SPRINT DISABLES CARRIER IQ ON ALL PHONES, STOPS COLLECTING DATA

Sprint on Friday confirmed that it has disabled Carrier IQ on its servers and it is no longer actively using the software to collect diagnostic data. ”We have weighed customer concerns and we have disabled use of the tool so that diagnostic information and data is no longer being collected,” a Sprint spokesperson told Mobile Burn. “We are further evaluating options regarding this diagnostic software as well as Sprint’s diagnostic needs.” Sprint revealed in a letter to Senator Al Franken earlier this week that Carrier IQ is currently installed on approximately 26 million Sprint smartphones. Reports from earlier on Friday suggested that Sprint has already begun notifying its vendor partners to remove Carrier IQ software from their handsets, but Sprint did not directly address those claims.

AT&T RANKS WORST CARRIER IN CUSTOMER SATISFACTION FOR SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR

AT&T has again received the lowest rating in Consumer Reports’ annual wireless carrier customer satisfaction survey. Verizon Wireless won the top spot and its customers were most satisfied with its data service and staff knowledge. Verizon was followed by Sprint and T-Mobile USA. “Our survey indicates that subscribers to prepaid and smaller standard-service providers are happiest overall with their cell-phone service,” Consumer Reports electronics editor Paul Reynolds said. “However, these carriers aren’t for everyone. Some are only regional, and prepaid carriers tend to offer few or no smart phones. The major carriers are still leading options for many consumers, and we found they ranged widely in how well they satisfied their customers.” Consumer Reports surveyed 66,000 of its subscribers and included standard and no-contract wireless customers across 22 metropolitan areas.

REPUBLIC WIRELESS LAUNCHES WITH $19 "UNLIMITED" PLAN

Republic Wireless went live on Tuesday with its impossibly cheap $19 unlimited talk, text and data plan, presenting a service that could potentially save some users a tremendous amount of money each month. “Newsflash: anything a cell network can do, the Internet can do better and cheaper,” Republic Wireless touts on its website. “So we think a truly smart smartphone should make a habit of using Wi-Fi for everything. Surfing. Texting. Sharing. And, yes, even talking.” Read on for more.

Thanks to software technology that offloads voice calling and SMS to Wi-Fi networks whenever possible, Republic Wireless uses Sprint’s cellular network only when Wi-Fi service is not available. When Wi-Fi connections are available, it uses UMA to pipe communications over the Internet.

Unfortunately, the term “unlimited” is apparently entirely unregulated in the wireless space, and Republic Wireless uses the term rather loosely. The carrier employs what it refers to as a “fair use threshold” that defines average monthly cellular service usage. Should a subscriber’s monthly usage regularly exceed that threshold by a significant amount, Republic Wireless will give said subscriber the boot.

“How much cellular usage is too much? It depends,” the carrier explains on its website. “Even assuming 0% wifi usage, for example, you could consume 550 minutes, send 150 texts, and download 300 megabytes of data without crossing the community’s fair use threshold. Everyone’s usage patterns will be different, but we’re confident you’ll be amazed at how little cellular you actually use when you have a phone that makes it easy to leverage the power of your Wi-Fi networks.”

The carrier’s FAQ continues,”What happens if I use more than the suggested guideline? First, you’ll be reminded of the guidelines and to what extent you’ve crossed the fair use threshold. We’ll provide you with tips for reducing your cellular footprint and plenty of opportunity to get back on track. When we contact you about your usage, we’ll let you know how much time you have to correct your problem.” If the problem isn’t corrected within the timeline specified, a subscriber’s service will be terminated.

Republic Wireless currently offers one smartphone, the Android Gingerbread-powered LG Optimus S, for $199.99 contract-free. The carrier has a “beta” label slapped on its service for the time being so outages may be an issue, and subscribers must establish at least one Wi-Fi connection before service can commence.

iPHONE IS 50% MORE NETWORK EFFICIENT THAN ANDROID SAYS SPRINT

During the company’s earnings call on Wednesday, Sprint’s CEO Dan Hesse said the iPhone is more than 50% more efficient on Sprint’s network than Android devices. “iPhone users are expected to use significantly less 3G data than the typical user of a dual-mode 3G/4G device,” Hesse added, noting that his company has found that iPhone applications take better advantage of offloading data onto Wi-Fi networks and that Android apps are “more chatty” with its network. “If Sprint’s claims are true, this could become a new key differentiator in Apple’s relationship with the operators that subsidize its phones versus Apple’s competitors HTC, Samsung [and] Motorola,” BTIG Research analyst Walter Piecyk explained, noting that Sprint’s report is “short on evidence” and that his firm will continue to test those claims.

