RCR Wireless News articles from June 2008

RCR Wireless News archives from June 2008

Sprint Nextel wins FCC reprieve on 800 MHz rebanding.
June 30, 2008... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Sprint Nextel wins FCC reprieve on 800 MHz rebanding The Federal Communications Commission extended by a month the looming June 26 deadline for Sprint Nextel Corp. to vacate 800 MHz interleaved channels involved...

FCC details plans for free wireless broadband.
June 30, 2008... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Federal Communications Commission is seeking feedback on new options to auction a nationwide wireless broadband license with requirements to provide free Internet service, content filtering and open access to...

Kajeet outlines "sizable' job cuts, will refocus on Internet sales.
June 30, 2008... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Kajeet Inc. last week slashed a "sizable'' chunk of its sales force as it shifts from a brick-and-mortar retail strategy to an online model. "We did restructure and let go a reasonable number of people,'' CEO...

Nokia acquires Plazes.
June 30, 2008... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Nokia Corp. added another social networking business to its portfolio, acquiring Plazes AG for an undisclosed sum. Operating primarily out of Berlin with 13 employees, Plazes offers a context-aware community that...

T-Mobile USA Inc. wades further into wireline pool.
June 30, 2008... Byline: ALLIE WINTER Looking to cut into its rivals' wireless-wireline bundles, T-Mobile USA Inc. announced it will expand its wireline calling plan nationwide. The carrier's @Home offering allows T-Mobile USA customers to place unlimited...

Brightpoint signs VZW for carrier's indirect channel.
June 30, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON Brightpoint Inc. said it would distribute handsets for Verizon Wireless' indirect channel of authorized agents and national retailers. Bob Laikin, CEO of Brightpoint, declined to discuss the value of the deal,...

Virgin-Helio targets broader base of users; And may be able to get back to "hip' roots.
June 30, 2008... Byline: ALLIE WINTER Virgin Mobile USA's purchase of fellow MVNO Helio L.L.C. allows Virgin to evolve beyond its low-ARPU customers to higher-paying subscribers, as well as gain a sophisticated handset portfolio, improve its debt levels...

Put another dime in the jukebox baby.
June 30, 2008... Digital jukebox manufacturer Rowe International has teamed up with Sprint to provide instant music selection downloads to jukeboxes nationwide. Rowe will use the Sprint Mobile Broadband network to facilitate music downloads from its...

Pearl Jam on Vcast.
June 30, 2008... The band Pearl Jam said it is expanding its bootleg program for its 12-city U.S tour and has partnered with Verizon Wireless to offer its customers the first mobile bootleg recordings available. Each night of the tour, the band's live concerts...

Only strongest MVNOs will survive.
June 30, 2008... Byline: ALLIE WINTER A couple years ago, starting your very own mobile virtual network operations company was a sizzling hot idea and everybody was trying to cash in. But now, two years and a slue of MVNO closings later, the idea has...

RIM doubles revenue and profit, but disappoints Wall Street.(Financial report)
June 30, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON Research In Motion Ltd. doubled its fiscal first quarter revenue and net income over the year-ago quarter, sold 5.4 million devices and added 2.3 million new subscribers. RIM's fiscal first quarter ended May 31. ...

Vlingo elbows for room on speech-recognition field; Firm uses D2C to "talk' on Blackberries.
June 30, 2008... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Speech recognition technology wins the "the most over-promised and under-delivered of all time award,'' according to vlingo Corp. CEO Dave Grannan. But the space may finally be delivering on its promise. A relative...

Virgin Mobile USA: Unlimited at $80 per month.
June 30, 2008... Byline: ALLIE WINTER Mobile virtual network operator Virgin Mobile USA Inc. unveiled its new "Totally Unlimited'' calling plan, which stands as a shot against the company's larger rivals by undercutting their prices by $20. Virgin's...

Sprint Nextel wades into targeted-ad waters; Operator cautiously approaches idea of targeted mobile advertising.
June 30, 2008... Byline: COLIN GIBBS U.S. carriers are ever so slowly beginning to share consumer demographics and other coveted information in an effort to deliver highly targeted wireless ads. And Sprint Nextel Corp. very quietly appears to be leading...

