Sprint announced plans to cut up to 1,100 jobs from its business unit, while Verizon and Nextel clashed over public safety interference solutions … 12 years ago this week
Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes all in for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the top headlines from the past. Fire up the time machine, put on the sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories!
Sprint to lay off 1,100
Sprint Corp. announced it would lay off up to 1,100 employees in its Sprint Business Solutions division, including up to 850 SBS employees and up to 250 employees in corporate functions that support SBS. The company noted the workforce reduction is due to continued realignment of company resources related to its internal restructuring announced last fall and to increasing competitive pressure on its long-distance business. Sprint, which has already announced 3,500 job cuts since late last year, said affected employees would be notified by mid-July and would be eligible for severance benefits, including an extension of pay and benefits and professional outplacement assistance. … Read More
Verizon, Nextel continue to spar over public-safety interference solution
Verizon Wireless charged last week that changes to the Consensus Plan proposed by Nextel Communications Inc. June 2 would only recreate the interference problem in the 800 MHz band that it purports to solve, and Nextel shot back by challenging Verizon’s credibility. “The additional spectrum does not solve the public-safety interference problem. Instead, it recreates the very interference conundrum this proceeding is attempting to resolve. Second, Nextel’s claim that this new spectrum promotes public-safety interoperability solutions is not credible. Interoperability requires consistent spectrum and funding for systems, equipment and software. Nextel’s new plan offers neither. Third, Nextel conceded that the proposal would increase retuning costs. However, no new funding would be provided,” said R. Michael Senkowski, outside counsel for Verizon Wireless. … Read More
Qualcomm chip causes Verizon Wireless Phase II glitch
Verizon Wireless said it is in the midst of fixing a glitch brought to its attention by Phase II-enabled public-safety answering points that in some instances causes voice calls placed from global positioning system-enabled handsets to fade in and out during the first several seconds of a call. Verizon Wireless spokesman Jeffrey Nelson said the problem is associated with a Qualcomm Inc. chipset that, in certain situations where it cannot quickly locate a GPS satellite, cycles a handset’s resources between trying to locate a satellite and providing a clear call. … Read More
Nokia delays revamped N-Gage release in U.S.
Nokia Corp. said it will delay the U.S. introduction of its revamped N-Gage mobile-phone/video-game device, and it cut the number of planned games for the device by almost half. Nokia said it is delaying the introduction of the N-Gage QD device in the United States from June 29 to July 27. The delay is to ensure that “all of our marketing initiatives are in place for a unified launch,” said Steven Knuff, a Nokia spokesman. Knuff said the device would sell for $180 without carrier subsidies, but Nokia “fully expects” U.S. carriers will offer subsidies that could bring the price below $100. Knuff declined to provide specifics on prices or carriers that would sell the device. … Read More
Dobson closes call center, completes acquisition
Regional wireless provider Dobson Communications Corp. said it is closing its Fairbanks, Alaska, call center, which currently serves the carrier’s Cellular One customers in Fairbanks and Juneau, and transferring operations to its Duluth, Minn., call center. The Duluth center currently handles Dobson’s customers in Anchorage and Alaska rural service area 2, which the carrier assumed operations of late last year in a deal with AT&T Wireless Services Inc. Dobson noted the closure would affect 16 employees who have been offered severance packages and opportunities to transfer to other positions within the organization. The action will allow the carrier to redirect money that would have been used to upgrade the center to capital investments on its Alaska network, including the overlay of the current TDMA-based network with GSM/GPRS/EDGE technologies scheduled for the end of this month. … Read More
Verizon Wireless expands OnStar services
Expanding the current agreement between the two companies, Verizon Wireless and OnStar said they would launch America’s Choice with OnStar service plans next month, allowing customers to use their Verizon Wireless phones outside vehicles and send calls from their handheld phones to OnStar-embedded in-vehicle phones, with both services on one bill. The service is expected to launch initially in Atlanta, New York, San Francisco, Detroit and Kansas City, with broader coverage deployments scheduled for later this year. … Read More
BREW says advantage lies in simplicity
Qualcomm Inc. and its BREW partners released a rash of announcements in conjunction with the BREW developer’s conference last week. The CDMA technology pioneer joined carriers, handset makers, technology vendors and content providers in pushing forward the BREW platform with it annual event, this year boasting a sold-out audience. Indeed, the momentum behind BREW has served to propel it ahead of its rival Java, according to one industry analyst, despite Java’s wider deployment. … Read More
E-rate program vulnerable to abuse
The Federal Communications Commission’s inspector general last week warned lawmakers that a $2.25 billion government program subsidizing wireline and wireless Internet links for schools and libraries remains highly vulnerable to fraud. “The results of audits that have been performed and allegations under investigation lead us to believe the program may be subject to a high risk of fraud, waste and abuse through noncompliance and program weakness,” said IG Walker Feaster in his semi-annual report to Congress. … Read More
NextWave moves to auction New York
NextWave Telecom Inc., at one point a symbol of all that could go wrong with government auctions, is hoping to use an auction to its advantage. Less than two months after reaching an agreement with the Federal Communications Commission to give back a majority of its licenses in exchange for removing all claims and liens against its remaining holdings, NextWave has asked the bankruptcy court overseeing its reorganization for permission to auction six 10-megahertz spectrum licenses. … Read More
Kodak, Fujifilm embrace wireless
Although many agree the swift ascent of camera phones will cut into the market for digital cameras and traditional film, the camera-phone industry could also provide a new avenue of growth for well-known companies that have centered their businesses around imaging and images. “We view camera phones as an opportunity,” said Dave Geary, senior vice president of Kodak Mobile. “Kodak is committed to providing consumer choice.” Indeed, it seems consumers are choosing camera phones in droves. According to research and consulting firm Strategy Analytics, 84 million camera phones were shipped worldwide last year vs. 49 million digital still cameras. Further, the firm said more than half of all camera phones will have a resolution of at least 1 megapixel by 2006. … Read More
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