RCR Wireless News articles from September 2007

RCR Wireless News archives from September 2007

RCRnews.com ? of the week.(News)
September 3, 2007... Razr 2 the rescue? Will the Razr2 pull Moto out of the doldrums? 76%: no 24%: yes Visit RCRNEWS.COM to answer this week's question.

Stockwatch: August 23 - August 30.(Metrics)
September 3, 2007... 3 tables: Stockwatch: August 23 - August 30 * Top gainers * Top losers * 3 graphs: Market Diary * Indices * 90-day RCR index: see print copy.

Nokia unveils portal to the world.
September 3, 2007... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Nokia Corp. is hoping to build a doorway directly to mobile consumers. Again. But whether carriers will tolerate the move is far from clear. The manufacturer-cum-mobile-media company last week outlined a...

Ghost busters.(Opinion)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Jeffrey Silva What a tome: 312 pages, including appendices. Why, already the number of printed copies of the Federal Communications Commission's 700 MHz decision would keep Dunder-Mifflin afloat a little longer. But what would...

Auction, disputes propel lobbying efforts.(News)
September 3, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Who says you can't buy influence? Or at least attempt to. During the first six months of this year, the communications-electronics sector spent big money attempting to curry favor from elected officials on topics...

Congressional preview: Contentious wireless issues abound.(News)
September 3, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA While Congress and the Federal Communications Commission will have a full plate of wireless and high-tech issues this fall, policymakers are unlikely to move on any sweeping measures for the remainder of the year. ...

Telcogames acquires Viva La Mobile.(News)
September 3, 2007... Mobile-game publisher Telcogames acquired Australia's Viva La Mobile for an undisclosed sum. Viva La Mobile operates Redstar, a platform for multiplayer mobile gaming in use by a half-dozen network operators including 3 Australia, 3...

Maria Mandel.(News)(Interview)
September 3, 2007... Byline: COLIN GIBBS WPP Group's Ogilvy & Mather has helped build some of the world's highest-profile brands during its 60-year history, and subsidiary Ogilvy Interactive is known as one of the leading advertisers in new media. Maria...

MMS marketing a hit abroad, on deck in U.S.(News)
September 3, 2007... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Mobile users in Australia and the United Kingdom can get Jason Bourne on the phone just by pressing a few buttons. Universal Pictures International is running print ads pushing "The Bourne Ultimatum'' in both...

...ETC...(Briefs)
September 3, 2007... Grounded squirrels Mobile Streams plc said its animated series "Suicidal Squirrels'' will be available through Ad Infuse's video podcast advertising insertion service. The series was developed as a direct-to-mobile offering and tells the...

U.S. at center of LG's global efforts.(Upfront)
September 3, 2007... Byline: PHIL CARSON LG Electronics Co. has seen its rivals steal a march in recent quarters, dropping the South Korean vendor to the No. 5 slot globally, though it remains neck-and-neck for the No. 2 spot in the United States. The...

MediaFLO shuffles execs, looks ahead; Questions remain about domestic numbers.(Upfront)
September 3, 2007... Byline: MATT KAPKO Less than six months after its commercial launch, mobile TV vendor MediaFLO USA Inc. is in the midst of an executive shuffle. Dan Novak, who has been the public face of MediaFLO at trade shows and other industry...

iUproar; Going after 'unlockers' raises issues, possible backlash.(News)
September 3, 2007... Byline: PHIL CARSON By now you've probably read about the "teen whiz'' who unlocked his Apple Inc. iPhone using software commands and a soldering iron. (George Hotz, unlocker from New Jersey, got a free car, three iPhones and a consulting...

Sony Ericsson revamps to try to overtake Samsung, maybe even Motorola; North America job cut signals new global PR strategy.(Upfront)
September 3, 2007... Byline: PHIL CARSON After years of demurring on its market-share ambitions, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P. has shifted from declarations of "profits first'' to emphasize its "credible aspiration'' of overtaking one if not two of...

Nokia unveils handsets for Ovi services; N95 bulked up to go head-to-head with iPhone in Europe.(Upfront)
September 3, 2007... Byline: PHIL CARSON Nokia Corp. unveiled four handsets to support its "Ovi'' Internet-based content services in what appears to be an early example of how the Finnish company plans to dovetail its hardware business with a future-facing,...

Samsung snares Big Apple WiMAX contract.(News)
September 3, 2007... Sprint Nextel Corp. awarded the buildout contract of its biggest WiMAX market yet to Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. The carrier confirmed that it awarded the equipment contract for the New York City metropolitan area to Samsung. The coverage...

