RCR Wireless News articles from August 2004

RCR Wireless News archives from August 2004

T-Mobile USA sponsors X Games.(News)
August 2, 2004... Continuing its marketing focus on the youth segment, T-Mobile USA Inc. reported its Gold Sponsorship of the 2004 Summer X Games in Los Angeles scheduled for next week, as well as its continued sponsorship of the T-Mobile Action Sports Team. ...

Global handset market shifting.(News)
August 2, 2004... Aggressive tactics from some device manufacturers coupled with conservative moves by others are causing a shift in global handset market share, according to new research from IDC. According to IDC, Nokia Corp.'s market share has dropped to...

Converged devices give Wi-Fi credibility.
August 2, 2004... Byline: EMILY MOTSAY The launch of converged mobile devices, capable of communicating over both Wi-Fi and cellular technologies, suggests Wi-Fi, long hailed by start-up companies and tech-savvy consumers, may be gaining credibility among...

Verizon beats estimates, tops 40 M-user mark.
August 2, 2004... Byline: DAN MEYER Verizon Wireless added some much-needed fuel to a rather bleak-looking second quarter last week as the nation's largest carrier posted an industry-record 1.5 million net customer additions during the quarter and blew past...

As VoIP evolves, MOP lurks in the shadows.(News)
August 2, 2004... Byline: SAM OMATSEYE For all the play Voice over Internet Protocol snags in the wireless arena, a new and broader technology is lurking to gulp it up. Media over packet technology, as it is called, will also threaten to make multimedia...

Tower firms sail on smoother waters.(News)
August 2, 2004... Byline: EMILY MOTSAY Four of the five publicly traded wireless communications tower firms reinforced notions that this year would be a better one for the sector in their second-quarter 2004 financial results, released last week. In...

Siemens, Alcatel post 2Q profits.(News)
August 2, 2004... Byline: SAM OMATSEYE Siemens AG and Alcatel Corp reinforced a season of good feeling among wireless vendors as they swung to profitable quarters. "These trends show that improvement in the broader macroeconomic environment is now...

Late News.
August 2, 2004... DoCoMo net profit drops 13 percent NTT DoCoMo Inc. said its net profit dropped 13 percent for the fiscal first quarter due to strong competition in the Japanese wireless market. DoCoMo posted a net profit of about $1.52 billion compared...

N.Y. wireless broadband company disappointed with FCC's lack of action.(News)
August 2, 2004... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER A company wishing to offer wireless broadband services in New York expressed disappointment Thursday that the Federal Communications Commission rules for the 2.5 GHz band did not resolve an ongoing dispute...

Standards move forward but security vulnerabilities, risks remain.(Focus)
August 2, 2004... Byline: EMILY MOTSAY After years of development, certain specifications now provide basic guidelines for wireless security at both the commercial and more stringent enterprise levels, but it remains up to wireless users to decide what...

CFA says AWS/Cingular merger will dilute intermodal competition.(News)
August 2, 2004... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The Consumer Federation of America is quietly circulating a white paper arguing against the $41 billion merger of AT&T Wireless Services Inc. and Cingular Wireless L.L.C. saying that because Cingular is...

Motorola, Apple partner to bring iTunes wireless.(Business)
August 2, 2004... Byline: EMILY MOTSAY Apple Computer Inc. last week announced it will further its foray into the wireless world by allowing its downloadable iTunes to play on Motorola Inc. mobile handsets. Through the partnership, users will be able to...

Televigation location app helps users find cheap gas.(Business)
August 2, 2004... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Nextel subscribers may soon use their cell phones as divining rods to find cheap gas. Televigation, a California-based provider of location-based services for mobile users, has developed a "fuel finder'' feature...

Wireless financing round-up.(Business)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Colin Gibbs The wireless industry enjoyed a flood of investment news last week. Among the announcements: * Wireless broadband provider TeraGo Networks Inc. garnered $6.4 million in financing, bringing total investments in it to...

