RCR Wireless News articles from September 2008

RCR Wireless News archives from September 2008

Kul Wadwha.
September 1, 2008... Byline: ALLIE WINTER A common thought in the wireless world today rests at "this stuff is confusing.'' People often turn to the Internet for help and guidance when it comes to problems with service, handsets or general wireless questions....

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September 1, 2008... Last year's CTIA I.T. & Entertainment show's keynote speakers included: music producer Quincy Jones; Facebook's Dustin Moskovitz; and Microsoft's Steve Ballmer.

AT&T continues march into enterprise; $400M Boeing contract covers both wireline, wireless.
September 1, 2008... Byline: GARY E. SALAZAR With a $400 million contract signed, AT&T Inc. is moving forward to overhaul a communication system that Boeing Co. is banking on to boost employee productivity and save money. The two giants in their respective...

Judge: Qcomm violated aspects of injunction.
September 1, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON Like squabbling politicians, Broadcom Corp. and Qualcomm Inc. issued dueling press releases on a federal judge's ruling that Qualcomm violated certain conditions of an injunction issued last year related to Broadcom...

The million-dollar handset; Luxury handset segment growing trend, according to market research co.
September 1, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON Americans love the $50 clamshell, but a small, growing number of wealthy people are paying astronomical prices for feature phones that often sport a cachet-laden brand name or are slathered in gems. That trend...

Online real estate site Trulia.Inc adds to mobile offering.
September 1, 2008... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Real-estate startup Trulia.Inc expanded its mobile offerings, adding downloadable mobile applications for agents, home owners and house hunters. A 4-year-old site that claims 5 million monthly users, Trulia.com...

Snubbed Nuance takes Zi to court.
September 1, 2008... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Nuance Communications Inc. played the litigation card in its latest attempt to swallow Zi Corp. A giant on the speech-recognition playground, Nuance recently was rebuffed by Zi after offering an unsolicited $40...

SHARE YOUR MEMORIES.
September 1, 2008... RCR Wireless News is planning to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first cellular phone call in its Oct. 13 edition. As such, we want your memories of any of the last 25 years of wireless. Through the years, the RCR Wireless News...

Google outlines Android answer to Apple Application store; Search engine giant boasts of open, unobstructed environment'.
September 1, 2008... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Google Inc. unveiled its answer to Apple Inc.'s App Store, outlining a distribution system for applications built on its Android platform. Android Market will serve as an unrestricted storefront where registered...

RadioFrame ready for femtocell rollout with NSN; Product on target to launch in early 2009.
September 1, 2008... Byline: GARY E. SALAZAR RadioFrame Networks Inc., which provides femtocell and picocell access solutions, said it is working with Nokia Siemens Networks to bring its femtocell offering to domestic consumers by the end of the year or early...

Map-making magic; American Roamer stays up to challenge of changing industry.
September 1, 2008... Byline: ALLIE WINTER We've all seen coverage maps. Whether it be a section in a carrier's brochure, a poster hung up in a mobile operator's retail store, or even an interactive map online, coverage maps play an important role when it comes...

Mix and match strategies.
September 1, 2008... Remember the good old days of wireless regulations? The analog sunset date was February 2008. E911 rules initially required carriers to supply public safety answering points with a call-back number and cell site location, and Phase II rules...

VZW pinged with visual voicemail patent lawsuit.
September 1, 2008... Byline: ALLIE WINTER Klausner Technologies Inc. has filed a lawsuit against Verizon Wireless and LG Electronics Co. Ltd., claiming the carrier's recently launched visual voicemail service for the LG Voyager handset infringes on its...

Leap launches video-viewing features.
September 1, 2008... Byline: ALLIE WINTER Cricket Communications Inc. is giving customers all the video their eyes can take, for $5 per month. The subsidiary of Leap Wireless International Inc. launched an unlimited mobile video service allowing customers...

BY THE NUMBERS.
September 1, 2008... Touchscreen devices on the rise Touchscreen-equipped mobile handsets have been steadily gaining popularity in the past year, and the market for such products could reach more than 230 million units by 2012, up from less than 30 million...

Tests show troubles with Obama's SMS play.
September 1, 2008... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Nearly 3 million mobile users received Barack Obama's SMS about his new running mate, but many of those who signed up may have gotten the text late or not at all according to new figures from Keynote Systems. A...

