RCR Wireless News articles from June 2007

RCR Wireless News archives from June 2007

RCRnews.com ? of the week.(News)
June 4, 2007... QWERTY or no QWERTY, that is the question. 74%: QWERTY 4ever 17%: hold the QWERTY, thanks 9%: what is QWERTY? Visit RCRNEWS.COM to answer this week's question.

Stockwatch: May 24 - May 31.(Metrics)
June 4, 2007... 3 tables: Stockwatch: May 24 - May 31 * Top Gainers * Top Losers * 3 graphs: Market Diary * Indices * 90-day RCR index: see print copy.

GETTING THE 'BIG PICTURE'; Content driving larger, better handset displays.(News)
June 4, 2007... Byline: PHIL CARSON Even a casual observer of the wireless industry can't fail to notice that newer handsets are sporting larger, clearer, more colorful screens. Simply put, the advent of mobile multimedia and consumer e-mail is...

Add-ons propel profit; Accessories extend brand and bolster bottom line.
June 4, 2007... Byline: PHIL CARSON Gadgets beget more gadgets, leading to fun, safety and productivity for consumers and profit for all. What's not to love about that? New figures for the accessory market place its ascendance in context and...

Industry continues struggle with full-track music; OTA or side-loading, results remain mixed.(News)
June 4, 2007... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Whether it's through a transistor radio, a Walkman or an iPod, on-the-go music has an impressive track record as a business model. But when it comes to revenues from full-track downloads, their may be little room on the...

LEMONADE: A cool, refreshing drink for push e-mail providers; Technology expected to speed delivery for low-cost providers.(Upfront)
June 4, 2007... Byline: COLIN GIBBS As the days get longer and the mercury rises, a handful of mobile e-mail developers are reaching for the LEMONADE. Shorthand for the License to Enhanced Mobile Oriented And Diverse Endpoints-thank goodness for...

Wireless banking.(Opinion)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Jeffrey Silva Remember James D. Dondero, the Highland Capital Management L.P. honcho who made Motient Corp. want to forget 2006 and all the fun that comes with nasty proxy fights and lawsuits? Dondero has some folks scratching...

Sprint Nextel snares piece of government contract.(Upfront)
June 4, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Sprint Nextel Corp last week snagged one of the prized contracts in a multibillion-dollar program to modernize the federal government's telecommunications system. In late March, Sprint Nextel-a perennial government...

Airadigm launches cell broadcast service; Service is first of its kind in the country.(Upfront)
June 4, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Airadigm Communications' Einstein Wireless, a GSM cellphone carrier in Wisconsin, said it fired up the nation's first cellular broadcast emergency alert system covering the community of Appleton. "Together with...

Panel outlines technologies for spectrum-sharing test bed.(News)
June 4, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Bush administration, seeking to make more efficient use of the nation's dwindling supply of airwaves, took another step toward creating a test bed for sharing spectrum among federal agencies, commercial users and...

Regs from Katrina aftermath fall short, Dems at FCC charge.(Upfront)
June 4, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Federal Communications Commission ordered wireless and wireline operators to have backup power sources for telecom facilities and to submit reports on the reliability of their 911 systems, but the agency's two...

Plan to make E911 service better gets mixed reviews; Public safety optimistic, industry cautious.
June 4, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Federal Communications Commission agreed to improve the accuracy of locating wireless and Voice-over-Internet Protocol emergency callers, but concerns were raised over whether the agency's long-awaited...

LCC snares WFI's engineering biz for $46M.(News)
June 4, 2007... Byline: MATT KAPKO Following a major financial reporting setback due to an internal review of stock-options granting practices in mid-March, Wireless Facilities Inc. announced it has agreed to sell its wireless engineering business to LCC...

Alltel, MetroPCS hint at 700 MHz plans.(News)
June 4, 2007... Byline: KELLY HILL Alltel Corp. made clear its interest in the upcoming 700 MHz spectrum auction in government filings, and requested that the Federal Communications Commission avoid plans to set aside a chunk of the spectrum for a...

