RCR Wireless News articles from June 2005

RCR Wireless News archives from June 2005

Mobile social networking co. gains $1M.(News)
June 6, 2005... Trilibis Mobile, which provides mobile software solutions for online communities and content providers, said it raised $1 million in its series A private placement round. The funds will be used for further product development, general...

ESPN Mobile chooses Visage.(News)
June 6, 2005... ESPN has tapped Visage Mobile to support ESPN Mobile, the company's mobile virtual network operator service scheduled to launch early next year. Visage and Convergys Corp. formed an exclusive partnership in 2003 to integrate technologies...

Technology uses winks, nods to control wireless handheld.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: KRISTEN BECKMAN Researchers at the University of Glasgow in Scotland are working on new technology that will allow mobile users to interact with their mobile device with a nod of their head or a wave of their hand. Using the...

Kyocera releases low-price CDMA handset.(News)
June 6, 2005... Kyocera Wireless Corp. unveiled the Kyocera Dorado KX13 handset at Qualcomm's BREW 2005 conference. The manufacturer said the device is a slim bar-style phone with a large color screen and a front-facing speakerphone that is well suited for...

Amp'd Mobile selects M7, Sennari for content platforms.(News)
June 6, 2005... Mobile virtual network operator Amp'd Mobile Inc., which is set to launch a youth-oriented service using Verizon Wireless' CDMA2000 1x EV-DO network later this year, selected M7 Networks to create and manage its Games Connect game community...

Congress likely to get involved in Brand X case.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER Sometime this month, the Supreme Court will determine the future of broadband. "The next important piece of the broadband puzzle will be revealed when the Supreme Court rules in Brand X,'' said Thomas...

Good scores new Cingular contract.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: COLIN GIBBS If this keeps up, the wireless e-mail market may not be untapped for long. The flurry of activity in the wireless e-mail space looks to continue as carriers and software developers expand their offerings to attract...

BREW attendees get MediaFLO preview; Technology not as polished as rivals.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: MIKE DANO Qualcomm Inc. offered industry an early look at its MediaFLO mobile TV technology in conjunction with its BREW developer's conference here. The demonstration showed MediaFLO can transmit streaming video, but also revealed...

Georgia Tech research arm uses WLAN to offer closed captioning for deaf.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: KRISTEN BECKMAN The wireless industry often has found itself at odds with advocacy groups for the hearing-impaired community as industry has worked to incorporate technology into its phones to allow deaf and hard-of-hearing...

Summertime and the living is ... simple.(Opinion)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Tina Eichner In the backdrop of everything innovative and exciting going on at the BREW conference in San Diego last week, there was one overriding idea that kept popping up in the newsroom: simple. As industry pursues its...

Velocita expands Mobitex service to Auburn, N.Y.(News)
June 6, 2005... Mobitex network operator Velocita Wireless L.P. said it has enhanced its nationwide network with the deployment of wireless base stations in Auburn, N.Y. The company said the new base stations will augment its current coverage in the area and...

Nextel enhances N.C. coverage.(News)
June 6, 2005... Nextel Communications Inc. said it has enhanced more than 4,200 miles of network coverage in parts of North Carolina. The network expansion includes Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Boone, Asheville, Greenville, Southern Pines, New Bern,...

Qwest expands nationwide wireless to Iowa customers.(News)
June 6, 2005... Qwest Communications International Inc. expanded its nationwide wireless service to residential and small-business customers in Keokuk and Mason City, Iowa. Rate plans for the service begin at $40 per month for 500 weekday calling minutes...

Operating expense metrics improving, but at cost?(Focus)
June 6, 2005... Byline: DAN MEYER The wireless industry's drive for cost efficiencies has seen marked improvements during the past several years as many carriers have begun posting operating profits after years of racking up huge debts. Those improvements...

Midwest hosts BREW for others.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: DAN MEYER Carrier consolidation among the wireless industry's top players has had a similar effect on smaller operators, which are being forced to cooperate more closely to provide advanced services that larger operators have taken...

Signal-enhancing companies make progress with carriers.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Electronics manufacturers and distributors say wireless carriers are beginning to cautiously embrace third-party signal amplifiers they once kept at arm's length. Inconsistent service has long plagued the cell-phone...

Inclosia innovates in aesthetics.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: MIKE DANO While the wireless industry concerns itself with new phone features and functions, Tom Tarnowski is more worried about what those phones look and feel like. "We also need some innovation in the area of aesthetics,''...