Business by the Bay; CTIA I.T. & Entertainment set to kick off in San Francisco.
September 1, 2008... Byline: DAN MEYER It's that time of year again. Time to pack your bags and head out west for CTIA's annual I.T. & Entertainment event. While some say the show has a split personality, wireless is the event's main persona. Like last...

Carriers still struggle with third-party content providers; Legal, billing issues remain at crux of problem.
September 1, 2008... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Carriers are beginning to use carrot-and-stick strategies to bring their third-party content partners to heel. And both the carrot and the stick are made of cash. Sprint Nextel Corp. earlier this year became the...

Salazar joins RCR Wireless News team.
September 1, 2008... RCR Wireless News is pleased to announce it has hired a new reporter. Gary Salazar will cover the enterprise and technology beats. Salazar has 10 years of experience as a journalist. He spent five years with the Albuquerque Journal as a...

Wireless ringing in $$ from election.
September 1, 2008... Byline: GARY E. SALAZAR Barack Obama's new-media platform to reach supporters and potential voters is lining the pockets of wireless and technology companies. According to campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election...

One flu over the cuckoo's nest.
September 1, 2008... Not that the upcoming event would have commanded greater urgency and import had it been announced sometime other than in the lazy summer season in official Washington, at the moment politically barren with Congress on recess and operatives out...

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September 1, 2008... Barack Obama, Democratic presidential candidate, acknowledges the crowd after delivering his acceptance speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention at Invesco Field in Denver last week.

3 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK.
September 1, 2008... Sprint Nextel Corp. began operations as a combined company following the closing of Sprint Corp.'s $35 billion acquisition of Nextel Communications Inc. The carrier launched a multimillion-dollar ad campaign with the "Yes you can'' tagline to...

Photo caption.
September 1, 2008... Michael Phelps of the U.S. takes a stroke in the men's 400-meter relay swimming event at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

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September 1, 2008... Verizon Wireless recently launched a new device, UTStarcom's Blitz, a phone "designed for the heaviest of texters.''

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September 1, 2008... Android Market will feature a YouTube-like system allowing users to rate applications and give developers feedback.

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September 1, 2008... These American Roamer maps show CDMA-based coverage in the United States (top) and GSM-based coverage across the nation (bottom). Using the two maps, a customer can compare 3G coverage from a CDMA-based service with 3G coverage from a GSM-based...

Photo caption.
September 1, 2008... Obama's campaign teamed up with iLoop Mobile to launch a mobile Web site that can be accessed by cellphones.

Back to school means opportunity for carriers.
September 1, 2008... Byline: ALLIE WINTER September, it's a month that starts with a three-day weekend, marks the end of summer and puts kids across the country back in school. There's a lot to be done and a lot to be purchased when going back to school...

No numbers (or medal awards yet) when it comes to mobile Olympics uptake.
September 1, 2008... Byline: COLIN GIBBS The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing were touted as a potential springboard for mobile video, an event that could help push the application beyond early adopters and gadget geeks and into the mainstream. So how'd it...

Early termination fees under fire; States, courts, feds and AARP tackle the issue.
September 1, 2008... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA T-Mobile USA Inc. has been hit with a new class-action lawsuit over early termination fees, the complaint coming amid costly, high-stakes litigation in California and a fierce debate over whether federal regulators...

In-market roaming debate hangs over carrier mergers.
September 1, 2008... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Roaming until recently a backburner, stand-alone issue suddenly has emerged as a potential pivot point in the Federal Communications Commission's consideration of two major transactions and competition policy in...

...ETC...
September 1, 2008... Bavarian Mobile Werks BMW launched its first Canadian .mobi Web site to promote its 1Series lineup of cars this summer. The .mobi site featured a 1Series video that was available for streaming on the site and for download onto devices....

White-hot action over white-spaces; Mobile players urge licensed approach to contested airwaves.
September 1, 2008... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Just as the Federal Communications Commission appears ready to settle the great white-spaces debate one predominantly framed to date by a powerful broadcast lobby fearing costly disruption to digital signals from...

Obama tech policy team borrows from Clinton years.
September 1, 2008... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Editor's Note: Following the Democratic National Convention, RCR Wireless News Bureau Chief Jeffrey Silva looked at the Obama tech and telecom policy team. Next week, Silva plans to report on telecom and high-tech...

iPhone 3G saga continues; But Apple brand is unblemished, demand is strong.
September 1, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON The word on the street since no official, public pronouncements are forthcoming from Apple Inc. is that another software update will be issued this month to address glitches with 3G connectivity that are affecting an...

