RCR Wireless News articles from October 2006

RCR Wireless News archives from October 2006

AskMeNow begins TV advertising push.(Focus)
October 2, 2006... Mobile search vendor AskMeNow said it launched a national TV advertising campaign to promote its search service. The company's ad campaign includes 30-second spots that demonstrate the service. The spots will appear on channels including Comedy...

Amp'd lands in Circuit City.(News)
October 2, 2006... Amp'd Mobile added another distribution partner, inking a deal to stock its handsets through more than 600 Circuit City Stores Inc. outlets beginning next month. The deal marks a concession of sorts for Amp'd, which had hoped to keep its...

EBay shoppers get shot at CDMA/iDEN phone.(News)
October 2, 2006... Where should cell-phone enthusiasts go for the latest in handset technology? EBay, it appears. An eBay shopper recently purchased a dual-mode CDMA/iDEN phone from Motorola Inc. for $300. Sold by "Rager4208,'' the phone is dubbed the...

BenQ Mobile funding dries up, threatens bankruptcy.(News)
October 2, 2006... Enough already-that's the decision handed down from BenQ Corp. amid heavy losses at its mobile venture, BenQ Mobile. The company announced that it won't pour any more money into its German-based mobile-phone subsidiary. As a result, BenQ...

Cascada, Crisp join mobile marketing gold rush.(News)
October 2, 2006... The race to join the mobile marketing playground continued to heat up with separate announcements from Cascada Mobile and Crisp Wireless. Crisp Wireless said it will team with VML, a Kansas City, Mo.-based marketing technology firm to...

IDC expects Nokia, Motorola to give RIM run for the money.(Metrics)
October 2, 2006... IDC said there is tremendous growth potential in the market for business-focused phones, and predicted that Microsoft Corp's involvement with Motorola Inc., Palm Inc., and others, as well as Nokia Corp.'s commitment to an end-to-end strategy,...

OMA attacks game specs with working group.(News)
October 2, 2006... The Open Mobile Alliance Ltd. (OMA) will lead a consortium of companies looking to create an open gaming specification for high-end wireless games. The OMA said the members of the mobile gaming initiative-which was launched early this...

Upscale Voce advises grandpa, sends soup, makes reservations.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: KELLY HILL Here's a sampling of the recent customer requests handled by service reps for Voce, the luxury mobile virtual network operator that apparently can do just about anything its subscribers ask of it. Ten customers...

Etc.(Briefs)
October 2, 2006... Alltel Corp. went guerilla with its new advertising campaign promoting its My Circle calling plans. The company released a press release last week saying several of its new My Circle billboards had been "vandalized,'' purportedly by four men...

Speakerphone software upgrade available for Chocolate phones.(News)
October 2, 2006... Chocolate phone users are able to get a software upgrade that will add speakerphone capabilities to their handsets. Users will be able to visit Verizon Wireless retail outlets to get the free software upgrade. Verizon recently introduced...

Verizon going K-razy with Krzr.(News)
October 2, 2006... Verizon Wireless flexed its handset muscle with the launch of Motorola Inc.'s Krzr K1m phone, a music and video-playing handset similar to Motorola's Razr. Motorola gave the wireless industry its first peek at the Krzr in July, but Verizon...

House suspends MobileAccess license amid lobbying scandal.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The House suspended an in-building wireless license to MobileAccess Networks, a move that comes two weeks after Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) admitted in a plea agreement with U.S. officials to backing the bid of...

Mobile ESPN throws in towel.
October 2, 2006... Byline: KELLY HILL Mobile ESPN seemed to have all the qualities of a successful MVNO: a highly successful brand and recognized brand, a unique user interface, slick handsets and content that would appeal to its sports-enthusiast...

Senators urge WiMAX divestiture as condition to AT&T-BellSouth tie-up.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Two key Senate lawmakers suggested the Justice Department and Federal Communications Commissions consider imposing conditions-including the divestiture of WiMAX spectrum-on the proposed $67 billion merger of AT&T Inc....

After the break-up, ADC, Andrew restructure.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: JONI MORSE Just as the dust settled on ADC Telecommunications Inc.'s failed attempt to merge with Andrew Corp., ADC announced plans to lay off about 225 of its 8,200 employees as part of a restructuring effort. Interestingly, the...

RF Micro to divest Jazz Semiconductor stake.(News)
October 2, 2006... RF Micro Devices Inc. said it plans to sell its equity interest in Jazz Semiconductor for between $24 million and $27 million in cash. The company is divesting its interest in Jazz due to the pending merger of Jazz with a subsidiary of...