Gender, not age, defines interest in wireless data.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: KRISTEN BECKMAN Users in the youth and young adult segment showed strong interest in using wireless entertainment and multimedia services, according to a new market research report by The Management Network Group Inc. The...

People.
June 6, 2005... Red Bend Software Udi Dagan joined Red Bend Software as chief financial officer. Dagan joined the company from IBM where he was business consulting services country manager in Israel. Before that he was CFO of IBM Israel, vice president of...

Samsung selects TI chips for TV phones.(News)
June 6, 2005... Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is using Texas Instruments' OMAP multimedia processor chip in its mobile TV phones. Samsung is currently selling phones in South Korea that work on the Digital Multimedia Broadcasting mobile TV technology. ...

Western GSM base doubles since last year.(Wireless Metrics)
June 6, 2005... The GSM subscriber base in the Western Hemisphere reached 136.3 million during the first quarter, more than double the 65.9 million GSM subscribers reported during the first quarter of last year, according to 3G Americas. During the...

T-Mobile selects Gemplus SIM OS.(Global Wireless)
June 6, 2005... T-Mobile selected Gemplus International S.A. to provide its GemXplore Generations operating system for T-Mobile's future card and service deployments. The product complies with the most recent multimedia features and standards releases,...

Sprint PCS offers mapping, news service from Handmark.(News)
June 6, 2005... Software developer and publisher Handmark said its Java-based Express News Maps and More application is available on select Sprint PCS Vision handsets. The application is based on Handmark's Pocket Express service that was originally designed...

World Briefs.(Briefs)
June 6, 2005... HONDURAS Motorola Inc. sold its entire equity stake in Honduran wireless carrier Celtel. Millicom International Cellular said it acquired part of the stake from Motorola, bringing Millicom's ownership to two-thirds of the total outstanding...

Ericsson sells stake in digital pen company.(News)
June 6, 2005... L.M. Ericsson said it sold all its shares in Anoto Group AB to Norden Technology AS for an undisclosed amount. Ericsson previously owned 17.9 percent of Anoto Group AB, which licenses a digital pen and paper technology allowing partners to...

Prepaid market set for growth with MVNOs as main catalyst.(News)
June 6, 2005... The domestic prepaid market is set for explosive growth during the next five years as the industry continues to refine offerings based on so-called hybrid plans and increasingly popular mobile virtual network operators, according to a study...

T-Mobile USA expects continued growth, 3G rollout next year.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: DAN MEYER Despite increasing competition and spectrum concerns, T-Mobile USA Inc. said it expects to continue posting around 1 million net customer additions per quarter through the rest of 2005, and with the help of upcoming...

Groups speak out against in-flight wireless use.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER Nearly everyone is against the idea of offering wireless communications on airlines-except for technology companies that stand to benefit financially from the service, according to comments filed with the...

Nokia to make base stations at Indian plant.(Global Wireless)
June 6, 2005... Nokia said it plans to begin manufacturing base station controllers at a new high-end manufacturing unit in Chennai, India. The company earlier this year announced plans to establish a mobile device production facility in Chennai. Nokia said...

LaForge, Wheeler join BridgePort Networks board.(News)
June 6, 2005... Two high-profile wireless veterans have joined BridgePort Networks' board of advisors. The mobile Voice over Internet Protocol company has added Perry M. LaForge, executive director of the CDMA Development Group, and Thomas E. Wheeler, former...

Products.
June 6, 2005... SyChip SyChip released its new VWLAN7100 offering, which the company said combines Wi-Fi support and Voice over IP technology in one module. The company is selling the chip to phone and personal digital assistant manufacturers. The...

Consumer group wants Kennedy removed from bill-of-rights review.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA A consumer group petitioned the California Public Utilities Commission to remove Commissioner Susan Kennedy from the agency's review of the bill of rights for telecom consumers. "Allowing a commissioner who has...

Sorrent rebrands as Glu for carriers, users.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: COLIN GIBBS U.S. publisher Sorrent Inc. and European studio Macrospace Ltd. used the opening night of the BREW Conference as a kind of coming-out party. Privately held Sorrent, which acquired Macrospace last December for an...

Digital Throat.(Opinion)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Jeffrey Silva On the same day it confirmed Vanity Fair had scooped it in revealing a former FBI No. 2 was Deep Throat for the investigative reporting that was President Nixon's undoing, The Washington Post's business section ran a...