Posted to web 9/5 The (new) American handset market; Fall brings debut launches, large displays, hot competition.
September 8, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON American consumers may well be treated to "a moveable feast'' this fall. Unlike the sketches of 1920s Paris by Ernest Hemingway by the same name, however, this one is more akin to a mobile smorgasbord for buyers:...

SkyMail scores Alltel enterprise contract; Mobile solution aims to ride familiarity of e-mail to simplify communications.
September 8, 2008... Byline: GARY E. SALAZAR In the next five years, officials with Pacific DataVision have a goal of generating $75 million to $100 million in revenue through its SkyMail enterprise wireless solution, according to the chairman of the company....

BY THE NUMBERS.
September 8, 2008... Smartphones to squeeze mid-range phone market Mid-range phone models will begin to feel the squeeze and customers opt more for the high-end smartphone and low-cost handset segments during the next five years, according to study from ABI...

Updated original web story 9/5 Rural players bemoan USF cap, take debate to court; Smaller wireless service providers claim discrimination, false "emergency' in FCC decision.
September 8, 2008... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The controversy over the Federal Communications Commission's decision to cap subsidies flowing to wireless carriers for building rural networks has been elevated to a new level, with rural cellular operators asking a...

FCC moves forward on backup power rules; Stage set for lawsuit over wireless network requirements.
September 8, 2008... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA As several tropical storms threatened various sections of the nation, the Federal Communications Commission took action to prompt Bush administration and court review of a backup power rule maligned by the wireless...

Testing times for T-Mobile.
September 8, 2008... There's nothing easy about being smallest national mobile-phone carrier. Competing day to day for customers against AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless and Sprint Next Corp. is brutal enough. But it's also about keeping pace technologically and...

Posted to web 9/5 It's budget time in the enterprise; But will mobility initiatives survive scrutiny?
September 8, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON Businesses are watching their bottom lines amid uncertain economic conditions and may reign in their spending to mobilize their workers, several analysts who monitor the mobile enterprise said last week. And though...

Laptop modems morphing; Transitions in form and technology bring new competition.
September 8, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON You've noticed that your father's laptop card is giving way, in many cases, to sleeker-looking USB modems, with embedded modems increasingly popular as well. That transition is merely emblematic of several changes...

Acton named CIO/CTO at VMU.
September 8, 2008... Byline: ALLIE WINTER Fresh on the heels of closing the Helio L.L.C acquisition, Virgin Mobile USA Inc. has named a new chief information and technology officer. Daniel Acton steps into the role to manage Virgin Mobile USA I.T. and...

Conventions boost in-building business; ADC big winner from election coverage.
September 8, 2008... Byline: GARY E. SALAZAR The Democratic and Republican national conventions are good examples of how in-building network additions can boost wireless coverage inside packed venues and why revenue in the industry is projected to soar in the...

VZW strong in J.D. Power call-quality survey.
September 8, 2008... Byline: ALLIE WINTER Verizon Wireless landed on top of another J.D. Power and Associates study. The research firm released its 2008 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study Vol. 2, measuring call quality on seven different problem...

...ETC...
September 8, 2008... Can you say Super Bowl? Sprint Nextel Corp. said it plans to give away 17 trips to the Super Bowl as part of its NFL Mobile Live Super Bowl XLIII Sweepstakes. Customers who uses Sprint Nextel's new NFL Mobile Live application beginning...

Cablevision deploys Wi-Fi.
September 8, 2008... Cablevision Systems Corp. said it completed the first phase of its Optimum Wi-Fi deployment. The company's Optimum online high-speed Internet customers in areas of Nassau and Suffolk counties in New York and on commuter rail platforms and...

Posted to web 9/5 Carriers, retailers woo developers as they court customers.
September 8, 2008... Byline: COLIN GIBBS The carrier deck is still the most valuable real estate in mobile content, but the future of downloadable wireless goodies may just lie in third-party storefronts. And for now, at least, developers are the key to...

Posted to web 9/5 Churn: the five-letter word; Keeping customers a challenge for no-contract carriers.
September 8, 2008... Byline: ALLIE WINTER Losing customers is something that makes carriers' toes curl and stomachs churn; it's what you call "bad for business.'' Traditionally the industry's top-tier carriers manage to keep their churn around 2% or less per...

