Telecom
Vodafone VOD said Tuesday that it has signed an agreement with Apple AAPL that will bring the iPhone to 10 new markets before the end of 2008. Later this year, Vodafone customers in Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey will be able to purchase the iPhone for use on the Vodafone network, the company said in a release. At the same time, Telecom Italia TI said it will also bring the iPhone to Italy on its network, marking the first time Apple will allow its all-in-one device to run on more than one carrier in the same country. In the U.S., Apple has an exclusive deal with AT&T T, while O2 services the U.K. and Ireland. Deutsche Telekom's DT T-Mobile wireless carrier has iPhone exclusivity in Austria and Germany. Orange, part of France Telecom FTE, carries the iPhone on its network in France. Shares of Vodafone were lower by 0.7% to $31.87 in early trading. Apple was higher by 0.4% to $185.50. RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky said that the move into new markets should help accelerate momentum and market share for Apple, and could possibly be in conjunction with the long-rumored launch of a new 3G iPhone. "Given most countries have [three or more] carriers, with the dominant carrier controlling [less than] 40% share, moving to nonexclusivity in our view materially expands iPhone global distribution opportunity and market share, particularly in Europe and Asia," Abramsky said in a research note. Abramsky adds that by expanding its global addressable market, Apple could ship as many as 14 million iPhones by the end of 2008, which is well ahead of Apple's own goal of 10 million units.
Qwest signs a five-year agreement to market and sell Verizon Wireless service beginning this summer.
That report follows earlier speculation that Deutsche Telekom might bid for the company.
A published report says Deutsche Telekom might be close to bidding for the wireless carrier. Should it happen, T-Mobile would grab the No. 1 wireless position in the U.S.
Yahoo! is among the most searched stocks on TheStreet.com. Here's what Cramer had to say about the stock recently.
Catch up on his thinking on the hottest topics of the past week.
Investors will have to deal with a Fed meeting and another flood of earnings and economic data.
Ensco International and Echelon have the potential to move higher in coming days.
See who made what calls.
The addition of video is helping telecom companies compete against cable and satellite companies.
The June West Texas Intermediate contract reflects selling pressure ahead of Tuesday's expiration. But stocks in the sector are generally trading higher.
See who made what calls.
Keep on top of the market and the critical information you need to make more profitable investing decisions.
Sponsored by:




