Tag Archives: cmcsa

Globalstar Pops, Could Defeat Google, Microsoft On Wi-Fi Spectrum

Globalstar ( GSAT ) stock popped for the second straight trading day on views federal regulators will green light its petition to open up spectrum airwaves in the 2.4 GHz block for wireless services. Globalstar, a mobile satellite service operator, had faced opposition from Alphabet ’s ( GOOGL ) Google, Microsoft ( MSFT ) and the cable TV industry over concern the airwaves could interfere with Wi-Fi services. Comcast ( CMCSA ) has been expanding its public and residential Wi-Fi network and might jump into wireless services, analysts say. Tom Wheeler, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, on Friday proposed an order that would allow Globalstar to move forward with its “authenticated Wi-Fi” service. Globalstar stock, which popped 35% on Friday, was up another 15% in morning trading in the stock market today , albeit still trading below 3. It’s possible Globalstar’s opponents such as  Microsoft or Google could make a last-ditch effort to block approval, analysts say. The FCC could issue new rules as soon as  June. Paul Gallant, an analyst at Guggenheim Partners, says a remaining issue is what limitations the FCC’s order puts on Globalstar’s commercial rollout. “There has been some concern that an FCC approval could be a Pyrrhic victory if the agency attached heavy limits on power output or out-of-band-emissions that restricted the value of Globalstar’s proposed service,” wrote Gallant in a research report. “We suspect the technical parameters are likely to approximate what Globalstar initially proposed 2.5 years ago. That would be positive for its new service.” Amazon.com ( AMZN ) reportedly had tested Globalstar’s spectrum a couple of years ago, said one report.

Charter Stock Falls; Digital Realty Up On S&P 500 Add, Equinix Deal

Charter Communications ( CHTR ) stock fell Monday after the soon-to-be No. 2 cable TV firm was not added to the S&P 500, as some analysts and investors had expected, following the final approval of its Time Warner Cable acquisition. Standard & Poor’s announced late Friday that Digital Realty ( DLR ), a data center operator whose stock has been rising of late, would replace Time Warner Cable in the S&P 500 . Digital Realty will take TWC ‘s place on the index after the close of trading on Tuesday. Charter expects to close its purchases of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks on Wednesday, after gaining the final regulator OK on Thursday. It will then become the No. 2 cable company, behind Comcast ( CMCSA ). Equinix ( EQIX ) early Monday announced that it will sell eight European data centers to Digital Realty for $874 million. Regulators required Equinix to divest some assets in approving its acquisition of Telecity. The eight data centers consist of five in London, two in Amsterdam and one in Frankfurt. Shares of Digital Realty, which announced an equity offering to fund the Equinix deal, were up 2.5% early Monday, near 96 and touching an all-time high for the sixth day in the past eight trading days. Digital Realty stock is up 25% this year. Equinix stock was up a fraction early Monday. Charter stock was down nearly 4% in early trading in the stock market today , near 206. California regulators last week approved the Time Warner Cable ( TWC ) deal, the final hurdle to Charter’s makeover. Liberty Broadband ( LBRDA ) will own about 18% of the new Charter, while privately held media firm Advance/Newhouse will own about 13.5%.

Republic Wireless Taps T-Mobile, Samsung Galaxy 7 In Wi-Fi Push

Wi-Fi calling startup Republic Wireless has added T-Mobile US ( TMUS ) as a cellular network partner and Samsung’s Galaxy S7 to its lineup of mobile phones. Republic Wireless earlier leased cellphone network access from Sprint ( S ). Users of Republic Wireless service use mobile phones that switch to cellular networks if public Wi-Fi is not available. T-Mobile stock edged down a fraction in midday trading in the stock market today , near 40.50. Shares of T-Mobile are up about 3% in 2016. T-Mobile has an IBD Composite Rating of 91 out of a possible 99, which puts it among the top 9% of all stocks in some key metrics that include revenue and earnings growth. Republic Wireless has fewer than 1 million customers, said a Bloomberg report . Alphabet ’s ( GOOGL ) Google rolled out a hybrid Wi-Fi/cellular service in early 2015, but it has not disclosed how many subscribers it has. Sprint and T-Mobile were both partners of Google in its launch. Cable-TV leader  Comcast ( CMCSA ) says it’s testing a hybrid Wi-Fi service under a network sharing agreement with Verizon Communications ( VZ ). Republic Wireless is a unit of Internet-calling service Bandwidth.com. While Republic Wireless says it will add Samsung’s Galaxy 7 and six other phones to its lineup, the Wi-Fi startup has been unable to forge a deal with Apple ( AAPL ).