Federal health lawsuits remanded back to states.(News)
June 4, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA A federal judicial panel conditionally remanded a brain-cancer lawsuit and class-action headset lawsuit against mobile-phone companies to courts in Florida and Pennsylvania respectively. U.S. District Judge...

John Smelzer.(News)(Interview)
June 4, 2007... Byline: MATT KAPKO Stalwarts in media are increasingly bullish on driving their audience's eyes and ears to just about every channel imaginable. But just as these powerhouses are finally finding their online groove, they're efforts are...

Big 3 air out plans at investor conference.(Upfront)
June 4, 2007... Byline: KELLY HILL AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. see opportunities ahead for their international operations, according to remarks by company executives at last week's Lehman Brothers Worldwide Wireless and Wireline conference....

Nightmare on Madison Avenue; As wireless Web use surges, advertising fears mount.(Spotlight)
June 4, 2007... Byline: COLIN GIBBS The Internet is rapidly evolving from a desktop experience into a multi-platform phenomenon available on the go and around the world. Carriers, publishers and marketing firms are just hoping advertising doesn't get lost...

Online gaming giants set sights on mobile space; Oberon, PopCap hope to capitalize on casual gaming success.(News)
June 4, 2007... Byline: COLIN GIBBS A couple of online casual gaming heavyweights lumbered into the mobile sphere. Oberon Media bought a big chunk of the wireless gaming playground last week, picking up London-based publisher I-play for an undisclosed...

Broadcom's $19.6M jury award could spark cross-licensing pact.(Upfront)
June 4, 2007... Byline: PHIL CARSON To Broadcom Corp., a favorable federal jury verdict last week in a patent infringement lawsuit against arch-rival Qualcomm Inc. was "gratifying.'' That's understandable, as the decision vindicated Broadcom's...

Moto says 4,000 more must go.(Upfront)
June 4, 2007... Byline: PHIL CARSON Motorola Inc. said it would cut 4,000 more jobs in the coming year, on top of 3,500 job cuts to be completed by next month. The reduced headcount at the world's No. 2 handset vendor is part of a $1 billion...

Contracts.(News)
June 4, 2007... The following infrastructure contracts were announced in May: Alcatel-Lucent China: With China Unicom for a range of mobile network projects including a CDMA2000 1x EV-DO Rev. A high-speed data network upgrade in Macau as well as CDMA...

Avaya takeover rumors swirling; Analyst note market conditions right for deal.(News)
June 4, 2007... Byline: MATT KAPKO The enterprise telephony space is ripe for consolidation, a Prudential analyst said in a report last week, and there is plenty of appetite in the industry for a takeover of Avaya Inc. Nortel Networks Ltd., Cisco...

Prince reigns at Verizon Wireless; Direct-to-consumer approach may be first in attempts to squeeze out record label.(News)
June 4, 2007... Byline: MATT KAPKO Verizon Wireless, meet Prince, the prolific artist who aggressively protects his fusion of just about every musical genre imaginable. The man whose bitter battle with a record label prompted him to change his name to a...

Under pressure.(Opinion)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Tracy Ford As the 700 MHz auction nears, the intensity over auction rules is heating up. And indeed, the legacy of this Federal Communications Commission could very well ride on the success-or problems-of this auction. ...

Hedgehogging.(Briefs)
June 4, 2007... hedge*hog*ging v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cube. Verizon Wireless has teamed up to deliver Prince's new single "Guitar'' on its Vcast service. Good choice, VZW. Love...

20 years ago this week.(News)
June 4, 2007... FCC Chairman Dennis Patrick submitted proposed auction legislation that would exempt cellular and public-safety services, but subject paging, SMR and other land mobile radio services to public bidding.

...ETC...(Upfront)
June 4, 2007... Cellphone dodges bullet An Aurora, Colo., man may have his cellphone to thank for his life. Roger Baxter was shot in the chest during a burglary in his home, but the bullet was slowed by the cellphone he had tucked into his shirt pocket....

