Google Offers to Help Yahoo Fight Off Microsoft

Almost everyone that knows Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft, knows that Microsoft are trying to buy Yahoo, and Yahoo has politely rejected the offer. However, the drama doesn't end there, Microsoft still openly expresses its interest in Yahoo. And to add the drama, now Google offers to help Yahoo fight Microsoft.

Read the full article below:

Standing between a marriage of Microsoft and Yahoo may be the technology behemoth that has continually outsmarted them: Google.

In an unusually aggressive effort to prevent Microsoft from moving forward with its $44.6 billion hostile bid for Yahoo, Google emerged over the weekend with plans to play the role of spoiler.

Publicly, Google came out against the deal, contending in a statement that the pairing, proposed by Microsoft on Friday in the form of a hostile offer, would pose threats to competition that need to be examined by policy makers around the world.

Privately, Google, seeing the potential deal as a direct attack, went much further. Its chief executive, Eric E. Schmidt, placed a call to Yahoo’s chief, Jerry Yang, offering the company’s help in fending off Microsoft, possibly in the form of a partnership between the companies, people briefed on the call said.

Google’s lobbyists in Washington have also begun plotting how it might present a case against the transaction to lawmakers, people briefed on the company’s plans said. Google could benefit by simply prolonging a regulatory review until after the next president takes office.

In addition, several Google executives made “backchannel” calls over the weekend to allies at companies like Time Warner, which owns AOL, to inquire whether they planned to pursue a rival offer and how they could assist, these people said. Google owns 5 percent of AOL.

Despite Google’s efforts and the work of Yahoo’s own bankers over the weekend to garner interest in a bid to rival Microsoft’s, one did not seem likely, at least at this early stage.

For example, a spokesman for the News Corporation said Sunday night that it was not preparing a bid, and other frequently named prospective suitors like Time Warner, AT&T and Comcast have not begun work on offers, people close to them said. They suggested that they did not want to enter a bidding war with Microsoft, which could easily top their offers.

A spokesman for Time Warner declined to comment, as did a spokesman for Comcast. A representative for AT&T could not be reached.

In the meantime, people close to Yahoo said that the company received a flurry of inquires over the weekend from potential suitors. Some people inside Yahoo have even speculated about the prospect of breaking up the company. That could mean selling or outsourcing its searchrelated business to Google and spinning off or selling its operations that produce original content, these people said.

“Everyone is considering all kinds of options and a deal on search is one of them,” a person familiar with the situation said.

One person involved in Yahoo’s deliberations suggested that “the sum of the parts are worth more than the whole,” arguing that its various pieces like Yahoo Finance, for example, could be sold to a company like the News Corporation for a huge premium while Yahoo Sports could be sold to a company like ESPN, a unit of the Walt Disney Company.

Executives at rival companies were less optimistic about such a breakup strategy. “No one can get to a $44 billion price,” one executive at a major media company said, “even if you split it into a dozen pieces.”

In making its bid for Yahoo, Microsoft is betting that past antitrust rulings against it for abusing its monopoly power in personal computer software will not restrain its hand in an Internet deal.

In the United States, a federal district court in Washington ruled in 2001 that Microsoft had repeatedly violated the law by stifling the threat to its monopoly position posed by Netscape, which popularized the Web browser. The suit, brought during the Clinton administration, was settled by the Bush administration. But as a result of a consent decree extending through 2009, a federal court and a threemember team of technical experts monitors Microsoft’s behavior.

In 2006, for example, after Google complained to the Justice Department and the European Commission that Microsoft was making its MSN search engine the default in the most recent version of its Web browser, Microsoft modified the software so that consumers could easily change to Google or Yahoo.

In Google’s statement on Sunday, it said that the potential purchase of Yahoo by Microsoft could pose threats to competition that needed to be examined by policy makers.

Google’s broadly worded concerns lacked detailed claims about any anticompetitive effects of the deal, and the company did not publicly ask regulators to take specific actions at this time.

“Could Microsoft now attempt to exert the same sort of inappropriate and illegal influence over the Internet that it did with the PC?” asked David Drummond, Google’s senior vice president and chief legal officer, writing on the company’s blog.

Yahoo and Microsoft declined to comment Sunday on Google’s actions. Earlier on Sunday, Microsoft’s general counsel, Bradford L. Smith, said in a statement: “The combination of Microsoft and Yahoo will create a more competitive marketplace by establishing a compelling No. 2 competitor for Internet search and online advertising.”

