Verizon Pushes Faster (and Pricier) Fios Bundles


Verizon

But to get all that, chances are youll also pay more if you sign up now.
The monthly rates on Verizons two least expensive “triple play” bundles - for Internet, phone and TV services- are both up $10. The lower-tier bundle is now $109.99, while the middle-tier bundle costs new customers $119.99.
Theres actually a $10 drop for the top-level bundle, with the highest speeds, to $129.99.
Current customers keep the same prices and speeds.
Internet speeds on all the bundles are ramping up, especially for upload capacity - a feature Verizon says is in higher demand as people increasingly work from home and [...]

Comcast to Sell Marketing For Verizon Fios Tv


Verizon

Starting in the fall, Comcasts advertising sales division, Comcast Spotlight, will sell local and regional ads known as spot cable for Verizon.
The five-and-a-half-year deal covers ad sales in Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, Fort Wayne, Ind., Harrisburg, Pa., Pittsburgh, Portland, Ore., Richmond, Va., Seattle and Washington, D.C.
“Even as we and Verizon compete in other areas of our businesses, we both recognize the value of being partners in the advertising business,” said Steve Burke, Comcasts chief operating officer, in a statement.
While its not unusual for competitors to do business together - for example, satellite TV operators and phone companies pay fees to carry [...]

At&t, Verizon Unfairly Control Iphone, Blackberry, Adversary Says


Verizon

AT&T, Verizon, Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA Inc. are “conspiring to limit consumers choices among both wireless devices and plans,” Victor Meena, chief executive officer of Cellular South, said in a teleconference with reporters today.
Meena, whose company serves Mississippi and four other states, is among witnesses set to testify at a hearing today before the Senate Commerce Committee. Four U.S. senators asked the Federal Communications Commission on June 15 to see if exclusive arrangements unfairly restrict consumer choice.
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At&t to Purchase Territories From Verizon For $2.35b


Verizon

Verizon Wireless was forced to sell the service areas, which are spread over 18 states, to satisfy regulatory conditions of its purchase of Alltel Corp. The areas are mainly Alltel territories that overlap with Verizons own coverage, but also some Verizon territories and areas covered by Rural Cellular, another carrier Verizon bought last year.
Dallas-based AT&T, the countrys largest telecommunications company, was the expected winner of the auction for the assets.
AT&T is getting spectrum licenses, cell towers and 1.5 million subscribers in the deal. Since AT&T phones arent compatible with Alltel or Verizon phones, these subscribers will need new phones to [...]

At&t Snags Most Verizon Wireless Assets With $2.35 Billion Bid


Verizon

AT&T will pick up 1.5 million subscribers along with network assets and mobile licenses for 79 service regions in 18 states, Dallas-based AT&T said yesterday in a statement.
Verizon surpassed AT&T to become the biggest wireless carrier after it bought Alltel Corp. in January. Its dominance in more than 20 markets led the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to demand the asset auction.
“For Verizon, there just arent that many potential buyers out there,” said [...]

Verizon Shareholders to Vote On Executive Pay


Verizon

At Verizons annual meeting in Louisville, Ky., shareholders will decide whether they approve the pay package for the CEO and other top executives at the phone company.
Although the vote is merely advisory, and the company isnt obligated to do anything in response to a “no” vote, a rejection by shareholders would be an embarrassing slap on the wrist that could sway the board to action. Failure to heed shareholders will on pay could bring unwanted attention on the compensation and prompt calls to oust board members.
New York-based Verizon is one of 15 companies adopting their own provisions for letting shareholders [...]

Verizon 1st-qtr Profit, Profit Beat Expectations


Verizon

Verizon, which is the second-largest U.S. telecommunications provider, earned $3.21 billion, or 58 cents per share, compared with $3.05 billion, or 57 cents per share, a year ago.
Excluding charges related to its acquisition of Alltel, Verizon earned 63 cents per share - 4 cents higher than analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had expected.
Revenue rose almost 12 percent to $26.6 billion. That topped Wall Streets expectations of $26.3 billion in revenue.
Revenue from Verizon Wireless, which is a joint venture with Vodafone Group PLC of Britain, rose 30 percent to $15.1 billion.
During the quarter, Verizon Wireless added 1.3 million net customers - [...]

Hackers Grabbed More Than 285m Records In 2008


Verizon

The number comes from a study of 90 data breaches investigated by Verizon Communications Inc., which is hired to do a post-mortem on most big computer intrusions.
No victims are identified in the report. Many of the breaches arent even public. That can happen if law enforcement insists on secrecy because of an ongoing criminal investigation, or if personally identifiable information wasnt lost in the hack.
In many breaches, especially involving lost or stolen laptops, the records arent used for anything at all.
Verizons study looked only at breaches involving attacks that resulted in compromised records being used in a crime, like making [...]

Blackstone, Kkr, Carlyle Said to Make Bids For Verizon Assets


Verizon

Buyout firms KKR and Carlyle made a joint bid, said the people, who declined to be identified because the auction is private. AT&T, the second-biggest U.S. mobile-phone company, and U.S. Cellular Corp. also made offers, according to one of the people. The deadline for bids was last week.
The businesses for sale serve 2.1 million customers in more than 20 states and may fetch as much as $3.5 billion, said Hudson Square Researchs Todd Rethemeier. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is forcing Verizon to sell the assets [...]

Qwest May Have Trouble Luring Bids For Network, Analyst Says


Verizon

Qwest is exploring a possible sale, the Wall Street Journal reported today, listing AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. as potential acquirers. The network may fetch as much as $3 billion, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the matter.
The business, which carries data traffic across long distances for business and wholesale clients, has struggled to lure corporate customers away from larger AT&T and Verizon. Those two may shy away from bidding because of antitrust and financing concerns, King said.
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