SPRINT CLEARWIRE IN TALKS TO EXTEND NETWORK SHARING PARTNERSHIP

Sprint and Clearwire are negotiating a network-sharing contract that will last beyond 2012, Bloomberg recently reported, noting a 29% surge in Clearwire’s stock price earlier Wednesday. CEO Dan Hesse explained on a conference call that Sprint could take advantage of Clearwire’s network in an effort to balance traffic on its planned 4G LTE network. While Sprint is “making very good progress on the technical front with Clearwire,” a deal is not yet final or definite. Sprint announced earlier this month that it plans to accelerate its 4G LTE roll-out and will launch its first markets by the middle of next year. The project is expected to be fully completed in 2013. Sprint’s move to LTE had originally suggested that its WiMAX relationship with Clearwire was coming to an end, but it appears that is no longer the case. Like Sprint, Clearwire has also said it will deploy a 4G LTE network if it can find the money. Most recently the carrier was courting AT&T and Verizon in an effort to bring in enough cash for the roll-out, which it expects to cost $600 million.

SPRINT DUMPING UNLIMITED HOTSPOT PLAN

We'd heard rumblings that unlimited data for Sprint's mobile hotspot plan was going the way of the dodo, but come November folks, it'll be official. Data sent and received over tethering -- not smartphone usage -- will now be measured against a 5GB cap. The same applies to mobile broadband subscribers, who will lose "unlimited" WiMax, instead having all their bits counting towards 3GB, 5GB or 10GB buckets (as seen above). Going over your allotment in either plan naturally incurs overages, which could get pricey at 5 cents per MB, and worst of all, existing unlimited plans won't be grandfathered in.

GOOGLE VOICE WITH MMS ROLLING OUT SLOWLY

If you use Google Voice in place of your carrier’s text messaging, you’ve probably noticed that it’s missing MMS capabilities. You can text back and forth to your heart’s content, but receiving or sending pics or videos isn’t an option. Well, soon you’ll be able to say it wasn’t an option, as Google is (gradually) rolling out MMS support for GV users.

Before you get too excited, the only MMS messages that can currently be received are those coming from Sprint users. Note that Sprint needs to be the sender’s carrier, not yours. In its current state, any MMS received from Sprint users will be forwarded to your email inbox, provided you have email forwarding activated for your GV account. Google says that they are also “planning on” making them show up in your Google Voice inbox at some (unspecified) point in the future.

When this rolls out, it will help make Google Voice more of a legit replacement for standard texting plans. The timing of this rollout could very well be in response to Apple’s iMessage, that was just launched with iOS 5. As it stands now, iMessage allows pictures and videos to be sent between iOS users, while Google Voice messaging is just now showing these early signs of moving in that direction.

Google also says that they are working with mobile operators not named Sprint in order to further get the ball rolling. This isn’t the first time that Sprint has shown a willingness to collaborate with Google, as they have been allowing their customers to integrate Google Voice into their phones (using their GV number for their Sprint phone, or vice versa) since earlier this year. It will be interesting to see how long it takes AT&T and Verizon to follow suit on the MMS accessibility (if at all).

SPRINT PLANS TO SPEND $10 BILLION OVER NEXT TWO YEARS TO UPGRADE TO LTE

Wonder just how much it costs to phase out iDEN and WiMAX networks and put all your eggs in one, CDMA / LTE-flavored basket? Well, Joe Euteneuer, Sprint's CFO, just offered up a frank answer here at its "Strategy Update" event: $10 billion over the next two years. That's a heckuva lot more than the $4 billion to $5 billion Wall Street was expecting, but Euteneuer assured all the suited-up financial analysts in the room that the company should save $10 billion to $11 billion through 2017 (a figure widely reported before today), with $4 billion of that resulting from not having to maintain the iDEN network anymore.

