Apparently Research In Motion
On that bit of promising(?) news, RIM's share price leapt more than 20% after the market closed. The reason: During the previous quarter, RIM's loss was much larger, at $518 million.
RIM investor optimism is based on the future release of the BlackBerry 10, the phone RIM hopes to be a worthy rival to Apple's
Department of hope springing eternal
Sprint Nextel
Maybe so, said one analyst. Such a statement a year ago would have defied credibility, Scott Dinsdale of KDP Investment Advisors told Bloomberg: "[I]t was hard to listen to them. ... You just held your nose and held the bonds. Now they've gotten to the point where you can see light at the end of the tunnel."
This little telecom lost its way
Remember that deal last year that went bust, the one that had AT&T
That's what T-Mobile COO Jim Alling confessed to the audience at the Competitive Carriers Association this week. But T-Mobile has had a change of heart and mission, according to Alling. "Every single customer matters," he humbly submitted in his keynote address. "That is the most import thing we have to rekindle."
T-Mobile has been steadily losing its subscriber base, posting a net loss of 205,000 in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, Crown Castle International will pay T-Mobile USA $2.4 billion for the rights to take control of 7,200 of the carrier's towers. The average lease term for the towers will run 28 years. After that time Crown Castle can own them for another $2.4 billion.
T-Mobile will need that cash to help it gather the funds it needs to bring its network up to 4G specs. CEO John Legere said in a statement that the carrier "is working aggressively to make our 4G network stronger, faster, and more dependable for consumers, and this transaction will support our ongoing $4 billion network modernization initiative."
Is it time yet?
Twitter CEO Dick Costolo told CNBC this week that the company isn't yet ready for an IPO. Having an initial public offering "is a decision we'll make when we think the time is right for us," he said.
What about selling the company?
Nope: "We'll be a successful, independent company."
Leapin' lizards!
Leap Wireless International
Moody's said it expects Leap to become "free cash flow positive" at the end of 2014.
iPhone fight! iPhone fight!
When trying to explain chaos theory, some people use the example of a butterfly whose flapping wings in China have an effect on the weather halfway around the world. In other words, the tiniest of actions can have a much greater result than can be predicted.
How about this turnaround on that theory: The demand for the new iPhone 5 has become so acute (5 million sold in its first weekend of availability) that a factory in China has erupted in violence.
How did my daughter's new iPhone do that?
It seems the longer hours needed to meet the Taiyuan-located Foxconn factory's quota for iPhones created enough tension to spark a brawl involving up to 2,000 workers and causing 40 injuries.
Controversy has surrounded Foxconn after a series of suicides by its workers since 2010. After Apple audited the working conditions at Foxconn last spring, the company promised to raise pay and shorten hours for its workers. But according to Geoffrey Crothall of the China Labour Bulletin, "There are no formal channels of communication or ways of resolving grievances through peaceful negotiation."
Remember, when it's time for that smartphone upgrade, that new iPhone may cause more havoc than just on your bill.
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