RCR Wireless News articles from May 2008

RCR Wireless News archives from May 2008

GenBand wins Leap business.(Upfront)
May 5, 2008... Leap Wireless International Inc. said it is deploying GenBand Inc.'s G9 Converged Media Gateway to deliver enhanced voice quality and IP services on its network. The G9 product complements Genband's Media Gateway and C3 platform, which...

...ETC...(Briefs)
May 5, 2008... Can you smell me now? Multimedia messaging could soon become multi-sensory. A German syndicate including a sensory analysis and marketing consultancy and an interactive value-added services specialist have filed for a patent for technology...

Wireless cap on USF to take hold; Carriers warn efforts are destined to fail as they don't address real problem.(News)
May 5, 2008... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Federal Communications Commission member Robert McDowell said he supports imposing an interim cap on high-cost universal service funds primarily benefitting wireless carriers that serve rural areas, paving the way for...

Sprint, MobileAccess to install in-building wireless system in new Las Vegas resort/casino.(News)
May 5, 2008... Sprint Nextel Corp. and MobileAccess have been chosen to deploy in-building wireless technology at the M Resort, Spa and Casino during the Las Vegas resort's construction phase. Sprint will deliver a universal communications system for M...

Rallying the rural troops; Cyren Call's O'Brien lays out D-Block pitch at RCA.
May 5, 2008... Byline: DAN MEYER Despite troubles brewing back in Washington, D.C., regarding Cyren Call Communication Corp.'s handling of its partnership with the Public Safety Spectrum Trust in regards to the failed auction of the D-Block license,...

Big voice for small players; RCA repositions itself for greater leverage in wireless industry.(News)
May 5, 2008... Byline: DAN MEYER ***** Correction: The story on the Rural Cellular Association on page 14 of this week's issue should note that RCA's net income dropped from $144,030 in 2006 to a loss of $154,022 in 2007. ***** The past 12...

Madonna concert sings of the potential for mobile broadcasts; VZW, Vodafone rock their subscribers with exclusive concert, ringtones, etc.(News)
May 5, 2008... Byline: MATT KAPKO The tears, deafening screams and all-around giddiness were nonstop last Wednesday as Madonna played a six-song set at the Roseland Ballroom for a select group of wireless subscribers, promotion winners and hardcore fans....

Contracts.(News)
May 5, 2008... The following contracts were announced in April: Airspan Gibralter: With CTS Gibralter to provide WiMAX equipment for a network expansion. Value: Undisclosed Alcatel-Lucent Belgium: With Belgacom to design and deploy and...

Nokia enlists Spike Lee to help mobilize a revolution; Filmmaker explains future plans to direct new cellphone movie.(News)
May 5, 2008... Byline: ALICE Z. CUNEO Advertising Age Nokia has taken the first steps to build its brand in the U.S. through an entertainment strategy by hiring Spike Lee to direct a feature film. The catch: The movie will be a collaborative effort...

AT&T Mobility set for mobile TV launch; Basic offering to run $15 per month.(Upfront)
May 5, 2008... Byline: MATT KAPKO AT&T Mobility announced it will launch AT&T Mobile TV with FLO on May 4. As previously announced the service will include a pair of exclusive channels - CNN and PIX, a channel of full-length movies programmed by Sony...

Amateur hour.(Opinion)
May 5, 2008... Byline: Jeffrey Silva A perfect storm could be forming for high-tech giants and their campaign to secure vacant TV spectrum - known as white spaces - for Wi-Fi and other unlicensed wireless devices. It may be one of those things - owing to...

Martin to blame for broken process at FCC, congressional memo claims; Martin says he's following procedures set in the Clinton administration.(Upfront)
May 5, 2008... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin's troubles on Capitol Hill could be taking a turn for the worse. House Commerce Committee investigators have recommended to Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.)...

Premium content grew 20% in 2007; short of expectations.(Metrics)
May 5, 2008... A new report from MultiMedia Intelligence predicts the market for premium mobile content platforms grew nearly 20% last year, reaching a $3.4 billion share of the $18.5 billion in revenue generated by the mobile premium content market. ...