WATCH LIST.
September 8, 2008... Byline: Phil Carson Vendors and carriers often call them "rumors,'' while analysts often characterize their expectations as the result of "connecting the dots,'' using companies' own statements as well as leaks. In any case, each of...

RIM still rules enterprise, but Apple makes inroads; 2 reports examine mobile devices in business.
September 8, 2008... Byline: GARY E. SALAZAR Even as Apple Inc.'s 3G iPhone ventures into the enterprise market, Research In Motion Ltd. is expected to continue its dominance in the business sector with the upcoming release of the 3G BlackBerry Bold, according...

CONTRACTS.
September 8, 2008... The following infrastructure contracts were announced in August: Alcatel-Lucent French Polynesia: With Tikiphone to upgrade the carrier's network to High Speed Packet Access technology. Value: Undisclosed United States: With...

Openness creeps across wireless networks.
September 8, 2008... Byline: ALLIE WINTER Following a lot of bad publicity in the wake of AT&T Mobility's exclusive contract for Apple Inc.'s iPhone and 700 MHz auction rules that demanded an open network, wireless carriers are prying open their networks. ...

T-Mobile USA offers up first HSDPA handset.
September 8, 2008... T-Mobile USA Inc. launched its first HSDPA-enabled phone, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communication's TM506. The carrier said the new handset will support its 3G network, which is currently alive and kicking in select markets including New York; Las...

Prosumer devices add to security concerns; I.T., employees battle as personal devices enter business.
September 8, 2008... Byline: COLIN GIBBS In the wireless industry where talk of hockey-stick projections and tipping points dominates conversation device management has been a relatively tranquil space. But that may be about to change. For years, mobile...

Sprint Nextel set to roll out WiMAX; U.S. adoption rate remains to be seen.
September 8, 2008... Byline: ALLIE WINTER As Sprint Nextel Corp. and Clearwire Corp. gear up for an initial market launch of its mobile WiMAX network this month, the duo is under pressure to deliver on the fledgling technology. Continuous delays in rolling...

Posted to web 9/5 AirCell flying high with airline Internet service.
September 8, 2008... Byline: GARY E. SALAZAR A decision to show up in Washington, D.C., nearly two years ago is starting to pay off for AirCell Inc. as it attempts to revolutionize the way people stay connected through air travel. Last month, American...

Hedgehogging; hedge*hog*ging v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cube.
September 8, 2008... With the CTIA I.T. & Entertainment in effect for most of this week, the RCR Wireless News editorial staff will be living out of room 2D-1 at Moscone West. Sure, it's nice to spend some time at a trade show that is not in Las Vegas, and sure San...

MetroPCS signs deal with Best Buy Mobile.
September 8, 2008... MetroPCS Communications Inc. expanded the distribution of its phones and services with an agreement with Best Buy Mobile. The deal covers locations in 14 markets. The retailer currently offers four of MetroPCS' no-contract devices and also...

McCain's telecom agenda; Maverick McCain looks to past to sculpt future policy.
September 8, 2008... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Editor's Note: Following the Republican National Convention, RCR Wireless News Bureau Chief Jeffrey Silva looked at the McCain camp's tech and telecom initiatives. Last week, he reported on the Obama telecom team. ...

11 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK.
September 8, 2008... MTV announced a partnership with Nationwide Network Services and Motorola to launch the MTV Pager Network. The service sent special messages and regular announcements from MTV.

Correction.(Correction notice)
September 8, 2008... Wikimedia Foundation's head of business development Kul Wadhwa's name was misspelled in the Executive Interview on page 12 of the Sept. 1 issue.

Spectrum speculation.
September 8, 2008... Smaller spectrum holders are going to face challenges as they decide whether to build out or sell in their markets. At last week's Spectrum Marketplace event in Denver, nearly every spectrum holder in the room said their business decisions...

Nokia's cryptic warning; Weaker consumer confidence, sequential share drop.
September 8, 2008... Byline: PHIL CARSON Nokia Corp. gave somewhat vague mid-quarter guidance last Friday that sent its stock tumbling more than 9% to a new 52-week low. The Finnish giant, with about 40% global market share, said it sees "weaker consumer...

Cellphone analyst Shosteck dies.
September 8, 2008... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Herschel Shosteck, a cellphone analyst from the industry's earliest days more than two decades ago, passed away Aug. 26 after a long illness. "I will miss his brilliance, his humor, his exuberance, and most of...

