RCR Wireless News articles from February 2004

RCR Wireless News archives from February 2004

Trucker sued as feds, carrier target teen driver safety.(News)
February 2, 2004... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA A lawsuit was filed against a truck driver and a North Carolina company in connection with the death of a girl killed Jan. 13 when a school bus was rear-ended by a truck whose driver allegedly was reaching for a cell...

Year of monkey business.(Opinion)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Jeffrey Silva More challenging than erasing a $477 billion budget deficit (which should keep the 3-percent federal phone tax intact for another hundred years or so) is figuring out where the U.S.-China relationship is headed. ...

Importance of the medium.(Opinion)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Tina Eichner In recent years, the blurring line between print and electronic publishing has become a frequent discussion topic among editorial types. Just how will people receive and consume "the written'' word in the future?...

RFID technology to link manufacturer, retailer, supply chain & consumer.(Business)
February 2, 2004... Byline: SAM OMATSEYE Like others that seemed out of the wireless range at the outset, the radio-frequency identification technology may not just be about supply chains. Its future efficiency may be derived from using wireless...

Somera gets T-Mobile Netherlands contract.(Global Wireless)
February 2, 2004... Somera Communications Inc. said it has signed an agreement to supply network infrastructure equipment to T-Mobile Netherlands. The carrier covers 1.84 million customers in the country. The agreement involves both new and redeployed...

FCC updates LNP complaint numbers.(News)
February 2, 2004... -The Federal Communications Commission said it has received 4,734 informal complaints about wireless local number portability as of Jan. 23. Most complaints were about porting numbers between wireless carriers, while about 5 percent of the...

Smart phones put squeeze on PDA market.(News)
February 2, 2004... Two new studies show the market for personal digital assistants continues to shrink as more and more users are enticed by smart phones. "Through the end of 2004, smart phones will generally have a negative impact on the low end of the PDA...

Extended Systems reverses loss.(News)
February 2, 2004... BOISE, Idaho-Wireless enterprise company Extended Systems Inc. reversed past losses with a slim profit in its second quarter, but the news failed to please Wall Street as the company's stock dropped slightly following its report to about $6 per...

RIM hits inflection point with trusty BlackBerry.(News)
February 2, 2004... Byline: MIKE DANO BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion Ltd. faces a range of obstacles, both major and minor. But one challenge overshadows the rest, according to Mike Lazaridis, the company's president and co-chief executive officer. ...

S&P raises US Unwired outlook to developing.(News)
February 2, 2004... Citing what it called modest improvements in the carrier's financial profile, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services raised its outlook on US Unwired Inc. from negative to developing and reaffirmed its `CCC-` corporate credit rating on the company....

Alcatel buys WaterCove.(Late News)
February 2, 2004... Alcatel Corp. said it has acquired gateway company WaterCove Networks to reinforce its core network portfolio. Watercove makes GPRS gateway support node (GGSN) products, which enhance a network's capacity to transmit data and charge for...

AWS aims to steer acquisition process.
February 2, 2004... Byline: DAN MEYER As the list of potential suitors became clearer last week, AT&T Wireless Services Inc.'s management took control of the situation by announcing a mid-February deadlines for potential buyers to submit acquisition...

Investors renew interest in wireless carrier stocks.(News)
February 2, 2004... Byline: DAN MEYER The wireless industry's love-hate relationship with Wall Street appears to be on the mend as investors again flocked back to the segment that just over a year ago was offering investors a broad selection of stocks for...

Virgin Mobile U.K. adds 500,000 in 4Q.(Global Wireless)
February 2, 2004... Virgin Mobile U.K., a mobile virtual network operator, said it added more than half a million new customers in the fourth quarter of 2003. The quarter's 506,448 new clients, a 37-percent rise from quarter-fourth 2002 figures, brings the...

GSM consumers to hit 1B in 1Q.(Global Wireless)
February 2, 2004... -GSM operators will count 1 billion users by end of the first quarter 2004, according to predictions from the GSM Association. More than 180 million GSM users were added during 2003, representing 80 percent of new mobile-phone subscribers...

Alliance to publish UWB standards in May.(Business)
February 2, 2004... The MultiBand OFDM Alliance, which supports ultra-wideband technology, said it will publish a standard in May and plans to submit proposals for the IEEE working group. The body, which has about 50 members, hopes to make the product...

Enpocket announces second major purchase.(Business)
February 2, 2004... Wireless technology and content company Enpocket scored its second major acquisition, announcing the purchase of Helsinki-based mobile technology company Mobicus for an undisclosed amount. The firm said the acquisition would expand its customer...