Morgan O'Brien lauds IG report.(News)
May 5, 2008... Byline: DAN MEYER Cyren Call Communications Corp. Chairman Morgan O'Brien said that any company the Public Safety Spectrum Trust advisor spoke with prior to the unsuccessful attempt to auction off the D-Block license that thought Cyren...

Magic bus; Verizon Wireless uses recording-studio bus to gain mind share.(News)
May 5, 2008... Byline: MATT KAPKO "This bus has been my home for the last three years,'' said Jesse Jensema, supervising producer on Verizon Wireless' Mobile Recording Studio, while Madonna's rehearsal for her performance later that night played on...

Sprint loses 800 MHz court ruling.(News)
May 5, 2008... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA A federal appeals court affirmed the Federal Communications Commission's decision to eliminate interference to various public-safety radio systems, an action requiring Sprint Nextel Corp. to vacate 800 MHz frequencies...

Managing rollout delay; WiMAX delays further cloud Sprint Nextel's sky.
May 5, 2008... Byline: MATT KAPKO Sprint Nextel Corp. has watched its self-imposed deadline for a commercial WiMAX network launch slip by as backhaul and billing systems appear to be causing greater headaches than originally expected. The carrier...

MVNO links made, disputed in D-Block investigation.
May 5, 2008... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Public Safety Spectrum Trust Corp. Chairman Harlin McEwen has distanced himself from a key element in a Federal Communications Commission inspector general report on the unsettled 700 MHz D Block. The report,...

Correction.(Correction notice)
May 5, 2008... The story on the Rural Cellular Association on page 14 of this week's issue should note that RCA's net income dropped from $144,030 in 2006 to a loss of $154,022 in 2007.

Adspend to top $7.6B by 2013.(Metrics)
May 5, 2008... Total annual spending for advertisements on mobile devices will exceed $1 billion this year and could increase to about $7.6 billion by 2013, according to a report from Juniper Research. The firm said mobile streamed and broadcast TV...

RadioShack woes continue.(News)
May 5, 2008... Shares of RadioShack Corp. plunged after the retailer blamed a disappointing quarter on slowing Sprint Nextel Corp. sales. The retailer reported a first-quarter net income of $38.8 million, down 8.7% from the $42.5 million during the...

Review: AT&T Mobility's MediaFLO mobile TV.(Upfront)
May 5, 2008... Byline: MATT KAPKO AT&T Mobility's MediaFLO-based mobile TV service was set to launch Sunday, after a couple false starts. RCR Wireless News obtained an LG Electronics Co. Ltd. Vu handset that supports the service. After popping in our...

VZW adds 1.5M new customers.(Upfront)
May 5, 2008... Byline: MATT KAPKO Verizon Wireless reported a strong first quarter with a net gain of 1.5 million wireless customers and a nearly 49% increase in data revenues. Verizon Wireless' first-quarter customer growth was short of the 1.7...

Feet on the street; 'Master agents,' indie retailers serve the grass roots.(Spotlight)
May 5, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON America is the proverbial "melting pot,'' a nation of immigrants and their neighborhoods. With greater than 80% wireless penetration, everyone needs a mobile phone. Add the complexity of the shifting landscape from...

MetroPCS goes live in Florida.(News)
May 5, 2008... For $30 to $50 per month, MetroPCS Communications Inc. will offer residents of Jacksonville, Fla., its unlimited voice and data plan. MetroPCS' signature "no signed contract'' applies, the company said, and the plans allow Jacksonville...

Apple's international rollout; New approach needed for 'world-beater'?(Upfront)
May 5, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON "TBA'' - to be announced - is a classic, buzz-building tool for Apple Inc.'s iPhone rollout, as in last week's word that the device will launch in Canada at Rogers Communications Inc. Apple's expansion from AT&T...

14 years ago this week.(News)
May 5, 2008... Bell Atlantic Mobile launched cellular digital packet data (CDPD) service under the airBridge Packet brand in Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Pittsburgh. The early data speeds operated at about 9.6 kilobits per second.

Hedgehogging.(Briefs)
May 5, 2008... hedge*hog*ging v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cube. What's more fun than following an FCC auction? Why following the aftermath of an FCC auction, that's what. Now, no one...

