RCR Wireless News articles from December 2005

RCR Wireless News archives from December 2005

Cingular opens wireless options for AT&T customers.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: DAN MEYER Cingular Wireless L.L.C. is testing a rate plan in select markets that allows customers to place unlimited calls to AT&T Inc. wireline customers for a flat monthly fee. AT&T, which recently changed its name from SBC...

Victory to chair Katrina panel.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The Federal Communications Commission named Nancy Victory to head an independent panel to examine the effects of Hurricane Katrina on communications networks. "The destruction of Hurricane Katrina caused...

Sprint Nextel users can get local weather, news.(Late News)
December 5, 2005... Japan-based weather content provider Weathernews Inc. this week plans to launch a Java-based video application for users with Sprint Nextel Corp. multimedia phones. The Weathernews Network will deliver personal video feeds of local weather...

Beyond phones, Bluetooth popping up in cars, cows.(Focus)
December 5, 2005... Byline: JONI MORSE While Bluetooth's emergence into the marketplace was probably over-hyped a couple of years ago, the short-range wireless connectivity technology is coming of age quickly. Last week, the Bluetooth Special Interest...

Verizon Wireless expands coverage in Southeast and New England.(News)
December 5, 2005... Verizon Wireless said it expanded its network coverage in four states, increasing capacity and the availability of its CDMA2000 1x EV-DO network. In Georgia, the company added seven cell sites and expanded the availability of EV-DO...

Dobson buys Cellular One brand.(News)
December 5, 2005... Dobson Communications Corp., the primary licensee of the Cellular One brand, said it plans to purchase the brand from Alltel Corp. for $1.3 million. Alltel acquired the Cellular One brand when it purchased Western Wireless Corp. in August. ...

New Orleans mayor plans to blanket city with Wi-Fi.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: JONI MORSE Free, municipally run Wi-Fi Internet access will become a permanent fixture in New Orleans, according to Mayor Ray Nagin, who announced plans to cover the entire city with a Wi-Fi mesh network within a year. "We are...

Texting death again puts dangers of distracted driving in spotlight.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Colorado authorities last week were expected to limit charges to a misdemeanor against a teenage driver who investigators said was text messaging on his cell phone when he crossed over into a bicycle lane, where his...

Alltel to sell phones through Kmart kiosks.(News)
December 5, 2005... Alltel Corp. will partner with Kmart Corp. to sell wireless phones and service in kiosks at select Kmart stores. Alltel has kiosks at 43 stores in 15 states; Kmart operates about 415 stores within Alltel's coverage area. Terms were not...

Infrastructure Awards.(Wireless Metrics)
December 5, 2005... Following are infrastructure contracts announced in November: Alcatel Russia With SMARTS to extend the carrier's GSM/GPRS network in the Povolzhie region. Value: Undisclosed L.M. Ericsson Australia With Telstra for a...

2 longtime execs leave Nortel.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: JONI MORSE Just two weeks after Mike Zafirovski took the reins as Nortel Networks Ltd.'s new chief executive, two longtime employees have been shown the door. Nortel confirmed that Brian McFadden, chief research officer, and...

French carriers face fines on price-fixing charges.(Global Wireless)
December 5, 2005... Byline: DAN MEYER A trio of French wireless operators was fined more than $625 million by French regulators for alleged market collusion and fixing market share. The French competitive authority, the Counseil de la Concurrence, said...

Mforma unleashes Spider-Man game.(News)
December 5, 2005... Mobile game-maker Mforma Group Inc. unveiled its latest licensed title from Marvel, launching Ultimate Spider-Man in the United States and Europe. The two-dimensional platform game is based on Activision Inc.'s console game of the same...

Crown Castle to redeem stock.(News)
December 5, 2005... Crown Castle International Corp. announced plans to redeem $200 million in convertible preferred stock held by an affiliate of General Electric Co. Under terms of the agreement, CCI's revolving credit facility has been bolstered to $325...

Verizon receptive to MediaFLO TV.
December 5, 2005... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Qualcomm Inc. snared its first customer for MediaFLO last week, as Verizon Wireless said it will use the chipmaker's new network to broadcast live TV to subscribers. The nation's second-largest carrier announced...

Semiconductor sales tracking with forecasts.(News)
December 5, 2005... Worldwide sales of semiconductors surged past $20 billion in October, driven by strong customer demand for consumer electronics such as cellular phones. Sales increased by 6.75 percent compared with the same time last year, according to...