Sprint plans to have 125 million subscribers covered in LTE by the end of 2012 with the rest done by the end of 2013. The first LTE phones and tablets will begin rolling out on the network sometime around June 2012.

SPRINT CONFIRMS UNLIMITED DATA PLANS FOR iPHONE 4S

A Sprint spokesperson has confirmed that the newly announced iPhone 4S will be eligible for the carrier's unlimited data plan. According to Sprint, pricing will start at $69.99 for unlimited data and 450 talk minutes, with the Simply Everything unlimited calling and data running you $99.99. At the very least, the company's confirmation that the plan is sticking around will help the third US carrier to nab the iPhone stand out among its predecessors.

SPRINT ORDERS $20 BILLION IN iPHONES

According to information obtained by the Wall Street Journal, Sprint's betting the farm on a 30 million-plus order of next-generation iPhones to put it on an even battle ground with heavyweight rivals AT&T and Verizon. The cost of this loss-absorbing gamble? That would be about $20 billion, with the Hesse-led co. subsidizing the $500 cost of each handset. For the third place operator it's matter of do-or-die, as there really isn't an alternative to the critically-praised, Jony Ive-designed handset that set off this smartphone race. Hesse's purported admission to the company's board that customer churn is directly linked to its iPhone omission only serves to underscore the uncomfortable plight his company faces. It remains to be seen if Sprint can convert its base of 52 million subscribers (mostly pre-paid) into the contracted customers it needs to stay financially afloat.

SPRINT CONFIRMS COMMITMENT TO UNLIMITED DATA PLANS

Sprint has once again reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining the availability of its unlimited data plans — until it eliminates them. Speaking at GigaOm’s Mobilize conference in San Francisco on Monday, Sprint chief technology officer Stephen Bye reiterated the carrier’s stance on unlimited data. Bye stated simply that the company will continue to offer unlimited plans as T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon cap and throttle their offerings, but cost is the biggest variable. “There’s clearly a cost to support unlimited,” Bye told conference attendees, noting that some subscribers use much more data than others. The CTO also noted that maintaining Sprint’s unlimited offerings is a constant challenge. ”Is there pressure? Yeah,” Bye added. “There’s a challenge for all engineers to work on how we get the cost structure down.”

“We’re going to try to keep [unlimited plans] around as long as we can,” Fared Adib, Sprint’s vice president of product development said. “What most people don’t realize is that there is a cost here with us doing this, and we are definitely seeing a trend where people are using more and more data. Like I said we’re not against that, but what happens is that over a certain period of time if people abuse the unlimited data policies — if everyone constantly uses a lot of it — then it becomes more expensive for us to maintain the network. So you do have to look at that and balance that out as a carrier, to make sure you can still generate revenue to offset your costs.”

LEAK: SPRINT BLACKS OUT FIRST HALF OF OCTOBER FOR LAUNCH OF "MAJOR PHONE"

An internal memo obtained from Sprint employee indicates the carrier will have the iPhone5 and it will launch the first week of October. The memo states lists blackout dates, during which employees cannot take vacations, from September 30 to October 15 in anticipation of a "major phone" launch. Blackouts are common among carriers for devices expected to be in high demand. It ensures retail stores have enough staff to handle the anticipated crowds. Since no other phone is expected launch, much less any that would require blackouts, it is expected this will be the launch of Apple's highly anticipated iPhone5.

SPRINT DOUBLING UPGRADE FEE ON SEPTEMBER 9TH

SprintFeed is reporting Sprint's Upgrade Fee is doubling, up to $36 for existing customers wanting a new phone. If the customer has a multi-line contract to renew out of cycle the price cap is $150. There's speculation that these bumps may have something to do with the latest rumor of an Apple acquisition of Sprint, but it may also simply be a routine policy change.

RUMOR: SPRINT IN TALKS TO ACQUIRE CLEARWIRE

Bloomberg is reporting Clearwire is currently in talks to sell its business to Sprint, and perhaps secure the funding it so desperately needs for a network build out. According to several insider sources, the third place wireless carrier's considering a joint investment (amongst other options) with Comcast, Cablevision and Cox, that would give the cablers a bundled high-speed, wireless broadband competitive advantage, and Sprint an LTE boost in its battle against AT&T and Verizon's rival 4G networks.