Motorola releases device bonanza.(News)
August 2, 2004... Byline: EMILY MOTSAY Amid second-quarter financial result releases and a much-anticipated analyst meeting, Motorola Inc. launched a slew of mobile devices last week, the majority of which feature integrated Bluetooth technology. The...

Business Briefs.(Briefs)
August 2, 2004... Symbol Technologies Inc. will acquire Matrics Inc., which designs and manufactures electronic product code (EPC)-compliant radio frequency identification (RFID) systems, for $230 million. "The acquisition of Matrics is a significant step in...

Dobson builds bridge between wireline and wireless with MERGE.(Business)
August 2, 2004... Byline: DAN MEYER Dobson Communications Corp.'s Dobson Cellular Systems jumped into the converged market last week with the launch of its MERGE product, which the company said would help bridge the gap between traditional wireline and...

Proxim ordered to pay damages to Symbol in patent lawsuit.(News)
August 2, 2004... Proxim Corp. will be required to pay $25.9 million in damages to Symbol Technologies Inc. for infringing on patents, according to the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, which upheld the September 2003 verdict and rejected...

Back to school.(Opinion)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Tina Eichner According to a survey sponsored by Levi and conducted by Insight Express, 42 percent of kids ages 13 to 17 said choosing the right outfit for the first day of school is more stressful than homework, being called on in...

South African company to roll out iBurst network.(Global Wireless)
August 2, 2004... ArrayComm Inc. said it has scored its second iBurst broadband wireless system deployment, this one in South Africa. Wireless Business Solutions, a provider of mobile data solutions, plans to deploy the U.S.-based company's iBurst technology...

Ericsson wins Chinese in-building, IP contracts.(Global Wireless)
August 2, 2004... L.M. Ericsson said it will provide in-building solutions for the new National Grand Theater in China under a contract awarded by Beijing Communication Corp., a subsidiary of China Netcom Corp. The value of the deal was not disclosed. ...

Sprint to offer joint Wi-Fi/1x access.(News)
August 2, 2004... Just over a year after launching its Wi-Fi initiative, Sprint Corp. reported that it will enable customers to access both its CDMA2000 1x-based wide area network as well as its Wi-Fi Zones local area network using a single client interface....

Verizon Wireless expands to Sin City with EV-DO service.(News)
August 2, 2004... Increasing its presence in the wireless high-speed data game, Verizon Wireless launched its CDMA2000 1x EV-DO BroadbandAccess service in Las Vegas, providing users in the greater metro area with access to average data speeds of between 300 and...

MetroPCS postpones IPO.(News)
August 2, 2004... Citing a pending review of previously filed financial statements, MetroPCS Inc. said it is postponing its initial public offering, which was expected to raise approximately $500 million for the regional wireless operator, originally scheduled...

FCC's 24 GHz auction nets $216,000.(News)
August 2, 2004... The Federal Communications Commission's auction of 24 GHz licenses started and ended last week after four rounds, netting more than $216,000 for seven licenses in the western United States. First Avenue purchased the Denver-Boulder license...

Working together.(Opinion)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Terry Addington Small wireless carriers want to offer their customers the same advanced services the big companies offer theirs. But since the economics of innovation are less favorable for small companies, it is difficult for them...

ZTE to draft two ITU next-gen QoS standards.(Global Wireless)
August 2, 2004... Chinese telecom supplier ZTE Corp. said it was chosen by the International Telecommunication Union to draft two international standards aimed at shaping the world's next-generation networks. Following a meeting of the NGN Joint Rapporteur...

KDDI to work with Toshiba, Hitachi on fuel-cell batteries.(Global Wireless)
August 2, 2004... Japanese mobile carrier KDDI Corp. announced an agreement with Toshiba Corp. and Hitachi Ltd. to cooperate on research into compact fuel-cell batteries for mobile communication devices. A commercial product is expected by the end of 2005. ...

