Amp'd content team to live on with Clearwire?

Amp'd's virtual network may be dead and gone (not really, it got acquired; you know what we mean), but the MVNO had arguably one of the better exclusive content packages out there. Ironically, we've heard that Amp'd ultimately spent only a very small fraction of its once-$400 million fortune on the content itself, but hey, maybe they spent that money somewhat wisely. Anyhoo, it seems Peter Adderton and his jolly gang have been shopping themselves around as a one-stop-shop package deal of content, and fixed wireless provider Clearwire may be getting ready to bite. Details are slim at this point, but the synergy is pretty obvious: the former Amp'd crew can concentrate on what it does best -- produce entertaining content -- and let Clearwire worry about the infrastructure. Lil' Bush wouldn't look half bad over WiMAX, yeah?

Link to Engadget Article

Judge okays Amp'd sale, customers now free to join Prexar Mobile

We already had a decent hunch that Prexar Mobile would come into play here, but a Delaware judge has officially green lit the sale of Amp'd Mobile to United Systems Access, which will give "thousands of customers a chance to switch carriers in the wake of the startup venture's collapse." United Systems will reportedly offer service to Amp'd customers under its Prexar Mobile brand, and interestingly, Amp'd will be getting a "25-percent stake in Prexar." Additionally, it was noted that Amp'd Mobile will be paid according to "how many of its customers switch service to the small Maine-based wireless provider, what plans the customers choose, and how long they stay with the new carrier." And you thought you'd never hear from these guys again.

Link to Engadget Mobile

Amp'd Mobile Closes Doors, Liquidation Process Likely

Once-promising Amp'd Mobile is now closing its doors, according to information recently issued to existing customers. The entertainment-focused, multimedia-heavy MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) told customers that it is "potentially suspending US operations on July 24th," and noted that it is "currently in discussions with several parties." A late-stage buyer appears unlikely, shifting the focus towards a liquidation of assets.

The development closely follows a bankruptcy filing in June, one that revealed heavy infrastructure costs and a massive debt load. The LA-based company rallied 200,000 subscribers, though that population was unable to sustain broader operational costs. The outcome reflects a rough-and-tumble MVNO sector, one that recently claimed ESPN Mobile as a casualty. In late 2005, Amp'd began offering 99-cent, OTA music downloads, a move recently mirrored by Sprint.

Link to Digital Music News Article

Kids' summer day calling increases by an hour

MVNO Disney Mobile released some interesting metrics from its recent "Cell and Tell" survey: 10- to 17-year-old mobile users spend an hour more on their mobiles during a summer day than they do on a school day. In the summer they spend some three hours and 45 minutes on their mobiles. About 44 percent of kids use texts as their primary form of communication. 52 percent have texted from a movie theater and 28 percent have texted from the dinner table. Within ten minutes of waking up, 26 percent of the kids polled say they send a text. Of course, 96 percent of respondents said they talk to their parents via mobile phone every day, while 20 percent talk to their parents at least five times a day.

Link to Fierce Wireless Article

For more stats on kids' mobile usage:
- read this article from The Washington Post

Virgin Mobile: Mobile ads for voice minutes works

Virgin Mobile USA says that about 1,000 subscribers have signed up for its Sugar Mama program each day since it launched about a year ago. That makes for roughly 330,000 of its 4.8 million subscribers, who are willing to exchange 45 seconds of advertising on their handset or on their PCs for an extra minute of talk time. Virgin has doled out 9 million minutes of mobile talk time since Sugar Mama launched.

According to the MVNO, the Sugar Mama users aren't ignoring the advertising either: They clicked on offers in the ads they viewed more than 5 percent of the time, which is higher than the average online click rate: less than 1 percent. Pepsi, Xbox and the truth.org campaign were the initial partners for Sugar Mama, but now Jive Records, Levi Strauss, New Balance, Nintendo, Showtime Networks, Sony Pictures and the U.S. Navy, among others, have inked advertising deals with Virgin for the service.

Link to FierceWireless Article

For more on Virgin Mobile USA's Sugar Mama success:
- read this press release
- check out this article from BusinessWeek