Apple iPhone

The Wall Street Journal reports Apple is developing two new iPhones for launch this June, including one that’s designed to work with Verizon Wireless.

According to the report, the new iPhone models can run on CDMA networks, such as the one Verizon Wireless uses.  The introduction of such a phone would mark an end for the three year exclusivity agreement Apple has with AT&T in the United States.

“There has been lots of incorrect speculation on CDMA iPhones for a long time. We haven’t seen one yet and only Apple knows when that might occur,” an AT&T spokesman told the Wall Street Journal.

For AT&T, the Apple relationship has been crucial, helping to make the carrier the U.S. leader in lucrative smart-phone market share. According to comScore Inc., AT&T has over 43% of all U.S. smart-phone customers, compared with 23% for Verizon. These customers are especially attractive because they generally pay higher monthly rates for data plans.

For several quarters, AT&T’s growth has come almost single-handedly from the iPhone. In the fourth quarter of 2009, the carrier said it activated 3.1 million new iPhones. In comparison, it counted only a net total of 2.7 million new subscribers as some customers moved from other phones to iPhones.

“You’re not going to lose the iPhone [exclusivity] and make up growth somewhere else without bearing the cost,” said Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. research analyst Craig Moffett.

The impact on Verizon Wireless data network will be an important measure of whether American wireless broadband networks can sustain the demand customers have for wireless broadband service and speed.

[flv]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/CNBC Verizon Getting iPhone 3-29-10.flv[/flv]

CNBC carried three reports about the Verizon Wireless iPhone story published in the Wall Street Journal and its potential impact on the American wireless marketplace.  (11 minutes)

[flv width=”512″ height=”308″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/Wall Street Journal iPhone On Verizon 03-29-10.flv[/flv]

The Wall Street Journal included this “web-extra” report on their story and what it means for consumers.  (2 minutes)

AT&T may have put the safety of its Salt Lake City customers at risk by diverting cell phone 911 calls intended for local authorities to a 911 call center in Seattle, Washington hundreds of miles away.

Starting last Thursday, AT&T customers who tried to report an emergency by dialing 911 ended up speaking with confused operators in Seattle who couldn’t understand why customers were calling them about problems several states away.  Company officials took until the following day to fix the problem, and it took calls from a local television station to alert local officials and the company that a serious problem existed with the area’s 911 system.

Although the problem has now been fixed, company officials have not released an explanation about what caused the glitch.

[flv width=”480″ height=”380″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/KSL Salt Lake City ATT mysteriously directing Salt Lake 911 calls to Seattle 3-25-10.flv[/flv]

KSL-TV broke the story about the 911 diversion, interviewing one customer whose local Salt Lake City cell phone mysteriously reported his caller ID as in Seattle, Washington.  Part two of this report is from the following day, after service was restored. (4 minutes)

Denver, Colorado

Comcast, like Time Warner Cable, is slowly transitioning many of its traditional analog channels to digital, making more room for additional HD channels and faster broadband.  The latest city about to experience what Comcast calls its “all-digital migration” is Denver, Colorado.

“As part of the technology enhancement, Comcast is making available up to three devices to customers so they can hook up their (analog) televisions and not miss any channels,” said Cindy Parsons, a spokesperson for Comcast in Denver.  “What this allows us to do is provide hundreds of HD channels in the future, faster Internet speeds, better picture quality, and more ethnic programming.”

Customers with any level of service above Limited Basic with an existing digital set-top box may receive two digital adapters at no additional monthly cost; customers without an existing digital set-top box may receive one standard digital set-top box and two digital adapters at no additional monthly cost.

Parsons claims up to 90 percent of Comcast’s Denver customers already subscribe to digital cable on at least one television set in the home.  Comcast is offering free self-install kits through its Digital Now website.

Comcast intends to commence the transition to digital channel delivery starting this spring continuing into the summer.  The entire state of Colorado will follow, with the transition to digital complete by the end of the year.

Of course, customers with many analog televisions, or who dislike the notion of having to deal with add-on equipment, are out of luck.

[flv]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/KUSA Denver Comcast Digital Upgrade.flv[/flv]

KUSA-TV Denver talked with Comcast’s Cindy Parsons about the city’s imminent “all-digital-migration” to digital cable television. (3 minutes)

AT&T is challenging customers to switch to paperless billing, and promises to help out the Arbor Day Foundation if customers follow through.

The telecommunications company is promising to plant a tree for each customer who signs up for paperless billing, with up to 1 million trees being planted this year.  Since March 1st, the company has nearly reached 14,000 new trees pledged for planting.

“AT&T’s commitment to planting trees is a shining example of how corporations can make a positive impact on our environment,” said John Rosenow, chief executive and founder of the Arbor Day Foundation. “The trees planted by AT&T will help clean the air and drinking water for millions of Americans, restore habitat for wildlife and restore our nation’s forests for future generations to enjoy.”

To opt in to paperless billing and activate the tree planting, AT&T customers can go to www.att.com/paperfree (registration requires) and follow the instructions. After enrolling, they can choose to have a tree planted where there is the greatest need — or they can choose between regions of the U.S. that have various needs for reforestation.  As examples, in California this helps provide clean drinking water, and in Michigan, it protects rare birds.

It also protects AT&T’s bottom line – printing and mailing paper bills can cost more than $1 per customer per month — even more if call detail records run several pages.

Many telecommunications companies have found other ways to discourage paper bills – charging consumers extra to receive them.  Paper billing fees of $2 per month or more are not uncommon if a customer is unwilling to accept electronic statements.  AT&T hopes a voluntary switch to electronic billing in return for reforestation efforts will make it worthwhile for customers.

According to PayItGreen, a corporate-funded electronic billing advocacy group, if a million customers switch to paperless billing, it would save 400,000 pounds of paper, avoid six million pounds of greenhouse gases, and prevent four million gallons of wastewater from discharging into lakes, streams, and rivers in a year.

The Delmarva Peninsula

Four towns are better than one when trying to negotiate improved service and better terms for Delmarva Mediacom cable customers.

Bethany Beach, Millville, Ocean View and South Bethany are considering joining forces to renegotiate their agreements with Mediacom, all coming up for renewal within a year of each other.

Councilman Jay Headman from South Bethany is among those advocating the joint effort to get a better deal from Mediacom, which provides cable service across many parts of the peninsula encompassing Delaware and parts of Maryland and Virginia.

Mediacom serves many parts of the Delmarva Peninsula with cable service

“If we could come together and negotiate as one, we could save money and have more clout,” Headman told The Daily Times. “We know for a fact that it’s smart to negotiate together. When we have a larger clientele, (Mediacom) has to deal with us, and we can split the cost for the lawyer.”

While the four communities would find a competing provider launching service on the peninsula a useful tool to increase competition, they don’t necessarily believe its likely.  Many residents of the towns are part-timers, staying for extended summer vacations.  In fact, getting a better deal for part-time residents who wish to subscribe for part of the year is one of the concessions they hope to obtain from Mediacom.  The towns are also seeking a shorter agreement — the current franchise is for a 15-year term — and better service in general.

Vice Mayor Carol Olmstead, of Bethany Beach, told the newspaper the town is allocating $5,000 in next year’s budget to cover legal fees related to the negotiation.

“I think everyone who has cable TV would like better service,” she said. “Why not join together? I think the feeling is there’s strength in numbers.”