Monthly Archives: May, 2006
Industry looks to spur short code adoption with six-digit plan
WASHINGTON—Wireless industry trade association CTIA is hoping to spur direct-to-consumer revenues by expanding the industry’s short code program. The industry group, along with short-code...
ADC to acquire Andrew in $2B move
MINNEAPOLIS—Wireline connectivity equipment leader ADC Telecommunications Inc. announced it’s willing to pay $2 billion in stocks to acquire Andrew Corp., a move that would...
Verizon Wireless suffers outage in N.J.
BEDMINSTER, N.J.—Verizon Wireless had a brief service outage on Tuesday evening that affected customers in southern New Jersey, after equipment at a switching center...
Chicago taking proposals for Wi-Fi network
By Lorene Yue CHICAGO—Mayor Richard M. Daley announced Tuesday that the city will begin taking requests for proposals in turning Chicago into a wireless...
I-mate promises Smartflip, Windows Mobile-based Razr competitor
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Phone junkies have been speculating for months about i-mate’s forthcoming slim Smartflip handset ever since photos of the device were posted...
Lost? Forget the map, say Motorola, Rand McNally
SKOKIE, Ill.—Rand McNally and Motorola Inc. are teaming up in an effort to get drivers to rely on their cell phones for navigation instead...
Gemini acquires wireless gear-maker PointRed
NEW DELHI, India—India’s Gemini Communications Ltd. acquired PointRed Technologies Inc. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.Santa Clara, Calif.-based PointRed provides pay-as-you-grow infrastructure for...
Boost hits Fred Meyer stores
IRVINE, Calif.—Boost Mobile L.L.C., a subsidiary of Sprint Nextel Corp., said its prepaid wireless phones and service will be available at Fred Meyer stores....
Cingular opens door to Pantech phones
ATLANTA—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. will offer the Pantech Group’s "Slim Series" of phones, beginning with the tiny C300 for its prepaid GoPhone customers, giving the...
Amp’d details prepaid service pricing, includes 25% ‘content surcharge’
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Amp’d Mobile Inc. has begun offering a prepaid service that charges 10 cents per minute for voice calling, $1 per day for...
McDowell Confirmed to FCC
By Jay ShermanWASHINGTON—The Senate on Friday confirmed the nomination of telecommunications lawyer Robert McDowell to the Federal Communications Commission, ending a two-month delay and...
Amp’d Mobile planning prepaid launch for Wednesday
LOS ANGELES—Amp’d Mobile Inc. plans to launch a pay-as-you go service Wednesday, according to the mobile virtual network operator’s Web site. Pricing information was...
CalAmp acquires M2M from TechnoCom
OXNARD, Calif.—Wireless equipment and engineering services company CalAmp Corp. said it acquired TechnoCom Corp.’s Mobile Resource Management product line. CalAmp said the acquisition strengthens...
AMT says it will defend against stock-option lawsuits
BOSTON—American Tower Corp. says it intends to "vigorously defend" its stock-option granting practices in the face of two lawsuits filed just days after the...
Virgin Mobile USA trades air time for advertising
WARREN, N.J.—Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. wants its users to have a sugar mama who will help them earn free airtime—and advertisers are stepping up...
NEC, Matsushita and TI: Another handset tie-up in the works
TOKYO—NEC Corp., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. and Texas Instruments Inc. are in talks to cooperate in a mobile handset venture, according to a report...
Hong Kong telecom turns phones into TVs
By Normandy MaddenHONG KONG—Already home to the world's largest broadband TV platform, nearly universal mobile phone ownership and a blanket of Wi-Fi hot spots,...
Nokia wins $1.4M against Florida counterfeiter
ESPOO, Finland—A U.S. district judge has found Suplimet Corp., a Florida-based supplier of mobile phone accessories, in contempt of a prior injunction that prevented...
Vodafone records $41B loss, reworks strategic plans
LONDON—Vodafone Group plc posted a massive $41.1 billion loss for 2005, mainly from impairment charges over assets it acquired during the telecom boom days,...
Sonic acquires mobile software vendor DeviceIQ
NEW YORK—Sonic Branding Solutions Inc., a mobile entertainment developer and publisher, said it acquired mobile software developer DeviceIQ Inc. Terms of the deal were...
Nokia payment to skew InterDigital 2Q results
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa.—InterDigital Communications Corp. gave second-quarter financial guidance anticipating revenue of $291million to $293 million, without forecasting net profit. The company’s revenue...
Boost signs electronic cash exchange deal
ATLANTA-Boost Mobile L.L.C. users can exchange cash electronically for prepaid calling minutes at various locations, due to a recent arrangement with CheckFreePay. Boost is...
Verizon Wireless first to hit 95% for E-911 mandate
Verizon Wireless announced that 95 percent of its customers are using location-capable handsets. Verizon Wireless is the first carrier using a handset-based approach to...
Sanyo tops J.D. Power handset study
Mobile-phone users in the United States are incrementally more satisfied with the operation of their handsets than in the past, suggesting that vendors in...
Patent reform gathers support
WASHINGTON-Jim Balsillie, chairman of Research in Motion Ltd., last week urged the United States to take a leadership position in reforming its patent system...