Hill joins RCR as reporter, Gibbs to add retail coverage.(News)
December 5, 2005... RCR Wireless News is pleased to announce that Kelly Hill has been hired as a reporter covering the cellular beat for the newspaper. Hill recently received her Masters of Journalism degree from the University of California, Berkeley,...

Sprint Nextel wants FCC to delay 800 MHz retuning.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER Sprint Nextel Corp. asked the Federal Communications Commission to delay the retuning process for the 800 MHz band, claiming that the slow start reported by the 800 MHz Transition Administrator is due to a...

MobileSphere targets MVNOs with int'l long-distance.(News)
December 5, 2005... MobileSphere said it is offering CarrierILD, an international long-distance solution for mobile virtual network operators and wireless carriers. The service uses MobileSphere's patent-pending softswitch technology and global Tier 1...

WVP gains $10M in financing.(News)
December 5, 2005... Wireless Venture Partners Inc., a national wireless retailer based in Las Vegas, said it has closed $10 million in series A financing. The round was led by The Greenspun Corp. and Catalyst Investors L.P. The company said it plans to...

Syniverse wins Vodafone clearinghouse contract.(News)
December 5, 2005... Syniverse Technologies Inc. said it has won the contract to provide GSM clearinghouse services for Vodafone Group plc. Syniverse recently announced plans to establish a clearinghouse data center in Europe by the end of first-quarter 2006....

Vodafone launches own brand of e-mail service with Visto.(Global Wireless)
December 5, 2005... Vodafone Group plc announced it has launched a mobile e-mail service in the United Kingdom under its own brand of Vodafone Business Email. The company said the service is available in hosted and "behind the firewall'' versions to business...

Brightpoint to distribute for Amp'd.(News)
December 5, 2005... Brightpoint Inc. announced an agreement to distribute products for mobile virtual network operator Amp'd Mobile Inc. The Indiana-based distributor of phones and accessories will perform inventory management, product fulfillment and...

TI's processor delivers better video, partners with DoCoMo.(News)
December 5, 2005... Texas Instruments Inc. announced that its new OMAP2430 processor for mobile phones is being sampled by potential customers, delivering improved video performance that is up to four times better than the company's previously produced processor,...

FCC sides with industry on brain-cancer lawsuits.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Federal Communications Commission officials last week refused to discuss whether they were prodded by cellular lobbyists to get involved in brain-cancer lawsuits, the first time to date the agency is believed to have...

Rural carriers complain roaming rates unfair.
December 5, 2005... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER Small rural carriers argued that they are treated unfairly by the four nationwide carriers when it comes to automatic roaming, an accusation disputed by their larger counterparts. Because mergers have...

Cingular turns on PTT service.
December 5, 2005... Byline: DAN MEYER Cingular Wireless L.L.C. infused some new blood into the languishing push-to-talk market with the launch of its PTT service. The carrier joins a market dominated by Sprint Nextel Corp.'s iDEN-based PTT service, despite...

Key pieces of Bush spectrum plan overdue.
December 5, 2005... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Commerce Department last week missed key deadlines tied to the Bush spectrum plan, prompting further questions about the political handling and priority of a White House wireless initiative the administration...

APCO asks gov't to enforce E-911 rules.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER Another deadline for offering enhanced 911 services has come and gone. This time, however, the Voice over Internet Protocol industry is the market begging for relief. In June, the Federal Communications...

High Czech.(Opinion)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Jeffrey Silva While America's cell-phone bandit may be the best known mobile-phone subscriber in the world, and consumers in Japan and Korea may have a corner on the coolest wireless apps on the planet, word on the street is...

CPUC's Kennedy to be Schwarzenegger chief of staff; Impact on bill of rights uncertain.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The California regulator behind the campaign to overhaul the state's bill of rights for telecom consumers has been tapped as chief of staff to GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The appointment adds an unexpected twist...

RIM could settle with NTP soon, but potential payout estimates vary.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: COLIN GIBBS The BlackBerry-maker suffered yet another black eye last week in its legal scrap with NTP Inc. A Virginia judge rejected a request from Research In Motion Ltd. to enforce a $450 million settlement with NTP Inc.,...

Carriers challenge Kentucky tax law on telecom line item.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Top wireless carriers asked a federal court to block the state of Kentucky from enforcing a new law set for Jan. 1 that would prohibit operators from passing to subscribers a 1.3-percent gross receipts telecom tax....

SunCom deploys Ericsson core network.(News)
December 5, 2005... L.M. Ericsson said it won a contract to provide regional wireless operator SunCom Wireless Inc. with a next-generation core network throughout the operator's southeastern U.S. coverage area. Ericsson explained that SunCom is deploying...

