AT&T’s LTE Broadcast Service – Tune in to the Future

With data now available at superfast speeds on cellular networks, more and more subscribers are using mobile devices to view digital content, especially online videos. Research conducted by Ericsson’s Consumer Lab has revealed that around 67% of surveyed consumers watch televised programming on mobile devices such as smartphones, laptops and tablets.

In anticipation of that trend, AT&T (T) CEO, Randall Stephenson recently announced that the company would revamp the 700 MHz spectrum it purchased in 2010 to provide LTE broadcast services that will enable users to watch digital content on mobile devices.

According to current network protocols, a subscriber’s request for online content, such as videos, is sent directly through the network to the service provider. The carrier then responds to each request individually, which clogs up the network. AT&T’s LTE Broadcast system will enable the carrier to transmit a live broadcast to local cell towers, from where it will be available to all subscribers at the same time, thereby reducing traffic on its 4G network. read more.

Verizon Communications Stock Rating Reaffirmed by TheStreet (VZ)

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ)‘s stock had its “buy” rating restated by TheStreet in a research note issued on Tuesday, Analyst Ratings Network reports.
The analysts wrote, “Verizon Communications (VZ) has been reiterated by TheStreet Ratings as a buy with a ratings score of A-. The company’s strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, increase in net income, good cash flow from operations, expanding profit margins and growth in earnings per share. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had somewhat disappointing return on equity.” Read More:

Verizon, Sprint Lead Record Month for U.S. Bonds

Sales of corporate bonds in the U.S. reached an all-time high this month, with phone companies Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) and Sprint Corp. (S) leading offerings of about $193.7 billion.
Verizon issued $49 billion on Sept. 11 in the biggest corporate bond deal ever while Overland Park, Kansas-based Sprint raised $6.5 billion on Sept. 4 in the largest high-yield sale since 2008, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Offerings broke the previous monthly record of $177.3 billion set in September 2012.Read More:

Why Verizon Wanted It All

IT didn’t come as a complete surprise when Verizon Communications agreed earlier this month to pay $130 billion for the 45 percent of the Verizon Wireless unit that it didn’t already own. What’s startling, though, is the parent company’s dependence on its wireless unit’s operating profit. Without Verizon Wireless, the value of the old Verizon — the giant telephone company that provides dial-tone service as well as Internet and fiber optic TV to millions of customers — is vanishingly small.

In the first six months of this year, Verizon’s nonwireless business made only $87 million in operating profit. That’s less than the profit of many successful law firms — and it’s positively paltry compared with the business’s roughly $20 billion in sales. In the same period, Verizon Wireless had roughly twice as much revenue, but it made close to $13 billion in operating profit, which was divided between the two parent companies.  Read More: