VZW To Announce Exclusive New Wireless Service for Consumers

[scottb]

I found this rather intriguing.

--------------------------------------------------------------
Media Advisory - Verizon Wireless To Announce Exclusive New Wireless Service for Consumers

Media Contact Info




01/04/2005


WHAT:
Verizon Wireless will host a news conference to introduce the future of wireless for consumers.

WHEN:
Friday, January 7, 2005
11:00 a.m. – Noon PST

WHERE:
Bellagio II Ballroom
Bellagio Hotel
3600 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(Shuttles from Door 9 of the Las Vegas Convention Center begin at 9:45
a.m. and will return to the Convention Center at the conclusion of the news conference.)

WHO:
Denny Strigl, president and chief executive officer of Verizon Wireless
**** Lynch, executive vice president and chief technical officer of Verizon Wireless
John Stratton, vice president and chief marketing officer of Verizon Wireless

CONTACT:
Kelly Crummey
Weber Shandwick Worldwide for Verizon Wireless
Office 617-520-7263 / Mobile: 617-921-8089
kcrummey@webershandwick.com

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation’s most reliable wireless network, serving 42.1 million voice and data customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
-------------------------------------------------------------

[DandyDon]

Sounds like a VZW pep rally. No other quest speakers other than Verizon, no information concerning what is "NEW" and "EXCLUSIVE". Something big or a marketing ploy?

[Matt]

http://yahoo.reuters.com/financeQuot...o134299_newsml

UPDATE 1-Verizon to launch video, music services-analysts
Wed Jan 5, 2005 10:38 PM ET
(Adds comments from Samsung, LG, Curitel, paras 8, 12)

By Sinead Carew

NEW YORK, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Verizon Wireless, the second-biggest U.S. mobile telephone provider, is expected on Friday to introduce mobile video and music services and phones capable of high speed Web surfing, analysts say.

Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications (VZ.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Vodafone (VOD.L: Quote, Profile, Research) , said it planned to reveal a new service at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Friday.

It did not provide details, but several analysts, including Maribel Lopez of Forrester Research, said it was likely to announce services for downloading both video and digital music.

"I think video is a logical step," she said.

Rival Sprint Corp. (FON.N: Quote, Profile, Research) already sells a streaming video service that delivers news and entertainment to mobile phones. It has said it eventually plans to provide a service for downloading songs.

Operators around the world are developing advanced services such as Web surfing and game downloads to bolster revenue from falling phone call prices. Analysts expect a flurry of music services and video services this year.

Verizon Wireless could also launch high-speed mobile phones from companies such as Samsung Electronics Co. (005930.KS: Quote, Profile, Research) , LG Electronics Ltd. (066570.KS: Quote, Profile, Research) and UTStarcom Inc. (UTSI.O: Quote, Profile, Research) , which bought phone supplier Audiovox in November.

Samsung said it had already supplied Verizon with a first batch of 20,000 SCH-A890 phones, which have video and high-speed capability based on EV-DO technology, as Verizon planned to launch the service in mid-January.

Verizon Wireless currently provides the only U.S. service based on EV-DO, technology that delivers Web surfing to phones at speeds similar to many home computers, and at the same data speed as third-generation (3G) phone services.

It offers the service in 16 U.S. markets and plans to expand to nationwide this year.

Phonescoop.com, a Web site aimed at helping U.S. consumers shopping for mobile handsets, lists EV-DO phones from Audiovox and LG as potential offerings from Verizon Wireless. The Audiovox CDM-8940 phone supports streaming video and has a camera that can also record video, according to the Web site.

LG's LG VX-8000 phone has a high resolution color screen.

LG said its deal with Verizon would be announced on Friday.

Meanwhile, another South Korean company, Curitel Communications Inc. (063350.KS: Quote, Profile, Research) , which has agreed to supply EV-DO phones worth $1.6 billion to Audiovox, said the deal was also to support 12 U.S. telecoms operators including Verizon and Sprint.

(Additional reporting by Kim Miyoung in Seoul)

[Fathead]

It's showing off what will start when they start launching EV-DO handsets.

[danny boi]

Glad to see some new innovation from VZW. I look foward to fast web surfing from my mobile phone and being able to download videos and full length MP3's. I already have used EVDO via aircard throughout LA and San Diego and it is a noticeable improvement over 1xRTT. It gets better everyday.

My source says they are being advised of possible new plans coming really soon too. She couldn't elaborate any further. Sounds exciting. I expect VZW to gobble up a lot of spectrum later this month to continue to position themselves as a technology leader for the next several years. Looks like things are looking up and in a positive way.

[twopiece]

Originally Posted by Matt Meanwhile, another South Korean company, Curitel Communications Inc. (063350.KS: Quote, Profile, Research) , which has agreed to supply EV-DO phones worth $1.6 billion to Audiovox, said the deal was also to support 12 U.S. telecoms operators including Verizon and Sprint. (Additional reporting by Kim Miyoung in Seoul)

Some of the Pantech Curitel handsets in Korea are pretty cool. I hope some of those designs make it over to the US.