None of the players in this rumored takeover have yet to comment on the purported transaction, although the business gossip has had quite an uplifting effect on Clearwire's shares.

LEAKED: AT&T LETTER DAMAGES AT&T CASE FOR T-MOBILE ACQUISITION

Yesterday a partially-redacted document briefly appeared on the FCC website --accidentally posted by a law firm working for AT&T on the $39 billion T-Mobile deal (somewhere there's a paralegal looking for work today). While AT&T engaged in damage control telling reporters that the document contained no new information a careful review of the doc shows that's simply not true. Data in the letter undermines AT&T's primary justification for the massive deal, while highlighting how AT&T is willing to pay a huge premium simply to reduce competition and keep T-Mobile out of Sprint's hands.

While AT&T is busy telling regulators the deal will increase network investment by $8 billion, out of the other side of their mouth AT&T has been telling investors the deal will reduce investment by $10 billion over 6 years. Based on historical averages T-Mobile would have invested $18 billion during that time frame, which means an overall reduction in investment.

For the first time the letter pegs the cost of bringing AT&T's LTE coverage from 80% to 97% at $3.8 billion -- quite a cost difference from the $39 billion price tag on the T-Mobile deal. The push for 97% coverage apparently came from AT&T marketing, who was well aware that leaving LTE investment at 80% would leave them at a competitive disadvantage to Verizon. Marketing likely didn't want a repeat of the Luke Wilson map fiasco of a few years back, when Verizon made AT&T look foolish for poor 3G coverage.

The letter also notes that AT&T's supposed decision to "not" build out LTE to 97% was cemented during the first week of January, yet public documents (pdf) indicate that at the same time AT&T was already considering buying T-Mobile, having proposed the deal to Deutsche Telekom on January 15. In the letter, AT&T tries to make it seem like the decision to hold off on that 17% LTE expansion was based on costs. Yet the fact the company was willing to shell out $39 billion one week later, combined with AT&T's track record with these kinds of tactics, suggests AT&T executives knew that 80-97% expansion promise would be a useful carrot on a stick for politicians.

The reality appears to be that AT&T is giving Deutsche Telekom $39 billion primarily to reduce market competition. That price tag eliminates T-Mobile entirely -- and makes Sprint (and by proxy new LTE partner LightSquared and current partner Clearwire) more susceptible to failure in the face of 80% AT&T/Verizon market domination.

Regardless of the motivation behind rejecting 97% LTE deployment, the letter proves AT&T's claim they need T-Mobile to improve LTE coverage from 80-97% simply isn't true. That's a huge problem for AT&T, since nearly every politician and non-profit that has voiced support for the merger did so based largely on this buildout promise. It's also a problem when it comes to the DOJ review, since proof that AT&T could complete their LTE build for far less than the cost of this deal means the deal doesn't meet the DOJ's standard for merger-specific benefits. [Broadband Reports]

SPRINT MAKES DECISION TO SCALE BACK "BLOATWARE" ON SMARTPHONES

Recently, HTC received oodles of praise from a minuscule-but-passionate group of folks who appreciate the company's stance on unlocking its bootloaders, and today we learned that folks at The Now Network made a similarly impressive change after hearing yet another enthusiastic sect. Sprint's VP of Product Development Fared Adib appeared on the November 2010 episode of The Engadget Show, and it was during that appearance that he heard a rather shrill cry of users begging for a smaller amount of "bloatware," or at the very least, bloatware that users could customize or outright remove. For those unfamiliar with the term, it generally refers to applications that are preloaded onto devices from the carrier; by and large, these clutter up the application grid, and many power users aren't exactly enthralled by any carrier-imposed OS changes.