S.E. attempts to bridge Flash and Java.(News)
May 5, 2008... Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications announced plans to offer a new technology to bridge the Adobe Flash Lite and Java ME development platforms. Project Capuchin, as the effort is dubbed, allows developers to leverage attributes from both...

Sprint faces junk status, gets CFO.(Upfront)
May 5, 2008... Standard & Poor's Ratings Services lowered its corporate credit and senior unsecured ratings on Sprint Nextel Corp. to BB from BBB- and removed the company's ratings from CreditWatch with negative implications. The downgrade moves Sprint Nextel...

Ryder rides into wireless; GPS, RFID contribute to fleet's business success.(News)
May 5, 2008... Byline: KELLY HILL Wireless technology helps Ryder Systems Inc. keep track of its fleet of nearly 160,000 vehicles and provide its customers with services that include trip reports to help cut down on fuel usage and track driver habits, as...

Disconnect between government and biz.(Opinion)
May 5, 2008... Byline: Tracy Ford Recent events in the wireless industry underscore the disconnect between regulatory processes that lag far behind the technology and business decisions they are supposed to guide. This gap is apparent in the government's...

T-Mobile USA unwraps $1-per-day prepaid option.(Upfront)
May 5, 2008... T-Mobile USA Inc. took the wraps off a new prepaid calling plan the carrier hopes will counteract growing competition in the prepaid sector. T-Mobile USA's new Pay By The Day option costs $1 per day and allows users to place calls for 10...

Navigating by touch; Verizon-branded XV6900 means business.(Upfront)
May 5, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON Touchscreen devices have been with us for years but, for obvious reasons, they've been getting a bit of attention lately. Call it "touch navigation,'' arguably a more accurate term. Add the notion of touch-based...

Tracking traffic remains mobile ad challenge; Rash of mobile analytic platforms show progress being made.(News)
May 5, 2008... Byline: COLIN GIBBS The mobile analytics space continued to heat up last week as AdMob released a free tool allowing advertisers and publishers to track traffic and measure the effectiveness of ad campaigns. The San Mateo, Calif.-based...

T-Mobile USA to get rolling on 3G.(Upfront)
May 5, 2008... Byline: COLIN GIBBS T-Mobile USA Inc. plans to officially launch its 3G network this week. The launch comes about two years after the nation's No. 4 carrier paid $4.2 billion for advanced wireless services (AWS) spectrum in the Federal...

SMS vs. MIM; Mobile IM usage small, but growing.
May 5, 2008... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Text messaging has become a cash cow for mobile operators desperate to generate revenues in mobile data. But instant messaging may be poised to change that. Mobile instant messaging, or MIM, is used by only 8% of...

Stockwatch: April 24 - May 1.(Metrics)
May 5, 2008... 3 tables: Stockwatch: April 24 - May 1 * Top Gainers * Top Losers * 3 graphs: Market Diary * Indices * 90-day RCR Index: see print copy.

online ? of the week.(News)
May 5, 2008... white space Licensed or unlicensed? 54%: unlicensed 46%: licensed Visit RCRWirelessNews.com to answer this week's question.

Handset price changes.(Upfront)
May 5, 2008... Handset pricing changes are from carrier Web sites and include changes between April 20 and April 27. Prices include all applicable rebates. All prices are for Denver ZIP code if required. Alltel prices are for Phoenix ZIP code.

Sprint Nextel complaint says company stock was bad investment.(News)
May 12, 2008... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Sprint Nextel Corp. was hit last week with a new class-action pension lawsuit with the potential to snowball. The class-action complaint, filed in Kansas federal court, alleges Sprint Nextel violated the Employee...

RCC: Alltel sabotaged divestiture deal.(News)
May 12, 2008... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Rural Cellular Corp. sued Alltel Corp. in federal court, accusing the Arkansas-based cellphone operator of undermining a $48 million wireless deal between the two companies. RCC last year completed its purchase of...

Changing channels in mobile TV; Business model flawed, user experience lacks.(Spotlight)
May 12, 2008... Byline: MATT KAPKO Like many other forms of entertainment, watching mobile TV wastes time - at least to some. For the executives running mobile entertainment companies that routinely talk about the medium as such, there's an apparent sense...

