVNO glides on Dan Hesse's network as it is. Still, it does seem to be another indicator that the days of the MVNO are certainly on the wane, though Sprint now looks to own the space -- what little there is.

Nokia jumps out of thin air, acquires bit-side

by Darren Murph posted Jan 29th 2009 @ 12:17AM

Can't say we saw this one coming. Out of seemingly nowhere, Nokia has up and acquired a privately held Berlin-based professional services and software company with 39 employees. As part of the agreement, Nokia will take on "substantially all assets of bit-side GmbH," and for some unexplained reason, that move will enable Nokia to "strengthen and accelerate its mobile development for Nokia Maps." According to Michael Halbherr, vice president and head of social location at Nokia: "Acquiring bit-side enables Nokia to offer consumers the world-leading mobile location applications, such as Maps, along with routing and navigation at an accelerated speed." It's stated that bit-side will be wrapped into Nokia's Services unit, but honestly, we're still left mostly in the dark as to what this all means. Dark and inscrutable, just how we like it.

[Via MobilityUpdate]

Verizon Wireless closes Alltel acquisition, lays out path forward

by Darren Murph posted Jan 14th 2009 @ 9:20PM

Welp, that's that. But not really, because acquiring a company as big as Alltel and shoving it into a company as gigantic as Verizon Wireless simply can't be easy. To that end, VZW has issued a release that details the steps forward now that the deal itself is closed. For starters, Alltel employees below executive level will continue in their present jobs as Verizon Wireless assesses staffing needs, and Verizon intends to re-brand Alltel operations in retained markets (read: the ones not divested by force) in phases, beginning in the second quarter and continuing through the third quarter of 2009." As for Alltel subscribers, they won't need to take any action at this time, with everything in their current plan -- My Circle included -- remaining the same throughout the transition period. If you're interested in the rest (we're looking at you, loyal Alltel user), hop on down to the read link.

[Via phonescoop]

Nokia seals acquisition of Symbian Limited

by Darren Murph posted Dec 2nd 2008 @ 7:48AM

Yep, it's a done deal. On the same day Nokia chose to unveil its new flagship N97, the outfit also announced that it had "completed its offer to acquire software company Symbian Limited." As of now, "all conditions to Nokia's offer to acquire Symbian Limited have been satisfied and it has received valid acceptance of greater than 99.9% of the total Symbian shares that Nokia did not already own." Nokia's not saying much else about the changeover just yet, but we are told that every last Symbian employee is expected to wear a Nokia badge come February 1, 2009.

Vodafone voices intentions to keep stake in Verizon Wireless

by Darren Murph posted Nov 23rd 2008 @ 4:01PM

Earlier in the summer, some words from Verizon chief Ivan Seidenberg led us all to believe that he wanted his firm to take full control of Verizon Wireless. Now, Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao has made clear that his outfit had precisely zero plans to sell its 45% stake in VZW, though he did mention having an "open mind" about the future of said stake. Just in case that wasn't definitive enough for ya, he stressed that staying put was "the best thing" for Vodafone right now, and given just how many Storms are flying off of US shelves, we can't stand to disagree.

[Via mocoNews]

AT&T picks up Centennial Communications for $944 million

by Darren Murph posted Nov 8th 2008 @ 5:31AM

For those who stick to one coast or the other, you may have never even heard of Centennial Communications. Not to worry, though, as AT&T just made said company entirely more relevant. Shortly before heading out of the office on Friday, AT&T decided it fitting to acquire Centennial for a few bucks shy of a billion, or $944 million for those seeking precision. The transaction will beef up AT&T's coverage for customers in rural areas of the Midwest and Southeast United States, not to mention in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. As always, the acquisition must first pass regulatory approval, the approval of Centennial's stockholders and "other customary closing conditions" before the little guy's 1.1 million subscribers officially make the shift, but we certainly don't expect that to be an issue.