Three On Three.(News)
June 4, 2007... TOPIC 1: What drives you crazy about your handset and/or service? Tracy Ford: "My battery has a shorter attention span than my reporters.'' Dan Meyer: "Nothing, Both are awesome. I never make bad decisions. Ever.'' Stacey Horne:...

CMD shipments to top 82M units in 2011.(Metrics)
June 4, 2007... Business users in Western Europe and other regions will help drive surging sales of smartphones and other converged devices over the next few years, according to new figures from IDC. The market research firm predicted converged mobile...

Network migration pause impacts capex; Investment expected to be flat this year.
June 4, 2007... Byline: KELLY HILL In the midst of a lull between completing the buildout of 3G networks and beginning work on next-generation networks, U.S. telecom companies are expected to keep their wireless capital spending mostly flat this year as...

Edwards backs Frontline, tech's 700 MHz plans.(News)
June 4, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards urged the Federal Communications Commission to fashion 700 MHz rules to further the reach of the Internet using an open-access approach advocated by Frontline Wireless...

U.S. hot for enterprise apps; U.K. warming to mobile content.(Metrics)
June 4, 2007... Enterprise applications are poised for impressive growth in the United States while the U.K. mobile content market is approaching a "tipping point,'' according to two new reports. Compass Intelligence L.L.C. said U.S. businesses will spend...

Third Screen, iLoop join forces to automate mobile ad tracking.(News)
June 4, 2007... Third Screen Media Inc. and iLoop Mobile plan to work together to help companies looking to generate advertising revenue from their wireless Web sites. The deal looks to integrate iLoop's technology, which is designed to simplify the...

WiMAX market seen big enough for large and small players.(News)
June 4, 2007... Byline: MIKE DANO New research shows that the early entrants into the WiMAX market-firms like Alavarion, Aperto, Redline and Airspan-will be able to profit from their jump into an unproven industry, and will not be swallowed up by larger...

RIM's Curve launches at AT&T Mobility; Carrier continues branding transition.(Upfront)
June 4, 2007... It's official: Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry Curve is available at AT&T Mobility. Price is $200, with two-year contract and mail-in rebate. The quad-band device rides on AT&T Mobility's EDGE network. Any doubts that RIM-known for...

Consumers hanging onto handsets longer.(News)
June 4, 2007... Longer contracts are pushing American consumers to keep their handsets longer, according to a new study by J.D. Power and Associates. The average length of ownership of a particular handset has increased for the first time in five years, to...

Has customer growth peaked? Q1 numbers from nation's top carriers show signs.
June 4, 2007... Byline: KELLY HILL With domestic wireless penetration nearing 80%, signs of slowing customer growth may be beginning to show. The nation's four largest carriers brought in fewer customers in the first quarter of this year than in the...

Sclavos steps down as VeriSign chief.(Upfront)
June 4, 2007... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Longtime VeriSign Inc. chief Stratton Sclavos stepped down as the company's internal investigation into stock-options grants is nearing its end. The Mountain View, Calif., company declined to offer reasons for the...

RIM's consumer play attracting media offerings.(News)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Matt Kapko Research in Motion Ltd.'s push into the consumer space with video-friendly BlackBerry devices is set to get a boost from QuickPlay Media, which recently unveiled its mobile media package for BlackBerry that is slated to...

RCRnews.com ? of the week.(News)
June 11, 2007... Just like stella... When will Sprint Nextel get its groove back? 59%: never 21%: this year 20%: next year Visit RCRNEWS.COM to answer this week's question.

Stockwatch: May 31 - June 7.(Metrics)
June 11, 2007... 3 tables: Stockwatch: May 31 - June 7 * Top Gainers * Top Losers * 3 graphs: Market Diary * Indices * 90-day RCR index: see print copy.

