RCR Wireless News articles from July 2004

RCR Wireless News archives from July 2004

AWS bundles devices, EDGE services.(News)
July 5, 2004... Byline: DAN MEYER AT&T Wireless Services Inc. said it will begin offering a bundled device and services package allowing business customers to use Bluetooth-enabled Hewlett-Packard iPAQ Pocket PC devices and Nokia Corp.'s 6820 handset to...

Swedish carriers seek altered license terms.(Global Wireless)
July 5, 2004... A handful of wireless operators lodged a joint application with Sweden's National Post and Telecom Agency that calls for altered license terms for third-generation network construction that would allow for lower signal strength and a resulting...

Orange, Vodafone promote Java uses.(Business)
July 5, 2004... Sun Microsystems Inc. made several announcements at last week's JavaOne show in San Francisco, including a new version of the Java platform and two carrier partnerships. "Java powers 1.7 billion devices worldwide and it's rapidly...

Hop-on, Brightstar sign Latin American distribution deal.(Global Wireless)
July 5, 2004... Disposable cell-phone and wireless accessory manufacturer Hop-On has signed a distribution agreement with Brightstar Corp., making Brightstar Hop-on's exclusive distributor for select carriers in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador,...

SBC bundle includes BlackBerry.(News)
July 5, 2004... SBC Communications Inc. unveiled a bundled offering for business customers allowing them to integrate wireline and wireless services, including Research In Motion Ltd. BlackBerry service plans from wireless subsidiary Cingular Wireless L.L.C.,...

As Java grows, so does open source debate.(Focus)
July 5, 2004... Byline: SAM OMATSEYE W hen Java came into wireless, it was welcomed with arms half open. Companies like Qualcomm Inc. thought the technology was too open and had to shrink its appeal. Some said it was not open enough because it savored...

Cities and counties deploy Wi-Fi as part of economic strategy.(News)
July 5, 2004... Byline: EMILY MOTSAY Metro-scale broadband networks based on Wi-Fi technologies are popping up across the country, with big and small industry players alike endorsing the systems for use by municipal entities and consumers. Cisco...

RFID tags should track inventory, not people.(News)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Lee Tien "It is poor civic hygiene to install technologies that could someday facilitate a police state.'' -Bruce Schneier Imagine a world where your every possession-clothes, books, cash-could be precisely and invisibly...

Vodafone closes public offering on Vodafone K.K.(Global Wireless)
July 5, 2004... Vodafone Group plc reported the closing of the public offering made by its wholly owned subsidiary Vodafone International Holdings B.V. for the shares that Vodafone and its subsidiaries did not already own in its Japanese-based Vodafone...

Crown sheds U.K. assets.(News)
July 5, 2004... Byline: EMILY MOTSAY Crown Castle International Corp. last week confirmed it is selling its U.K. business, including 3,600 tower sites, to British utility company National Grid Transco plc for $2.035 billion cash. "The price fully...

Autodesk, Verizon offer text traffic alerts.(Business)
July 5, 2004... Byline: EMILY MOTSAY Autodesk Location Services and Verizon Wireless today announced the availability of location-based traffic alert services for Verizon's vtext.com text-messaging portal. With the service, Verizon customers can log...

Data rollouts will lead to more competition for carriers, MVNOs.
July 5, 2004... Byline: DAN MEYER The high-speed wireless data field is filling up with contestants as most of the country's larger operators have announced plans to deploy services that in some cases will open up the door to additional competition from...

RIM stock hits 52-week high on positive Q1.(Business)
July 5, 2004... Byline: EMILY MOTSAY Research In Motion Ltd. is trading up more 12 percent at $66.71 per share-surpassing its previous 52-week high by $4-following the release of earnings for first-quarter 2005 that exceeded analyst expectations. ...

LogicaCMG gets $6M contract with Tata.(Global Wireless)
July 5, 2004... LogicaCMG has been awarded a $6 million contract to implement a CDMA-based next-generation Short Messaging Solution Center for Tata Teleservices Ltd. Tata Teleservices said it will implement the SMSC to deliver reliable short messaging service...

Yankee predicts wireless infrastructure declines beginning in 2005.(News)
July 5, 2004... Although the global wireless equipment market experienced a 2-percent recovery in 2003, darker days are ahead, according to a new Yankee Group report, "Infrastructure Equipment Market Sees an End to the Revenue Freefall, at Least for Now.'' ...

Tektronix to acquire Inet for $325M.(Business)
July 5, 2004... Tektronix Inc. said it will acquire Inet Technologies Inc. for $325 million in cash and stock, enhancing its position in mobile data. Richardson, Texas-based Inet, which will become part of Tektronix' communication and video business, has...