Legislator discusses interoperability, homeland security, cybersecurity.(News)
August 2, 2004... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER Interoperability is not easy, but it is something that needs to happen and it is something Congress is concerned about, said Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), chairman of the House cybersecurity subcommittee....

Motorola moves could signal upcoming reorganization.(News)
August 2, 2004... In what may be a foretaste of a possible reorganization of the company, Motorola Inc. announced a new chief strategy officer and plans to retire up to $1.7 billion of outstanding debt. Analysts expect the company to roll out a grand...

Motorola details OFDM field test results.(Business)
August 2, 2004... Motorola Inc. said its field tests and research have proved that its Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing technology can provide future all-Internet Protocol mobile networks with user experience "previously thought to be unattainable''...

Accudata porting troubleshooter draws interest from second-tier carriers.(News)
August 2, 2004... Byline: DAN MEYER Despite reports from most wireless carriers that they have seen little to no impact in customer churn related to the implementation of wireless local number portability in the top 100 markets last November and this past...

iAnywhere offering connects mobile messages to office systems.(Business)
August 2, 2004... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Sybase Inc. subsidiary iAnywhere Solutions Inc. launched a messaging application technology that allows mobile users in the field to easily integrate with back-end servers and messaging systems back at the office. ...

Infrastructure Awards.(Wireless Metrics)
August 2, 2004... Following are mobile infrastructure contracts announced in July: Alcatel France With the Paris public transport agency RATP to upgrade its private mobile radio network covering its Metro, express line and bus system. Value: $77...

Wireless lags today's Internet even as policy looks ahead.
August 2, 2004... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER Even as mobility is seen as the greatest benefit to the next generation of the Internet, the wireless world is still trying to get up to speed with mobile use of the current Internet, let alone its next...

Fast fact.(Wireless Metrics)
August 2, 2004... Africa will become the world's fastest-growing mobile services market by 2008, according to the Yankee Group. Penetration will climb to 13 percent by 2008, equating to 125 million subscribers.

Will Nextel accept the FCC's 800 MHz plan?(Wireless Metrics)
August 2, 2004... Sixty percent of respondents to an rcrnews.com poll said Nextel Communications Inc. will accept the FCC's recently announced plan to solve the public-safety interference problem in the 800 MHz band. Forty percent of respondents said Nextel will...

Stock Watch: July 22-July 29.(Wireless Metrics)
August 2, 2004... table: Stock Watch: July 22-July 29 * 3 graphics: Market diary * Indices * RCR Index: see print copy.

Brightpoint signs to sell Motorola's telematics products.(News)
August 9, 2004... Motorola Inc. has signed Brightpoint North America L.P. to provide logistics services for Motorola's automotive division, the companies announced recently. Under terms of the agreement, Brightpoint's services will include inventory and...

Telematics could get boost from 802.11p development.(Business)
August 9, 2004... Byline: EMILY MOTSAY A planned update to 802.11, dubbed 802.11p, which will make cars more intelligent machines, could be a boon for both the telecom and automotive industries, according to predictions from ABI Research. 802.11p will...

Business Briefs.(Briefs)
August 9, 2004... Mobile-game publisher In-Fusio raised $27 million in its latest round of financing. U.S.-based venture-capital firm Insight Venture Partners led the funding round, joining existing investors Banexi Ventures, Partech International, BPSA and...

Danger updates Sidekick.(Business)
August 9, 2004... Byline: EMILY MOTSAY The T-Mobile Sidekick II, based on Danger Inc.'s hiptop wireless device, made a red carpet debut in Hollywood. The device is the first to launch under Danger's newly announced partnership with Sharp Corp., meant to...

T-Mobile offers Samsung slider camera phone.(News)
August 9, 2004... Samsung Telecommunications America and T-Mobile USA Inc. announced the launch of the slider SGH-d415 camera phone. The new phone slides up to reveal its oversized screen and keypad. The integrated VGA camera includes a 180-degree rotating...