The usual (iPhone-buying) suspects: Apple acolytes, trendsetters, young men.(News)
June 11, 2007... Byline: PHIL CARSON When civil unrest threatens the established order in Casablanca-at least in the famous movie of the same name-one of the authorities gives the order to "round up the usual suspects.'' So may it go with those lining...

ITC orders partial ban on new 3G handsets; Ruling against Qualcomm could've been harsher.
June 11, 2007... Byline: PHIL CARSON The clock is ticking as Qualcomm Inc. pursues legal remedies and technical alternatives to counter a decision last week by a federal agency banning future models of 3G handsets containing the vendor's chips from...

Nielsen starts up another mobile measurement service.(Upfront)
June 11, 2007... Byline: KELLY HILL Starting in July, The Nielsen Co. will weigh in on the behavior of mobile subscribers through a new measurement service called Nielsen Wireless, which will examine how many people access the mobile Internet, mobile video...

Putting the billing pieces in place; Changing industry forcing new reality.(Spotlight)
June 11, 2007... Byline: KELLY HILL Despite the prevalence of end-to-end billing systems as operators have consolidated in recent years, some companies may prefer a one-shot solution to a particular problem without the expense and effort of replacing an...

Palm gets eager hands on new cash, executives; Treo maker confident it will lead, but analysts wary.(News)
June 11, 2007... Byline: PHIL CARSON Executives at Palm Inc. appear to believe they've bought the time and talent to move from less than 3% of the smartphone market to leadership in mobile computing. To paraphrase Neil Armstrong, that's a giant leap...

Telecom giants remain in wiretapping crosshairs; Congress refuses to provide liability protection.(News)
June 11, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Wireless and wireline carriers remain vulnerable to lawsuits over the National Security Agency's anti-terrorist wiretapping program, with Congress so far refusing to consider a Bush administration legislative proposal...

STRIKE TWO FOR NEW MVNO.
June 11, 2007... Byline: KELLY HILL The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing of Amp'd Mobile Inc. may not necessarily signal the death knell for the business model, but is certain to make investors and partners wary and put additional pressure on other fledgling...

Survey: 11% of callers use only cellphones.(Metrics)
June 11, 2007... Analysis of three Harris polls from late last year offered insight into U.S. consumers and their relationship to telecom, particularly the trend toward wireless substitution. A total of more than 6,700 adults were surveyed in the online...

FCC affirms hybrid licensing system for 3650-3700 MHz WiMAX.(Upfront)
June 11, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Federal Communications Commission largely affirmed a 2005 decision creating a hybrid licensing system in the 3650-3700 MHz band to foster WiMAX deployment in the Untied States. "We applaud the FCC for the time...

FCC feels heat from open-access proponents; Frontline advocates put pen to paper.
June 11, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The mobile-phone industry, forced to fight an escalating two-front war against public-safety groups and hundreds of thousands of Internet foot soldiers, suddenly finds itself on the defensive as federal telecom...

AT&T pads prepaid.(Spotlight)
June 11, 2007... Byline: KELLY HILL AT&T Mobility revamped its prepaid play with new add-on package options for its GoPhone Pay As You Go customers. GoPhone users can now choose a calling package of 3,000 off-peak minutes for $20. Messaging packages...

T-Mobile USA inflates mid-range, Alltel expands data roaming.(Upfront)
June 11, 2007... Byline: KELLY HILL T-Mobile USA Inc. instituted a set of new promotional price plans and expanded its offerings at the increasingly popular $40 price point. The carrier added a $40 per month Get More 1,000 Plus individual plan that...

The i's have it.(Opinion)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Jeffrey Silva Perhaps we should all just go back into hibernation for a few weeks until some of this iFrenzy subsides. On the other hand, given that iHysteria will only gather greater force in the weeks ahead from its...

Google spectrum plans rattle wireless cage.
June 11, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA First it was Cyren Call Communications Corp. Then, more recently, Frontline Wireless L.L.C. And now, even more recently, Google Inc. The mobile-phone industry, itself an iconic symbol of cutting-edge disruptive...

