Wireless Carrier, Verizon Wireless | featured news

A movement urging Verizon to get rid of wireless contracts appears to be gaining steam. A petition calling for the carrier to end contracts for smartphones and "create an affordable way for consumers to purchase their devices" had attracted more than 55,000 signatures by midday Tuesday on Change.org, the online petition platform.

AT&T agreed to buy U.S. spectrum licenses covering 18 states from rival Verizon Wireless for $1.9 billion in cash.

Sprint Nextel said Thursday that it is considering selling a majority stake to Japan’s SoftBank, the latest deal among industry underdogs who are scrambling to catch up to the leads of giants Verizon Wireless and AT&T.

Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest cellphone company, is dropping nearly all of its phone plans in favor of pricing schemes that encourage consumers to connect their non-phone devices, like tablets and PCs, to Verizon's network.

Verizon Wireless has reversed its decision to charge a $2 fee for telephone and online bill payments, bowing to a storm of criticism from consumers and the U.S. communications regulator.

Verizon Wireless, the nation’s largest wireless phone and Internet provider, will begin charging millions of customers a $2 fee to pay their bills online. The fee, which will take effect on January 15, was greeted by a wave of customer outrage.

Verizon Wireless plans to scrap its unlimited data plan for new smartphone subscribers beginning Thursday and replace it with monthly packages that range from $30 to $80.