Google’s effort to derail or delay the deal on antitrust grounds mirrors Microsoft’s own actions with respect to Google’s bid for the online advertising specialist DoubleClick for $3.1 billion, announced in April.

The strategy is not surprising, considering that any delays would work to Google’s benefit. “Google can tap into all of the ill will that Microsoft has created in the last couple of decades on the antitrust front,” said Eric Goldman, director the HighTech Law Institute at the Santa Clara University School of Law.

The outcome of any antitrust inquiry will hinge, in part, on how regulators define various markets. MicrosoftYahoo, for instance, would have a large share of the Webbased email market, but a smaller share of the overall email market.

“The potential concern would be that Microsoft, if it acquires Yahoo, could do on the Internet what it did in the personal computer world — make technical standards more Microsoftcentric and steer consumers to its products,” said Stephen D. Houck, a lawyer representing the states involved in the consent decree against Microsoft.

Yahoo has not made a public statement about the proposed deal since Friday, when it said it was weighing Microsoft’s offer as well as alternatives and would “pursue the best course of action to maximize longterm value for shareholders.”

Carl W. Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond in Virginia, said an antitrust review of the MicrosoftYahoo deal could take a long time and “may well bleed into a new administration with an entire new view on antitrust than the Bush administration.”



Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/04/technology/04yahoo.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin

Buying Phone Cards by MandarinTube

This is a Skype rechargable phone cards ad. The ad is in Chinese, but there's English subtitle. Enjoy!

Verizon Files False Advertising Lawsuit against Alltel

America’s second biggest mobile phone carrier, Verizon Wireless, is suing smaller rival, Alltel Corp., for allegedly making false statements about Verizon’s calling plans in its television advertisements.

Alltel, a regional carrier with a presence in 35 U.S. states, apparently suggested in a series of TV commercials that Verizon customers are forced to extend their contracts when they chance calling plans. The ads feature Verizon sales representatives trying to stop customers from switching to Alltel when they learn of Alltel’s supposedly more flexible contract policies.

“Whatever merit this comparison may have to other carriers, in the case of Verizon Wireless, the supposed ‘advantage’ is pure fiction,” Verizon alleged in its false advertising lawsuit, filed at a federal court in Richmond, Virginia on Wednesday.

Verizon customers have been able to change plans without extending their contracts since October 1, 2007, the Basking Ridge, New Jersey-based telecom giant clarified.


Source: Telecom News

Philippines Globe Telecom goes further to the EDGE

Nokia and Globe Telecom have signed a deal for Nokia to supply GSM/EDGE equipment for Globe Telecoms Phase 10 Network expansion project. The agreement covers the delivery of Nokia Networks equipment such as base station transceiver station, mobile switching center and transit MSC upgrades, home location register, intelligent network, as well as the implementation services related to the network subsystems elements.

This deal follows the recent announcement for Nokia to rollout Globes EDGE network solutions in Metro Manila. Deliveries are expected to start in first quarter 2004, with equipment put into operation based on a progressive schedule. Globes Phase 10 Network expansion project is aimed at providing coverage to rural areas and adding capacity to the network to meet forecasted subscriber growth in 2004. Globe Telecom, Inc. is primarily owned by Ayala Corporation and Singapore Telecom International. It also offers a broad range of wireline voice communication and data transmission services as well as domestic and international long distance communication services.


Source: www.mobilemonday.net/news/philippinesglobetelecomgoesfurthertotheedge

New England Telephone Calling Card Commercial

It's a pretty old calling card commercial (early 90s), but enjoy!

Survey Calls for Customer Experience Overhaul

When Forrester Research asked nearly 5,000 consumers about their interactions with a variety of companies to gauge the usefulness, usability, and enjoyability of their experiences, wireless carriers kept coming up short. Consumer feedback indicated that wireless customers are largely displeased with their carriers across the board. The survey, however, also showed they are even unhappier with both their Internet and television service providers.

Forrester used the survey findings to calculate a Customer Experience Index (CxPi) for 112 firms spanning nine industries. With a CxPi of 66%, wireless carriers came in fifth in the industry rankings. Internet providers came in third to last on the list of nine with a CxPi of 62%, and TV service providers followed, beating out only medical insurance providers, at a CxPi of 60%.


