The battle over prepaid between T-Mobile USA and Sprint Nextel’s Virgin Mobile just got a little uglier. T-Mobile and its ever-present spokeswoman, Carly, were the targets of a new commercial from Virgin, which argues that it offers the best value for a smartphone customer looking to avoid long-term service contracts. The advertisement underscores the growing importance of the prepaid wireless …

Mobile phone operators could be doing more to beef up security of their voice mail systems, say some security experts. Since it was revealed that thousands of cell phone voice mails had been hacked in the U.K., wireless subscribers all over the world have wondered whether their voice mails are safe. And experts have been touting the importance of using …

T-Mobile USA customers who purchase digital goods online and opt to have the charge show up on their phone bill are vulnerable to fraud, according to Consumers Union. The consumer advocacy group said today that the carrier’s mobile-payment plans aren’t covered by standard protections that guard against fraud with credit or debit card charges. “Mobile payment products promise a new, …