Dada launches mobile social networking service.(Focus)
October 2, 2006... Dada USA Inc. launched its social networking and entertainment community for the U.S. market. The company's Web site allows users to subscribe to a variety of services and content including personal blogging, profile matching, text...

Nokia unveils more music phones.(News)
October 2, 2006... Nokia Corp. debuted three handsets targeting mobile music lovers at its Nokia Theater in Times Square. The phones are set to be available in select markets within weeks, but Nokia did not name the markets. The company also did not name any...

Bluetooth SIG charges Chinese vendor with trademark infringement.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: JONI MORSE The Bluetooth Special Interest Group isn't going to take it anymore-a at least that's the message heard around the world as the group announced it orchestrated a successful raid in a Shenzhen, China, factory suspected of...

Air2Web garners $25M in VC funds.(News)
October 2, 2006... Air2Web said it snared $25 million in a financing round led by The Carlyle Group. The wireless software company said it will use the new funds to further its work in mobile marketing as well as expanding into other geographic markets....

.mobi opens for public.(News)
October 2, 2006... Those waiting anxiously for a .mobi domain needn't wait any longer. The company behind the controversial, mobile-exclusive top-level domain opened registration, allowing the general public to register wireless Internet sites with the...

Digital Orchid picks up Blue Tech.(News)
October 2, 2006... Digital Orchid is looking to expand its portfolio and global footprint with the acquisition of mobile game publisher Blue Tech. Blue Tech is a 2-year-old vendor based in Madrid, Spain, and is the parent company of Java developer Kato...

Veeker buys ThumbJive.(News)
October 2, 2006... Mobile video upstart Veeker said it has acquired ThumbJive, a developer of youth-focused wireless applications. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Veeker, which has been operating in stealth mode, hopes to gain traction...

You say you want a revolution...(Opinion)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Tracy Ford "We all want to change the world,'' to quote John Lennon. Perhaps the biggest change taking place in society today is the growing popularity of social sites like MySpace.com and YouTube.com, virtual communities that have...

UTStarcom to get CDMA phones from South Korean vendor.(News)
October 2, 2006... South Korea's Pantech & Curitel Communications Inc. will provide its portfolio of CDMA-based handsets to UTStarcom Inc. for sale in North America under a three-year agreement, the company announced. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. ...

Nokia makes New York splash with multimedia devices.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: PHIL CARSON Nokia Corp. announced five new GSM phones-the company insists the devices are "multimedia computers''-for the United States, but did not announce any accompanying carrier deals. Three of the devices-the N70, N73 and...

McDonald's connects customers with content over cell phones.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: KATE MACARTHUR McDonald's franchisees John and Karen O'Keefe watched sales flatline for most of the year at their store in Chicago's suburban Woodfield Mall while other restaurants in the fast-food chain's system pulled in gains of...

Visto rakes in another $51M in funding, adds ex-AOL chief to board.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Visto Corp. will have no trouble paying its lawyer fees. The mobile e-mail service provider raked in another $51 million this week in a funding round led by Oak Investment Partners. The haul follows a $70 million...

Separate studies come to same conclusion: LBS set for growth.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: JONI MORSE Two research firms say the future looks bright for location-based services running on Global Positioning System technology. ABI Research's latest study on the subject suggests that subscribers of GPS-enabled,...

Kajeet: A 'life stage' MVNO.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: KELLY HILL Fatherhood was the inspiration for creating and naming mobile virtual network operator Kajeet Inc., and the market will test whether those fathers really do know best when it comes to offering a wireless service that...

Infrastructure Awards.(Metrics)
October 2, 2006... Following are infrastructure contracts announced in September: Alcatel China: With Shanxi Mobile Communication Company Ltd. to expand the carrier's GPRS network. Value: Undisclosed Ericsson Bangladesh: With TM...

Hedgehogging.(Briefs)
October 2, 2006... hedge*hog*ging v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cube Here's what got the RCR Wireless News editorial staff talking at the water cooler last week: Mobile ESPN is out of the...

Public-safety, security bureau formed.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The Federal Communications Commission officially launched its Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, naming Ken Moran as its acting chief. The agency has been in the process of creating the new bureau...

HTC: Heading toward smart (phone) trends.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: PHIL CARSON HTC Corp. is looking to capitalize on trends-and possibly buck them-as it works to deliver smart phones in the United States and around the world. With 80 percent of the global Windows Mobile business, the...