800 MHz reband to begin June 27.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER Nearly a year after the Federal Communications Commission adopted rules to solve the public-safety interference problem in the 800 MHz band, the reconfiguration is set to begin June 27, said the FCC's...

Softbank gets trial 1.7 GHz W-CDMA license in Japan.(Global Wireless)
June 6, 2005... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Softbank Corp. said the Japanese government authorized it to operate an experimental third-generation mobile-phone base station in the 1.7 GHz band using W-CDMA technology. Softbank, a major broadband player in...

Content Briefs.(Briefs)
June 6, 2005... Mobile marketing company iLoop Mobile Inc. will team with software developer Cenuco Inc. to deliver live streaming video and still slide shows to mobile phones. The service will offer content from sporting and entertainment events, and will...

Nokia outlines low-cost handset strategy.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: KRISTEN BECKMAN Nokia Corp. outlined a new low-cost handset strategy to tap into new growth markets. The company concurrently introduced its Nokia 1110 and Nokia 1600 handsets, scheduled to be available during the third...

Gov't agencies ready to use RFID haven't sorted out privacy, security concerns.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Many federal agencies planning to use radio frequency identification technology have not yet addressed legal issues such as privacy and security, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office. ...

T-Mobile USA extends Zeta-Jones' contract.(News)
June 6, 2005... T-Mobile USA Inc. said it has reached an agreement with spokeswoman Catherine Zeta-Jones extending their commercial advertising relationship. Terms of the multi-year extension were not released, though T-Mobile USA said Zeta-Jones will continue...

Base station group adds testing, WiMAX to specs.(Global Wireless)
June 6, 2005... The Open Base Station Architecture Initiative said it will offer testing documents for its open interface specifications, allowing companies to make sure their base station products meet the group's specifications. The Open Base Station...

McAfee buys wireless security firm, partners with Bitfone.(News)
June 6, 2005... Online security firm McAfee Inc. made two announcements in the wireless security arena with an acquisition and a partnership for over-the-air security. McAfee, which has previously warned the threat of mobile viruses will increase, said it...

SiRF buys Motorola's GPS chip lines.(News)
June 6, 2005... Location specialist SiRF Technology Holdings Inc. will pay $20 million for global positioning system chipset product lines from Motorola Inc., the company announced. SiRF, which makes tracking and navigational equipment for semiconductor...

Nortel reports more revenues for GSM/UMTS, less for CDMA; Company finally current on financials.(Global Wireless)
June 6, 2005... Byline: KRISTEN BECKMAN Nortel Networks Corp. reported overdue first-quarter results, including revenues of $2.54 billion, an increase of 4 percent from revenues of $2.44 billion reported during the first quarter of last year. ...

Cingular Wireless looks to bolster ARPU with new postpaid plans.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: DAN MEYER Just a week after relaunching its prepaid offering around the GoPhone brand, Cingular Wireless L.L.C. refined its postpaid plans cutting the total number of plans available and eliminating some of its regional offerings....

Canada's Bell Mobility hires Nortel to deliver EV-DO gear.(Global Wireless)
June 6, 2005... Canadian wireless carrier Bell Mobility signed an estimated $126 million multi-year contract with Nortel Networks Ltd. for 1x and 1x EV-DO equipment. With what is expected to be the first commercial deployment in Canada of an EV-DO...

Intel study: 700 MHz spectrum worth $233B in social benefits.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER Spectrum in the 700 MHz band is worth $20 billion to the federal treasury, but has a social value of at least $233 billion, according to a study sponsored by Intel Corp. "The current market value of...

Japanese gov't to allow 3 new wireless carriers.(Late News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Japanese Embassy confirmed the government plans to add three competitors to the mobile-phone market, a move that comes after months of prodding by the U.S. trade representative and an aborted lawsuit against the...

Verizon to launch LBS in Q3.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: MIKE DANO Verizon Wireless said it plans to launch location-based services starting in the third quarter. The carrier joins Nextel Communications Inc., Sprint Corp. and other wireless carriers in offering LBS services. John...

Motorola on top in North American handset market.
June 6, 2005... Byline: DAN MEYER Despite a slowing overall market, Motorola Inc. strengthened its position as the dominant handset manufacturer in North America during the first quarter, according to Strategy Analytics. Motorola's 34.2-percent market...

CoCo shoots to solve public-safety interop problem.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER A solution to one of the most vexing problems in public safety-interoperability-is expected to be unveiled today in a press conference at Love Field, an airport in Dallas. "The men and women who answer...