Cingular extends GSM network to La.(News)
July 5, 2004... Cingular Wireless L.L.C. said its GSM network is available throughout Louisiana as part of the carrier's plan to invest $85 million in its Louisiana network this year. Cingular noted its EDGE wireless data service is also available in...

Capitol catharsis.(Opinion)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Jeffrey Silva Freud is looking down on us, smiling at how the most powerful, the most-manly city on earth has learned to cope with the stress of war and peace and scandal. Official Washington has never had a problem ripping the...

Carriers court developers.(Opinion)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Sandra Wendelken Last week was a good one for developers. The wireless industry has begun to give developers the attention they deserve, as evidenced by the slew of wireless-focused announcements at JavaOne and other developer...

Fresh off Terabeam buy, YDI Wireless pays $3M for Ricochet.(Business)
July 5, 2004... Byline: EMILY MOTSAY The Ricochet saga continues, with Falls Church, Va.-based YDI Wireless Inc. becoming Ricochet Networks Inc.'s fourth owner in two years. YDI bought the company for $3 million in cash, along with 42,105 shares of...

Motorola premieres new camera phone.(Business)
July 5, 2004... Motorola Inc. released the A630 wireless handset at a gala last week in New York City. The candy bar-shaped device features a hidden QWERTY keyboard for texting, e-mailing and instant messaging. It offers integrated Bluetooth wireless...

Navini Networks secures financing.(Business)
July 5, 2004... Navini Networks Inc., a broadband wide-area wireless network provider, said it secured $30 million in series D financing. The funding round was significantly oversubscribed, Navini said. Funds will be used for international expansion and...

Court sides with Qualcomm on patent dispute with TI.(Business)
July 5, 2004... The Delaware Court of Chancery ruled Texas Instruments Inc.-and not Qualcomm Inc.-was in breach of the companies' patent portfolio agreement. The case is set to proceed to trial Aug. 16 to determine the extent of TI's liability to Qualcomm...

Alamosa cuts fees with new Sprint pact.(Business)
July 5, 2004... Sprint PCS affiliate Alamosa Holdings Inc. said it has amended its management and services deals with Sprint PCS for back-office billing and service charges, activation fees for new users and wholesale/resale rates negotiated by Sprint with...

STMicroelectronics, Nokia offer specs for camera-phones.(News)
July 5, 2004... In an effort to standardize the increasingly popular camera component in mobile devices, Nokia and STMicroelectronics are releasing a new specification for camera modules. The new Standard Mobile Imaging Architecture (SMIA) specification...

N.J., D.C. distracted-driving laws take effect.(News)
July 5, 2004... Byline: DAVID ILER New Jersey motorists should think twice before they reach for their cell phones while driving as a state law took effect July 1 banning the use of handheld phones and requiring hands-free devices. The law, signed by the...

Users' control of RFIDs will allay privacy fears.(News)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Manuel Albers Radio Frequency Identification tags-labels the size of a credit card or smaller containing a silicon chip and an antenna-are destined to replace the ubiquitous bar code, and can be attached to items large and small,...

Orange U.K. to launch W-CDMA July 19.(Global Wireless)
July 5, 2004... Orange U.K. said it will launch its third-generation W-CDMA network July 19. The launch will include the country's major cities. The company's French subsidiary will launch 3G service this fall. The European operator noted numerous business...

InfoSpace buys Atlas Mobile.(Business)
July 5, 2004... The mobile gaming industry continued its contraction, with the announcement that InfoSpace Inc. acquired the assets of Atlas Mobile Inc., a provider of wireless multiplayer tournament games.The value of the acquisition was not disclosed. ...

CPA refers licensing probe to Iraqi gov't.(News)
July 5, 2004... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA As one of its final acts of business before handing over limited authority to an interim Iraqi government two days ahead of schedule, the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority referred to Iraq's independent telecom...

Flextronics extends manufacturing reach with plant buys from Nortel.(News)
July 5, 2004... Byline: DAN MEYER Signifying a strategic shift away from infrastructure manufacturing, Nortel Networks Ltd. reached an agreement last week to divest certain production operations and related activities in Canada and Brazil as well as...

States new battlefield for wireless regulation.(News)
July 5, 2004... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The mobile-phone industry continues to find its battlefield expanding, with carriers increasingly drawn into fights with one state after another on issues ranging from billing to contracts to taxes. Last week,...

Infrastructure Awards.(Wireless Metrics)
July 5, 2004... Following are mobile infrastructure contracts announced in June: Alcatel Ireland With Vodafone Ireland for a new optical transmission network including Alcatel's metro DWDM solution. Value: Undisclosed Russia With CJSC...

