Alltel adds one million gross wireless customers in the first quarter

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Alltel achieved record customer growth in the first quarter, adding more than 1 million gross customers for the second consecutive quarter. Net customer additions also hit a new high with a 63 percent increase year-over-year.

"We are pleased with our results across the board, and I am extremely proud of our team for staying focused in our first full quarter under new ownership," said President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Ford. "We are off to a strong start for the year, with consolidated EBITDA up 18 percent year-over-year."

Alltel completed its merger with an affiliate of TPG Capital and GS Capital Partners in November 2007 and ceased trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Among the highlights for the first quarter:

• Revenues were $2.3 billion, an 11 percent increase from the same period a year ago. The company reported a net loss of $125 million, due primarily to significant increases in interest costs and depreciation and amortization expense following the completion of the merger.

• Alltel added just over 1 million gross customers through internal growth, a 26 percent increase from a year ago. Post-pay net additions were 163,000, up 50 percent year over- year, and pre-pay net adds were 183,000. Reseller net adds, which Alltel is including this quarter in order to be consistent with industry practice, were 39,000. Total net adds were 385,000, an all-time high.

• Post-pay churn was 1.34 percent, essentially flat year-over-year, and total churn was 1.83 percent, up 6 basis points year-over-year.

• Average revenue per wireless customer (ARPU) was $53.64, up 2 percent from last year. Data revenue per customer reached a new high of $7.50, a 60 percent increase year-over-year.

• Consolidated EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) was $847 million, an 18 percent increase from the same period a year ago.

A table describing consolidated EBITDA and reconciling net income to consolidated EBITDA is included in the schedules accompanying this release.

Alltel operates America's largest wireless network, which delivers voice and advanced data services nationwide to more than 13 million customers. Headquartered in Little Rock, Ark., Alltel is a Forbes 500 company with annual revenues of nearly $9 billion.

Alltel claims the protection of the safe-harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are subject to uncertainties that could cause actual future events and results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on estimates, projections, beliefs, and assumptions and are not guarantees of future events and results.

First thing in the morning, the user pauses to look into the central component of the Aura, a vessel reminiscent of a Tibetan singing bowl. A camera detects his face; motion-capture systems recognize his expression; and software scans the general color of his skin, his eyeballs, the contraction of the pupils, and the reflectivity of the face. He is prompted to repeat a certain word or hum a particular tune - and as the volume and dynamics of his voice are detected and analyzed for mood, microscopic drops of saliva are captured and examined for bacteria, salinity, and other health indicators.

He then takes the second object in his hands: a semi-soft, sculptural form that gives off gently pulsing lights, colors, sounds, and vibrations as it is touched, encouraging manipulation. The user never needs to be taught what to do with the object, but can interact with it on his own terms. While his skin is in contact with the device, different wavelengths of light and sound pass through his skin: infrared light measures blood flow, ultrasonic rays scan the resistance of his skin tissue, others capture the sound and speed of his heartbeat, the firmness of his grip.

In the end, general health is projected in an "Aura" of color, light and sound that reflects the user's mood an alerts him to any potential health issues. There is also a "Theraputic Mode" that projects positive images, movies, colors, patterns and shapes inside the vessel that the user can control with a white chime mallet. While the concept itself is fanciful, the idea behind it is sound. A proactive approach towards personal health could help diagnose problems before they become serious. Too bad we will all be way too dead to take advantage of this type of technology. [Frog Design via Core77]

This is one of several $300 TVs that Disney will be rolling out this fall. (This one should be available in September at Toys"R"Us and Wal-Mart.)
All of the Disney LCDs are 15" and use Sharp panels. And anyone worried about the digital switchover can rest assured, these TVs include ATSC tuners. Stay tuned for a gallery of Disney products from the ex-frog team.

From fact sheet: High School Musical 15" LCD TV Features: • 15" LCD Screen • Cable-Ready Digital Tuner • Resolution: 1024 x 768 • Full-Function Remote Control (2 "AAA" batteries required - not included) • Headphone output • Composite A/V input/output • Component video input

High School Musical Clock Radio
for iPod & Disney Mix Stick
Features:
• Digital AM /FM Stereo
• Wake up to the sounds of your radio, music player or alarm
• Charges iPod with AC Power
• Back-lit LCD display
• Compatible with most iPod versions
• Video output supports iPod content on TV

The main attraction is that you can now shoot your location to people who can then navigate to you if they have TeleNav. If they don't have TeleNav, they still get a text message with your position, plus a link to a map and "static directions". (Some carriers—ahem, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile—do not allow links in text messages, so TeleNav is coming up with a workaround for that.)

The other new feature is a directory of user-reviewed businesses, sorting local restaurants from highest-rated to lowest. Of course, you can give a rating of a restaurant yourself, directly from the phone. You can't write a full review from your phone just yet, but that may be an option for the highly opinionated very soon.

A combination of the two of these new features is an improved Fuel Finder: When you discover a place with the lowest gas prices, you can send it to your friends and family so they won't get totally screwed at the pump.

The new version is immediately available for a handful of Sprint handsets (LG 550 Fusic, Motorola KRZR K1m, Motorola RAZR V3m, Motorola SLVR L7c, Samsung M500, Samsung M610, Sanyo M1, Sanyo 6600 Katana, Sanyo 8400) and will cost $9.99 per month. – Wilson Rothman

From the press release:

...Subscribers can now send their current location to any other mobile phone that can receive text messages, creating a quick and easy way to meet with friends or co-workers while on the go. Customers can also share addresses of favorite businesses, including restaurants, hotels or movie theaters. With TeleNav's Fuel Finder feature, users can even send information on local gas stations with the cheapest prices for that day. Other new features include reviews and ratings for nearby businesses and the ability to rate restaurants directly from a mobile phone.

