RCR Wireless News articles from January 2006

RCR Wireless News archives from January 2006

Cell-phone taps at center of public scrutiny amid NSA wiretap news.(News)
January 2, 2006... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The Electronic Frontier Foundation blasted a federal judge's decision to give the Department of Justice access to cell-phone location information. The ruling appears to be within the scope of the digital...

As calendar turns to '06, operators fail to meet E-911 compliance.(Calendar)
January 2, 2006... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER At the stroke of midnight Saturday, all the wireless carriers that selected a handset solution for E-911 Phase II rules failed to meet the FCC's requirements, and as RCR Wireless News went to press it was...

Gabelli firm denies wrongdoing in spectrum auctions.(News)
January 2, 2006... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER Lynch Interactive Corp. again vehemently denied any wrongdoing in its activities with mobile-phone auctions. The company performed bidding and auction administrative services for a variety of bidders in...

6 Engineering firm sues Cingular.(News)
January 2, 2006... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER A San Diego courtroom is expected to be the scene this week for a jury trial of a now-defunct company trying to get redress from the nation's largest wireless carrier. Sonic TSM Inc. is accusing Cingular...

Lucent to appeal Winstar ruling.(News)
January 2, 2006... Byline: JONI MORSE Lucent Technologies Inc. says it plans to appeal a U.S. bankruptcy court ruling ordering the telecommunications equipment giant to pay $244 million plus interest and other costs to Winstar Communications for allegedly...

Flarion touts Flash-OFDM speeds.(News)
January 2, 2006... Byline: JONI MORSE The telecommunications industry is about to dramatically accelerate its move to OFDM-based mobile data networks, Flarion Technologies Inc. predicts in its recent white paper, "Trains, Planes and Automobiles.'' ...

Conspiracy theory 101.(Opinion)
January 2, 2006... Byline: Mike Dano While most of the country was busy with last-minute shopping trips, President Bush was retaliating against the latest attack on his presidency-reports of a secret program to spy on Americans. After a day of cloudy "no...

Mobileplay launches ad-based service that gives free content.(News)
January 2, 2006... Content provider Mobileplay launched an advertising-driven service that delivers free games, news, weather and other offerings to personal digital assistants and smart phones. Microsoft Office and Volvo Cars of North America are among the...

Monstermob enters Russia with $27M Mobicon acquisition.(News)
January 2, 2006... Monstermob Group plc said it plans to spend $27 million to acquire Mobicon, a Russian wireless content provider. U.K.-based Monstermob, which sells mobile game, images and ringtones, is looking to move into the Russian market after...

Court sides with InterDigital in $250M patent dispute with Nokia.(News)
January 2, 2006... InterDigital Communications Corp. scored another court victory as a New York judge confirmed a ruling that calls for Nokia Corp. to pay InterDigital around $250 million for patent licensing and technology development. The ruling stems from...

Wireless set for healthy growth, says S&P.(News)
January 2, 2006... The wireless industry's bets are paying off, according to a new study on the industry by Standard & Poor's. The firm said the wireless industry is seeing healthy, double-digit growth in subscribers, use and revenue. The findings are...

NEC's handset unit struggling.
January 2, 2006... Byline: MIKE DANO Japanese vendor NEC Corp. may become the latest casualty in the hotly contested mobile-phone market. According to a Reuters report, the company is looking for some kind of partnership with another mobile-phone vendor...

NTIA estimates spectrum relocation to cost $1B; Good news for 3G auction bidders.(News)
January 2, 2006... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The National Telecommunications & Information Administration said that it will cost nearly $1 billion to relocate federal spectrum users from the 1710-1755 MHz band. The relocation would allow the government...

Pricing digital downloads.(Opinion)
January 2, 2006... Byline: Tracy Ford I have fond memories of getting a beautiful red record player for Christmas one year when I was in elementary school. It wasn't the cool one that only played the record when you closed the lid (my Mom and Dad never were...