Source:
http://www.communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/100/28166

New Commercials - La Leyenda from IDT

This is a new phone card commercial: La Leyenda by IDT. It's in spanish.

Guangzhou to Acquire 60% of Lihe Deal to Create Prepaid Joint Venture

Guangzhou has signed a joint venture agreement with Beijing Lihe Jiahua Technology and Trading Company. Guangzhou, a mobile phone handset and prepaid calling card distributor, and mobile handset value-added services provider in the PRC, said that the company has set up a retail branch in Beijing. The Beijing branch will offer wireless products and value-added technology services. As part of the deal, Guangzhou will also acquire 60% of Lihe for RMB1.5 million. Lihe’s un-audited revenue in 2006 is around 50 million RMB with 4 million RMB of gross profit.

Lihe is a local Beijing company that is the agent of China Unicom in addition to several companies who provide internet games. Lihe is also intends to cooperate with Net Telecom and China Mobile.

Beijing, as host city of the Olympic Games in 2008, is the political center of China. It has advantages in both economics and travel, with a population of 17 million, 5.1 million of which is floating. According to statistics, the coverage of mobile users in Beijing was over 100% last year.

Ms. Li Yankuan, the CEO of the Company, stated, “The setup of the Beijing branch is a crucial step in the integration of our business throughout China. As the capital of China, Beijing is the most developed city in Northern China. Accordingly, we have targeted the city as the most significant place for us to expand our business.”


Source:
http://www.prepaid-press.com/news_detail.php?t=paper&id=1996

011 Mobile Launches Mobile International Dialing Enables International Calling from Mobile Device

Through its partnership with ANI Networks, a Tier 1 network provider, 011 Mobile has rolled out an international calling plan that provides the convenience low cost international calling from a mobile device. 011 Mobile, a Las Vegas-based MVNO, will now be providing mobile international rates comparable to both landline and prepaid calling card rates.

011 is attempting to address the growing needs of the international customer, who is usually forced to use a prepaid calling card to make an international call. Even though most customers have cell phones, the rates to international destinations from a mobile phone have not been comparable to landline rates.

“We are looking forward to serving those customers with family members abroad, the international business person, and international visitors to our country, with a competitive rate on a network they can rely on. This market has been under served and taken advantage of for far too long,” said Adam Bonaldi, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for 011 Mobile.

011 Mobile says its international rates do not carry additional fees and surcharges.


Source: http://callingcards.bravejournal.com/archive/01/1/2008

Phone Cards for Troops

Many phone cards have been given out for troops in Iraq to help them keep in touch with their family back home in US. Read: Phone Card Fundraiser for Troops, and AT&T Donates Prepaid Phone Cards to U.S. Military Overseas.

However, using prepaid phone cards aren't the only way to stay connected, and here are some reasons why:

1) Some Military bases have AT&T pay phones installed and allow for the use of calling cards but beware the cards won't deliver the promissed minutes because they will incur a pay phone fee and if it is a non AT&T calling card will incur at least another $1.50 network access fee. These fees come off the balance of the card, resulting in less minutes. I have even heard reports that some of the pay phones block acess to other non AT&T 800 numbers.

2) Some Morale, Welfare and Recreation posts actualy offer VOIP Phone calling and the costs can be much better than phone cards but they are harder to come bye and subject to more "lag" and quality degradation based on the internet signal strength.

3) Government DSN phones are also available in some places where a soldier connects directly to an operator who connects him/her to the party of their hoice. The rates are similar to that of calling from your home phone in the US.

4) Iraq cell phones are also available locally to the troops but you must buy them off base. From what I hear the coverage is ok but the rates are somewhat more expensive.

5) Last but not least are sat phones which are not as plentiful but they deffinately are useful in the more remote bases in Iraq where the amenities are not as plentiful.

see tons of press releases out there about groups sending over phone cards to the troops in Iraq to help them call home and always wondered if people really understood the "phone" situation over there. To help calrify, here are a few hings you should know:

In short, base camps in Iraq do support communication. It's not like they're in the middle of nowhere with technology devices. So if you have family member(s) who are serving in Iraq, consult with them and see which one of the above options is best for them and see if you can help them out in another way. Sometimes a phone card may be the best choice but other times more practical and economical methods are available.