Late News: SEC inquiry highlights importance of wireless subscriber numbers.(Late News)
July 5, 2004... Subscriber numbers are an important metric for the wireless industry because the industry is still growing, so an inquiry by a federal agency into how those numbers is calculated is important, said Rich Nespola, chief executive officer of the...

Verizon picks up Qwest assets.
July 5, 2004... Byline: DAN MEYER In a move expected to bolster its spectrum position and coverage in the western United States, Verizon Wireless reported late last week that it had agreed to acquire Qwest Communications International Inc.'s wireless...

800 MHz plan on FCC's July 8 agenda.(News)
July 5, 2004... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The Federal Communications Commission planned July 8 vote on its solution to the public-safety interference problem in the 800 MHz band likely won't resolve the issue, as details of the ruling will not be...

Cell phones (mostly) get clean bill of health.
July 5, 2004... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The mobile-phone industry, having decisively triumphed in health litigation, believes more than ever science is solidly in its corner as a result of a growing number of new studies that have been unable to replicate...

Stock Watch: June 24-July 1.(Wireless Metrics)
July 5, 2004... table: Stock Watch: June 24-July 1 * 3 graphics: Market Diary * Indices * RCR Index: see print copy.

Worldwide revenue of top suppliers of semiconductors.(Wireless Metrics)
July 5, 2004... Five semiconductor suppliers accounted for more than 50 percent of the 2003 revenue for wireless communications products. Texas Instruments held onto the top spot, continuing its dominance in baseband ICs for mobile handsets, according to...

Birth of a COLT.(Business)
July 5, 2004... Verizon Wireless previewed its newest disaster response tool, a self-contained mobile cell site, working in Colorado. The $500,000 COLT (Cell on Light Truck) is completely self-contained, and features two retractable masts, a microwave antenna,...

Study shows gals got game.(Wireless Metrics)
July 12, 2004... The majority of U.S. mobile gamers are women, according to a new study from the Yankee Group that shows 58 percent of mobile gamers in the United States are women, compared with 42 percent who are men. Interestingly though, 29 percent of male...

Broadband wireless suppliers ahead of game, says Probe.(Wireless Metrics)
July 12, 2004... Broadband wireless access equipment vendors have a head start on standards bodies in developing products ready for market, according to a new report from Probe Group. "Equipment vendors are now offering wireless broadband technology that...

Industry applauds U.S./China trade resolution.(News)
July 12, 2004... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The high-tech industry applauded the resolution of a trade dispute between the United States and China over the latter's semiconductor tax. "As the world's two largest markets for telecommunications equipment and...

Gallagher sworn in as NTIA head.(News)
July 12, 2004... Michael Gallagher has been sworn in as head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, effectively bypassing the eight-month hold on his nomination by Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.). Gallagher, who received a recess...

Carriers request stay in Calif. bill-of-rights decision.(News)
July 12, 2004... The nation's top mobile-phone carriers have asked the California Public Utilities Commission to stay the bill-of-rights decision and asked for a rehearing of a ruling that creates a new regulatory regime that other states may adopt to safeguard...

Cingular, AWS, Triton swap assets ahead of heavyweights' merger.
July 12, 2004... Byline: DAN MEYER Tying up one of the loose ends caused by Cingular Wireless L.L.C.'s pending acquisition of AT&T Wireless Services Inc., the companies announced a multi-faceted deal with Triton PCS Holdings Inc. that will free Cingular of...

First Avenue to buy Teligent for $99M.(News)
July 12, 2004... First Avenue Networks announced it plans to acquire wireless broadband service provider Teligent Inc., including its 24 GHz spectrum licenses, fixed-wireless broadband operations and radio assets in a stock transaction valued at $99 million....

Samsung, LG handsets push user expectations.(News)
July 12, 2004... Mobile handsets from Samsung Corp. and LG Electronics lead in customer satisfaction in the U.S. market, according to new research from Strategy Analytics Inc. The survey showed advanced feature-rich devices, including those with clamshell...

Business Briefs.(Briefs)
July 12, 2004... Wireless gaming publisher Jamdat Mobile Inc. filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed public offering of common stock. The company, which has agreements to distribute its application in 38...

People use Web sites to prospect wireless, carriers lose CRM ground.(Business)
July 12, 2004... Byline: DAN MEYER The continued emphasis carriers are placing on alternative sales and information channels appears to be paying off as a report from industry research firm Compete Inc. showed a dramatic increase in the number of wireless...