Vocabulary comprehension.(Opinion)
August 9, 2004... Byline: Tina Eichner And I thought the acronyms of the wireless industry were unwieldy! In the age of text messaging there is a whole new language to be learned. Finally about a month ago I got up the nerve to inquire to my...

ABI calls RF power market unstable.(Wireless Metrics)
August 9, 2004... The outlook for RF power amplifier and RF power device makers is unstable, according to a new report from ABI Research. The study, "RF Power Amplifiers: Equipment and RF Device Analysis for Cellular Infrastructure Markets,'' said...

CDMA2000 subs exceed 100M.(Wireless Metrics)
August 9, 2004... The CDMA Development Group said the number of CDMA2000 subscribers has exceeded 100 million worldwide. The technology is used by 89 operators in 45 countries, with 36 more launches scheduled by year-end. The group said the rapid uptake can be...

Pronto, Tropos team on municipal Wi-Fi.(News)
August 9, 2004... Pronto Networks Inc. and Tropos Networks Inc. signed a strategic agreement to drive metro-scale Wi-Fi hot-zone deployments The companies' joint solution is in use in a 16-square-mile deployment in Chaska, Minn., and in an 8.6-square-mile...

Singapore airline to offer SMS-based check-in.(Global Wireless)
August 9, 2004... Singapore International Airlines customers will be able to wirelessly check in for their flights with short message service through a new agreement with VeriSign Inc. With the launch of SMS Check-in, SIA's frequent flyers and registered...

Sneaky taxes.(Opinion)
August 9, 2004... Byline: Tracy Ford Congress has been appropriately cautious in holding the line on how government can tax Internet access. Indeed, earlier this year President Bush extended the moratorium on taxing Internet access for another two years....

Virgin Mobile fights boredom with content.(Global Wireless)
August 9, 2004... Virgin Mobile U.K. introduced a new content service for its mobile users, based on information from its new customer magazine. Virgin Mobile is calling its BITES-or Bite-Sized Boredom Busters-entertainment service "a cross between a...

Cingular expands coverage in Tennessee.(Business)
August 9, 2004... Cingular Wireless L.L.C. said it has activated 13 new cell sites in Central Tennessee this year as part of a one-year, $100 million network investment in Tennessee and Kentucky that eventually should add nearly 150 cell sites to the region for...

UbiquiTel posts first operating income.(Business)
August 9, 2004... Sprint PCS affiliate UbiquiTel Inc. reported $88.7 million in revenues during the second quarter, a 34-percent increase from the $66 million the carrier posted during the second quarter of 2003. Net losses also improved from a loss of $8.9...

RIM competitors say BlackBerry won't own e-mail market forever.(Business)
August 9, 2004... Byline: EMILY MOTSAY Wireless e-mail stalwart Research In Motion Ltd. should brace for intense competition as converged devices with BlackBerry-esque e-mail functionality and cell-phone features, including voice capabilities, enter the...

Stability (after a lot of pain) marks tower industry.(Focus)
August 9, 2004... Byline: EMILY MOTSAY Change has been afoot in the wireless tower industry. In the past 18 months, two of the industry's five public players have gone through bankruptcy and returned, businesses have been divested and restructured, and...

Symbian counts stronger global shipments.(Global Wireless)
August 9, 2004... Byline: EMILY MOTSAY Symbian Ltd. said its operating results for the first half of 2004 show global shipments of Symbian OS-based phones nearly doubled to 5 million, as compared with the first half of 2003 when 2.7 million units were...

Global Briefs.(Briefs)
August 9, 2004... CHINA Siemens AG said it has signed a contract to supply solutions that will enable China Unicom to bring video clips and songs to subscribers' mobile phones. The carrier intends to offer the first video services to about 400,000...