Low-fi.(Opinion)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Dan Meyer These appear to be dark days for municipal Wi-Fi. The once-promising way to bring wireless broadband to the masses has hit that hard wall separating hype from reality. Chicago just added itself to a growing list of...

Motorola sues Aruba over patents.(News)
September 3, 2007... A pair of Motorola Inc. subsidiaries filed a lawsuit against Aruba Networks Inc. alleging patent infringement related to wireless local area network communication technologies. Motorola's Symbol Technologies Inc. and Wireless Valley...

iGR: Smartphones on the upswing, RIM in the lead.(Metrics)
September 3, 2007... A new survey focused on smartphone operating systems by iGR found that more than half of all respondents use a Research In Motion Ltd. BlackBerry device, while the majority of the remaining respondents use a Microsoft Corp. Windows...

Calif. law would ban mobile device use by teen drivers.(News)
September 3, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The California Assembly overwhelming voted to take all wireless devices out of the hands of drivers under the age of 18, a measure that builds on the state's existing across-the-board ban on handheld phone use while...

Backhaul for wireless to hit $23B by 2012.(Metrics)
September 3, 2007... The cellular backhaul market is expected to reach $23 billion by 2012, according to a new ABI Research study. Backhaul currently accounts for about $14 billion in capital expenditures, the company said. ABI also found that Eastern Europe...

Plugging holes; Plugfests help smooth gaps in IMS interoperability.(Spotlight)
September 3, 2007... Byline: KELLY HILL As IMS makes its way from hype to reality, one of the crucial steps along the way for the technology involves testing various parts of the architecture, as well as the applications and services that are to run over the...

Helio cuts 5% of staff, updates plan offerings.(Upfront)
September 3, 2007... Byline: KELLY HILL Mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. cut about 5% of its workforce, mostly in its field sales team, the company confirmed following media reports of the move. The cuts amount to around 100 positions, and...

Managed service contracts gain traction overseas to cut costs.(News)
September 3, 2007... Byline: KELLY HILL Carriers abroad increasingly are looking at managed service contracts as a way to reduce their network operating expenses, and large equipment vendors could reap the benefits over time, according to a new report by ABI...

WiMAX IPR; Emerging battlefield or new playground?
September 3, 2007... Byline: PHIL CARSON The conventional wisdom-promoted by the WiMAX Forum and confirmed to a degree by at least two independent market research firms-is that no one company owns a potentially disabling amount of intellectual property in...

7 years ago this week.(News)
September 3, 2007... Kyocera Wireless Corp. backed away from plans to produce small, high-end iDEN handsets. The handset manufacturer instead decided to continue to focus on CDMA and next-generation devices.

FCC fines Sprint Nextel, Alltel, U.S. Cellular over E-911.(News)
September 3, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Federal Communications Commission said it plans to fine Sprint Nextel Corp., Alltel Corp. and U.S. Cellular Corp. nearly $3 million collectively for failing to meet enhanced 911 rules. Sprint Nextel faces a...

Muni Wi-Fi future up in the air.
September 3, 2007... Byline: MATT KAPKO Municipal Wi-Fi took some major hits last week. Once considered by many cities and towns to be the roadmap to offer high-speed Internet access for all, wide-spread use of the unlicensed technology is now less certain....

Hedgehogging.(Briefs)
September 3, 2007... hedge*hog*ging v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment Following in the tracks of the United States and Europe, Japan is reportedly working on a replacement for the Internet, which is apparently outdated. People with much...

Contracts.(News)
September 3, 2007... The following contracts were announced in August: Alcatel-Lucent Austria: With Mobilkom Austria to deploy an HSUPA solution. Value: Undisclosed Mongolia: With Mobicom to deploy a nationwide NGN network. Value: Undisclosed...

Unlocking legal action possible, not always desirable.(Upfront)
September 3, 2007... Byline: PHIL CARSON James Baldinger, a partner at Carlton Fields PA, has successfully litigated cases on behalf of Tracfone Wireless Inc. against individuals and groups that have purchased discounted Tracfone handsets, unlocked them and...

700 MHz rerun; Some want to put open access at 2155-2175 MHz.
September 3, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Federal Communications Commission appeared poised to reject M2Z Networks Inc.'s plan to offer free nationwide broadband service on the 2155-2175 MHz band, a move likely to prompt a court challenge and refocus the...

DoCoMo jumps onboard WiMAX.(News)
September 3, 2007... Japanese telecom giant NTT DoCoMo Inc. announced it will form a joint venture with ACCA Networks Co. Ltd. in order to take advantage of ACCA's plans to build a mobile WiMAX network in the country using 2.5 GHz spectrum. The Japanese...