[Via The New York Times, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

FCC conditionally approves Verizon's Rural Cellular acquisition

by Darren Murph posted Aug 5th 2008 @ 9:26PM

Verizon Wireless announced its intentions to snap up Rural Cellular way back in July of last year, and as these things tend to go, it has taken a full 13 months for the FCC to green light the deal. Said agency has just issued a "conditional approval" for the acquisition, but it noted that one of the companies will be required to "sell licenses in six markets in order to improve competition." More specifically, the outfits will have to "shed licenses in several parts of Vermont, one area of New York state and two areas of Washington state." Nothing too earth-shattering, but it's good to see the books (almost) closed on this one.

[Via PhoneScoop]

Palm's 10-K filing reveals smaller acquisitions, reads like a mystery novel

by Darren Murph posted Jul 28th 2008 @ 7:27AM

So Palm, what exactly have you been up to lately? Besides pumping out that tired, ho hum 800w, of course. The snoopers over at monoNews went and dug through your latest 10-K filing, and it seems as if that noteworthy Elevation Partners deal wasn't the only agreement you were wrapped up in during the past little while. As a matter of fact, we're seeing that during February of 2007, you "acquired the assets of two sole proprietorships [at a cost of $19.2 million] focused on mobile computing and media devices, one a developer of user interface environments and the other a developer of email software applications." Oh, and in October of last year, you "acquired substantially all of the assets [for $500,000] of a corporation focused on developing solutions to enhance the performance of web applications." Curiously, you nonchalantly failed to mention any names, but it's pretty clear that those new pick-ups weren't utilized in the last 16 months or so.

[Via mocoNews, image courtesy of DayLife]

Microsoft picks up Musiwave for $50 million

by Darren Murph posted Nov 18th 2007 @ 3:04PM

Openwave systems can look forward to running a leaner operation starting now, as Microsoft has officially agreed to lift its Musiwave subsidiary off of its hands for a cool $50 million. Granted, only $46 million of that will actually hit Openwave's bank account, as the other $4 million will be debt that Microsoft will assume. Three days prior to this announcement, the two firms made known that they were in exclusive talks, and apparently, 72 hours was enough time for Redmond to pull the trigger. Reportedly, the purchase will give Microsoft access to valuable relationships with "music labels, device makers and mobile operators that deliver digital entertainment to consumers," but what exactly the firm plans to do with its new acquisition remains to be seen.

[Via mocoNews]

T-Mobile buying Suncom for $1.6 billion

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 17th 2007 @ 11:33AM

Well, we guess we can put aside any intermittent chatter of Deutsche Telekom losing interest in the US market (for the time being, anyway). The German conglomerate has announced that its US subsidiary, T-Mobile, is acquiring regional GSM carrier Suncom for some $1.6 billion plus $800 million in existing debt obligations. As the smallest national carrier in the country, T-Mobile's clearly looking to increase its footprint and flex some muscle here against its larger adversaries; if everything clears the usual regulatory hurdles, the two can expect to take on the world some time in the first half of 2008.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Microsoft exec rekindles iPhone rival rumors, gives Zune a B-

by Darren Murph posted Sep 5th 2007 @ 9:28AM

It's probably not shocking to anyone that the Zune hasn't exactly lived up to the high hopes Microsoft had for it, and at the recent Citigroup technology conference in New York, Mindy Mount -- corporate vice president and CFO of the firm's entertainment and device division -- noted that she'd "give it a B-," and also stated that it was a "solid effort for the first year." More intriguing, however, was her comments on the future of the Windows Mobile OS, and while she was tight-lipped in regard to RIM acquisition whispers, she did hint at the possibility of a tweaked system to compete with Apple's iPhone interface. Reportedly, Mount stated that Microsoft "identified [Windows] Mobile being more integrated with photos and music," and concluded by proclaiming that it was "a natural thing to have in its product roadmap." Of course, this corporate speak can't really be regarded as much more than just that at the moment, but feel free to make of it what you will.