Qwest moves wireless biz to VZW; Qwest Wireless to disappear.
May 12, 2008... Byline: DAN MEYER Qwest Communications International Inc. is changing course for its wireless operations, abandoning its relationship with Sprint Nextel Corp. for a 5-year contract to resell Verizon Wireless services. The move, expected to...

Digital Hollywood pins hope on open access.(News)
May 12, 2008... Byline: MATT KAPKO Like all things wireless these days, most of last week's more poignant exchanges at the Digital Hollywood event were anchored around the idea of open - opening up carrier networks, devices, content and the Internet...

LTE's IPR picture? Clear as mud; Many players have yet to step forward.(Upfront)
May 12, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON Imagine that a group of disparate warriors needs to cross a field laden with land mines. If they can agree on an approach that keeps all of them intact, they all survive to seek their fortunes. But if one or more seeks...

Redesigned with you in mind.(Opinion)
May 12, 2008... Byline: Tracy Ford Big news: RCR Wireless News has redesigned its daily e-mail newsletter beginning today. The new and improved e-mail will still continue to bring you the hard-hitting news you expect from us, but we've added more...

10 Years Ago This Week.(News)
May 12, 2008... As standards bodies around the world studied the possibility of harmonizing 3G technology, North American GSM advocates, who planned to use the W-CDMA protocol for 3G, said harmonizing with cdmaOne would be bad for American and Canadian users.

Inspired messages.(Upfront)
May 12, 2008... The Pope will send inspirational text messages to mobile phones during Catholic World Youth day this summer in Australia, according to a report from Agence France-Presse. "We wanted to make WYD08 a unique experience by using new ways to...

Mobile film awards.(Upfront)
May 12, 2008... Nokia announced the five finalists for its 2008 Nokia Mobile Filmmaking Awards, which were scheduled to be screened May 10 during the Pangea Day broadcast. The winners were scheduled to be flown to Los Angeles to attend one of Pangea Day's six...

Circle celebration.(Upfront)
May 12, 2008... Alltel Corp. is celebrating the two-year anniversary of the launch of its "My Circle'' calling plan by giving away a four-day luxury vacation for one winner and their circle of friends and family. The grand prize is an all-expenses paid "Circle...

T-Mobile USA passes 30M mark; Most metrics flat year-over-year, data revenues growing.(Upfront)
May 12, 2008... Byline: MATT KAPKO T-Mobile USA Inc. pushed past the 30 million subscriber mark during the first three months of the year, adding 981,000 net customers and ending the first quarter with 30.8 million customers. The net customer growth was...

Survey: Wireless retailers receive lowest satisfaction since 2005; T-Mobile USA tops latest J.D. Power consumer rankings.(Upfront)
May 12, 2008... Byline: MATT KAPKO As customers walk away from wireless retail stores, they are less satisfied with the experience, largely because of a lack of product information and promotional incentives, according to the latest survey released by...

Robert Dawson.(Interview)
May 12, 2008... Byline: DAN MEYER When people think of domestic iDEN carriers, the most common name mentioned is Sprint Nextel Corp., which serves more than 13 million customers on its Motorola Inc.-designed network. But that shouldn't be where the...

POWER STRUGGLE; Appeals court questions FCC's authority on backup power regulations.(News)
May 12, 2008... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Federal Communications Commission could be forced to back off the backup power rule. Two members of a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit voiced serious doubts...

More crumbs for 2nd-tier handset vendors; Top-tier share losses create opening for regional OEMs.(Upfront)
May 12, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON A sequential dip in shipments by Motorola Inc. and Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications between the fourth quarter and the first quarter spelled t-r-a-c-t-i-o-n for numerous second-tier handset makers, particularly in...

Hedgehogging; hedge*hog*ging v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cube.(News, Briefs)
May 12, 2008... If we didn't live in a capitalist society, we'd be all for using Sprint Nextel's iDEN network for public safety. Just look at the benefits. First, you save Sprint Nextel with some business that won't churn for another carrier; then you save...

Sacred-cow skittishness.(Opinion)
May 12, 2008... If nothing else, the legacy of FCC Chairman Kevin Martin will be one in which aggressive advocacy of public-safety policy reigned to the point of sometimes seeming to conflict with fervent free-market principles. Public safety and national...