Letter.(Letters)
September 3, 2007... "MMS Disconnect" article created misperceptions Dear Editor: We would like to raise an issue about the methodology and claims cited in the Aug. 13 article, "The MMS disconnect'' by Colin Gibbs. The article used assertions of two...

'Progressive' MVNO offers solar-powered charger.(Upfront)
September 3, 2007... Mobile virtual network operator Working Assets Wireless announced it will begin offering a solar-powered cellphone charger for free for a limited time. The company said the offering is part of its effort to help subscribers "connect to...

Stockwatch: August 30 - September 6.(Metrics)
September 10, 2007... 3 tables: Stockwatch: August 30 - September 6 * Top gainers * Top losers * 3 graphs: Market Diary * Indices * 90-day RCR index: see print copy.

RCRnews.com ? of the week.(News)
September 10, 2007... Femtocell following? If they become available, will you buy a femtocell? 21%: yes 13%: no 66%: what is a femtocell? Visit RCRNEWS.COM to answer this week's question.

Boost adds navigation service.(Upfront)
September 10, 2007... Boost Mobile has tapped Telmap for its branded navigation application, which will run on Java-enabled handsets with GPS. Boost Navigator provides turn-by-turn walking and driving directions as well as information about nearby theaters,...

FCC shoots down M2Z, explores 2155-2175 MHz.(News)
September 10, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Federal Communications Commission officially dismissed wireless broadband applications of M2Z Networks Inc. and others, concluding the public interest would be best served by initiating a rulemaking on how to move...

Consumer protection bill on deck; Legislation orders FCC to study effect of locked devices.
September 10, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Two key Senate members last week unveiled a sweeping wireless consumer protection bill, setting the stage for a fierce battle between lawmakers and the mobile-phone industry that's likely to play out well into the...

Carriers on the hook for millions in Mo. tax settlements; VZW agrees to pay $30M, Sprint Nextel near deal.(Upfront)
September 10, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Verizon Wireless' $30 million wireless tax settlement with a number of Missouri municipalities could mark the start of a broader trend in the state, with other top mobile-phone carriers potentially facing far greater...

Labor day.(Opinion)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Jeffrey Silva The good news for the mobile-phone industry is carriers, manufacturers, trade associations and standards bodies are nearly free of health litigation for the first time in years. The bad news is the industry is about...

FCC not concerned by private equity.(News)
September 10, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin told Congress there are no grounds for alarm over the growing trend of private equity acquisitions of telecom and media companies, including a major carrier in...

AUCTION TENSION; Potential bidders argue to adjust rules.(News)
September 10, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Despite the Federal Communications Commission's publicly stated desire to avoid anti-competitive behavior in the 700 MHz auction and its embrace of blind bidding as a safeguard against such activity, there are growing...

Public-safety interop to reach $5.5B by 2012.(Metrics)
September 10, 2007... The state and local public-safety interoperable communications market is expected to grow to $5.5 billion by 2012, according to government business analyst Input. That figure includes $3.4 billion from federal funding sources, said the...

...ETC...(Briefs)
September 10, 2007... Proving who you are-wirelessly Iraqi students are using a mobile social network service to prove their identity, according to Mobixie. The company said students have used the service to get new identifying documents after incidents where...

Studies: RF a risk to man, machine.(News)
September 10, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Two newly published stories could create more confusion rather than clarify controversies over whether cellphones pose risks to man and machine alike. Israeli scientists said radiofrequency radiation levels below...

NIST to study wireless apps for factories.(News)
September 10, 2007... The National Institute of Standards and Technology is studying how to improve use of wireless applications in factories. "Factories have much to gain from wireless technology, such as robot control, RFID tag monitoring, and local-area...

High hopes; HiWire trial in Las Vegas looks promising.
September 10, 2007... Byline: MATT KAPKO Less than two months into a broadcast mobile TV service trial, HiWire L.L.C. has wrapped the first phase of its study and is now preparing to increase its scope by 800% before month's end. T-Mobile USA Inc., which...

InPhonic snares $5M equity investment from Brightstar.(News)
September 10, 2007... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Mobile phone distributor Brightstar Corp. said it will make a $5 million equity investment in InPhonic Inc., the Washington-based online retailer of wireless products and services. Brightstar will purchase about...

Quattro, Groove wrangle up VC funds.(Metrics)
September 10, 2007... Mobile advertising startup Quattro Wireless pocketed $12.3 million in a second round of financing from Globespan Capital Partners and Highland Capital Partners. The Waltham, Mass.-based company said it will use the cash to launch...

