Business Blog

(AP) T-Mobile USA has closed its deal to acquire smaller rival MetroPCS. The combined company, called T-Mobile US, began trading on the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday under the ticker symbol “TMUS.” T-Mobile, the country’s fourth-largest cellphone carrier, is adding 9 million MetroPCS customers to its own 34 million. The combined company still lags No. 3 [...]

Mike Beauchamp wants mega-telecom Verizon to get rid of contracts for their wireless services. The freelance blogger and self-described techie has started an online petition at Change.org claiming that Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam, “has already expressed his willingness to do away with” wireless service contracts. Beauchamp writes: Getting rid of carrier contracts is a win for [...]

It may turn heads and pique curiosity for passers-by, but most Jackson-area residents know the Washington Monument replica on Interstate 55 in Ridgeland is simply a disguise for a cell phone tower. But when the split-diamond Madison Avenue interchange is complete in 2014, the monument will take on a new identity – it will become [...]

AT&T, the nation’s largest 4G network, has turned on its 4G LTE network in Jackson, according to a news release from the company. The Dallas-based telecommunications giant says the new service will bring customers the latest generation of wireless network technology including faster speeds, new devices and spectrum efficiency. “LTE technology is capable of delivering [...]

It didn’t take long for Mississippi wireless carriers to announce their planned retail release of the new Apple iPhone 5. National providers AT&T, Verizon and Sprint are prepping displays and readying for presales ahead of a September 21 release. Customers for prepaid carrier Cricket and Ridgeland-based C Spire Wireless will have to wait an extra [...]

As Hurricane Isaac slowly approaches the Mississippi and Louisiana coastlines, Mississippi telecom carriers are gearing up to keep their networks online and in service. Verizon Wireless said in a release this morning that last year’s $39 million network investment in south Mississippi would strengthen and enhance its coverage and service in the event of severe storms. AT&T said [...]

Verizon Communications Inc., one of the country’s largest wireless carriers, says it will lay off more than 1,700 employees through a buyout plan. The company is struggling with its declining traditional telephone business. Read more here.

AT&T representatives announced this morning that Mississippi is getting a $53 million investment from the telecom giant following recent reforms made to the Federal Communications Commission’s Universal Service Fund. In a release, AT&T says that most of the investment will go towards more broadband development for their customers especially in rural parts of the state. [...]

The market fallout from C Spire’s iPhone deal and how that will affect its competitors, large and small, remains to be seen. Stocks for Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile closed at a loss the same day the partnership was announced. AT&T and Sprint representatives had no comment on the deal at press time. Verizon Wireless spokeswoman [...]