Verizon set to close MCI acquisition.(News)
January 2, 2006... Verizon Communications Inc. said it has completed all the state, federal and international approvals needed to close on its acquisition of MCI. The company recently received its final necessary approval from the Washington Utilities and...

Texas Instruments to buy ZigBee chip firm for $200M.(News)
January 2, 2006... Texas Instruments Inc. plans to purchase ZigBee chip designer Chipcon, which creates chips used in short-range, low-power wireless radio frequency devices such as wireless keyboards. TI said it plans to pay $200 million for Chipcon, which...

News Briefs.(Briefs)
January 2, 2006... Comptel Corp., which provides network management services and software, has announced an agreement to supply its services to Easterbrooke Cellular Corp., a mobile service provider in central West Virginia. Easterbrooke operates an 850 MHz...

Cell phones high on list of items people can't live without, AP poll finds.(News)
January 2, 2006... Byline: KELLY HILL Personal computer? Check. High-speed Internet? Got it. Cell phone? Definitely. The checklist of high-tech gadgets and services that Americans can't live without keeps getting longer, a recent Associated Press poll...

Turkcell to begin selling Nokia's Visual Radio.(News)
January 2, 2006... GSM operator Turkcell will team up with Nokia Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. to introduce Visual Radio in Turkey. The service will allow Turkcell subscribers to tune in to local FM radio stations via their cellular phones, and get detailed...

Qualcomm, KDDI form MediaFlo business venture.(News)
January 2, 2006... Qualcomm Inc. will team with KDDI Corp. to explore broadcasting wireless video programming to subscribers of the Japanese operator. The companies will establish MediaFlo Japan Planning Inc., a joint venture to examine licensing spectrum...

InterDigital warns of timetable to end royalties dispute with Nokia.(News)
January 2, 2006... InterDigital Communications Corp. said it will establish a timetable for discussions and possible future arbitration to resolve its 3-year-old dispute over royalties with Nokia Corp. ITC, an InterDigital subsidiary, said it hopes to enforce...

Good News, Barna to offer faith-based content.(News)
January 2, 2006... Good News Holdings L.L.C. and faith-based research firm The Barna Group Ltd. launched a portal offering wireless content including ringtones, Bible verses and video clips. The companies unveiled FaithMobile, a Web site featuring content...

LG licenses Honeywell patents for GPS automotive applications.(News)
January 2, 2006... LG Electronics Inc. licensed GPS patents from Honeywell International, the companies announced. LG said it expects to use the two GPS-related patents for certain automotive original equipment manufacturer and aftermarket applications. ...

3G to trigger explosion in China domestic handset sales.(Wireless Metrics)
January 2, 2006... While China continues to export a growing number of cell phones, new research also shows that the country's domestic market is set to explode. According to electronics research firm iSuppli Corp., China exported 45.5 million mobile phones...

Mobiltek sells subsidiary to Hong Kong integrator.(News)
January 2, 2006... One month after announcing its restructuring, value-added service provider Mobiltek Corp. said it sold its subsidiary, Mobiltek Corp. California, to SinoConnect Ltd., a Hong Kong-based telecom system integration company. Mobiltek said it sold...

Motorola buys Wireless Valley, Nortel takes Tasman.(News)
January 2, 2006... Byline: JONI MORSE Motorola Inc. purchased Texas-based Wireless Valley Communications, a privately held company that creates software for designing and managing wireless networks including cellular, RFID, Wi-Fi, WiMAX and mesh. ...

GPS, Wi-Fi teaming up for location services.(News)
January 2, 2006... Byline: JONI MORSE Growth of the wireless location-pinpointing industry is evident with a flurry of company announcements. Boston-based Skyhook Wireless said it raised $6.5 million in its first round of Series B financing. The metro...