Apple pressures mobile music space; Wi-Fi capabilities mobilize iTunes.(News)
September 10, 2007... Byline: COLIN GIBBS The mobile music dance floor is getting mighty crowded. But when it comes to making cash registers sing, devices-not the music itself-may be the key. And that can't be good news for carriers. Apple Inc. last...

M-payments continue to strive for legitimacy.(Upfront)
September 10, 2007... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Carriers in the United Kingdom are hoping to get users to PayForIt with their phones. The operators launched a standardized payment scheme designed to provide a consistent user interface regardless of carrier for...

2 years ago this week.(News)
September 10, 2007... Apple Computer Inc. made its long-awaited foray into the wireless space providing iTunes compatibility with Motorola Inc.'s Rokr device available through Cingular.

J.D. Power: Call quality improving.(Upfront)
September 10, 2007... Byline: KELLY HILL Wireless call quality continues to improve, with customers seeing a reduction in initial disconnects in particular, according to the most recent J.D. Power and Associates report on call quality. The study, which was...

Who's in charge? Parental controls prove answer.(Upfront)
September 10, 2007... Byline: KELLY HILL An increasing number of parents around the country can side-step the dreaded $400 cellphone bill boosted by their child's texting mania, as more wireless companies begin to offer custom controls on children's wireless...

Ericsson teams with Endemol for interactive TV.(News)
September 10, 2007... L.M. Ericsson and Endemol International announced plans to develop an interactive TV and user-generated content platform designed to enable mobile users to upload, publish and share live or pre-recorded video. Me-On-TV is a network and...

Foleo: Palm's $10 million mistake; Company pulls computing device, to focus on OS.(Upfront)
September 10, 2007... Byline: PHIL CARSON Give Palm Inc.'s CEO Ed Colligan credit for straight talk, which may bode well for the company's new direction and ultimate survival. Colligan delivered a difficult message with a silver lining to Palm's customers,...

HP rolls out 3G smartphones; Devices update computer makers aging lineup.(Upfront)
September 10, 2007... Byline: PHIL CARSON Hewlett-Packard Co. unleashed a wave of products last week, including two HSDPA-capable, iPAQ-branded smartphones running Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Mobile 6 Professional operating system. The offerings are notable...

Multimedia drives bulk of accessory sales; Carriers bundling to deliver an out-of-box experience.(Spotlight)
September 10, 2007... Byline: PHIL CARSON With music and imaging an increasing aspect of mobile phones' feature sets-the engines driving network operators' ARPU growth-more than 50% of this year's $32 billion in worldwide accessory revenue will come from...

Flint leaves Sony Ericsson on his terms; Sources say family issues prompted move.(News)
September 10, 2007... Byline: PHIL CARSON Miles Flint, president of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, is stepping down Nov. 1 based on personal, family issues, sources said last week. The company said that the move was Flint's decision, but SEMC's...

'Bundled customers' often seek upgrades.(Spotlight)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Phil Carson Delly Tamer, founder and CEO of online retailer LetsTalk.com, doesn't know if carriers' increased interest in bundling accessories presents a rival channel to his own, growing business, but he's pretty sure those...

BLUE-LIGHT SPECIAL; MetroPCS courts Leap to offer nationwide, flat-rate services without contracts.
September 10, 2007... Byline: KELLY HILL MetroPCS Communications Inc. last week made public a proposal to merge with flat-rate rival Leap Wireless International Inc. in a move that could create a fifth carrier with a national presence and catapult no-contract...

Hedgehogging.(Briefs)
September 10, 2007... hedge*hog*ging v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cube. The drastic drop in the price of the iPhone got us hedgehogging all week. It's evident an Apple/Verizon Wireless partnership...

Power position; EA Mobile keeps creative juices flowing.(News)
September 10, 2007... Byline: MATT KAPKO A visit to the Electronic Arts Inc. campus in Playa Vista, Calif., is like walking into another land-a world where gaming trumps all, and the lap of luxury seems to beckon around every corner. Hoodies and beanies handily...

The whipping post.(Opinion)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Mike Dano It's getting a little embarrassing. See, Apple is essentially trouncing the wireless industry with a long and growing list of new, user-friendly innovations. These innovations stretch from the hardware side of the...

Google digging deeper into m-payments.(Upfront)
September 10, 2007... Google Inc. is hoping to patent a text-based system for mobile payments. The Internet giant filed an application with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office to patent "a computer-implemented method of effectuating a payment'' that is initiated...