Carphone Warehouse teams with Best Buy.(News)
October 2, 2006... Best Buy International will team with U.K. wireless retail giant Carphone Warehouse Group to open stand-alone cell phone stores in the United States. In a prepared statement, the firms said a trial of Best Buy Mobile stores in New York "is...

Jamster to sell Disney content in North America.(Focus)
October 2, 2006... Jamster International bulked up its content portfolio in North America with a deal to offer ringtones, graphics and mobile games from the Walt Disney Internet Group. Disney and its third-party content licensing arm Starwave Mobile already...

AWS results could impact DE suit.
October 2, 2006... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Designated entities accounted for a historically low percentage of the government's multibillion-dollar take in the recently completed advanced wireless services auction, even though they made up more than half of the...

New MVNO to focus on Chinese-Americans.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: KELLY HILL A new mobile virtual network operator targeting Chinese-Americans officially launched, offering cheap international calls to Asia and a Razr phone with menus in Chinese. Red Pocket Mobile soft-launched about two...

Q&A with Mike Foley from the Bluetooth SIG.(News)
October 2, 2006... Michael Foley, executive director of the Bluetooth SIG, answered a few questions for RCR Wireless News via e-mail regarding the factory raid in China. RCR: To what degree is this raid an ongoing effort on behalf of the Bluetooth SIG? Is...

Actors guild.(Opinion)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Jeffrey Silva The great Washington wireless mystery continues. Last week, the Federal Communications Commission officially launched its Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. Kenneth Moran was named acting chief of a new...

B&B buys Advanced Embedded Systems.(News)
October 2, 2006... B&B Electronics, which provides automation and communications products, said it acquired Advanced Embedded Systems, a Phoenix-based company that develops industrial-focused wireless products. AES is expected to become part of B&B...

Intel to use Nokia HSDPA module.(News)
October 2, 2006... Nokia Corp. said it has developed an HSDPA connectivity module for notebook computers. The module will be included with Intel Corp.'s next-generation Centrino Duo mobile technology platform, said Nokia. "This collaboration is good news...

Mobile ESPN is free agent.
October 2, 2006... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Those performing autopsies on Mobile ESPN will find plenty of causes of death. But mobile advertising revenues could have offered a lifeline to the doomed mobile virtual network operator. Analysts agree that the...

Late News.
October 2, 2006... Xero Mobile sold to Advanced Mobile Xero Mobile Inc. found a buyer, inking a deal to sell "substantially all of its assets and liabilities'' to little-known Advanced Mobile Communications Inc. The mobile virtual network operator-which...

H-P scandal dislodges anti-pretexting bill.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) chairman of the House Commerce Committee, shocked, surprised and pleased lawmakers during two days of hearings on pretexting by announcing that a long-stalled bill to make the sale...

T-Mobile rumored to soon bust a move; UMA dual-mode network in the works.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: PHIL CARSON One of the worst-kept secrets in the wireless industry today is T-Mobile USA Inc.'s much-discussed-by everyone but them, that is-plan to launch services that allow subscribers with dual-mode handsets to move seamlessly...

Samsung shores up presence at T-Mobile USA.(News)
October 2, 2006... With the quiet addition of its new t719 flip phone, which offers BlackBerry Connect service and an e-mail-friendly keypad, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. now supplies just over one-third of T-Mobile USA Inc.'s handset portfolio. The t719...

FCC: Wireless is competitive; Copps dissents on methodology.(News)
October 2, 2006... The Federal Communications Commission told Congress that there is effective competition in the wireless industry, noting a penetration rate of 71 percent and that nearly everyone between the ages of 20 to 49 has a mobile phone. ...

Entertainment revenues mere fraction of data ARPU.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Wireless data revenues are surging for U.S. carriers, but whether network operators can cash in on mobile entertainment is far from certain. It's no secret that network operators are wagering vast sums on wireless...

CTIA loses siting challenge in court.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER A federal appeals court has ruled that the Federal Communications Commission has the authority to require wireless carriers and tower owners to abide by the National Historic Preservation Act, including...

Inmarsat enters handheld business, eyes mobile TV, ATC apps; Sukawaty at helm of MSS carrier.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: PHIL CARSON With a non-compete clause now expired, Inmarsat plc has partnered with ACeS International Ltd. to offer satellite-based, handheld voice service around the globe-a growth area the London-based, mobile satellite services...