San Fran issues official RFP for Wi-Fi network.(News)
January 2, 2006... Byline: JONI MORSE After collecting and reviewing 26 industry proposals and nearly 300 public comments during a round of information requests for a citywide Wi-Fi network, San Francisco issued an official Request for Proposal for the...

Infrastructure Awards.(Wireless Metrics)
January 2, 2006... Following are infrastructure contracts announced in December: Alcatel Pakistan With Paktel Ltd. to expand and modernize the carrier's GSM network, including base station subsystems, a new microwave system expansion and base transceiver...

Verizon to expand Vcast with CES announcement.
January 2, 2006... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Verizon Wireless is expected to make headlines once again at the International Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas, unveiling a full-track mobile music download service. The carrier, which last year...

CPUC to consider forming telecom fraud unit.(News)
January 2, 2006... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The California Public Utilities Commission is set to vote this month on a measure that would create a first-in-the-nation Telecommunications Consumer Fraud Unit. The fraud unit proposal is part of the new...

Nokia, CompUSA team to show high-tech gadgets.(Late News)
January 2, 2006... Nokia Corp. will showcase its wares at every CompUSA Inc. location by March, the companies said. Nokia, which already has a presence in about 200 CompUSA stores, said it plans to use the nationwide rollout to demonstrate new, high-tech...

Music bundles make sense in mobile arena.(Focus)
January 2, 2006... Byline: COLIN GIBBS If Amp'd Mobile Inc.'s bargain-basement full-track download music service was designed to get attention, it's working. The recently launched mobile virtual network operator made headlines a few weeks ago when it...

Cingular, Verizon in tight race for No. 1.(News)
January 2, 2006... Byline: KELLY HILL When Cingular Wireless L.L.C. bought AT&T Wireless Services Inc. in 2004, creating the nation's largest cellular carrier, Verizon Wireless found itself handing over its title belt as the U.S. heavyweight wireless leader....

Content players coming to America.
January 2, 2006... Byline: COLIN GIBBS With U.S. operators in the midst of building out 3G networks, wireless firms from around the world are heeding the words of Neil Diamond: They're coming to America. But, like George Harrison, they're finding that it...

Stock Watch: December 21-December 28.(Wireless Metrics)
January 2, 2006... table: Stock Watch: December 21-December 28 * 3 graphs: Market Diary * Indices * RCR Index: see print copy

Fast Fact.(Wireless Metrics)
January 2, 2006... Latest report from Irish regulator ComReg indicates the country has reached mobile penetration of 100 percent. Ireland now has 4.1 million wireless subscribers. Source: Dow Jones Newswires, Dec. 21

Live TV.(Wireless Metrics)
January 2, 2006... Most people who responded to a recent RCRNews.com poll were pretty optimistic about how long it would take Verizon to sign up 1 million users to its MediaFlo service, once the TV offering is launched commercially. To answer this week's poll, go...

Stock Watch: December 29-January 5.(Wireless Metrics)
January 9, 2006... table: Stock Watch: December 29-January 5 * 3 graphs: Market Diary * Indices * RCR Index; see print copy

Wireless History; 6 years ago this month...(Wireless Metrics)
January 9, 2006... Omnipoint Corp. and VoiceStream Wireless Corp. announced plans to buy Sprint PCS' GSM network in Washington D.C. Prior to the deal, Sprint had planned to shut down the network after switching its GSM customers to its CDMA network in the market....

Ringtones: The list.(Wireless Metrics)
January 9, 2006... Moderati released its list of 2005's top ringtones, with notes on some regional flavor. Hip-hop dominated the list in '05, with 60 percent of the songs from these artists. Video-game themes such as "Super Mario Brothers" and movie themes...

Fast Fact.(Wireless Metrics)
January 9, 2006... In the Netherlands, 14 percent of cellular subscribers connected via MVNOs at the end of September. There are about 30 resellers in the Netherlands and five established network operators. Source: Telecompaper

Amp'd reveals TV, cable deals.(News)
January 9, 2006... Amp'd Mobile unleashed a far-reaching list of entertainment content from major television and cable networks that it plans to offer its subscribers. The content includes: * ABC's "Alias,'' "America's Funniest Home Videos,'' "Lost''...