Wireless brilliance and bane.(Opinion)
July 12, 2004... Byline: Tracy Ford Simultaneously, 17-year-old Maria Sharapova demonstrated both the brilliance and the bane of wireless technology last week-after blowing by Serena Williams to become the women's champion at Wimbledon. Sharapova...

Artimi snares $14M in funding.(News)
July 12, 2004... Artimi Inc., which develops ultra wideband integrated circuits that enable high bandwidth wireless connectivity, announced it has closed on a $14 million Series A funding round. "Artimi has made tremendous technical and commercial progress...

CellStar, Brightpoint to sell Voq phone.(Business)
July 12, 2004... Sierra Wireless said the Voq Professional Phone will be available to resellers in North America through distribution agreements with CellStar and Brightpoint North America L.P., a subsidiary of Brightpoint Inc., following the completion of...

Sprint, Audiovox team on U.S. megapixel phone.(Business)
July 12, 2004... Byline: EMILY MOTSAY Sprint Corp. and Audiovox Corp. released the Sprint PCS Vision Picture Phone PM-8920, the United States' first megapixel camera phone. The phone features Sprint Picture Mail service, which allows users to capture,...

Orange sells Danish unit to TeliaSonera.(News)
July 12, 2004... Byline: SANDRA WENDELKEN European mobile operator Orange S.A. said it will sell its 100-percent owned Danish subsidiary to Nordic operator TeliaSonera for $743 million in cash. The buy will add 605,000 mobile subscribers to TeliaSonera's...

Pegasus picks up 3 towers.(Business)
July 12, 2004... Pegasus Tower Co. Ltd. has acquired three wireless communications sites from New York-based A.P. Cell Towers, a division of Apollo Real Estate Advisors. The towers, located in West Virginia's Raleigh and Mercer counties, will provide...

US Unwired extends pact to manage IWO.(News)
July 12, 2004... Sprint PCS affiliate US Unwired Inc. reported that it reached an agreement with the board of directors of subsidiary IWO Holdings Inc. and IWO's senior lenders for US Unwired to continue to manage IWO through 2005 with an IWO option to extend...

Access to provide 3G technology to Datang.(Global Wireless)
July 12, 2004... Internet access technology provider Access announced it will provide Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co. Ltd. with technology to enable advanced mobile services over China's third-generation TD-SCDMA networks. Under their agreement,...

Airbee opens development center in India.(Global Wireless)
July 12, 2004... Airbee Wireless Inc., which develops intelligent software for wireless voice, data and video communications, announced it has opened a new development center in Chennai, India, that will function as its primary global research and development...

DoCoMo offers first handset for m-wallet.(Global Wireless)
July 12, 2004... NTT DoCoMo Inc. said it planned to launch its mobile wallet service using the mova P506iC handset July 10. The new service and smart-card handsets will allow users to buy train tickets, movie tickets, convenience store items and other...

Bill would give regulators VoIP oversight, compensate Bells for making connection.(News)
July 12, 2004... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA New legislation introduced by Reps. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) and Rick Boucher (D-Va.) would give federal regulators unfettered oversight of Voice-over-Internet-Protocol applications, while requiring service providers to...

LogicaCMG joins Microsoft software mobility program.(News)
July 12, 2004... LogicaCMG will become a member of the Microsoft Mobility Partner Advisory Council (MPAC), a program that encourages Microsoft Corp. partners to create software solutions for Windows Mobile-based devices. "Mobility is a key pillar of...

Late News: Vodafone Sweden begins consumer 3G services.(Late News)
July 12, 2004... Vodafone Sweden launched multimedia consumer services via its UMTS-based network in Sweden along with promotional rate plans that include up to 120 free minutes of video calls each month to all networks in the country. The carrier originally...

CTIA urges FCC to open NextWave spectrum bidding to national carriers.(News)
July 12, 2004... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association Thursday urged the Federal Communications Commission to open the bidding to all companies for the recently returned spectrum of bankrupt NextWave...

Nextel silent on $5B offer at 800 MHz.
July 12, 2004... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER Nextel Communications Inc. remains silent as to whether it plans to accept a government offer to pay $5 billion in cash and spectrum to gain access to spectrum in the coveted 1.9 GHz frequency band. The...

FCC eases restrictions on mergers between rural carriers.(News)
July 12, 2004... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The Federal Communications Commission modified several of its spectrum rules hoping that wireless services can be made more readily available, but its decision to eliminate rural cellular cross-ownership...

Cingular/AWS tie-up plans test bed for gov't.
July 12, 2004... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Federal Communications Commission's thorough review of Cingular Wireless L.L.C.'s $41 billion play for AT&T Wireless Services Inc. represents a new level of merger analysis likely to be applied to future...

