Articles by Jeff Kagan

AT&T Mobility just announced its shared wireless data plans on Wednesday. Verizon Wireless did the same thing a few weeks ago. Verizon has been taking a lot of heat on this topic, but not because it's a bad idea. It's actually a great idea. The problem is its approach, which I'll discuss. I think AT&T's plan will be welcomed in the marketplace My ...

AT&T Mobility just announced its shared wireless data plans on Wednesday. Verizon Wireless did the same thing a few weeks ago. Verizon has been taking a lot of heat on this topic, but not because it's a bad idea. It's actually a great idea. The problem is its approach, which I'll discuss. I think AT&T's plan will be welcomed in the marketplace My ...

Just when we thought this whole Net neutrality thing was over, Verizon threw a little gasoline on the burning embers. The thing is, there are many good points on both sides of the Net neutrality argument. So how can we decide which way to go? It turns out the best solution may be on the third side....

Windstream has been riding the growth Wave over the last several years. Are things starting to change? You may recall that a while back I said the company would continue to look strong as long as acquisitions continued. I asked what would happen when it slowed? That next chapter may be starting My Pick of the Week is the new Samsung Galaxy S III sm...

Most don't realize it yet, but Microsoft is completely reinventing itself right before our eyes. It is expanding from software to hardware and even to the cloud, starting with tablets and wireless smartphones. It is fundamentally transforming the company we have all known and used for decades. This path is full of enormous opportunities and challenges...

Microsoft has introduced another new product. This one is a tablet called the "Surface." If Microsoft is not careful, it could actually be successful with this one -- if it plays its cards right, anyway. The Surface will let Microsoft compete head-to-head with Apple's iPad, Amazon's Kindle, Barnes & Noble's Nook, and many more. Will the Surface be a hit or a flop? That depends on Microsoft.

We all followed AT&T's attempt to acquire T-Mobile last year. That should have been our wake-up call to a growing industry problem: spectrum shortage. Yet it wasn't. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson says regulators need to quickly figure out how to get more spectrum into the hands of wireless operators or the industry will run out. That is true, and it...

Who will acquire Nokia? It is struggling as the wireless industry continues to transform itself, and we can expect many changes. The industry reinvented itself over the last five years, with smartphones like the Apple iPhone and the countless devices running Google Android, and it will be just as different five years from today. My Pick of the We...

What does the future of TV look like? Is it cable TV, IPTV, Satellite TV, Google TV, Apple iTV or something crazy like watching TV over the airwaves like we used to do? Is it on your television, your computer, tablet, smartphone or whatever is coming next? Who will be the industry leaders? These questions and many others were asked at last week's Cable Show 2012 in Boston. You may be very surprised by some of the answers...

A quick look at the wireless industry over the last several years shows wave after wave of innovation and success. In fact, success has been bigger than anyone's wildest dreams. However, success does not come to all. Why do some companies, like AT&T and Verizon, seem to hit the ball out of the park, while Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile keep striking o...

RIM execs have invited me to dinner for an off-the-record discussion. I have asked a truckload of questions about them over the last few years here in this column and in media stories. Let me ask you: What are the big questions I should ask them now? What do you want to know about RIM? My Pick of the Week is DISH TV now being sold in C Spire Wirel...

Recently, I gave a speech at a company and one of the executives raised an interesting question: Will Apple or Google -- or both -- enter the wireless networking fray, just as both have become competitors in the smartphone side of the business? I believe the answer is yes. How is the question. My Pick of the Week is the appointment of James Moorhe...

Congratulations to Samsung on earning the No. 1 position in the wireless smartphone sector. On the other hand, what is the problem at Nokia and RIM? What is happening? What other earthshaking changes can we expect in the wireless space next? Plenty. We are just getting started. So who and what will lead going forward? My Pick of the Week is the new...

Would it surprise you if I said the upcoming CTIA Wireless 2012 show will be very different from those in the past? I've been going to these wireless shows for more years than I can remember. Every few years, the show -- and in fact the entire industry -- changes. This is a great showplace for what is new and what is coming next in the wireless in...

Just like 10 years ago, and then again five years ago, the technology industry is changing. That means companies are enjoying new opportunities and wrestling with new challenges. Only some will win. I'll offer my perspective as an analyst on who is winning, who is losing and why. I believe you will find this column both interesting and valuable Let...

The Lumia may be AT&T's biggest wireless handset launch since the iPhone. This is a big gamble on AT&T's part. If successful, it could stand tall. It could help reboot Nokia and Microsoft in the wireless business. If unsuccessful then AT&T will have egg on its face. Why take the risk? My Pick of the Week is US Cellular, as it makes some public rela...

The Lumia may be AT&T's biggest wireless handset launch since the iPhone. This is a big gamble on AT&T's part. If successful, it could stand tall. It could help reboot Nokia and Microsoft in the wireless business. If unsuccessful then AT&T will have egg on its face. Why take the risk? My Pick of the Week is US Cellular, as it makes some public rela...

Books and e-books are becoming the No. 1 sales and marketing tool for many small and mid-sized businesses. Large companies have successfully used them for years, but they were much more expensive and took much longer to produce. Now print on demand and e-books are transforming the space, allowing every company the same opportunity. I recently lear...

Research In Motion has said it will offer app makers a prototype of the next smartphone in the BlackBerry 10 line at an upcoming conference in May. Good news, but is it too little, too late? The phone will not be ready to roll into the market till late 2012. RIM ruled during the last decade, but it has fallen way back since the iPhone and Androids...

We have watched the wireless industry grow rapidly and change over the last decade. As we now know, competitors in the industry have suddenly been backed into a corner with limits to wireless data spectrum and growth. This is a growing problem and a real challenge that both Verizon Wireless and AT&T have to face. A change in thinking is required to solve this.