The outfit also unveiled the WTR1625L chip, which stakes claim to an industry first by sporting carrier aggregation alongside international LTE compatibility.

ENGADGET

Those messages, written in Russian and first reported by Russian mobile carrier MegaFon, simply advertise the app and include a link to a download site.

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But the figure was boosted by the number of tablet connections (bolstered by the first full quarter of the new iPad availability) the carrier managed to add that quarter.

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Shortly after noon on Friday, US Airways became the first carrier to provide waivers for Northeast passengers potentially impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

FORBES: As Sandy Approaches Northeast, US Airways Moves First To Waive Fees

They were the first carrier in Japan to carry the iPhone, which was seen by most observers as a device that would suffer the same fate that the Xbox.

FORBES: Was Sprint Buying Nextel One Of The Worst Acquisitions Ever At $35b?

The rival carrier has said it plans to have multiple 4G smartphones and tablets by the first half of 2011.

WSJ: Sprint, T-Mobile to Sell 4G Tablets Next Year

As the first national wireless carrier to test, launch and market 4G technology, Sprint made history by launching 4G in Baltimore in September 2008.

ENGADGET: Samsung's Epic 4G for Sprint seems to live up to its name