Moto rolls out ... new executives; 'Profitable marketshare' is latest mantra.(Upfront)(Company overview)
September 10, 2007... Byline: PHIL CARSON It must be tough to give a day-long presentation to financial and industry analysts in New York when your take-aways essentially are "meet the new team,'' "we can do it'' and "stay tuned.'' The latter two messages...

Apple roils its faithful; iPhone price cut, iPod Touch drive news.(News)
September 10, 2007... Byline: PHIL CARSON In a typical reaction, analyst Iain Gillott of iGR good-naturedly called last week's price cut on Apple Inc.'s iPhone the "iShaft.'' Of course, that was before Apple quickly offered its fanboys a $100 credit to...

GTP buys AT&T towers.(Upfront)
September 17, 2007... Global Tower Partners acquired 549 communications towers from AT&T Inc., the company announced. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The sale includes towers in 27 states. "The acquisition of these AT&T towers marks another major...

Verizon Wireless sues FCC over open-access conditions.(News)
September 17, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Verizon Wireless challenged in federal appeals court the Federal Communications Commission's 700 MHz open-access rules, the opening salvo in what could evolve into a messy legal battle. The move puts a cloud of...

M2Z takes FCC to court.(News)
September 17, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA M2Z Networks Inc. made good on its threat to take the Federal Communications Commission to court, asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to overturn the agency's dismissal of its...

Schwarzenegger OKs cellphone ban for teen motorists.(News)
September 17, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) signed into law legislation banning teen drivers from using all electronic devices-including cellphones, pagers, personal digital assistants and laptop computers-while behind...

FCC rules on E-911 spark broad debates; Carriers must meet more stringent requirements.(Upfront)
September 17, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Federal Communications Commission took dramatic steps to improve the location accuracy of wireless 911 service, but industry and some telecom regulators complained the agency was taking action before it completed...

Sprint Nextel chided for missing rebanding deadlines.(Opinion)
September 17, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Sprint Nextel Corp. rejected a Federal Communications Commission finding that it failed to meet a key deadline for clearing certain spectrum as part of an 800 MHz rebanding process. The process is intended to remedy...

FCC may study ETF practices.(Upfront)
September 17, 2007... FCC Chairman Kevin Martin again suggested the agency may decide to address in a broader context the practice of assessing hefty early termination fees levied on subscribers who break service contracts. The FCC has yet to act on a March 2005...

Mobile TV space set for technology war; DVB-H seen making strong international strides.(Upfront)
September 17, 2007... Byline: MATT KAPKO Digtial video broadcast-handheld technology appears to be securing its place as the No. 1 broadcast mobile television technology. The technology has scored at least 47 trials in 22 countries, according to the DVB...

Wrangling a few $$ from 'ringles'.(News)
September 17, 2007... Byline: MATT KAPKO In another move indicative of the music industry's increasing frailty, two of its largest players are trying some new twists: Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group last week announced a new format...

Broadcasters, tech companies duel over white spaces; Debate rages over interference, universal broadband, public-safety opportunities.(Upfront)
September 17, 2007... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Broadcasters-having invested hundreds of millions of dollars transitioning to digital technology and now bracing for a government ruling on whether to allow Wi-Fi service in unoccupied television guardbands known as...

TV STAR; Clearwire, ICO partner for satellite-based mobile TV service.
September 17, 2007... Byline: MATT KAPKO Clearwire Corp. and ICO Global Communications Ltd. are trying something new with broadcast mobile TV. The two Craig McCaw-backed companies are collaborating on a new mobile TV trial that will use satellites to broadcast...

Publicly Held Companies.(Spotlight)
September 17, 2007... Editor's Note: Following is a list of the total market capitalization from companies listed on RCR Wireless News' Stockwatch. Information was provided by FinancialContent Inc. Carriers and vendors are separated on the list, but a quick glance...

20 deals total $234M in August, Rutberg notes.(Metrics)
September 17, 2007... Twenty new financing deals with 20 private companies were announced in August, according to Rutberg & Co., valued at $234 million. The bulk of the investments were made in the enterprise infrastructure, consumer application and carrier...

GOLDEN YEARS; Seniors prime target for wireless buys.
September 17, 2007... Byline: KELLY HILL With penetration rates pushing higher, the senior population, including 76 million baby boomers, are starting to look a little sexier. There are few tailored offering for seniors from wireless operators-and according...

Acquisition adds speech-rec to Gracenote's song-ID service.(News)
September 17, 2007... Gracenote expanded on its offerings with the acquisition of interactive voice response technology from Musicphone Inc. The Emeryville, Calif.-based firm said the platform allows music fans to dial a short code and play a snippet of music...