SmartServ to attack market with content, prepaid calling cards.(Business)
August 9, 2004... Byline: DAN MEYER The rush of companies joining the ranks of pseudo-wireless providers continued last week as mobile content and application provider SmartServ Online Inc. announced plans to begin offering its prepaid Uphonia wireless...

PalmOne releases accessories line.(Business)
August 9, 2004... Playing on personalization, palmOne Inc. released palmOne persona, a line of accessories for palmOne handhelds and smart phones. The accessory line will debut with monogrammed leather cases designed by Vaja for use with the Treo 600,...

American Tower lowers capex outlook as it focuses on ROI.(Business)
August 9, 2004... Byline: EMILY MOTSAY In releasing its second-quarter financial results, American Tower Corp., the largest U.S. wireless tower company, maintained good favor with analysts who indicated its overall efforts to reduce its risk profile by...

Western Wireless expands coverage with Harris radios.(Business)
August 9, 2004... Western Wireless Corp. has selected Harris Corp. to supply radios to expand its network capacity. The provider of rural wireless communications will use Harris' Constellation radios, which feature the high-capacity 4xDS3 interface, in an...

Nokia, MLB partner to wirelessly deliver audio, scores, video.(Business)
August 9, 2004... Nokia Corp. has teamed with Major League Baseball to bring audio broadcasts, real-time scoring and streaming video to wireless handsets. The service, which is currently available on the Nokia 6600 and soon should be available on the Nokia...

Vendors get EDGE contracts in Middle East.(Global Wireless)
August 9, 2004... L.M. Ericsson and Motorola Inc. announced EDGE contracts, underlining the increasing traction of the technology in the Middle East and around the world. Motorola said it signed its first commercial EDGE contract in the Middle East with...

Cingular wraps up deal with Cincinnati Bell; Deal aids plans to 'hit ground running' post-merger.(News)
August 9, 2004... Byline: DAN MEYER With its pending acquisition of AT&T Wireless Services Inc. making its way through various governmental regulators and a final approval not yet certain, Cingular Wireless L.L.C. continued signing deals last week with AWS...

Carriers increase infrastructure spending, businesses increase WLAN spending.(Business)
August 9, 2004... Byline: SAM OMATSEYE Both the mobile infrastructure space and wireless local area network arena are heading toward sunnier times, according to reports by the Dell'Oro Group. WLAN is enjoying a big boost with a 75-percent increase in...

Small firm launches wireless directory amid industry controversy.(Business)
August 9, 2004... Byline: COLIN GIBBS A publicly accessible directory of wireless numbers would generate nearly $2 billion in revenues in the United States by 2008, according to a report released last week-but only if the major carriers cooperate. The...

Alltel, Centennial bolster core markets, divest non-strategic interests.
August 9, 2004... Byline: DAN MEYER Regional carriers are swapping spectrum to shore up their strength in markets where they already operate and exit markets that are no longer a strategic fit. In the largest deal announced last week, Alltel Corp. said...

Spamming wireless devices now illegal, but details on law undecided.(News)
August 9, 2004... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER Sending spam to wireless devices is illegal under rules adopted by the Federal Communications Commission last week. "The FCC shields consumers' wireless devices from these unsolicited, costly and...

T-Mobile tops Verizon in customer-care survey.(News)
August 9, 2004... T-Mobile USA Inc. bested two-time winner Verizon Wireless in a recent report on customer-care quality. T-Mobile achieved an A ranking in caller satisfaction and a B in call completion, while Verizon Wireless slipped to a B in both categories....

FCC to hasten DTV transition; But skips setting end date.(News)
August 9, 2004... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The Federal Communications Commission adopted rules designed to speed the transition to digital TV, but did not say how it plans to handle broadcast extension requests after Dec. 31, 2006. "The national...

Verizon, Cingular boost messaging offerings.(Business)
August 9, 2004... Verizon Wireless and Cingular Wireless L.L.C. customers will have access to e-mail and instant messaging on their handsets, thanks to two new agreements. Verizon, the nation's largest wireless carrier, inked a deal that provides MSN Mobile...