ESPN, Amp'd commit to BREW.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: MIKE DANO Qualcomm Inc. and its partners announced a range of new BREW-based services, applications and teamings in conjunction with the company's BREW developer conference here, news the companies hope will further expand the...

Game publishers mixed on using retail channel.
June 6, 2005... Byline: COLIN GIBBS With carrier decks rapidly becoming mobile mega-malls, publishers are hoping to meet consumers face to face in an effort to drive content purchases. The consumer shopping experience on wireless phones is growing more...

Sprint, Nextel preview business post-merger.
June 6, 2005... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc. offered more detail on how their proposed $35 billion merger could benefit consumers, competition and homeland security, but the No. 3 and No. 5 mobile-phone carriers...

Infrastructure Awards.(Wireless Metrics)
June 6, 2005... Following are infrastructure contracts announced in May: Alcatel Paraguay With Hola Paraguay for a GSM/GPRS mobile network expansion. Value: Undisclosed Ericsson Dominican Republic With Orange Dominica to expand its...

Virgin Mobile rate plan.(Wireless Metrics)
June 6, 2005... A recent RCRNews.com asked readers whether they believe Virgin Mobile USA will launch a contract rate plan similar to the 12- and 18-month options launched last month by Virgin Mobile U.K. One-third of respondents do not believe Virgin Mobile...

Fast Fact.(Wireless Metrics)
June 6, 2005... U.S. wireless carriers will spend $22.8 billion this year to upgrade and expand their networks, according to research from Skyline Marketing Group

Stock Watch: May 26 - June 2.(Wireless Metrics)
June 6, 2005... table: Stock Watch: May 26 - June 2 * 3 graphics: Market Diary * Indices * RCR Index: see print copy.

TensorComm aims to give handsets mute button to add network capacity.(News)
June 13, 2005... Byline: MIKE DANO U.S. wireless carriers spent almost $40 billion on network gear last year. Although carriers put some of that money toward upgrading networks to the newest and greatest technology, most of it went to network capacity and...

Metro One to lose Alltel business.(News)
June 13, 2005... Enhanced directory-assistance provider Metro One Telecommunications Inc. said Alltel Corp. plans to stop using Metro One's EDA service by the end of August, which would be approximately six weeks prior to the expiration of the current contract....

Trujillo named CEO of Telstra.(News)
June 13, 2005... Australian telecom carrier Telstra Corp. said it appointed Solomon (Sol) Trujillo chief executive officer and as an executive director of the company beginning July 1. He will replace Dr. Ziggy Switkowski, who will step down July 1. ...

Gov't studies find hands-free not risk free.(News)
June 13, 2005... Two new studies sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that cell phones are a major source of driver distraction and driver use of hands-free devices actually could be worse than talking on handheld phones while...

US Unwired could complicate Sprint, Nextel merger plans.(News)
June 13, 2005... Byline: DAN MEYER, JEFFREY SILVA The government's review of the proposed $35 billion merger between Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc. could be complicated by Sprint wireless affiliate US Unwired Inc. The affiliate made a surprise...

CDMA subscribers reach 257M.(Wireless Metrics)
June 13, 2005... More than 16.4 million new users signed up to CDMA networks during the first quarter, according to the CDMA Development Group. The total number of CDMA subscribers stands at 256.6 million, said CDG. Perry LaForge, executive director of the...

Brightpoint to offer Skype products.(News)
June 13, 2005... Brightpoint Inc. will act as an authorized distributor of products and services from Skype Technologies S.A., the companies announced. Brightpoint said it initially plans to focus on promoting offerings from the Voice over Internet Protocol...

Nokia jumps into WiMAX market with Intel.(News)
June 13, 2005... Nokia Corp. announced it will team with chipmaker Intel Corp. to promote mobile WiMAX technology. The companies said they would work with the IEEE standards group to complete the 802.16e standard, and would develop mobile WiMAX devices and base...

France Telecom sells interest in Portuguese wireless carrier.(News)
June 13, 2005... France Telecom signed a three-year strategic partnership agreement with Portuguese telecom company Sonaecom that will see FT sell its stake in Portuguese wireless operator Optimus. France Telecom is selling its 43.33-percent minority...

Clearwire affiliate buys spectrum from CTC.(Late News)
June 13, 2005... Integrated telecom services provider CT Communications Inc. said it agreed to sell its rights to certain wireless broadband spectrum assets to Clearwire Corp. affiliate Fixed Wireless Holdings L.L.C. The spectrum assets include Broadband Radio...