Opponents of capped USF gain more backers.(News)
June 11, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Opposition to a federal-state panel's recommendation to cap universal service fund support in rural areas mounted last week, with a key senator and agriculture groups joining the mobile phone industry in urging the...

...ETC...(Etc.)
June 11, 2007... Continent connection Iridium Satellite said it has been named an official supplier to Connect Africa, which is a non-profit organization that aims to bring mobile communication and public service facilities to rural areas in Africa. The...

Sprint Nextel integrates online offerings.(Upfront)
June 11, 2007... Byline: PHIL CARSON Apropos of a recent handset offering dubbed "The Blend''-which combines CDMA and iDEN network access in one handset-Sprint Nextel Corp. has blended the online presentation of its CDMA and iDEN phone lines. The...

Hedgehogging.(Briefs)
June 11, 2007... hedge*hog*ging v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cube. The Coca-Cola company announced it will offer a mobile social networking service based on its Sprite soda-pop brand. To be...

Made-for-mobile content spreading its wings; A handful of mobile-specific content is beginning to cross platforms.(News)
June 11, 2007... Byline: MATT KAPKO The production and delivery of mobile video is becoming a two-way street. Although a majority of programming seems to follow a top-down approach from TV studios' more successful programs, those endeavored in the...

Wherify locates new CEO.(News)
June 11, 2007... GPS services company Wherify Wireless Inc. hired Vincent Sheeran as the company's new CEO. "We are very pleased to see Vince Sheeran, a veteran of several high-growth technology companies, join the Wherify team,'' said W. Douglas Hajjar, a...

GPS apps tracking well at AT&T Mobility, Sprint Nextel.(Upfront)
June 11, 2007... Byline: MATT KAPKO Fans of GPS applications are getting enhanced features at two of the nation's largest carriers. AT&T Mobility announced four of its newer Research In Motion Ltd. BlackBerry devices can now provide customers direct access...

Best Buy lifts mobile play.(Upfront)
June 11, 2007... Byline: KELLY HILL Best Buy Co. Inc. has expanded its mobile retail experiment, bringing on additional wireless-only retail locations beyond the initial test market in New York City. Best Buy Mobile started out with 13 stand-alone and...

Wireless Toyz: Variety is the spice of wireless life.(Upfront)(Interview)
June 11, 2007... Byline: KELLY HILL Editor's Note: In this monthly feature, RCR Wireless News talks to retail managers across the country to get a first-hand view of what's hot in wireless. Wireless Toyz stores operate in 24 states across the country...

Ericsson eyes billing with $417M LHS acquisition.(News)
June 11, 2007... Infrastructure giant L.M. Ericsson announced it will pay around $417 million for German billing company LHS AG, a move that could pit Ericsson directly against telecom billing heavyweights like Amdocs Ltd. and Convergys Corp. "Operators...

Avaya goes private in $8.2B deal.(News)
June 11, 2007... Corporate infrastructure provider Avaya Inc. announced an $8.2 billion deal under which it will be bought out by two private-equity firms. The transaction is just the latest in a growing line of private-equity buyouts in the telecom industry....

AT&T's ad spend shrinks in Q1.(News)
June 11, 2007... Telecom giant AT&T Inc. was the nation's second-largest advertiser during the first quarter, according to TNS Media Intelligence, second only to multinational manufacturer Procter & Gamble Co., which makes a range of products including...

6 Years Ago This Week.(News)
June 11, 2007... Sprint PCS finally confirmed in a two-sentence statement that it was negotiating with Virgin to bring the Virgin Mobile brand to the United States.

Handset Price Changes.(Upfront)
June 11, 2007... table: see print copy Handset pricing changes are from carrier Web sites and include changes between May 29 and June 4. Prices include all applicable rebates. All prices are for Denver ZIP code if required.