Location sharing—Now users have the ability to send their current location or the location of a nearby business to one friend or many friends all at once. This information can be sent from a mobile phone or from the "My TeleNav" account on www.telenav.com. TeleNav GPS Navigator users can quickly navigate to locations they receive using the service's turn-by-turn directions. Mobile users not subscribing to TeleNav GPS Navigator will receive a link to view a map and static directions on their phone.

Business reviews and ratings—Before they head to a restaurant or make a reservation at a hotel, users can now see how it was rated and reviewed by other people. Users can sort by highest to lowest rating to help them make a decision or view all of the search results on a map. TeleNav GPS Navigator also allows customers to rate restaurants themselves—directly from a mobile phone.

Fuel Finder—TeleNav GPS Navigator includes updated gas prices for local gas stations, and provides driving directions to the station with the lowest gas prices. Now, with just one click, friends and colleagues can share locations of these stations with each other as well.

• Voice and on-screen turn-by-turn driving directions
• "My TeleNav" website access
• Biz Finder (local search)
• Real-time traffic alerts and one-click rerouting
• Full-color 3D moving maps
• Spot Marker
• Pedestrian Mode

Home Page [TeleNav]

As fans of the hallowed Frog Design (or, if you prefer the k.d. lang version, "frog design") we were stoked to hear that Alltel used them to design the user interface for the music store. Frog had previously designed a "cell top" interface for an Alltel-powered Samsung u520. Now it seems it's extending that aesthetic to the desktop, as you can see above.

Design cred aside, the Jump Music software is cool because it provides a storefront to eMusic, the DRM-free music store that reminds us every so often that it is second only to iTunes in downloaded songs. (And you get 35 free tracks for joining, as opposed to eMusic's customary 25 free tracks.)

The software will manage your existing MP3s, and allow you to sort and transfer tracks to phones including the LG AX8600, MOTOKRZR K1m, MOTORAZR V3m, The Wafer by Samsung and the aforementioned u520. It doesn't look comprehensive enough to be some kind of full replacement for iTunes (or, for that matter, Windows Media Player or any other manager you prefer). And yes, I know that every carrier and most handset makers have some sort of PC client software, generally designed to keep you from easily putting anything you want on the phone.

But somehow this feels different—like there's an independent spirit alive in this particular marketing scheme. Am I wrong or right? Well, Alltel says it has 12 million members. If one of you is reading this, please download the software, futz around with it, and report back. Worse thing that happens is that you get stuck with 35 free MP3s and a quick uninstall. – Wilson Rothman

Alltel Wireless launches Jump Music

Free, easy-to-use software helps customers transform wireless phones into mobile music players

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.—Alltel Wireless, America's largest network, today launched Jump Music, a free and easy-to-use software that enables customers to transfer compatible music files from personal computers to their wireless phones.

The PC-based Jump Music application gives Alltel Wireless customers greater control over their mobile music experience, empowering them to find, manage and easily transfer music files with the simple click of a button.

"For those who have been waiting for an easy way for customers to put music on their phones—Jump Music is it," said Wade McGill, senior vice president of wireless products for Alltel. "Jump Music makes it incredibly simple for our customers to take their music with them anywhere they go, and it demonstrates our commitment to providing customers choice and control over their wireless experience."

Jump Music, developed by strategic-creative consultancy frog design, is available for download at www.alltel.com/jumpmusic. The site features a user-friendly interface and enables customers to easily navigate to eMusic—one of the world's largest online music stores—where they can purchase additional music from eMusic's vast catalog of more than 2.5 million tracks in the DRM-free MP3 format. New Jump Music users will also enjoy a special introductory offer of 35 free eMusic tracks.

Jump Music is initially compatible with five Alltel phones: the LG AX8600, MOTOKRZR K1m and MOTORAZR V3m, and the Samsung u520 as well as The Wafer by Samsung.

Jump Music Accessory Kits, featuring a 256 MB memory card, USB cable and a stereo headset, are available at Alltel Wireless retail stores or online at www.shopalltel.com for just $49.99.

Alltel Wireless offers exclusive features including "My Circle," allowing customers to choose who they call for free—any 10 numbers, any network; Anytime Plan Changes, giving customers the flexibility to change their rate plan any time, without extending their contract; and Celltop, a patent-pending technology that offers customers an easier way to access, manage and organize a wide range of information already available on their phones.

Alltel (NYSE: AT) is owner and operator of the nation's largest wireless network and has 12 million customers. For more information about Alltel, please visit www.alltel.com.

Download link [Alltel]

Vonage wouldn't say when we might be seeing such a design in the real world, but if you want to see the ass-end of this little froggie, you'll have to jump:

You gotta like that caller ID screen. Anyway, this nonworking prototype was under glass, and they wouldn't let us fondle it no matter what. – Charlie White

The trading floor is one of the most high-octane and high stakes environments in business. With the advent of cell phones, iPods and Xboxes, the new generation of traders has been weaned on consumer technology.

There you have it. Industrial design for the ADD set. This phone has a TFT screen and DeskShare, which lets traders fob calls off to their co-workers when they go outside to snarf down a burger and five cigarettes.

Product Page [IPC]