Nortel may try to reclaim execs' bonuses.(News)
July 12, 2004... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Nortel Network Corp.'s mounting accounting problems continued last week, as a New York law firm announced it was investigating the Canadian telecom equipment giant for possible violations of the federal statute...

Quick NextWave auction nets only minimum bids.(News)
July 12, 2004... Byline: DAN MEYER While not as big of a letdown as the opening of Al Capone's vault, NextWave Telecom Inc.'s attempt to auction a half-dozen spectrum licenses last week proved fairly anticlimactic. The bankrupt license holder was able to...

The sweet tart of tort.(Opinion)
July 12, 2004... Byline: Jeffrey Silva Last week, we reported the mobile-phone industry's confident boast that the health issue is now under control as a result of new studies that have come up negative and the demolition of cancer suits in the courts....

Rural WISPs can turn up power on smart antennas.(News)
July 12, 2004... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The Federal Communications Commission adopted rules allowing rural wireless Internet service providers to use smart antennas that operate on higher power limits. The rules "will be particularly...

Airline adds wireless e-mail.(News)
July 12, 2004... Passengers flying on Emirates' A340-500 aircraft can now check and send e-mails from personal laptops while in transit using Tensing's in-flight products. The e-mail services are powered by an onboard Wi-Fi hot spot. Tenzing charges $20...

Cisco equips Polish broadband network.(News)
July 12, 2004... Cisco Systems announced it is building a broadband wireless network in Slupsk, Poland, to connect government offices, schools, hospitals, libraries and other public institutions. The project is part of the e-Society Initiative, designed to...

Vodafone adds Square Enix games to Live!(News)
July 12, 2004... Vodafone Group plc announced a collaboration with gaming company Square Enix for new content for the Vodafone Live! multimedia service. The agreement marks Japanese-based Square Enix's entry into the European market. The initial titles...

Ericsson to supply GPRS in Mongolia.(News)
July 12, 2004... L.M. Ericsson said it will supply GPRS and multimedia messaging service systems to Mongolian wireless carrier MobiCom. The value of the contract was not disclosed. Ericsson will provide the design, deployment and integration of MobiCom's...

Alaska operator expands EV-DO coverage to bay.(News)
July 12, 2004... Alaska Communications Systems Group Inc. said it has rolled out CDMA2000 1x-based services in Whittier, Alaska, which will cover the town, boat docks and extend into the neighboring bay area of Prince William Sound. The expansion follows...

T-Mobile selects Nortel's billing, IP solutions Nortel.(Global Wireless)
July 12, 2004... Mobile carrier T-Mobile International will deploy intelligent packet core networking equipment from Nortel Networks Ltd. to allow for more flexible mobile-data billing. The value of the agreement was not disclosed. Nortel said it will...

Wireless VoIP good for fixed environment, lags for mobile apps.(Focus)
July 12, 2004... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER A telecom engineer asked recently whether Voice over Internet Protocol is real? The answer is yes, and it even comes in different flavors. One flavor is moving from a mobile-phone environment to a...

Siemens to expand China Mobile network.(Business)
July 12, 2004... Siemens AG said it will expand the GSM/GPRS network of China Mobile Communications in the Anhui province under a $41 million contract. The expansion should be complete by the end of the year. Siemens plans to supply China Mobile with...

T-Mobile USA to offer mobile content from 'King Arthur'.(Business)
July 12, 2004... Continuing the content tie-ins between Hollywood movies and wireless carriers, T-Mobile USA Inc. said it will begin offering exclusive content from the Touchstone Pictures/Jerry Bruckheimer Film "King Arthur,'' which is scheduled to begin July...

Nextel offers new real-time NASCAR service.(News)
July 12, 2004... Nextel Communications Inc. unveiled its Java-based PitCommand service offering as part of its NASCAR.com To Go package. The application allows users to view live information that crew chiefs receive at their command stations during NASCAR...

EFJohnson wins $1M DOE deal.(News)
July 12, 2004... EFJohnson said it received a $1 million contract to provide the Department of Energy with its Netelligent Infrastructure Systems Project 25 trunked communications system and Project 25-compliant portable radios. "We are pleased to provide...

Motient closes $30M stock sale.(Business)
July 12, 2004... Motient Corp. closed a sale of 3.5 million shares of common stock to several institutional investors in a private placement that raised approximately $30 million in gross proceeds. The company said it plans to use proceeds from the sale to...

Big-name carriers back Weathernews customized app.(Business)
July 12, 2004... Byline: EMILY MOTSAY Weathernews Inc., a global weather company with roots dating back 50 years, recently introduced its mobile weather service in the U.S. market, and a number of indicators point to success for the feature-rich...