To promote newly launched FiOS, Verizon is offering double data allotments to mobile users in Northeast US

Verizon mobile users in the Northeast US have a reason to be pleased. The wireless carrier is offering double monthly data allotments to all their customers in the Northeast US, new and existing, who sign up for the company’s newly launched FiOS service. 

                                       

                           

The carrier quietly launched a regional, limited-time promotion that doubles the monthly data buckets for users with its XL or XXL plans who sign up for FiOS, the operator's fiber-based wired Internet service. The offer increases the XL plan to 24 GB per month and the XXL plan to 36 GB per month. The promotion wasn't officially announced. While Verizon isn't specifying how long the offer will last, and even the spokesman declined to say whether the carrier intends to roll out the campaign to more locations where it offers FiOS.   

Recently, Verizon agreed to sell its wireline properties to Frontier in California, Florida and Texas. After that sale closes, Verizon's FiOS footprint will be mainly concentrated in the Northeast U.S. Verizon has said that the area is underpenetrated when it comes to FiOS: "If you're going to launch broadband to the home, you're either going to pick the East Coast or the West Coast, and we have the East Coast population density from Washington, D.C. to Boston," Verizon CFO Fran Shammo said at a recent investor conference. "It's a very good footprint for us and we believe the property we have are still underpenetrated."

The nation's largest mobile operator is clearly hoping to use its leverage in mobile to shore up revenues in a fixed-line broadband market in which telcos are struggling. Verizon's broadband business saw only 23,000 net customer adds during 2015, and the nation's top telcos lost a total of more than 185,000 subscribers last year. Verizon's promotion is just the latest example of a mobile network operator bundling and cross-promoting to build businesses on multiple platforms.

Sprint Partners with Dixons Carphone to Open 500 Retail Stores

Sprint said it will partner with British consumer electronics retailers Dixons Carphone to open and operate around 500 Sprint-branded stores across the country, building on a pilot program which was launched last year by both Sprint & Dixons Carphone. 

The companies unveiled a joint venture in which each will put up half the costs and each will have a 50 percent stake. Dixons Carphone formerly partnered with Best Buy to launch Best Buy Mobile and the Geek Squad program. Last summer, Sprint said “it would work with Dixons Carphone to build and operate roughly 20 new Sprint stores in select U.S markets.” 

In an effort to better compete with Verizon and AT&T, the two largest U.S. operators, both companies, Sprint and T-Mobile, are investing to build out their retail presence and attract a large number of customers. The carriers hope to lure new customers by building out their networks in suburban and rural areas and opening stores in those markets to sell their offerings and provide customer service.

"Sprint is making tremendous strides in transforming their business, and we are excited to play an even greater role in enhancing their retail experience," said Andrew Harrison, Dixons Carphone's deputy group chief executive. "The joint venture represents an important next step in Dixons' expansion into the U.S. market, and I'm confident that together we will deliver a best-in-class retail experience for Sprint customers."

It was reported that Walmart stopped stocking Sprint’s postpaid handsets in its store last year. Though it is still not clear whether the decision was made by the retailer or the carrier. However, Sprint insisted that its presence in Walmart locations hasn’t changed.