Sprite Yard plunges into mobile marketing.(News)
June 11, 2007... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Coca-Cola Co. is moving aggressively onto the mobile marketing playground with a kind of mobile MySpace centered on the company's Sprite brand. The soft-drink titan plans to launch a worldwide community allowing...

Flextronics bulks up with $3.6 billion Solectron acquisition.(News)
June 11, 2007... Singapore-based Flextronics International Ltd. said it would acquire Solectron Corp., of Milpitas, Calif., for $3.6 billion in cash and stock to create an even larger electronics manufacturing service that will generate more than $30 billion in...

HTC touts new 'Touch' phone.(Upfront)
June 11, 2007... Byline: PHIL CARSON HTC Corp., the nimble, Taiwan-based smartphone maker that is a leading purveyor of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Mobile operating system, announced its new HTC Touch, a phone that employs touchscreen technology. The move is...

InfoSpace nets Virgin U.K. search deal.(News)
June 11, 2007... Virgin Mobile in the United Kingdom said it as has tapped InfoSpace Inc. to provide a suite of mobile search and Internet services. InfoSpace said it will power a mobile search offering for the United Kingdom's largest mobile virtual...

Openwave rejects VC takeover bid.(Upfront)
June 11, 2007... Shares of Openwave Systems Inc. tumbled in after-hours trading following the company's rejection of a takeover bid by Harbinger Capital Partners. Harbinger, which is already Openwave's second-largest shareholder, two weeks ago offered to...

Wisdom of youth.(Opinion)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Tracy Ford I've seen the future and it is advertising on cellphones. A bit dramatic, perhaps? Yes, but during a panel discussion with a group of college students from Northwest University at last week's Mobile Marketing Forum...

BelAir employs SLAs to stave off speed concerns.(Upfront)
June 11, 2007... Byline: MATT KAPKO With multiple technologies promising all the bells and whistles required of next-generation networks, infrastructure developers and operators are clamoring for their place as they determine which wireless technology to...

FMC to generate $33.4B in revenue by 2012.(Metrics)
June 11, 2007... Fixed-mobile convergence subscribers will number 170 million by 2012 and generate $33.4 billion in revenue, if cooperation increases between all the players in the value chain, according to a new report from Informa Telecoms & Media. More...

Road to mobile marketing under construction.(News)
June 11, 2007... Byline: COLIN GIBBS There was, of course, no shortage of hype at last week's Mobile Marketing Forum in New York. But that enthusiasm was tempered by a surprising amount of restraint. EJL Wireless Research predicts mobile advertising...

RCRnews.com ? of the week.(News)
June 18, 2007... Rural's future What will happen to the nation's rural carriers? 61%: They will be acquired by large carriers 26%: They will continue operating independently 13%: They will be acquired by small carriers Visit RCRNEWS.COM to...

Stockwatch: June 7 - June 14.(Metrics)
June 18, 2007... 3 tables: Stockwatch: June 7 - June 14 * Top Gainers * Top Losers * 3 graphs: Market Diary * Indices * 90-day RCR index: see print copy.

Clearwire moves closer to triple-play.(News)
June 18, 2007... Byline: KELLY HILL Clearwire Corp. announced agreements with satellite television providers DirecTV Group Inc. and EchoStar Communications Corp. that expand Clearwire's distribution channels, and also could open the door for the wireless...

FMC rollout remains sporadic; Carriers continue to battle technology's challenges.(News)
June 18, 2007... Byline: KELLY HILL The U.S. telecom industry appears to largely be treading water when it comes to fixed-mobile convergence-with much talk about the subject and a few tentative sallies in that direction, but not an inordinate amount of...

The DRM Challenge; Everyone agrees on the problem, but solution proves elusive.(News)
June 18, 2007... Byline: MATT KAPKO Like a train caught in a labyrinth of uncharted tracks, the entertainment industry is hurtling across the DRM space with no clear direction or destination. So was the theme of a panel at the Digital Hollywood...