WRAL Tech Wire

 Wireless gains help Verizon beat Street profit estimate

Verizon Communications, the second-largest U.S. phone company, reported first-quarter profit that beat estimates after attracting more wireless customers and getting them to sign up for lucrative data contracts.

 Verizon Wireless expands 4G coverage to 87% of NC

More of Orange County and Sampson County now have high-speed wireless access as Verizon Wireless continues to add 4G LTE capacity and towers.

 Looking for wireless service? Here's a breakdown on price plans

T-Mobile USA is breaking the mold on standard industry practice by offering a lower up-front cost for a new phone but higher payments. Raleigh-based Bandwidth's Republic Wireless adds its own strategies to a growing mix of mobile offers.

Republic's phone

 ISPs to target peer-to-peer software users for piracy downloads

The Copyright Alert System, organized by the recording and film industry, is being activated this week to target consumers using peer-to-peer software.

 GM dumps Verizon, picks AT&T for faster OnStar service

Mobile World Congress news: "We're making a global commitment to embed 4G LTE mobile broadband across all of our vehicles," Mary Chan, president of GM's Global Connected Consumer, says. "This is the largest commercial deployment of 4G LTE services in the auto industry."

 Verizon sells some NC wireless spectrum; AT&T buys spectrum eslewhere

Verizon is some of the selling wireless spectrum it owns in North Carolina, including Raleigh, to a private equity firm. In another deal, Verizon sells spectrum to AT&T in several other states.

 Verizon lands record number of new wireless customers but profits fall

The parent of the country's biggest wireless carrier lost $4.23 billion, or $1.48 per share, for the period ended Dec. 31. That compares with a loss of $2.02 billion or 71 cents per share, a year ago.

 In the news: Big 3 pick BlackBerry; Cisco phone hack; Sensus wins deal; Quintiles partnership; IBM targets small businesses

Inside the Bulldog blog: Big carriers will sell new BlackBerry phones; Is your Cisco phone a spy?; utility picks Sensus meters; Quintiles signs partnership deal in Asia; new IBM service targets small businesses.

 In the news: T-Mobile rips AT&T, Verizon; Red Hat update; Cisco teams with AT&T; GSK drug candidates

Inside the Bulldog blog: T-Mobile CEO attacks rivals; Red Hat updates RHEL 5.9; Cisco teams with AT&T for home monitoring; GSK's pipeline advances on two fronts.

 Sprint won't disclose 4G launch date for RTP - but it's here in some places

Despite the Research Triangle being one of the nation's biggest high-tech hubs, Sprint has yet to formally launch 4G in the area and still refuses to commit to a launch date. However, you can find faster service in some areas.

 Top wireless carriers to accelerate text-to-911 capabilities

Under an agreement announced Thursday, AT&T Inc., Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA Inc. will do "major deployments" of so-called text-to-911 in the U.S. next year, the FCC says.

 Court: Verizon must allow rivals to use its network for mobile data

Verizon Wireless must offer smaller competitors access to its nationwide networks for mobile Internet use, a federal court ruled, turning aside the company's challenge to an FCC regulation requiring sharing agreements.

 In the news: Bandwidth.com's Phonebooth; DARA loss; Cmed moves; Pozen trial; Verizon 4G

Inside the Bulldog Blog: DARA BioSciences reports loss; Cmed has moved into more office space; Pozen reports positive drug results; Phonebooth names judges for innovation contest; Verizon expands 4G wireless in NC.

 Wireless helps boost Verizon profit rises in third quarter

Verizon's third-quarter net income climbed 15 percent, driven by the strength of its wireless business.

 Supreme Court lets stand telecom immunity in wiretapping case

Privacy advocates sought billions of dollars in damages for what they described in their Supreme Court appeal as "a massive, unlawful program of electronic surveillance, intercepting and disclosing to the government both the communications and the communications records of millions of their customers."

 AT&T to be first U.S. carrier to offer Nokia Windows 8 phones

The Lumia phones are the linchpin of a comeback plan for Nokia, which has struggled to compete with Apple's iPhone and Google's Android. Microsoft also is counting on Nokia devices to help win back market share in smartphone software.

 Wireless providers T-Mobile, MetroPCS to merge

T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom AG says its board of directors and the supervisory board have approved the merger Wednesday. It says the board of MetroPCS has also accepted the deal.

 T-Mobile parent confirms it's in talks to buy MetroPCS

Deutsche Telekom AG is nearing a transaction with MetroPCS Communications Inc. to increase the scale of its T-Mobile USA division, sources say.

 AT&T cuts price for prepaid smartphone service

The second-largest U.S. wireless-service provider unveils a $99 smartphone with a $65 a month pay-as-you-go plan, stepping up competition with prepaid carriers such as MetroPCS.

 Apple wages scorched-earth iPhone fight with Google

Analysis: Remember the Easter Islanders' incremental march toward disaster? This is an apt analogy for Apple's decision to keep Google Maps off the newly released iPhone 5. It's the latest of a series of steps toward control by powerful actors over users' online behavior. The question is whether the pattern is clear enough for regulatory authorities to take action.

iPhone 5's sharp, bigger display