Microsoft, Ambient glance at nontraditional wireless devices.(Business)
February 2, 2004... Byline: MIKE DANO Although mobile phones are perhaps the most recognizable symbol of the wireless industry, they are by no means the only aspect of the business. Indeed, wireless technology today inhabits everything from gas monitors to...

Verizon reaches new levels in 4Q, year for net subs; T-Mobile adds 1M subs.(News)
February 2, 2004... Byline: DAN MEYER The last three months of 2003 proved fruitful for the country's largest and smallest nationwide operators as Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA Inc. posted subscriber results well ahead of their competitors and provided a...

FCC makes case for MSS terrestrial factor.(News)
February 2, 2004... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Federal Communications Commission urged a federal appeals court here to reject a wireless industry challenge to mobile satellite service permits, saying mobile-phone carriers lack standing to bring legal action...

M2M expected to bring wireless revenue opportunities.(News)
February 2, 2004... Machine-to-machine (M2M) business applications-distinguished from wireless data services in their ability to automatically and autonomously communicate, control and affect the operation of remote machines or systems in real time-will create...

Wireless carriers to take piece of broadband home business.(News)
February 2, 2004... -Wireless operators are expected to battle fixed-line operators for a chunk of the broadband home market, which could be worth more than $100 billion by 2008, according to a report from Analysys. "While the major share of the market will go...

WLAN growth expected to continue through 2006.(News)
February 2, 2004... The wireless LAN market will grow 23 percent in 2004 to $2.2 billion, with strong growth continuing through 2006, but its decline will begin in 2007, according to the Dell'Oro Group. The Dell'Oro Group expects the decline in the market to...

Voice, not data, to drive wireless use in 2004.(Wireless Metrics)
February 2, 2004... Deloitte Research expects wireless subscriber numbers to continue to rise during 2004, bolstered by the steady use of traditional voice applications. Deloitte predicts mobile-subscriber penetration rates will continue to rise in 2004, with...

ZigBee to be key player in home automation market.(Wireless Metrics)
February 2, 2004... Short-range wireless technology ZigBee will be a key player in the home automation market, according to market research firm West Technology Research Solutions L.L.C. (WTRS). Annual shipments of ZigBee chipsets could exceed 339 million units by...

FCC gives clues on USF qualifications.(News)
February 2, 2004... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER -The Federal Communications Commission granted Virginia Cellular L.L.C. eligible telecommunications carrier status, and in the process, provided clues about what criteria should be used for ETC designation,...

OMA updates DRM specs.(News)
February 2, 2004... Byline: MIKE DANO Digital rights management has arisen as one of the most critical elements of the wireless data industry. And in an acknowledgement of the importance of the technology, the Open Mobile Alliance today released an updated...

Carriers' Bluetooth choices highlight philosophical differences.(News)
February 2, 2004... Byline: MIKE DANO Although Bluetooth technology gradually is taking hold among the world's mobile-phone providers, the short-range wireless technology has elicited somewhat differing reactions from U.S. wireless carriers. Most notably,...

Public-safety forces take 800 MHz proposal to Bush.
February 2, 2004... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The public-safety members of the Consensus Plan coalition to solve the 800 MHz interference problem upped the ante by delivering a letter to the White House asking President George W. Bush to support its...

Vendors continue upbeat financials.(News)
February 2, 2004... Byline: SAM OMATSEYE Infrastructure equipment and chipmakers reinforced trends of an industry turnaround in their quarterly financial reports. Nortel Networks Ltd., Texas Instruments Inc., STMicroelectronics Inc. and Tekelec Inc. all fell...

Tower siting historic pact hits new snag.(News)
February 2, 2004... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER Representatives from the wireless industry and officials from the Federal Communications Commission were blindsided on Thursday by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, which said that two...

Wheeler scores $500,000 in Cibernet sale.
February 2, 2004... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Thomas Wheeler, until recently the nation's top mobile-phone lobbyist and now a major fund-raiser for surging Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, had his $2 million salary padded in 2002 with a $500,000...

Business briefs.(Briefs)
February 2, 2004... Motorola Inc. said it will sell its new V300 camera phone through Rogers AT&T Wireless in Canada for $200 with a two-year contract. The deal is notable as Motorola suffered phone delays through the critical holiday shopping season. The...

Vodafone takes on 4.4M in 4Q of 2003.(Global Wireless)
February 2, 2004... Vodafone Group plc said it added nearly 4.4 million proportionate net subscribers during the final three months of last year across its international operations, ending 2003 with 130.4 million total proportionate subscribers. Included in...

