September 2003

ORLANDO, Fla.-New Horizons Technologies International has received a patent covering design and application concepts for its new Cyclone recyclable cell phone and 911+ Emergency Cell Phone. The company expects to begin shipping its 911 phone later this month and plans …

READING, United Kingdom-Market research firm Canalys said shipments of mobile phones with integrated cameras in the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions are quickly increasing, rising 166 percent in quarter two compared with quarter-one sales. Total shipments of imaging-phone devices …

NEW YORK-Motorola Inc. will reportedly delay the introduction of three new GSM handsets that were to be launched by the end of this month until the middle of October due to concerns over the company’s GSM platform. The delayed handsets …

A warrant is required for police to use a global positioning system (GPS) tracking device on a suspect’s vehicle, according to a ruling this week from the Washington Supreme Court. The Supreme Court disagreed with a previous finding by the …

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands-U.S. company Anystream said its broadcast video encoding software is in use by Hutchison Whampoa Ltd.’s third-generation subsidiaries in Hong Kong and Australia, along with Mobilkom Austria. Anystream said it Agility software automates the process of repackaging broadcast …

Centennial Communications Corp. reported 8,000 net customer additions in its North American wireless operations during its first fiscal quarter ended Aug. 30 compared with a loss of 6,300 subscribers during the first quarter of 2002. Centennial’s Caribbean wireless operations also …

SAN JOSE, Calif.-Stratex Networks Inc. will acquire Cape Town, South Africa-based Plessey Broadband Wireless, a division of Tellumat, for $3 million in stock and up to $3 million in cash. The transaction is scheduled to close Oct. 1. With Plessey, …

True to its cautious style, The Federal Communications Commission has shied from committing to a definite ruling on the ultra-wideband technology, which has divided the various players into two camps. One group is led by Motorola Inc., and the other …

WASHINGTON-The decision on which bidders will be allowed to offer mobile service in Iraq has been delayed, the Pentagon confirmed Friday. “The announcement will be delayed while appropriate review is being done on the proposals,” said Lt. Col. Ken McClellan. …

PLAINFIELD, Ind.-Brightpoint Inc. has reached an agreement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to settle the investigation that was being conducted by the commission. Under the settlement, the company has entered an administrative order to cease and desist from violations …

SAN DIEGO-Leap Wireless International Inc.’s reported founder Harvey White will retire as chief executive officer of the wireless communications company he started five years ago as a spinoff from technology giant Qualcomm Inc. White will continue to serve as CEO …

Western Wireless Corp. filed amended quarterly reports for the first and second quarters of this year with the Securities and Exchange Commission in response to comments the carrier received from the SEC regarding its first-quarter 10-Q filing. The carrier said …

Wall Street was busy analyzing wireless stocks this week, resulting in adjusted ratings for several major wireless equipment vendors. Qualcomm Inc. was upgraded to “buy” by Merrill Lynch, which cited the eminent rollout of third-generation networks as motivation for the …

SEATTLE-Short messaging services can be considered the “fifth channel” for media advertising in North America, according to the SMS Forum. The group believes the functionality of common short codes across North American carriers will bolster the mobile marketing industry and …

Centennial Communications Corp. said it will offer 30 million shares of common stock in a public offering under its existing shelf registration statement and use the proceeds to repay its unsecured subordinated notes due 2009. Centennial, which is expected to …

Hong Kong mobile operator CSL said it launched Asia’s first commercial EDGE network using infrastructure equipment and handsets from Nokia Corp. The operator plans to roll out the EDGE network in key locations around the city, including the airport, business …

TOKYO-NEC Corp. said it has introduced a new SGSN and GGSN product platform to enhance large-volume Internet Protocol packet transmission applications, such as video streaming and global positioning system services. The vendor said it will soon deliver the new product …

BEIJING-Motorola Inc. said it has signed a $10 million contract extension to build the second phase of a location-based services network for China Unicom. “LBS allows China Unicom’s subscribers to access a range of location-based information, including nearest public facilities, …

GLEN COVE, N.Y.-Acclaim Entertainment Inc. announced it will develop and license interactive entertainment content for mobile gaming platforms under the new publishing label Acclaim Connected. “Mobile gaming represents an opportunistic market that we believe is additive to our core publishing …

VIENNA, Va.-XtremeSpectrum Inc. reported Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. has integrated its ultra-wideband modules with Samsung’s multimedia platform in a laboratory environment. The integration includes XtremeSpectrum’s UWB evaluation kit and Trinity chipset to wirelessly connect a variety of Samsung consumer products, …

SAO PAULO, Brazil-Nokia Corp. has released several new handsets focused on the Latin America market, with Nokia Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jorma Ollila emphasizing the importance of the market. The news follows the Finnish supplier’s announcement at the beginning …

CHESTERFIELD, Mo.-Video via mobile phone will be the No. 1 reason wireless subscribers upgrade to third-generation services, according to a new study from Datacomm Research Co. “A large market for short videos is emerging: mobile-phone and portable computer users,” explained …

PISCATAWAY, N.J.-Greece’s National Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT) has awarded a five-year exclusive contract to Telcordia Technologies Inc. for number portability. Telcordia will support the provision of fixed and mobile number portability to Greece’s 16 million phone lines, including 10 …

WOBURN, Mass.-Boston Communications Group Inc. said it has signed a contract with Coastel Communications of Lafayette, La., to provide its Voyager Billing and Customer Care offering, which BCGI said includes a solution for customer management, including retail operations and inventory …

WASHINGTON-Although rural wireless carriers may have special needs when deploying enhanced 911, rural public-safety answering points may need a higher percentage of the grants in proposed legislation, said Indiana State Treasurer Tim Berry. Berry was the first witness at a …