Senate committee warns decency law may be created for all content, including phones.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The Senate Commerce Committee is giving the communications industry a chance to come up with a voluntary system to help parents control content over all media platforms-including mobile phones-or lawmakers...

Pretty in pink.(Opinion)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Tracy Ford Consider yourself forewarned: This is a girlie column. But hey, it seems wireless handset designers have forgotten about half of the world's population, so maybe you men out there should take a deep breath and plunge...

Stock Watch: November 23-December 1.(Wireless Metrics)
December 5, 2005... table: Stock Watch: November 23-December 1 * 3 graphs: Market Diary * Indices * RCR Index; see print copy

Fast Fact.(Wireless Metrics)
December 5, 2005... Anatel, Brazil's telecommunications regulator, released the results of a study of Brazil's telecommunications sector. The study shows that 39.6 percent of the subscribers are low-income users who have a salary of less than US$200 a month. ...

Ten years ago this week...(Wireless Metrics)
December 5, 2005... Bidding in the 900 MHz specialized mobile radio auction began, with 128 bidders vying for 1,020 SMR licenses. The most active bidders in the auction were Paging Network of America Inc., Motorola SMR Inc., Geotek Communications Inc., Nextel...

Top-selling models.(Wireless Metrics)
December 5, 2005... Motorola scored three of the top five in NPD Group's ranking of the third-quarter's top-selling handset models. The Razr V3 came out on top. CAPTION(S): RAZR V3

T-Mobile & 3G services.(News)
December 5, 2005... A majority of respondents to a RCR Wireless News Web poll said that even if T-Mobile USA Inc. manages to snare additional spectrum to bolster its network, the carrier will have a hard time competing against larger rivals in operating and...

Ericsson demos interactive mobile TV.(News)
December 12, 2005... L.M. Ericsson said it has conducted a live trial of interactive mobile TV services with the Norwegian Broadcasting Corp. Ericsson explained that the trial demonstrated how consumers could use their phone to vote, chat and communicate with a...

Virgin Mobile rejects NTL offer.(Global Wireless)
December 12, 2005... The board of Virgin Mobile Holdings plc rejected a $1.4 billion takeover offer from U.K. cable operator NTL Inc. "The board has concluded that the potential offer materially undervalues Virgin Mobile,'' the company said in a statement. ...

Sprint Nextel to use uiOne service.(News)
December 12, 2005... Sprint Nextel Corp. said it will install Qualcomm Inc.'s uiOne technology in its new phones. The carrier also unveiled its first phone running the technology, Sanyo Corp.'s CDMA2000 1x EV-DO-capable MM-7500, which Sprint Nextel will sell for...

Verizon Wireless enters LBS space.(News)
December 12, 2005... Verizon Wireless plans to enter the location-based services market next week with a GPS-based subscription offering. The carrier is expected to launch VZ Navigator, a $10-a-month downloadable application that includes mapping, audible...

Jamster working with Melodeo on music downloads.(News)
December 12, 2005... VeriSign Inc. said its Jamster subsidiary is working with Melodeo Inc. to develop a digital music platform that will support full-track music downloads. Verisign noted that Jamster was reviewing Melodeo's MobilDRM digital rights management...

Vodafone expands mobile TV offering.(News)
December 12, 2005... Vodafone Group plc said it plans to launch eight new mobile TV channels including wireless versions of HBO, MTV and Twentieth Century Fox Television. The new video content will be packaged with the operator's existing Mobile TV offering in...

Gemplus, Axalto announce all-stock merger.(Global Wireless)
December 12, 2005... Europe's Gemplus International S.A. and Axalto N.V., the world's two largest smart card vendors, announced plans to merge in an all-stock transaction. If approved, the combined company would have 2005 revenues of $2.1 billion and would be...

Public-safety groups urge FCC to ignore Sprint Nextel's request to delay rebanding deadlines.(News)
December 12, 2005... Byline: DAN MEYER A handful of public-safety organizations, led by the Association of Public-safety Communications Officials, sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission urging the government agency to deny Sprint Nextel Corp.'s...

Verizon to broadcast 'Letterman,' Sprint counters with Bon Jovi.(News)
December 12, 2005... CBS is finally wading into wireless, inking a deal to bring TV shows to Verizon Wireless subscribers. Verizon Wireless' Vcast users can access clips from the station's hit "CSI'' shows as well as "The Amazing Race,'' "The King of Queens,''...