Prepaid companies detect nice niche, ready to offer data.(Business)
February 2, 2004... Byline: EMILY MOTSAY Prepaid companies are different from traditional wireless carriers, and from each other, both in the way they offer service to customers, and in the way they report metrics like subscriber additions, churn and average...

Clarification.(Correction)
February 2, 2004... In the "Sprint extends billing options to third parties'' story on page 3 of the Jan. 19 issue of RCR Wireless News, the specifics of Sprint's service may have been misrepresented. Users can initiate content purchases from Sprint partners'...

Verizon adds phone, data apps.(Business)
February 2, 2004... Verizon Wireless bolstered its phone offerings as well as its wireless data application listings through two new deals. First, the nation's largest carrier announced it will sell the new VX4500 phone from LG Electronics Co. Ltd. for $90...

Costa Rica to open wireless in '07.(Global Wireless)
February 2, 2004... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Telecommunications Industry Association praised Bush administration officials for securing trade commitments from Costa Rica to open wireless and tech sectors to competition in that country. U.S. Trade...

Nokia signs $117M contract in Philippines.(Business)
February 2, 2004... Nokia Corp and Smart Communications signed a $117 million contract for Nokia to supply GSM, EDGE and next-generation equipment for Smart's rollout in the Philippines. The contract aims to increase GSM network capacity in rural areas and enhance...

TeliaSonera to use streaming video from RealNetworks.(Business)
February 2, 2004... Scandinavian wireless operator TeliaSonera said it will offer streaming video services through a new deal with streaming media company RealNetworks Inc. Under the agreement, TeliaSonera will use RealNetworks' Helix mobile platform to power...

Nokia continues smart-phone leadership in EMEA.(Wireless Metrics)
February 2, 2004... -Nokia Corp. continues to lead the smart-phone market in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, according to research firm Canalys, with an overall market share of almost 80 percent. "As enterprise spending on mobile device solutions grows,...

Atheros amends IPO, launches 802.11g chip.(Business)
February 2, 2004... -In an amended prospectus it filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Atheros Communications Inc. said it will issue 9 million shares at an estimated price of between $9.50 and $11.50. The company also introduced what it...

Clarification.(Correction)
February 9, 2004... In the "T-Mobile USA to drop AOL for OMA-compliant IM company'' story on page 7 of the Jan. 26 issue of RCR Wireless News, T-Mobile USA Inc.'s relationship with America Online Inc. was misstated. T-Mobile will continue to support AOL's instant...

Nortel, Cisco battle for 'core' dominance.
February 9, 2004... Byline: SAM OMATSEYE Third-generation contracts seem to be giving Nortel Networks Ltd. an edge lately, owing to what industry observers describe as the Brampton, Ontario-based vendor's Internet Protocol advantage. Nortel's complete...

ID theft top cause of telecom fraud.(Business)
February 9, 2004... Byline: EMILY MOTSAY Identity theft, a popular catch phrase in the financial services industry, is also the leading type of fraud afflicting the telecommunications industry, according to a new survey by the Telecommunications Risk...

Openwave to offer OTA for Cingular.(Business)
February 9, 2004... Byline: MIKE DANO The market for over-the-air updating technology now counts yet another contender, with WAP pioneer Openwave Systems Inc. releasing its new Mobile Device Manager product offering. Openwave also announced Cingular Wireless...

FCC to step into VoIP regulation debate.(News)
February 9, 2004... Byline: Heather Forsgren WEAVER The Federal Communications Commission this week is expected to consider the first step in whether to regulate voice over Internet protocol communications, notwithstanding widely publicized calls from law...

Nextel tests Flarion technology.
February 9, 2004... Byline: DAN MEYER Nextel Communications Inc.'s next-generation plans are set to be tested by the public as the carrier is planning a network trial in the Raleigh-Durham, N.C., area using Flarion Technologies Inc.'s Fast Hopped Low Latency...

Late News.
February 9, 2004... Motorola, Siemens show handsets, LG delays hurt profit Motorola Inc. showed off a new lineup of phones in an effort to follow through on promises of bolstering its phone efforts. The announcement comes after the company failed to ship...

Party's over, carriers hike rate plans.(News)
February 9, 2004... Byline: DAN MEYER Following a robust holiday season that witnessed less pricing competition from nationwide operators, carriers waited the customary month into the new year before putting away their limited holiday promotions and rolling...

Fast Fact.(News)
February 9, 2004... RFID tags are poised to replace UPC bar codes used today by retailers to identify products, suggests the Harrow Group. WalMart and the Department of Defense require suppliers to put RFID tags on pallets sent to them.