CTIA urges FCC to reform intercarrier compensation, not fix 'phantom traffic'.(News)
January 9, 2006... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER CTIA told the Federal Communications Commission that the agency should focus on reforming the intercarrier-compensation system rather than attempting to snuff out so-called "phantom traffic.'' Phantom...

DoCoMo pushes past 20M 3G subscribers.(News)
January 9, 2006... Four years after NTT DoCoMo Inc. launched its 3G network-the world's first major W-CDMA network launch-the carrier has sailed past the 20-million-subscriber mark. DoCoMo said it reached the milestone on Dec. 29. The carrier said it...

Making the sale Consumers look to Web to buy phones, service.
January 9, 2006... Byline: KELLY HILL Online sales are skyrocketing-and wireless carriers are keeping pace as consumers increasingly look to the Web as a venue to shop and buy. Online sales (excluding travel) raked in $30.1 billion during the holiday...

Brown blasts changes proposed to California telecom bill of rights.(News)
January 9, 2006... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA California Public Utilities Commission member Geoffrey Brown is seeking to delay the scheduled Jan. 26 vote on a scaled-back telecom bill-of-rights plan, while Commissioner Dian Grueneich crafts an alternative...

Google gets CDMA patent.(News)
January 9, 2006... The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded a patent to Google Inc. for a technology that makes more data exchanges possible at faster speeds on a CDMA-based wireless network. Google did not return requests for comment on the patent, which...

RFID chipmaker files for IPO.(News)
January 9, 2006... Byline: JONI MORSE Human RFID chipmaker VeriChip Corp. said it filed for an initial public offering, but the company did not release information on the number of shares it expects to release or the share price or what it plans to do with...

Crown Castle's TV service gets new name, marketing campaign.(News)
January 9, 2006... Byline: JONI MORSE Crown Castle International Corp.'s media subsidiary debuted a new name and marketing campaign amid details about its plans to use its tower network and unencumbered spectrum rights to launch live mobile TV in the...

Theater trade group may seek permission to jam cell phones.(News)
January 9, 2006... The National Association of Theatre Owners is considering asking the Federal Communications Commission to allow theaters to install equipment that would jam mobile-phone signals, but the trade group has yet to take such action. Jamming...

Minn. law restricting cell-phone use while driving focuses on teens.(News)
January 9, 2006... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Minnesota has become the latest state to enforce legislation restricting cell-phone use by teenage drivers, the 10th state to do so in the face of mounting research on the dangers of talking on the phone while...

'Chief of staff' Kidney exits CTIA.(News)
January 9, 2006... Brian Kidney, CTIA's chief operating officer, has left the wireless trade association, CTIA confirmed to RCR Wireless News. "Brian Kidney and CTIA President Steve Largent had different management styles and have mutually agreed to part...

Season of giving.(Opinion)
January 9, 2006... Byline: Jeffrey Silva Official Washington is suddenly awash in jittery philanthropy. Hardly a day passes without congressional members-Republicans and Democrats alike-deciding to give a portion of their campaign contributions to some...

FCC in crunch to address DE rules before June auction.(News)
January 9, 2006... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Federal Communications Commission may lack the time to make changes to designated-entity rules before this June's third-generation wireless auction, a possibility that may upset the agency's two Democrats at a...

McDowell rumored for fifth FCC seat as Tate joins agency.(News)
January 9, 2006... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER Even as FCC Chairman Kevin Martin administered the oath of office to returning colleague FCC Commissioner Michael Copps and new Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate, he could be closer to finding himself in the...