WiMAX to snag 47M subscribers by 2013.(Metrics)
May 12, 2008... A new report from Juniper Research predicts WiMAX growth will begin to take off in the period between 2009 and 2011, growing to more than 47 million subscribers worldwide by 2013. The report predicts WiMAX will find a strong foothold as a...

Messaging revenues to top $212B by 2013.(Metrics)
May 12, 2008... Mobile messaging revenues are expected to grow to $212 billion by 2013, according to new predictions from ABI Research. The growth will be driven by increasing popularity of short message service, strong mobile e-mail uptake in developed...

700 MHz: Not over til it's over; C-Block petitions, D-Block reconsideration in play.(Upfront)
May 12, 2008... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The 700 MHz auction ended two months ago, but you'd never know it. Few things rarely are settled in official Washington. The Federal Communications Commission this week plans to launch a rulemaking to consider...

Apple's New Deal? Vodafone, America Movil take a bite.(News)
May 12, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON Apple Inc.'s foray into the global handset industry is a work-in-progress, judging by last week's events, just as its initial, domestic rollout was marked by adroit tactical shifts. A sudden avalanche of...

Venting the rage; Shareholders rake Moto execs at annual meeting.(Upfront)
May 12, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON Armed only with more promises to revive the badly flagging company, Motorola Inc.'s CEO Greg Brown and fellow board members took a verbal beating from their shareholders at last week's annual shareholder meeting in...

Tough sell; DT-Sprint Nextel combo would face uphill climb.
May 12, 2008... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA On many levels, politics alone appear to weigh heavily against the government approving a merger that would propel German telecommunications giant Deutsche Telekom AG to the top of the U.S. cellphone-carrier ranking...

FTC on watch against wireless ripoffs; Cellphone providers warned to keep it honest, or else.(News)
May 12, 2008... Byline: IRA TEINOWITZ Advertising Age A Federal Trade Commission commissioner warned cellphone content providers they need to do a better job of disclosing the costs consumers incur when clicking or downloading services for their mobile...

MIDDLE GROUND; Developers look for happy medium for mobile Web.
May 12, 2008... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Traditional Web sites are often lost in translation on mobile phones. So developers are hoping to bridge the disconnect between wireless phones and the Internet by building a "middle Web.'' The emergence of Apple...

Ad-supported TV moves to mobile; Why didn't I think of that?(News)
May 12, 2008... Byline: MATT KAPKO A new star is rising in mobile television and it's all premised on the fact that people don't want to pay for video on their cellphones. A few standout companies have blazed a path to free mobile content for consumers,...

2nd time's a charm? Sprint Nextel, Clearwire re-merge WiMAX business, bring new investments to operations.
May 12, 2008... Byline: DAN MEYER What's that saying? Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me? After their previous union was aborted last year, Sprint Nextel Corp. and Clearwire Corp. decided last week to try to merge their WiMAX...

Verizon Wireless sued by parents whose teen was sexually assaulted; Charges similar to ones filed in MySpace lawsuit.(News)
May 12, 2008... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Could the wireless industry have new legal exposure as a result of the caustic combination of Web-enabled phones, the Internet and sexual predators? A lawsuit filed in federal court against Verizon Wireless could...

Best Buy pays $2B for Euro venture.(News)
May 12, 2008... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Best Buy Co. Inc. is stepping up its European cellphone business to the tune of $2.14 billion. The big-box U.S. retailer said it will acquire a 50% stake in The Carphone Warehouse Group plc's mobile retail...

Can you hear me now? Mobile music struggles lead to innovation.(Spotlight)
May 12, 2008... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Nokia Corp. isn't the only player looking to offer devices that come with music. The Finnish manufacturer raised eyebrows late last year when it teamed with Universal Music Group International to unveil Comes With...

MOBULL RODEO; Professional Bull Riders looks to bring fans closer to the action.(News)
May 12, 2008... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Quietly, Professional Bull Riders has begun targeting rodeo fans - yes, rodeo fans - through their phones. The Pueblo, Colo.-based association several weeks ago launched a comprehensive wireless Web site, allowing...

Online ? of the week.(Opinion)
May 12, 2008... iPhone upgrade? Will you buy the 3G iPhone once it goes on sale? 37% No 63% YES Visit RCRWirelessNews.com to answer this week's question.