FCC sets groundwork for spectrum auction.(News)
June 13, 2005... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Federal Communications Commission last week approved rules implementing relocation fund legislation approved by Congress last December, a move that paves the way to auction third-generation wireless licenses in...

McCain aims to end DTV transition by '09.(News)
June 13, 2005... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), former chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee and frequent critic of the TV broadcast lobby, plans to introduce a bill Tuesday that would end the transition to digital TV at...

FCC, industry reach compromise on hearing-aid-compatible mobile phones.(News)
June 13, 2005... Byline: Jeffrey Silva The Federal Communications Commission today largely upheld a 2003 decision requiring cellular carriers to make hearing aid compatible phones available to individuals with hearing loss. However, federal regulators...

Qualcomm buys 10 patents for wireless broadcast.(News)
June 13, 2005... Qualcomm Inc. acquired 10 patents covering a wireless broadcasting technology that allows operators to send bursts of content to select groups of subscribers. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Qualcomm scored the patents through...

Bill would ban cities from offering telecom systems; Texan introduces federal legislation that puts private sector first.(News)
June 13, 2005... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA, HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER A bill sponsored by Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) banning municipal telecommunications, including Wi-Fi, has brought to the national stage a fierce battle already playing out in the states,...

FCC vacancy remains as Kurth withdraws.(News)
June 13, 2005... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER Efforts to fill the seat on the Federal Communications Commission left vacant by the departure of former FCC Chairman Michael Powell were stymied late Thursday when Christine Kurth, deputy chief of staff for...

Despot and deposits.(Opinion)
June 13, 2005... Byline: Jeffrey Silva Somehow, wireless connections seem to get inevitably intertwined in political and cultural machinations near and far. Across the world, North Korea continues its dangerous dance on its nuclear intentions, playing...

Nortel president, CTO leave after 3 months.(News)
June 13, 2005... Just three months into his tenure, Nortel Networks Corp.'s president and chief operating officer quit the company due to clashes with the company's chief executive, Bill Owens. "Gary (Daichendt) has made a major contribution to Nortel...

Hesse to run Sprint's local unit.(News)
June 13, 2005... Sprint Corp. named Daniel Hesse chief executive officer of its Local Telecommunications Division, which the company said it plans to spin off following its pending acquisition of Nextel Communications Inc. Hesse served as president and CEO...

Sprint teams with Yahoo! for wireless e-mail service.(News)
June 13, 2005... The wireless e-mail space remains hot as Sprint PCS teamed with Internet giant Yahoo! Inc. and software developer Seven to offer service to mass-market mobile users. Dubbed Yahoo! Mail for Mobile, the service is available through a...

Handset makers find ways to cut costs, add features.(Special Report)
June 13, 2005... Byline: MIKE DANO The mobile-phone industry has evolved in countless ways during the past few decades. Phones today feature a dizzying array of new technologies and services, from multiple radios to integrated digital cameras to blazing...

Business Briefs.(Briefs)
June 13, 2005... Boston Communications Group Inc. said it will contest a class-action suit brought by some shareholders in the wake of last month's $128 million patent-infringement verdict. The new suit seeks unspecified damages against the wireless network...

Dobson to roll out VeriSign's content library.(News)
June 13, 2005... Dobson Cellular Systems Inc. said it has tapped VeriSign Inc. to provide content and messaging interoperability services for the carrier's 1.6 million subscribers. VeriSign will offer its library of more than 50,000 ringtones, images,...

BenQ to take over Siemens phone biz.
June 13, 2005... Byline: MIKE DANO Taiwanese electronics manufacturer BenQ Group will take over Siemens' ailing mobile-phone business, catapulting the Asian upstart into the ranks of the world's largest handset makers. Although the exact terms of the...

Midwest Wireless to deploy VoIP gear from Lucent.(News)
June 13, 2005... Lucent Technologies Inc. said it will deploy Voice over Internet Protocol technology from its Accelerate Next-Generation Communications Solutions to upgrade rural wireless operator Midwest Wireless' network. Lucent noted the VoIP solution...

Digicel awarded GSM license in Haiti.(Global Wireless)
June 13, 2005... Digicel Group, which operates several wireless networks in the Caribbean, said it was awarded Haiti's first GSM license through a tender process entered jointly with OneFone, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Haitian GB Group. Haiti...