For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 4, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: France Telecom (FTE), Apple (AAPL), Telefonica (TEF), Vodafone (VOD) and Deutsche Telekom (DT).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Tuesday’s AnalystBlog:

Orange UK Confirms iPhone Launch

France Telecom’s (FTE) subsidiary Orange UK has revealed the iPhone launch date as the carrier will officially unveil the iconic handset in the UK on Nov. 10, 2009. Moreover, the operator has also released pricing and tariff details for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, which will

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France Telecom’s (FTE) subsidiary Orange UK has revealed the iPhone launch date as the carrier will officially unveil the iconic handset in the UK on Nov. 10, 2009. Moreover, the operator has also released pricing and tariff details for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, which will be sold through direct retail distribution channels including on-line stores, shops and telesales channels. Orange will sell the iPhone to consumer and business customers through various price plans such as "pay as you go" (PAYG) and "pay monthly" basis. Under the PAYG plan, customers who top up £50 ($82) at purchase will get the iPhone 3G for £343 ($563), iPhone 3GS (16GB) for £440 ($722) and iPhone 3GS (32GB) for £539 ($884), along with 250MB of data usage per month and unlimited Wi-Fi (wireless broadband) access for a year. Under the "pay monthly" option, iPhone 8GB, 16GB and 32GB models ...

French telecom giant France Telecom (FTE) has reported operating results for third-quarter 2009 with revenue falling 6.4% year over year to €12.69 billion (US$18.1 billion), primarily due to unfavorable exchange rate fluctuations (British pound versus Polish zloty) and reduced mobile termination rates (inter-operator fees). Revenue was also hurt by the recession-driven discontinuation of landline phone use by customers.       EBITDA & Margin France Telecom, which operates two of the leading telecom brands in Europe (Orange and Wanadoo), reported EBITDA of €4.6 billion (US$6.6 billion) which declined 8% from the year-ago quarter, resulting in a fall in EBITDA margin to 35.9% from 36.6%. This decline is a result of stringent price regulation and adverse currency exchange swings. Revenue by Key Markets Reported revenue in France (46% of group sales), the company’s largest market, declined 1.6% year over year to €5.9 billion (US$8.4 billion) ...

Spain’s incumbent telecom carrier Telefonica SA (TEF) has reportedly made an all-cash bid to acquire Brazilian telecom operator GVT Holding SA in an effort to expand its presence in the lucrative Brazilian telecom market. The Spanish operator’s Brazilian fixed-line subsidiary Telecomunicacoes de Sao Paulo (Telesp) has offered BRL48 (US$27.2) per share of GVT to acquire atleast 51% of the company, equating to a total investment of €2.55 billion (US$3.75 billion). This offer, which is subject to regulatory and shareholders approvals, has outbid the BRL42 (US$23.8) per share offer made by France-based media company Vivendi SA in September 2009. Telefonica targets to eventually acquire 100% stake in GVT. Large telecom carriers across the US and Europe are increasingly focused on expanding their foothold in under-penetrated markets given the limited growth prospects in their matured domestic markets. With its vast population and relatively low wireless and broadband penetration, ...

German telecom carrier Deutsche Telekom (DT) and France Telecom (FTE) are merging their UK operations in a 50-50 joint venture. The companies have initiated negotiations and an agreement is likely to be signed by the end of October 2009. If and when the deal is finalized, Deutsche Telekom’s British subsidiary T-Mobile UK will combine with France Telecom’s Orange UK in a historic merger. In the proposed deal, Deutsche Telekom will contribute T-Mobile UK, including the unit’s 50% stake in the 3G wireless joint venture with Hutchison, while France Telecom will add its UK broadband Internet business along with the wireless operation. The companies are likely to retain the Orange and T-Mobile brands for now to prevent customer defection. A new brand, however, is expected within two years. The British mobile market is one of the most fiercely competitive markets in Europe. Currently, Spanish telecom ...

Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology is ahead in the race as the most sought-after next-generation (4G) wireless network standard in the market. The 4G wireless networks are aiming to cope with substantial demand for high-speed wireless data services and mobile video. LTE is an IP-based modulation standard and a set of enhancement for the existing Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). This technology has been pioneered by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a telecom industry body comprising wireless carriers and equipment vendors who have been buying and selling the same proprietary products for years. Verizon Communication (VZ), the largest carrier in the U.S., and NTT DoCoMo (DCM), the largest carrier in Japan, are the first two companies to decide on implementing LTE–based networks by 2010. Vodafone (VOD), the largest mobile carrier globally on revenue count and AT&T (T) will implement LTE by ...

AT&T (T) became the first US wireless service provider to deploy 3G femtocell base station. The company has already started selling home base station radios in some select domestic markets, thus beating its closest rival Sprint Nextel (S) that was claiming to become the pioneer in deploying 3G home base stations.

The U.S. is likely to undergo a massive wave of 3G femtocell from the end of this year. Sprint began providing 2G CDMA femtocell since 2007. Last January, Verizon Wireless (VZ) launched its first 2G femtocell that does not support 3G EV-DO networks for faster download at home.

Femtocell is quickly emerging as a fundamental technology enabler in the deployment of next-generation (3G/4G) wireless network infrastructure. A femtocell is a small cellular base station, typically designed for use in a residential or small business environment. This access point communicates to the wireless service providers’ network

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  Incumbent German telecom carrier Deutsche Telekom (DT) is evaluating the acquisition of Sprint Nextel (S), the third largest US carrier. The company has reportedly initiated discussions and may submit a bid in the coming weeks. Deutsche Telekom operates in the US through its subsidiary T-Mobile USA, which is the fourth largest US wireless carrier, with 33.5 million subscribers.   Sprint has a current market valuation of $10.8 billion with a total debt position of approximately $21 billion. In order to finance the potential multi-billion dollar deal, Deutsche Telekom may need to seek funding from its shareholders, including the German government, which holds 32% stake in the company. Deutsche Telekom is pursuing several initiatives to revive its struggling business operations across Britain and the US. The company has recently announced the merger of its British subsidiary T-Mobile UK with France Telecom’s (FTE) Orange UK ...

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – September 14, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Sprint Nextel Corp. (S), AT&T (T), Verizon Wireless (VZ), Airvana Inc (AIRV) and Alcatel-Lucent (ALU).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:

Femtocell - The Emerging Wave

Femtocell is quickly emerging as a fundamental technology enabler in the deployment of next-generation (3G/4G) wireless network infrastructure. A femtocell is a small cellular base station, typically designed for use in a residential or small business environment. This access point communicates to the wireless service

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Femtocell is quickly emerging as a fundamental technology enabler in the deployment of next-generation (3G/4G) wireless network infrastructure. A femtocell is a small cellular base station, typically designed for use in a residential or small business environment. This access point communicates to the wireless service providers’ network through a broadband connection.  Using femtocell, a wireless operator can improve both coverage and capacity especially in an indoor area where access would otherwise be limited or unavailable, in a highly cost effective way. This will reduce the carriers’ operating costs as well as capital expenditure.  The U.S. is likely to undergo a massive wave of 3G femtocell from the end of 2009. Sprint Nextel Corp. (S) is claiming that it will be the first telecom operators to introduce 3G femtocell in the U.S., beating AT&T (T) and Verizon Wireless (VZ). Although Sprint Nextel is providing 2G ...