WiLAN demos W-OFDM.(Global Wireless)
August 9, 2004... WiLAN Inc. said it has successfully demonstrated its LIBRA 5800 solution, a full mobility solution that includes high-speed and seamless hand-off capability. "The demonstration proves the capability of Wideband-OFDM technology for 4G cellular...

Cocoa Beach rolls out wireless broadband with Mesh Networks.(News)
August 9, 2004... Mesh Networks Inc. and Scientel America announced that the City of Cocoa Beach has rolled out live mobile broadband services based on Mesh technology. Using the MeshNetworks Enabled Architecture, the city will have high-speed "always on''...

Late News.
August 9, 2004... THQ signs Pixar deal for movie-themed content THQ Inc. has signed an exclusive deal that gives the independent game publisher interactive rights to four upcoming Pixar Animation Studios animated films. Under terms of the agreement, which is...

Handango updates wireless download technology.(News)
August 9, 2004... Handango released an update to its mobile download provisioning technology, Handango AMPP, the company announced Friday. The new technology allows users of Handango AMPP to simplify content discovery for wireless subscribers, speed...

Survey examines enterprise mobile-phone procurement; NEW YORK --.(News)
August 9, 2004... More than half of U.S. employees are unhappy with their companies' procurement policies, according to research from Accenture. Fifty-eight percent of 150 respondents to an Accenture survey said they are dissatisfied with procurement...

Triton PCS disappoints with 2Q subscriber loss.(News)
August 9, 2004... Byline: DAN MEYER Triton PCS Holdings Inc. reported a disappointing loss of 833 subscribers during the second quarter of 2004, which was well below analyst expectations of around 20,000 net customer additions and below the 19,000...

Carriers can comment on EAS, must report large network outages.(News)
August 9, 2004... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The Federal Communications Commission said it plans to ask industry how wireless devices can be integrated into the federal Emergency Alert System, but did not propose a specific mandate of what wireless...

Giving up 9 licenses, Leap set to leave bankruptcy.
August 9, 2004... Byline: DAN MEYER With the approval of a license transfer order from the government, Leap Wireless International Inc. finally put a date on its emergence from bankruptcy, saying it expects to emanate from Chapter 11 protection next week...

Digital PTT services must comply with wiretap law.(News)
August 9, 2004... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER Push-to-talk services that use Internet protocol or packet-mode architectures are subject to the digital wiretap act, the Federal Communications Commission ruled last week. "In the companion declaratory...

OEMs, CEMs build phones, relationships with trust.(News)
August 9, 2004... Byline: SAM OMATSEYE With the increasing wave of outsourcing in the industry, contract electronic manufacturers have taken over a major traditional role of original equipment manufacturers: manufacturing. But that's not all they do....

Fantasy football goes wireless.(News)
August 9, 2004... Byline: COLIN GIBBS With the curtain rising on the National Football League's preseason this week, mobile content providers are scrambling to untether fantasy football players from their computer monitors on Sundays. The popularity of...

Correction.
August 9, 2004... The quote attributed to Ric Prentiss of Raymond James & Associates in the "Sprint confirms it may sell towers'' story in the July 26 issue of RCR Wireless News should have named AAT Communications Corp. instead of America Tower as a possible...

Nextel Partners' role probed in 800 MHz plan.
August 9, 2004... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The relationship between Nextel Communications Inc. and Nextel Partners Inc. is being scrutinized as critics of the plan to solve public-safety interference in the 800 MHz band wait for the Federal...

Panera says Wi-Fi exceeding expectations.(News)
August 9, 2004... Expanding Wi-Fi's presence in non-traditional locations, Panera Bread Co. said it has equipped 325 of its retail locations in 27 states with free wireless Internet access using ICOA Inc.'s neutral host wireless network. Panera noted that...