U.S. Chamber accuses China of not keeping WTO promises.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The top U.S. business lobbying group accused China of backsliding on its World Trade Organization commitments, pointing to Beijing efforts favoring home-grown wireless standards in the mobile phone, wireless broadband...

Seven years ago this month...(Metrics)
October 2, 2006... MCI WorldCom Inc. and Sprint Corp. agreed to a definitive merger that combined the second- and third-largest U.S. long-distance carriers and gave MCI WorldCom a much-needed nationwide wireless presence. The deal, valued at $129 billion,...

RIM calms investors with stellar quarter, bright outlook.(News)
October 2, 2006... Research In Motion Ltd.'s stock rose sharply in trading after the company reported strong quarterly results and offered optimistic guidance. The firm's stock was up almost 20 percent in trading to about $102.87 per share, a two-year high for...

Newspapers, magazines read the writing on the handset; Print publishers jump to wireless platform with mixed success.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Old-school print media companies are moving to mobile, but there's much work to be done before they can cash in on the brave new world of wireless. The Washington Post Co. is the latest major print outlet to step...

Stock Watch: September 21-September 28.(Metrics)
October 2, 2006... table: Stock Watch: September 21-September 28 * 3 graphs: Market Diary * Indices * RCR Index: see print copy

Lightbridge loses Sprint Nextel, drops TDS biz.(News)
October 9, 2006... Lightbridge Inc. said it will quit its Telecom Decisioning Services business after losing Sprint Nextel Corp.'s business. The nation's No. 3 carrier was Lightbridge's largest TDS customer. Sprint Nextel's TDS contract is scheduled to expire...

Dobson's subscriber adds on the increase.(News)
October 9, 2006... Dobson Communications Corp. said its subscriber additions improved significantly during the third quarter. In a preliminary quarterly report, the company said it added about 23,500 net subscribers, including 11,300 postpaid customers and...

BelAir boosted by $21.4M funding round.(Finance)
October 9, 2006... Wireless broadband service provider BelAir Networks hopes to build on its municipal Wi-Fi business after scoring $21.4 million in a Series D financing round. Ventures West Management Inc. led the round; other investors included Trilogy...

SunCom faces delisting from NYSE.(News)
October 9, 2006... SunCom Wireless Holdings Inc. has fallen below the minimum requirements to continue to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and the company said it intends to submit a plan to the exchange on how it expects to boost its market...

iRadio leaking new music.(News)
October 9, 2006... Motorola Inc.'s iRadio service is the latest to woo music lovers with unreleased content, with the vendor inking a deal with Sony BMG to allow subscribers to access "leaked'' albums before they hit the shelves. The music company has...

BenQ offloads German operation, local ruckus ensues.(News)
October 9, 2006... Byline: PHIL CARSON It may have been a blip on the radar screen of the global handset industry, but the screams were heard around the world. When BenQ Corp. announced recently that it would no longer inject money into its BenQ-Siemens...

Carriers lining up to boast Krzr launches; Moto's Razr follow-on hits CDMA first.(News)
October 9, 2006... Byline: PHIL CARSON Who's got the hottest handset on the market? I do! I do! On the heels of the Motorola Inc. Razr's phenomenal success, carriers may play it cool, but there's a sense in the industry that hot handsets drive subscriber...

Nokia's Wibree protocol takes stab at Bluetooth.(News)
October 9, 2006... Nokia Corp. introduced a new short-range radio technology called Wibree that the company said transfers data at speeds of 10 megabits per second and uses only a fraction of the power needed for Bluetooth. Nokia is touting Wibree as an...

Schwarzenegger terminates billing legislation.(News)
October 9, 2006... GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed legislation to allow California wireless and wireline telecom subscribers to contest unauthorized billing charges, including those arising from the theft or loss of mobile phones. Schwarzenegger's veto...

Minding enterprise wireless usage becoming a full-time job.(News)
October 9, 2006... Byline: KELLY HILL It happens to nearly everyone: you check your wireless bill at the end of the month, and you've gone over your minutes. Maybe by a few, maybe by a few hundred. Perhaps you vow to cut down on calls, or switch to a calling...

SouthernLinc continues to push Sprint Nextel over iDEN roaming.(News)
October 9, 2006... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER In the ongoing battle over whether national carriers should have to provide automatic roaming access to smaller operators, SouthernLinc Wireless is pleading its case as an iDEN operator with only one...