Alltel turning off TDMA/GSM service in southern markets.(News)
December 12, 2005... Byline: KELLY HILL Alltel Corp. said it plans to turn off service for former Public Service Cellular Wireless customers on Dec. 28, as part of transitioning the PSC network from TDMA/GSM to CDMA technology. Alltel is also moving ahead with...

Leading indicator.(Opinion)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Jeffrey Silva Last week, wireless technology again made it into public remarks by the president. It had nothing to do with U.S. spectrum management reform, though its context may partly explain the White House's apparent apathy...

Dijji new moniker for Dwango.(News)
December 12, 2005... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Dwango Wireless is hoping a change in name helps bring about a change in fortune. After losing $15 million so far this year, the content provider is rebranding this week as Dijji Corp. The move was necessitated by...

Carrier Briefs.(Briefs)
December 12, 2005... Alamosa Holdings Inc. subsidiary Southwest PCS said it sold 10 megahertz of spectrum covering portions of Oklahoma and Texas to Panhandle Telecommunications Systems Inc. According to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Panhandle will...

Wireless carriers fail to make good grades in magazine survey.(News)
December 12, 2005... Byline: KELLY HILL Wireless carriers struck out once again in Consumer Reports' annual survey of cellular phones and service. Cingular Wireless L.L.C.'s acquisition of AT&T Wireless Services Inc. came in for particularly harsh criticism,...

Iraq to offer WLL licenses.(News)
December 12, 2005... The Iraqi National Communication and Media Commission is seeking applications for national and provincial licenses for local telecom services based on wireless local loop technologies, creating a major opportunity for U.S.-based CDMA technology...

Cellon closes Series D financing.(News)
December 12, 2005... Wireless handset designer Cellon International said it raised an undisclosed amount in a Series D round of financing. TVG Capital Partners led the round, joining existing Cellon investors Intel Communication Fund, Softbank China, SuneVision...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
December 12, 2005... The icons that appeared in the Dec. 5 Bluetooth article on page 8 were incorrectly labeled. The icons shown here will appear on packaging to help consumers determine Bluetooth-enabled product interoperability.

Virgin to launch MVNO service in South Africa with GSM carrier Cell C.(News)
December 12, 2005... United Kingdom-based mobile virtual network operator Virgin Mobile Group plc reported plans to extend its brand into South Africa through a 50/50 venture with South African GSM network operator Cell C. The Virgin Mobile-branded enterprise...

Alcatel, KT to cooperate on WiMAX development.(News)
December 12, 2005... Alcatel Corp. and KT Corp. announced that they plan to work as a team to accelerate the adoption of mobile WiMAX, beginning with the establishment of an interoperability testing center in Seoul. Alcatel said it plans to provide the radio...

Panasonic shutters GSM phone biz to focus on 3G.(Late News)
December 12, 2005... Japanese industrial firm Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd., which makes phones under the Panasonic brand name, announced a sweeping reorganization that will see the company shut down its GSM and GPRS phone-making business-as well as its...

CIBC raises handset forecasts, predicts success for Nokia, Motorola and Qualcomm.(Wireless Metrics)
December 12, 2005... Investment banking firm CIBC World Markets raised its 2006 handset sales forecast to almost 1 billion phones, supporting claims that the worldwide mobile-phone market continues to exceed expectations. CIBC raised its 2006 sales expectations...

Public-safety card gives MSS industry more spectrum.
December 12, 2005... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Federal Communications Commission late last week granted idle 2 GHz mobile satellite service spectrum to ICO Satellite Services and TMI Communications and Co., a stinging defeat with potential competitive...

D.C. Circuit could slow tower sitings.(News)
December 12, 2005... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The wireless industry could get an answer from an appeals court on whether the Federal Communications Commission can regulate tower sitings with an eye toward historic preservation and environmental...

Cingular goes high-speed with BroadbandConnect.
December 12, 2005... Byline: KELLY HILL Promises fulfilled was the message from Cingular Wireless L.L.C. as the industry's largest operator announced the launch of its UMTS/HSDPA network-dubbed BroadbandConnect-in 16 U.S. markets. The carrier has been touting...

FCC proposes changes to USF formula.(News)
December 12, 2005... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The Federal Communications Commission proposed rules to change the way the agency determines the universal-service support paid to larger carriers serving rural customers, including wireless carriers that...

Customer care connected to better retention rates.(Special Report)
December 12, 2005... Byline: COLIN GIBBS For the past few years, the strategy for U.S. carriers looking to retain customers was simple: offer subscribers a slick new handset at no charge. But in today's transitory market-where profit margins from voice...