Cincinnati Bell to buy Cingular's stake in JV for $83 million.(News)
January 9, 2006... Cincinnati Bell is buying out Cingular Wireless L.L.C.'s stake in a joint venture between the two companies. According to Securities and Exchange Commission filings by Cincinnati Bell, the company must pay $83 million for Cingular's stake. The...

Singing gospel of full-track downloads.
January 9, 2006... Byline: COLIN GIBBS The much-hyped "year of mobile music'' started off with a bang here at last week's 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show. But whether wireless consumers will sign on-and where mobile operators will fit in the...

Maxis, JVC partner to buy Indian carrier.(Global Wireless)
January 9, 2006... Maxis Communications Berhad of Malaysia and its Indian Joint Venture Company, JVC, plan to acquire Indian mobile carrier Aircel Ltd. The two companies agreed to spend $1.08 billion to purchase all of Aircel. Maxis will hold a 65-percent...

VimpelCom gets majority stake in Tajikistan operator.(Global Wireless)
January 9, 2006... Vimpel Communications, which provides cellular service in Russia, Kazakstan and the Ukraine, has acquired a 60-percent stake in Tacom, a wireless carrier in Tajikistan. VimpelCom paid $12 million for the stake. The carrier also entered...

Financial Briefs.(Briefs)
January 9, 2006... Qualcomm Inc. announced it has acquired Berkana Wireless Inc., a wireless chip designer, for $56 million in cash. Silicon Valley-based Berkana provides metal oxide semiconductor radio frequency integrated circuits, or RF CMOS chips, to the...

Computer makers, carriers embrace embedded chips.(News)
January 9, 2006... Byline: JONI MORSE Just when you thought your new Wi-Fi-enabled laptop was nifty, along comes a bevy of new laptops embedded with PC cards and chips that support wireless broadband Internet access via third-generation carrier networks....

Sanyo, Razr users most likely to download content.(Wireless Metrics)
January 9, 2006... U.S. consumers with Motorola Inc. Razr or Sanyo Corp. SCP-8200 handsets are more likely to consume mobile content than owners of any other wireless phone, according to figures from M:Metrics. The firm's latest study found that half of all...

Sanyo, Soma team on last-mile access.(Global Wireless)
January 9, 2006... Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd. said it entered the wireless broadband arena through a partnership with last-mile wireless broadband technology provider Soma Networks Inc. The companies said they will jointly develop and manufacture consumer and...

Garcia to head up Sprint Nextel venture with cable companies.(News)
January 9, 2006... John Garcia, senior vice president of strategic partners for Sprint Consumer Solutions, will head up the joint venture between Sprint Nextel Corp. and cable companies Comcast Corp., Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Advance/Newhouse...

Setting priorities.(Opinion)
January 9, 2006... Byline: Tracy Ford A new year is a perfect time to set priorities-and clean off the pile of papers oozing beyond the allotted boundaries on one's desk. (OK-my desk.) One of my first priorities this year is to study the trends that likely...

Users love wireless, hate shopping experience.(Special Report)
January 9, 2006... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Tier 1 operators are beginning to use retail outlets to build long-term customer relationships and generate revenues from lucrative data applications. But when it comes to the brick-and-mortar sales counter, the...

Centennial reaps revenues from GSM roaming traffic.(News)
January 9, 2006... Byline: KELLY HILL Centennial Communications Corp.'s earnings tumbled in its second quarter, despite an increase in revenue and healthy growth in its U.S. wireless operations. The carrier reported $8.2 million in income from continuing...

Motorola to add Google button, Yahoo connects with devices, PCs, TV.(News)
January 9, 2006... Byline: JONI MORSE Motorola Inc. is the lucky winner of a handset deal with Google Inc. as the Internet giant turns its considerable focus toward wireless. Motorola said it has designed a handset with a Google button that connects...

2006 to be strong test for MVNO strategies.(News)
January 9, 2006... Byline: KELLY HILL With the first few mobile virtual network operators out of the starting gate and more marching to the post, 2006 looks to be the year of the launch. After 2005, during which several MVNOs spent gearing up for and...