M2M sees unbridled growth; Space "only limited by your imagination,' Sprint Nextel exec says.
June 30, 2008... Byline: KELLY HILL With wireless connectivity becoming ever more common in vehicles, security systems and utility meters, machine-to-machine technology is on the path to transform vending machines, real estate lock boxes and mail...

Sprint Nextel expands business "Premier' program to CDMA subs.
June 30, 2008... Byline: ALLIE WINTER Sprint Nextel Corp. announced its small- and medium-sized CDMA business customers now have access to its Business Premier loyalty program. Since its merger with Nextel Communications Inc., the carrier has been...

Nokia to buy Symbian in $411M deal; Firm looks to counter Linux, Microsoft, more.
June 30, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON Nokia Corp. will acquire total ownership of Symbian Ltd., buying out current partners in a deal valued at about $411 million, the company said last week. Nokia said it would combine its own S60 platform with the...

IPhone virtual teardown: Apple margin beats 50%.
June 30, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON Based on preliminary analysis of the 3G iPhone, Apple's new handset may be its most profitable product, garnering better than 50% margins, according to analysts. Though the grand shift from hardware profits to...

NPD: Cellphone accessory sales to catch fire.
June 30, 2008... While cellphone sales may be on the decline in the United States, retailers may be able to bridge the gap with accessory sales, according to a new report from consumer market research firm NPD Group. The firm said mobile handset purchases...

Feds: Drivers don't have to hang up phones.
June 30, 2008... Byline: HARRY STOFFER Federal regulators agree that distracted drivers are dangerous. But the government won't require phones built into cars and trucks to shut down automatically when the vehicles are moving. Longtime safety advocate...

Celtra outlines "Vegas' mobile marketing push.
June 30, 2008... Byline: COLIN GIBBS A viral mobile marketing effort for the feature film "What Happens in Vegas'' generated more than 50,000 peer-to-peer user engagements, according to the firm that delivered the campaign. Celtra Inc., a...

Relying on Instinct: Sprint hits back with touch.
June 30, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON Sprint Nextel Corp. has launched an expensive, frontal assault on rivals in a bid for a hit handset that will resuscitate its fortunes. While it remains early in the game the Instinct handset has been on the market...

Photo caption.
June 30, 2008... DEMOGRAPHIC SELECTIONS, CREATIVE MARKETING: Yet MVNOs Amp'd Mobile, Mobile ESPN, and Disney Mobile all failed.

Price wars beginning? iPhone now drives subsidy strategies.
June 30, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON Last year, of course, the iPhone launch drove hand-wringing over the need to revamp user interfaces, accompanied by a move to large-display touchscreens. A wave of devices sporting large-display touchscreens...

What the Apple App Store means.
June 30, 2008... The most compelling things about all those third-party iPhone apps that are coming to market? The way you're going to buy them and, maybe, how much you're going to pay. Apple earlier this year unveiled plans to launch an iTunes-like...

What's the hurry to auction?
June 30, 2008... The Federal Communications Commission is rushing toward auctioning too much spectrum in too short a period of time and is going to be disappointed with the results. While auctioning 25 megahertz of AWS-3 spectrum and designating a portion...

Competing on features.
June 30, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON Pricing is an obvious competitive ploy, but the quest to produce an "iPhone killer'' is inherently doomed because it defines competition on Apple Inc.'s terms, said analyst Avi Greengart at Current Analysis. ...

Loopt adds reach with placement on VZW deck.
June 30, 2008... Loopt scored another carrier win, notching a deal to place its friend-finding service on Verizon Wireless's deck. The Silicon Valley-based startup offers a GPS-based service that allows users to locate friends and share information such as...

Huawei seeking capital and foothold in U.S.
June 30, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., the Chinese vendor of entry-tier phones, is seeking a capital infusion for its handset division to fuel international expansion of that business, particularly in the United States. ...