Adib confessed that he jetted back from NYC and immediately informed his team that the bloatware needed to go. To quote: "Ben, we've got to get rid of these preloaded apps on our devices. A lot of customers don't want this." You may have noticed a dearth of those very apps on the EVO 3D, and according to Fared, customer feedback on the newly cleaned slate has been overwhelmingly positive. We inquired on whether this approach would be pushed across the company's product spectrum, and he seemed eager to admit that it would. In fact, Sprint's taking quite the different approach internally than some folks may be used to. It's effectively trying to get out of the way in as many areas as possible, and in turn, litter your future phones with as little content as possible. In fact, he's pushing to make whatever programs Sprint does preload user-removable, and it's a mantra we can only hope other carriers latch onto.

RUMOR: SPRINT LIGHTSQUARED SIGN 15-YEAR LTE AGREEMENT

Apparently Sprint's none too concerned about recent complaints from the likes of John Deere and the federal government about LightSquared's potential interference with GPS signals. A letter obtained by Bloomberg reveals that Sprint has signed a 15-year deal with Falcone and co., agreeing to share network expansion costs in return for a slice of the sweet LTE service. According to the document, "LightSquared and Sprint will jointly develop, deploy and operate LightSquared's 4G LTE network." The report comes on the heels of rumors of a $20 billion agreement between the two companies. Unfortunately for both parties, no amount of billion dollar bills will shake impending scrutiny from the FCC.

RUMOR: SPRINT iPHONE CLOSE TO LAUNCH

Unidentified sources tipped 9to5Mac that Sprint customers may be in for a summertime surprise. According to their report, the iPhone 4 is in the late testing phase on Sprint, and could see a launch within months. They claim the device looks like the current model of the iPhone 4, which means it could be the rumored “iPhone 4S,” or stopgap iPhone to get consumers from the iPhone 4 to an eventually redesigned iPhone 5.

The report is based on even more rumors that Apple has ordered Sprint-compatible CDMA cellular towers be installed on their campus. Apple did the same with Verizon towers when testing the Verizon-compatible model of the iPhone 4 for months before eventually releasing it, and the acquisition of the towers was one tip that analysts used to predict an eventual Verizon iPhone.

According to the report, the phone is also being circulated around Sprint’s own R&D team, and there may even be a 4G variant of the device in the works, but the model closest to release is a standard 3G iPhone 4. They also point to open job listings on Apple’s website for cellular engineers in the Kansas City area, which also just happens to be where Sprint’s headquarters are located.

LIGHTSQUARED SPRINT READY TO SIGN $20 BILLION DEAL

According to Bloomberg, LightSquared, the USD7 billion Long Term Evolution (LTE) open-access mobile network that will utilise satellite spectrum acquired by New York investment firm Harbinger Capital, is close to striking a USD20 billion deal with Sprint Nextel to share network construction costs.

The report, which cites two people familiar with the talks, indicates that the two operators are hoping to finalise terms on a 15 year contract which will allow LightSquared to roll out its network faster than expected. According to Bloomberg’s sources, who declined to be named, if the deal goes through, Sprint would initially receive as much as USD2 billion annually from LightSquared, to help pay for network equipment and construction costs. Subsequent payments would vary annually, based on the number of users on the LightSquared network and usage patterns. However, conflicting reports from Reuters indicate that the agreement with Sprint is more likely to cover an eight-year time-frame, rather than the 15 year period stated elsewhere.

The news comes just days after LightSquared reportedly held talks with AT&T regarding a deal to buy additional network capacity from the mobile carrier. Two people with knowledge of the discussions stressed that the initiative was still at a preliminary stage and may not result in a deal.

SPRINT FORMALLY ASKS FCC TO BLOCK AT&T/T-MOBILE MERGER

Sprint’s already been very vocal about its opposition to AT&T’s planned purchase of T-Mobile from Deutsche Telekom, but on Tuesday the carrier officially asked the Federal Communications Commission to step in and block the purchase. In its 377-page filing, Sprint argued that the acquisition would make AT&T the nation’s largest carrier with a total of 118 million subscribers and a 43% grip on the postpaid market.

The carrier added that Verizon and AT&T would earn 78% of all wireless revenues and the “Twin Bell” duopoly would have an 82% grasp of the postpaid market, making it difficult for other carriers such as Sprint to compete.

AT&T, meanwhile, has argued that the acquisition will create jobs, will not stifle competition, and will help deliver high-speed wireless broadband to 97% of U.S. residents.