Abernathy proudest of spectrum reform efforts, frustrated by federal pace.(News)
December 12, 2005... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The wireless industry has had explosive growth as a result of the policies championed by former FCC Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy, said FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein at Abernathy's final commission...

EA shakes up gaming world with Jamdat buy.
December 12, 2005... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Video-game giant Electronic Arts Inc. shook the mobile gaming world last week with the announcement it would shell out $680 million to acquire publisher Jamdat Mobile Inc. EA said it would pay $27 per share for...

The dichotomy of Dangerfield.(Opinion)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Dan Meyer With apologies to the deceased Rodney Dangerfield, the wireless industry can't get any respect. Whether it's state agencies attempting to micro-manage the industry or countless health-related lawsuits or studies...

Israeli carrier uses Tekelec for FMC.(Global Wireless)
December 12, 2005... Israeli-based iDEN network operator MiRS Communications Ltd., selected Tekelec's core convergence switching solution as part of its transition to Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem architecture. Tekelec said the solution provides...

MacroPort bets on handsets with memory cards.(News)
December 12, 2005... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Four years after it was founded, MacroPort is finally coming to market. The Mountain View, Calif.-based startup unveiled its first offerings this week, launching a suite of wireless software designed to allow users...

Sprint Nextel forms new subsidiary to target enterprise.(News)
December 12, 2005... Sprint Nextel Corp. launched a new subsidiary that the carrier said will focus on offering voice and data offerings to large businesses and government customers. Sprint Nextel reported that Sprint Enterprise Mobility Inc. will provide...

VIBO, Motorola launch UMTS in Taiwan.(Global Wireless)
December 12, 2005... Motorola Inc. announced the launch of its commercial UMTS system across the island of Taiwan, saying it deployed a third-generation network and handsets within 9 months of signing a contract with service operator VIBO Telecom. "The launch...

Qualcomm, TI see improving chip sales.(News)
December 12, 2005... Chipmakers Qualcomm Inc. and Texas Instruments Inc. both raised revenue forecasts based on improving sales, news that could translate into an improved market for the worldwide mobile-phone industry. First up, Qualcomm raised its revenue...

FCC attempts to balance old, new players at 2 GHz.(News)
December 12, 2005... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The 2 GHz spectrum band is becoming ground zero as the Federal Communications Commission attempts to promote third-generation wireless phone, broadband and mobile satellite services without trampling spectrum rights...

Akira unveils mobile publishing tool.(News)
December 12, 2005... Akira Technologies launched its Publisher 2.0 Web-based publishing and content management tool, which the company said allows users to create interactive content for mobile devices. Akira noted the product allows customers to deliver...

Brightpoint, Nokia open retail outlets.(News)(Company Profile)
December 12, 2005... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Wireless distributor and fulfillment services provider Brightpoint Inc. is going directly to consumers with branded retail stores. The company said it plans to sell mobile phones and services from Sprint Nextel...

WiMAX gets mobile standard.(News)
December 12, 2005... Byline: JONI MORSE After 12 official drafts, the IEEE finally approved the 684-page proposal from the 802.16 Task Group, designating the mobile WiMAX standard as 802.16e-2005. The WiMAX Forum is set to begin trials and certification...

BellSouth expands broadband service to hurricane-hit areas.(News)
December 12, 2005... Byline: JONI MORSE BellSouth Corp. denied that it withdrew an offer to donate a building to house the displaced New Orleans Police Department. At the same time, the carrier also announced plans to expand its Wireless Broadband Service to...

Motorola exec: FCC should 'declare victory' on E-911 mandate.(News)
December 12, 2005... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The Federal Communications Commission should "declare victory'' on the deployment of enhanced 911 service, even if many carriers do not have 95 percent of their customers using a location-capable handset....

CPUC President Peevey likely to take over bill-of-rights measure.(News)
December 12, 2005... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA California Public Utilities Commission President Michael Peevey is poised to take control of the deregulatory telecom bill-of-rights plan championed by Commissioner Susan Kennedy, who is set to leave the agency at...

Mich. county picks Codespear solution to solve public-safety interoperability.(News)
December 12, 2005... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER One week after the 9/11 Commission gave the federal government an "F'' in public-safety interoperability, Wayne County, Mich., said it chose a software solution from Codespear L.L.C. to solve its...

Verizon Wireless halts telemarketing with lawsuits.(News)
December 12, 2005... Verizon Wireless has forced two telemarketing firms to stop making illegal sales pitches to the wireless carrier's customers. As part of court-approved settlements, Verizon won permanent injunctions against Intelligent Alternatives of San...