Wireless enterprise market to reach $10B mark by 2010, report finds.(News)
October 9, 2006... Wireless enterprise data services in North America will generate more than $10 billion each year by 2010, according to a study from research firm Strategy Analytics Inc. The company said the market will serve more than 41 million users in...

Wireless spending on the rise, as are customer expectations.(News)
October 9, 2006... Customer spending on wireless services continues to increase, according to the latest survey by J.D. Power and Associates-and consumers' expectations of their wireless carriers will continue to rise along with their spending. The firm's...

DVB-H players refine launch plans, service strategies.
October 9, 2006... Byline: MIKE DANO Like most things in wireless, the mobile TV contest boils down to devices, networks and-perhaps most importantly-spectrum. As such, two U.S. companies are racing to build mobile TV networks using the same transmission...

Wireless wins, loses battles as Congress adjourns.(News)
October 9, 2006... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER As Congress broke for midterm elections, the wireless industry won a few battles, but for the most part failed to get legislation it supported passed. * It's not clear how industry felt about...

Display market continues to shine.(Metrics)
October 9, 2006... Mobile handset display shipments could exceed 1.2 billion units this year, up 17 percent from 1.05 billion in 2005, according to new research from iSuppli Corp. The growth, said iSuppli, is being driven by the wide variety of new mobile...

Hedgehogging.(Briefs)
October 9, 2006... hedge*hog*ging v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cube Sprint Nextel announced that it will sell the Motorola Slvr, Krzr and Razr sometime in "early November.'' We're trying to...

Etc.
October 9, 2006... World Wrestling Entertainment is encouraging its fans to register to vote via an online voter registration campaign that urges young adults to register to vote using their cellular phone. WWE is using Mobile Voter's text messaging tool to allow...

ATM locations via SMS, courtesy of MasterCard, Mobile 365.(News)
October 9, 2006... MasterCard Worldwide customers can find nearby ATMs with their mobile phones thanks to a new application from Mobile 365. Under the new service, Mobile users can dial an 800 number and enter their location information to receive a text...

HSDPA set to take off in 2008.(Special Report)
October 9, 2006... Byline: JONI MORSE Newsflash-third-generation networks are not dead and they are not obsolete. Just because Sprint Nextel Corp. is building a WiMAX network doesn't mean 3G network investment will dwindle immediately. The feeling among...

CCI/Global Signal deal could spark new round of tower consolidation.(News)
October 9, 2006... Byline: JONI MORSE Crown Castle International Corp.'s $5.8 billion acquisition last week of Global Signal Inc. not only altered the tower industry's leadership position, but could spark another round of consolidation among industry...

Vendors use WiMAX show to tout wares.(News)
October 9, 2006... Byline: JONI MORSE While many in the wireless industry consider Sprint Nextel Corp's decision to build a WiMAX network the technology's defining and legitimizing moment, vendors that have been developing 802.16-2005-compliant WiMAX...

Nortel's MacKinnon bullish on WiMAX.(News)
October 9, 2006... Byline: JONI MORSE Nortel Networks Ltd. has made no secret of its plans to play big-time in the WiMAX ecosystem. Shortly after Sprint Nextel Corp. announced its plans to build a nationwide WiMAX network, Nortel named Peter MacKinnon as the...

InPhonic teams with Best Buy for phone sales.(News)
October 9, 2006... Online phone retailer InPhonic Inc. announced it will power the online mobile phone sales of retailer Best Buy Co Inc. InPhonic said it will be the provider and fulfillment partner of cellular products and services on BestBuy.com. "We are...

T-Mobile talks UMTS, but pushes off HSDPA.
October 9, 2006... Byline: KELLY HILL With big fanfare but little surprise, T-Mobile USA Inc. announced it would begin deploying UMTS technology across its network beginning early next year. The move follows the recent completion of the Federal...

Sprint Nextel expects spectrum will drive its differentiation.(News)
October 9, 2006... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Ali Tabassi, vice president for technology development at Sprint Nextel Corp., predicted diverse spectrum and technology assets, combined with proven strategic partners, will give the No. 3 mobile-phone carrier a...

Northrop Grumman: NYC contract sign of future.(News)
October 9, 2006... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Northrop Grumman Corp.'s five-year, $500 million contract to build a broadband public-safety wireless network in New York City could become the new model for equipping city and state officials with state-of-the-art...

Late News.
October 9, 2006... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Circuit court rejects FCC's pre-emption decision WASHINGTON-A three-judge panel on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed its rejection of a Federal Communications Commission decision pre-empting states...