Microsoft buys mobile software developer.
June 30, 2008... Microsoft Corp. said it will acquire the Portuguese mobile software developer MobiComp for an undisclosed sum. MobiComp specializes in data protection and management technologies that allow the backup and restoration of data for mobile...

Hulking up.
June 30, 2008... Hands-On Mobile and Marvel Entertainment introduced a mobile game and personalization content based on the new Incredible Hulk movie. The action game puts players in the character of the Hulk. Players must smash through walls, hurl cars at...

Virgin "books the band".
June 30, 2008... Virgin Mobile USA said it will again offer "Book the Band by Virgin Mobile'' for its Virgin Mobile Festival scheduled for Aug. 9 -10 in Baltimore. The program, sponsored by Kyocera Wireless and MySpace, gives five emerging bands the chance to...

A conversation with Nokia's Mary McDowell, chief development officer.(Interview)
June 30, 2008... Byline: Phil Carson Won't it take time to develop an open-source version of Symbian, giving competing open-source groups time to get their products out? One of the factors that sets our initiative apart is the promise of backward...

DEVICES & STRATEGY.
June 30, 2008... DEVICE NAME Instinct MARKET Sprint Nextel Corp. RETAIL COST $130 with two-year contract and $100 mail-in rebate Specs * 4.6 x 2.2 x .5 inches, 4.4 ounces * touchscreen * dual-band (800, 1900 MHz)...

MVNOs talk of "old-man socks' & biz; A look back at Virgin and Helio on stage.
June 30, 2008... Virgin Mobile's acquisition of Helio brought to mind the CTIA Wireless I.T. show in 2006, when Virgin Mobile CEO Dan Schulman and Skye Dayton, then Helio's chief, talked about the MVNO market and socks. Here is RCR Wireless News' coverage...

Photo caption.
June 30, 2008... Richard Branson, chairman of the Virgin Group, left, and Daniel Schulman, CEO of Virgin Mobile USA, play with an electric guitar following the announcement of the Virgin Festival, a two-day music festival. Inset: A Helio store. Virgin Mobile...

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June 30, 2008... Quattro Wireless, which powers a portal for Univision Movil, is among the players working with Sprint Nextel Corp. to deliver targeted mobile ads.

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June 30, 2008... A worker cuts metal with a Black & Decker Corp. DeWalt saw. DeWalt Industrial Tool Co. has an M2M application to track equipment and prevent losses.

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June 30, 2008... Vlingo Corp., which powers the voice component of Yahoo's oneSearch product, last week rolled out a free application for BlackBerry users.

11 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK.
June 30, 2008... Nokia, Ericsson, Motorola and Unwired Planet (now Openwave) announced plans to jointly define a common protocol for wireless data technologies called Wireless Application Protocol.

Sony Ericsson warns on profits, handset demand for the quarter.
June 30, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications warned that it would only break even in the current quarter and that handset shipments will be nearly flat over the first quarter, reflecting "moderating demand'' for its mid- and...

Google top result in mobile search field, Nielson Mobile finds.
June 30, 2008... Google Inc. is still the player to beat in mobile search, according to new figures from Nielsen Mobile. The Internet giant accounted for a dominating 61% of all mobile Internet searches during the first quarter of 2008, according to the...

Telecom heavyweights argue for RFP process for D-Block; Comments flood into FCC in advance of re-auction goals.
June 30, 2008... Byline: MIKE DANO Comments on what the FCC should do with the 700 MHz D Block ran the gamut, with some urging the agency to tighten its rules on a public-private sharing of the spectrum, while others recommended the D Block be auctioned...

MetroPCS: Bring us your existing, compatible phones.
June 30, 2008... Byline: ALLIE WINTER Regional wireless carrier MetroPCS Communications Inc. announced a new promotion, MetroFlash, that will allow shoppers with a compatible CDMA handset to connect to the MetroPCS network; users will be able to sign up...

Palm's long, hard climb continues.
June 30, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON Despite delivering a bona fide hit handset, the $99 Centro, Palm Inc. continued to struggle with revenue and profit in fiscal fourth quarter. For the quarter ended May 31, Palm reported that revenue was $296...