BREW Who.(Wireless Metrics)
February 9, 2004... Asia-Pacific Region: Australia's Telstra, China Unicom, Japan's KDDI, South Korea's KTF, Taiwan's Eastern Broadband and Thailand's Hutch Europe Region: None Latin America/Mexico/ Caribbean: Argentina's Movicom, Brazil's Vivo, Chile's...

Letters.
February 9, 2004... Carriers must address 'Tower of Babel,' Consumer Reports says Dear Editor, I'm disappointed you believe that our recent package of reports about the state of wireless phone service was not balanced, and that you believe we were quick...

ARPU rebounds in Europe.(Wireless Metrics)
February 9, 2004... Following a downward trend, average revenue per user in major European markets is rebounding and will continue to rise, according to newly released research from the Yankee Group. The research firm expects ARPU in European markets to hit...

Infrastructure Awards; Alcatel.(Wireless Metrics)
February 9, 2004... Following are mobile contracts awarded in January 2004: China. With Gansu Mobile Communication Co., a subsidiary of China Mobile, for GSM/GPRS/EDGE network. Value: $14 million Cyprus. With Investcom for GSM/GPRS/EDGE radio and...

FCC unveils Tower Construction Notification System.(News)
February 9, 2004... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER -The Federal Communications Commission unveiled its Tower Construction Notification System to allow historic preservationists and tribal cultural authorities the ability to warn if a proposed tower could be...

Superconductor Technologies looks forward to profits.(Business)
February 9, 2004... Superconductor Technologies Inc. believes it reached profitability during fourth-quarter 2003, according to its preliminary results. Moreover, the company is "looking forward to continued commercial revenue growth and to our first profitable...

Ericsson to verify products using PoC standard.(Business)
February 9, 2004... L.M. Ericsson said it has expanded its programs to verify and integrate products in line with open, cross-vendor specifications for Push to talk over Cellular technology. Ericsson is one of the vendors to define and back the PoC standard...

Intel, Motorola join MIPI.(Business)
February 9, 2004... The Mobile Industry Processor Interface Alliance said two major vendors, Intel Corp. and Motorola Inc., are among its 35 new members. The organization defines and promotes open standards for interfaces to mobile application processors. ...

News Briefs.(Briefs)
February 9, 2004... Leap Wireless International Inc. said it will begin soliciting bids for the sale of what it termed "excess spectrum'' in the Columbus, Ga., market in an attempt to raise capital. The auction, which was approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for...

Sprint expects PCS profit in '05, IBM to do customer care.(News)
February 9, 2004... Byline: DAN MEYER Speaking at its annual investment community meeting in New York a day after reporting fourth-quarter and full-year 2003 results, Sprint Corp. said it expects service revenues in its wireless division to increase in the...

Sprint posts better churn, larger loss; U.S. Cellular.(News)
February 9, 2004... Byline: DAN MEYER Sprint PCS posted better numbers for the recent quarter, while its affiliates saw fewer net adds, as did regional carrier U.S. Cellular Corp. Sprint PCS posted 390,000 direct customer additions during the fourth...

TracFone lowers airtime rates.(News)
February 9, 2004... Prepaid wireless provider TracFone Wireless Inc. said it added 374,000 net additions during the fourth quarter of 2003 and passed the 3-million-customer mark. As part of those price improvements, TracFone also announced lower airtime rates...

Bush budget extends auction authority.(News)
February 9, 2004... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Bush administration, facing a $521 billion budget deficit this year, sent Congress a $2.4 trillion spending plan for fiscal 2005 that includes proposals to generate revenue through continued wireless license...

CPUC's bill of rights author snags crucial swing vote.(News)
February 9, 2004... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA A deal has been struck on California's controversial proposal to create a bill of rights for telecom consumers, opening the way for a vote by state regulators in early spring. "We've reached agreement on...

Kenwood plans to buy Toyo wireless equipment biz.(News)
February 9, 2004... Japanese automotive electronics maker Kenwood Corp. announced it will buy a wireless communications equipment operation from Toyo Communication Equipment Co. Ltd. Toyo's communications equipment includes mobile radio equipment, amateur...

Sierra Wireless provides AirCards to Texas law enforcement.(News)
February 9, 2004... Sierra Wireless is providing its AirCard 555 next-generation wireless CDMA2000 1X-based technology to law enforcement professionals in the Harris County, Texas, sheriff's office. The sheriff's office is outfitting approximately 600 patrol...

Vendors enjoy upbeat earnings, prospects.(News)
February 9, 2004... Byline: SAM OMATSEYE While Alcatel Alsthom, Cisco Systems Inc. and L.M. Ericsson did not have a quarter of bonanza profits like some other big vendors, optimism still underlined their performances. Except for Cisco, their heroics lay more...