[Via Zune-Online]
Read - Microsoft Exec Hints at iPhone Rival
Read - Microsoft exec: Zune gets a B-; Xbox profitability; Windows Mobile's future

Alltel sells out to investment firms for $27.5B

by Chris Ziegler posted May 21st 2007 @ 1:27AM

It's been no secret that Alltel's been courting suitors for a few months now, and someone's finally bit the bait to the tune of $27.5 billion. A pair of firms, TPG Capital and GS Capital Partners (of Goldman Sachs), have hooked up to make the deal happen by offering $71.50 in cold, hard cash for each of Alltel's shares, a fair premium over the $65.21 each share commanded as of market close on Friday. Assuming the deal clears the usual regulatory hurdles -- which we're guessing will be considerably lower, since Alltel's buyer isn't a fellow carrier -- it thinks it can get everything squared away by Q4 of this year or Q1 of 2008.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Palm selling this week?

by Chris Ziegler posted Mar 20th 2007 @ 12:01PM

Alright, Palm, your days of making incrementally improved, merely evolutionary Treos may finally be numbered. Or not, depending on how your new owner wants to roll, but either way, rumors have now gone from a simmer to a full boil that a Palm sale is imminent. Like, seriously imminent -- Morgan Stanley, which Palm hired to court suitors, allegedly wants to get a deal sealed by March 22. The company -- which rose to stardom as a division of USRobotics and 3Com and made a huge splash in the then-budding smartphone market -- is now a shadow of its former self thanks largely to a split which saw its software division ultimately getting bought by Japan's ACCESS. Be that as it may, word has it the sale should command $20 a share -- a healthy premium over Palm's recent pricing -- and at least four companies are rumored to have interest: Nokia (could we finally see that Symbian-powered Treo?), Motorola, and a pair of private investment firms. We wish you the best of luck, Palm; there's definitely a certain sentimental value associated with your name these days, and we hope your new owners do what it takes to get you back on the straight and narrow. Keep pluggin' away at that WiMAX handset!

China Mobile buys Paktel, begins quest for world domination

by Chris Ziegler posted Jan 29th 2007 @ 10:16PM

Vodafone might be the more globally recognizable mobile mega-conglomerate of the two, but if China Mobile has anything to say about it, that's all about to change. The world's largest carrier (Voda weighs in at number two) -- which has historically built its hefty subscriber base in its domestic market -- has made a bold move beyond Chinese borders by purchasing 88.9 percent of Pakistan's Paktel from Millicom International Cellular for a stiff $284 million in cash. Granted, Pakistan isn't any closer to home than China, but if this acquisition-happy philosophy eventually finds its way to the States and ends up scoring us an Amoi, we say "bring it on."

[Via The Wireless Report]

Sony Ericsson pwns UIQ (literally)

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 7th 2006 @ 1:17PM

When a single manufacturer accounts for an overwhelming majority of your license revenue, it stands to reason that said manufacturer might save a little dough in the long haul by acquiring you outright. And so it goes for the long, passionate relationship between UIQ and licensee Sony Ericsson; of the 13 handsets running the Symbian-based platform, nearly half -- six in all -- have been designed and produced by Sony Ericsson, with the remainder split between Motorola and Arima units that haven't seen been met with nearly as much publicity. The Swedish company, currently owned by Symbian itself, will be transferred to Sony Ericsson (pending clearance of the typical bureaucratic stuff, of course) for an undisclosed sum but will continue to operate as an independent entity with the current management team in place. Though UIQ promises that its platform will continue to be available "on equal terms to all its licensees," the move makes official what's been known for years: that UIQ is to Sony Ericsson what S60 is to Nokia, an interpretation of the Symbian smartphone operating system to call its own. Will UIQ ever match S60's popularity, particularly in the Symbian-friendly European market? Probably not, but with a committed partner now laying out the requisite cash, it does seem more likely than ever that UIQ's here to stay -- and as always, we're all about choice.

[Via All About Symbian]