RIM co-CEO touts converged services; Balsillie: "This is 'here and now'-type stuff".
September 15, 2008... Byline: Phil Carson Bullish on smartphone growth and confident of his company's surging market share, Research In Motion Ltd.'s co-CEO Jim Balsillie devoted his keynote address during the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2008 event to...

Embracing an open network.
September 15, 2008... But with an eye toward the challenges By Allie Winter San Francisco - CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2008 officially opened its doors last week with keynotes focusing on how carriers are beginning to open their doors. The chase and...

Martin details revised rules for D-Block auction.
September 15, 2008... Byline: Jeffrey Silva Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin unveiled a new plan to auction valuable airwaves to foster interoperable public-safety/commercial communications around the country. The proposal takes...

T-Mobile USA says testing shows AWS-3 interferes.
September 15, 2008... Byline: Jeffrey Silva T-Mobile USA Inc. said government testing revealed interference from operations in a spectrum block that Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin wants to auction for wireless broadband. The spectrum is...

Qualcomm's low-power act; Mirasol holds promise for hungry devices.
September 15, 2008... Byline: Phil Carson A relatively new display technology that offers vast power savings, is viewable in direct sunlight and offers longer device use between charges has hit the market with a barely detectable splash. Those first ripples...

School's in session.
September 15, 2008... Byline: Allie Winter The first day's keynote at last week's CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment event ended with a trip back in time with two wireless veterans reminiscing about an industry they helped mold 25 years ago. Craig McCaw,...

Sprint Nextel spins out devices, service enhancements; No. 3 carriers unveils slew of new handsets for the holidays.
September 15, 2008... Byline: Allie Winter Sprint Nextel Corp. prepped for the holiday shopping rush with a lineup of new devices, and customer service enhancements. The carrier presented five new handsets based on popular trends. Two of the phones will be...

T-Mobile USA rebrands SunCom markets; Final step in $2.4B acquisition now complete.
September 15, 2008... Byline: ALLIE WINTER T-Mobile USA Inc. officially took the reigns from SunCom Wireless Holdings Inc. The nation's No. 4 carrier launched its branded service in former SunCom markets across North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee,...

'Green' quest focuses on networks; Burdened with 80% of wireless' carbon footprint.
September 15, 2008... Byline: Phil Carson The inevitable explosion in wireless data usage may well present the biggest challenge to an industry as eager as any other to go "green." Global telecom's power consumption will more than double as data takes off,...

Carriers wary of security issues with m-marketing.
September 15, 2008... Byline: Allie Winter Diving head first into mobile marketing is making carriers a little timid. Amid the various meetings at CTIA Wireless I.T. and Entertainment 2008 - where companies push new technologies, products and promote their...

Single Touch, carriers team on #TAXI.
September 15, 2008... Next time you are having trouble standing on a street trying to flag down a taxi, get out your mobile device and send #TAXI. Customers of AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless and Alltel Communications L.L.C. can punch in the code to connect to...

Network speed tests shootout; Battle of the Big 3 provides surprises.
September 15, 2008... Byline: Dan Meyer Tired of battling hundreds of convention-goers for the last bits of bandwidth on the local "free" Wi-Fi connections or forking out $10 to $20 per day for wireless Internet access at your hotel? Well then maybe it's time...

Mobile payment hurdles many, varied.
September 15, 2008... Byline: Colin Gibbs There is no shortage of challenges in getting m-commerce off the ground in the United States. But maybe the most important factor is time. That was the takeaway from yesterday's afternoon session on all facets of...

Mobile industry needs to do more for enterprise.
September 15, 2008... Byline: Gary E. Salazar There are success stories in how wireless technology is helping the enterprise sector save money and improve employee productivity, but some in the industry say more can be done. When it comes to wireless...

Etc.
September 15, 2008... Promo from Hothand Wireless and Best Buy Mobile targets college students Best Buy Mobile has teamed up with Hothand Wireless, a mobile gateway for college communications, to launch a mobile marketing pilot program at UCLA. The partnership...

Upfront.
September 15, 2008... Byline: Jeffrey Silva A key Senate Judiciary Committee member directed AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA Inc. to explain why text-message rates are increasing, suggesting price hikes are due to decreased...

Mind Meld.
September 15, 2008... Byline: Tracy Ford The CTIA I.T. show always brings together the best of the enterprise market and the best of the entertainment space to push mobile deployments in both arenas. Data continues to produce a bigger piece of carriers'...