Commissioned E911 report runs counter to NENA goals.(News)
February 9, 2004... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER A key finding in a report commissioned by the National Emergency Number Association's Strategic Wireless Action Team runs counter to the goal of the group. The report, written by the Monitor Group, said...

Tauzin leaving to lobby, Barton does some lobbying of his own.
February 9, 2004... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA, WEAVER Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) is set to succeed retiring Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.) as the next chairman of the House Commerce Committee, a highly influential congressional panel that oversees the wireless industry...

Playing the public-safety card.(Opinion)
February 9, 2004... Byline: Tracy Ford Proponents of a plan to try to stop interference to 800 MHz public-safety radio networks by moving Nextel Communications Inc. to different frequencies recently wrapped up a two-fold attack to try to get the Federal...

High definition.(Opinion)
February 9, 2004... Oh! The horror! As if we didn't already know broadcast spectrum-needed by first responders, mobile-phone carriers and others, but held hostage by TV licensees-is one big cesspool and far worse than the "vast wasteland'' of former FCC...

Intrado to buy Bmd Wireless.(Business)
February 9, 2004... LONGMONT, Colo.-E-911 infrastructure company Intrado Inc. announced it purchased European messaging company Bmd Wireless in a cash and stock deal. The company also reported an increase in fourth-quarter revenues but a declining net income, news...

Lofty handset growth expected to continue.(Business)
February 9, 2004... Byline: MIKE DANO New research shows the mobile-phone market shattered all records by selling more than half-a-billion units last year. Numbers from research firms Strategy Analytics, Gartner Inc. and IDC all confirm massive gains in the...

Verizon, others announce content deals.(News)
February 9, 2004... Activity continues in the wireless content and application market, with Verizon Wireless, Twentieth Century Fox and others making new announcements. Verizon Wireless announced new Get It Now applications from Dwango Wireless and Vindigo...

Atheer chooses Nokia equipment for Iraq network.(Business)
February 9, 2004... Nokia has been selected to supply GSM core network equipment to Atheer Telecom for its network in Iraq through a supply agreement with Future Communications Company International. Under the agreement, FCCI will provide a full Nokia core...

Fujitsu uses Symbian OS in smart phone.(News)
February 9, 2004... Symbian Software Ltd. scored another victory in the nascent mobile-phone operating system market, with Fujitsu Ltd. introducing its fifth smart phone using the Symbian OS. The new F900i is for NTT DoCoMo Inc.'s FOMA 3G service. The...

AT&T Wireless plans Wi-Fi expansion.(News)
February 9, 2004... AT&T Wireless Services Inc. reported Wi-Fi expansion plans including a deal with Amtrak to provide high-speed data services in six of the railroad's busiest train stations along the Northeast Corridor and a reciprocal roaming agreement with...

Cingular begins new phase of South Florida upgrade.(Business)
February 9, 2004... MIAMI-Cingular Wireless L.L.C. unveiled the second phase of its planned $40 million upgrade to its South Florida network. The upgrade is expected to include more than 50 new cell sites this year. The carrier noted it completed the first phase...

Centennial Wireless chooses TCS for E911.(Business)
February 9, 2004... TeleCommunication Systems Inc. said Centennial Wireless has enlisted it to deliver Phase I and Phase II E-911 services to its Midwest and Southeast markets under a five-year contract extension. "TCS consistently applies its industry...

Andrew to pay TruePosition $35M-plus in patent case.(Business)
February 9, 2004... Communications systems equipment provider Andrew Corp. conceded defeat in its patent infringement battle with wireless location services company TruePosition Inc., agreeing to pay the company $35 million and offer up 1 million shares of its...

Alltel PTT performance closes in on Nextel.(Business)
February 16, 2004... Byline: DAN MEYER Nextel Communications Inc. may have finally found some competition for its highly touted Direct Connect walkie-talkie service as independent testing of Alltel Corp.'s recently launched Touch2Talk service showed similar...

Novatel up on financial, Verizon news.(Business)
February 16, 2004... Wall Street roared its approval of struggling wireless modem maker Novatel Wireless Inc. as the company reported break-even financials and a major CDMA EV-DO deal with Verizon Wireless. Indeed, Novatel's stock was up almost 25 percent in...

Fitch upgrades Lucent.(Business)
February 16, 2004... Ratings company Fitch has raised its ratings on Lucent Technologies Inc. to B from CCC+ for its unsecured debt, a renewed signal that the wireless bellwether is out of the woods. "The Stable Rating Outlook reflects Fitch's belief that...