Motorola to partner with Kodak on camera phones.(News)
January 9, 2006... Motorola Inc. announced an extensive agreement with camera company Eastman Kodak Co. that calls for the two players to collaborate on mobile imaging and printing. Specifically, Motorola announced it will use Kodak's CMOS sensors in its upcoming...

Pantech outlines 2006 U.S. handset plans.(Late News)
January 9, 2006... Pantech outlines 2006 U.S. handset plans South Korean electronics vendor Pantech Group said it plans to increase its handset sales in the United States by 20 percent this year. The company also said it will work to sell its products...

CES offers front-row seat to battle of the phones.
January 9, 2006... Byline: MIKE DANO As in past years, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was ground zero for a series of entertaining handset battles, with vendors firing off warning shots against each other and carriers blustering over new phone...

100 best companies to work for.(Wireless Metrics)
January 16, 2006... Fortune magazine released its annual ranking of companies that rate high with employees. Following are companies with wireless dealings that made the list. Qualcomm Rank: 23 (2005 rank: 17) Headquarters: San Diego, Calif. ...

Fast Fact.(Wireless Metrics)
January 16, 2006... Argentina's census agency reports mobile-phone subscriptions in the country increased by 68 percent in 2005. Traffic from mobile phones rose by 41.9 percent during the year. The number of fixed lines rose by just 1.6 percent. Source:...

Stock Watch: January 5-January 12.(Wireless Metrics)
January 16, 2006... table: Stock Watch: January 5-January 12 * 3 graphs: Market Diary * Indices * RCR Index: see print copy

What to watch; Industry dabbles in number of formats to try to entice mobile TV viewers.(News)
January 16, 2006... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Crown Castle International Corp. and Qualcomm Inc. are placing huge bets on mobile TV, spending a combined $1.3 billion to build networks dedicated almost entirely to one-way wireless video. Traditional TV networks and...

Motorola takes stake in Global Locate.(News)
January 16, 2006... Motorola Inc. announced it invested an undisclosed sum in Global Locate Inc., a privately held GPS semiconductor, software and services provider. "Global Locate is a compelling addition to our portfolio of cutting-edge technology...

Mobile Media Co. buys wireless game-maker, Mobile Streams allies with TruePosition.(Global Wireless)
January 16, 2006... The Mobile Media Co. said it has acquired Dutch game-maker Overloaded Pocket Media from Endemol N.V. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Overloaded develops and publishes wireless games for Java, Symbian, BREW and i-mode platforms,...

Vodafone, Sony join to offer mobile music downloads.(Global Wireless)
January 16, 2006... Vodafone Group plc is partnering with Sony Corp. on an interactive streaming radio service for mobile phones and PCs. The companies unveiled Vodafone Radio DJ, which offers custom content based on users' tastes and preferences. The subscription...

Satellite companies challenge FCC decision to give out 2 GHz channels.(News)
January 16, 2006... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Two satellite firms last week challenged the Federal Communications Commission's decision to give reclaimed 2 GHz mobile satellite service spectrum to ICO Satellite Services and TMI Communications and Co. ...

AFHI closes Pelican Mobile purchase, adopts new name.(News)
January 16, 2006... American Financial Holdings Inc. completed its merger with Pelican Mobile Computers Inc., which provides rugged mobile hardware and software for law enforcement agencies and emergency workers. The combined companies said they plan to adopt...

Carriers may take advantage of Katrina tax relief bill.(News)
January 16, 2006... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER Wireless carriers whose networks were severely damaged or destroyed by hurricanes Katrina and Rita have the opportunity to take advantage of federal tax breaks, including a bonus depreciation that many...

News Briefs.(Briefs)
January 16, 2006... Adamind Ltd. announced a three-year deal to provide mobile content production and delivery software to Universal Music Group subsidiary Universal Music Mobile U.S. The California-based developer, which also maintains a research and development...