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AT&T pays $2.8 billion for Dobson Communications
AT&T announced a $2.8 billion deal to acquire rural wireless provider Dobson Communications. Dobson, which markets its services under the Cellular One brand, has 1.7 million subscribers. AT&T hopes the deal, which requires regulator approval, will close by the end of 2007. CNET/Reuters (7/1)

Business & Industry Watch

Bell Canada agrees to $48.5 billion takeover
In what is being called the largest Canadian acquisition of its kind, Bell Canada has agreed to be acquired by two private-equity firms, Providence Equity Partners and Madison Dearborn Partners, and The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board. The $48.5 billion deal must be approved by regulators and investors. BBC (7/1)

Consumers flock to iPhone

A USA TODAY poll of iPhone purchasers found consumers were, on the whole, happy with their new iPhone, with one buyer saying he was "immensely satisfied." An analyst said weekend sales of Apple's iPhone might have reached 500,000 units, surpassing many top projections. "This is a very successfully handled launch," Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said.  ClipSyndicate (6/30) USA TODAY (7/2) Bloomberg (7/2)

Helio gets extra support from parent companies
Joint-venture partners SK Telecom and EarthLink will each inject startup Helio with up to $100 million in additional funding, SK announced today. Helio anticipates a net loss of $330 million to $360 million this year. Reuters (7/2)

New Siemens CEO takes the helm
The new CEO of Siemens AG takes charge as the company faces Europe's biggest corporate-corruption scandal. Peter Löscher, who takes office today, also faces investors' demands to restructure the company. The Wall Street Journal (7/2)

Other News

• Report: Carlyle Group may bid for Virgin Media
  Bloomberg (7/2)

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by USTelecom dailyLead® readers in the past week.

• IPhone makes its U.S. debut (ClipSyndicate)

• Strigl: Verizon is on the right track (Financial Times (free content))

• Jobs, Stephenson say iPhone will provide mobile wake-up call: (USA TODAY)

• AT&T sets prices for iPhone service plans (American City Business Journals)

• Judge poses compromise question in Verizon-Vonage spat (Los Angeles Times)

Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Technology Trends

Verizon brings Rev. A to full CDMA network
Verizon Wireless has announced that its complete CDMA network now supports EV-DO Revision A technology, which offers downloads speeds between 600 kbps and 1.4 Mbps. Wireless Week (6/29)

Customization could be the key to survival for smaller telecom vendors
In light of the trend toward equipment manufacturing going global, the smaller vendors may be able to find their footing by focusing on customization, according to this article. Chicago Tribune (7/2)

Macquarie buys Global Tower Partners for $1.4 billion
Macquarie Infrastructure Partners led a consortium that paid $1.4 billion for Global Tower Partners. Private-equity firm Blackstone sold the tower operator, and Macquarie Communications will own 28.7% while Macquarie Infrastructure Partners will take 56.2%. cellular-news (U.K.) (7/2)

The politics of text messaging
Presidential hopefuls U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and former-Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., are among the political candidates experimenting with using text messaging to garner donations and organize events. The Washington Post (6/30)

IP Download

Deal between Vyke, The Cloud boosts mobile VoIP
An agreement between Vyke and The Cloud will give mobile VoIP users pan-European access. Under the terms of the partnership, Vyke mobile VoIP users will have access to any hotspot across the U.K. and abroad that is operated by The Cloud. Total Telecom Magazine (U.K.) (6/29)

Regulatory & Legislative

FCC grants set-top waivers to digital providers
The FCC's Media Bureau granted waivers for the July 1 ban on integrated set-tops to some multichannel providers, including large and small telecoms and some cable operators, that currently have deployed or are working toward all-digital networks by February 2009. Multichannel News (6/30)

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