[agentHibby]

Originally Posted by YourDaddy I expect VZW to gobble up a lot of spectrum later this month to continue to position themselves as a technology leader for the next several years. Looks like things are looking up and in a positive way.

Well T-Mobile wants airwaves too. Since the euro is well in there favor for exchange they might be able to outbid the Cellco Partnership in some airwaves in JAN. (I don't know how much Vodafone willing to had over lots of euros for this auction)
I doubt we will see Cingular buying much. Same with Nextel Sprint. If this deal with Alltel Western Wireless happens I doubt they will buy much. Cricket and Metro PCS might buy some more airwaves.
And you can't forget Nextwave is in the clear and they might try something.

[agentHibby]

If Verizon makes a new plan with EV-DO will they call it a new name or use one of the predecessor names like Bell Atlanic's Local Digital Choice or GTE's Americas Choice??
My guess would be broadband access will be for people who only want to do access with the internet.

[Matt]

DT/ T-Mobile is probably bidding on licenses in 60 or 70 BTAs - I wrote them all down, but you can search for them in my post at the bottom of this thread

http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com/showthread.php?t=6176 (Deutsche Telekom chief rules out acquisitions in US)

which I think lists all of the potential bidders?

[jayc]

VZW's plans are changing on the 17th of January and further changes will take place in February.

[Andy]

jayc, any more info you could supply us with?

[danny boi]

Originally Posted by jayc VZW's plans are changing on the 17th of January and further changes will take place in February.

Yeah JayC. I have a couple of accounts without the unlimited "IN" minutes. Should I sign them up with the current plans while I can or wait and see if anything comes out better?

[bobolito]

I wonder how much Verizon is dreaming customers will pay for this video service.

[scottb]

Wirelessly posted (Samsung i600: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE) Opera 7.60 [en])

Originally Posted by bobolito I wonder how much Verizon is dreaming customers will pay for this video service.

Well, if it's anything like data services, a lot!

[SNSE]

Posted on Fri, Jan. 07, 2005



Verizon to offer cellphone television

By Bruce Meyerson
The Associated Press

The screens may be tiny and the batteries overworked, but the wireless industry is bringing TV to a cellphone near you.

With the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas as a backdrop, Verizon Wireless planned to detail a robust new service for mobile phones today, one that promises better audio and video custom-designed for the numerous constraints of a hand-held device.

Verizon also plans to announce a major increase in the number of markets where its high-speed wireless technology will be available, as well as wider coverage in the 20 markets where it was introduced last year, according to a company source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The new Verizon offering, along with other multimedia wireless services unveiled at the electronics show, marks a big step in the industry's push to generate revenue from more than just phone calls.

On Thursday, SmartVideo Technologies announced deals to deliver live and prerecorded TV programs from ABC News, CNBC, MSNBC and The Weather Channel to cellphones equipped with Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Mobile operating system. The service, priced from $13 to $18 a month, works through a Microsoft Web site featuring other forms of content customized for mobile devices.

Consumers have shown an appetite for mobile e-mail, Web browsing, music and video games. But many experts view the public fascination with TV and movies as an especially potent lure for premium wireless services.

"Video is leaps and bounds above anything else" in terms of importance to users, said Roger Entner, an industry analyst for The Yankee Group. "This can certainly bring people in, because it's really eye candy."

Although cellular TV has been available for several years in South Korea, wireless providers in Europe and North America are only now upgrading their networks with technology powerful enough to transmit video that doesn't look more like a slide show.

Sprint Corp., for example, has led the charge in this country with two pay-TV services using a technological predecessor to EV-DO, the next-generation platform that Verizon Wireless has deployed on a broad scale and that Sprint is only now beginning to roll out. Although the audio comes in clearly, the Sprint video barely resembles a moving picture and breaks up repeatedly.

"With EV-DO, basically all the promises we have had for so long about [next-generation] wireless data can come true," Entner said. "With EV-DO, you can have full-fledged TV on a handset," he said, noting that the speedier networks also make downloads of music and video games far less tedious.

But even with more bandwidth, it's not so easy to replicate the big-screen experience on a device with limited screen size, audio quality, processing power, storage capacity and battery life -- the last of which tends to suffer with improvements to any of the other factors.

Further, it's not very clear how long users will want to stare at such a small screen, or whether they'll be in a position to watch anything longer than a few minutes while roaming about.

That's why Verizon and others are trying not to inflate expectations for the new medium, stressing that most users will only want to watch short bursts of video. Wireless providers have been asking media companies to produce specialized video clips -- brief news reports and "mobisodes," or episodes of real TV programs that run as little as a minute.

[bobolito]

I remember last summer when I tried MobiTV on Cingular over GPRS it was a bandwidth hog. But it worked well for being GPRS at several seconds per frame. The sound was good enough.