2003

WASHINGTON-The 800 MHz fight is heating up again as both sides argue that public-safety communications must be the overarching concern in any negotiation. The city of Baltimore weighed in against the Consensus Plan, while Nextel Communications Inc. produced two studies …

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.-As local number portability finally becomes a reality, a variety of players are looking to cash in on the opportunity. VeriSign, Telespree Communications and LetsTalk.com all announced LNP products for switching customers. First, VeriSign and Telespree teamed up …

Although there are numerous complexities in selling music over wireless, mobile-phone maker Siemens announced a new offering designed to give the world’s carriers a quick and simple way to jump into the market. European carrier MmO2 took the first plunge …

Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp. are missing from the membership list of Khronos Group, an open standards alliance that is pursuing open application programming interfaces for dynamic media in the wireless space. In spite of stellar members like Nokia Corp., …

Nextel Communications Inc.’s youth-oriented Boost Mobile L.L.C. subsidiary lost its top executive last week as Peter Adderton, former chief executive officer and founder, said he was leaving the venture due to disagreements with Nextel over strategy, direction and the failure …

WASHINGTON-The European Commission and the United States said that progress was made in November talks that would allow the European Galileo navigational system to co-exist with the satellite global positioning system used in the United States. The first agreement was …

WASHINGTON-Wireless and high-tech vendors are undergoing a serious re-examination of policies they advocate before Congress, regulatory agencies and the White House in light of a growing outsourcing trend that some fear could hurt U.S. innovation and security even as it …

WASHINGTON-Pennsylvania Attorney General Mike Fisher said thousands of Cellular One subscribers in the state will be entitled to refunds as part of a settlement of billing lawsuit against the mobile-phone operator. Fisher filed a civil lawsuit against Cellular One in …

LONDON-European carrier Orange plc announced it will offer wireless streaming-video services starting early next year through a new deal with PacketVideo Network Solutions, which was purchased by Alcatel Corp. only a few weeks ago. Orange said it will install PacketVideo’s …

WASHINGTON-With the onset of local number portability and resulting potential increase in cord cutting, wireless subscribers and their carriers need to be aware that they might experience something they are not used to-telemarketing and spam on their wireless lines. They …

WASHINGTON-Ten years after Congress authorized auctions to award wireless permits, the market-based licensing scheme continues be a magnet for those needing funding for pet projects, but the Federal Communications Commission’s strong embrace of intelligent radio technology and commercial exploitation of …

WASHINGTON-The Department of Defense last week said it has begun investigating allegations of wrongdoing in connection with the award of three mobile-phone licenses in Iraq in October to a group of Arab consortia that plan to deploy GSM wireless networks …

WASHINGTON-Steven Berry, the No. 2 official at the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association, is leaving the organization to direct lobbying for the cable TV industry. The National Cable & Telecommunications Association said Berry, who served as senior vice president of …

BOCA RATON, Fla.-SBA Communications Corp. said it began a cash tender offer for up to $153.3 million of its senior discount notes due 2008. The amount is 70 percent of the $219 million aggregate principal amount of notes outstanding, said …

SUNNYVALE, Calif.-Corporate wireless e-mail company Good Technology Inc. announced a new pricing model under which it will charge on an annual basis per subscriber with no additional fees for server licenses, network operating service, server maintenance, subscriber maintenance and basic …

KIRKLAND, Wash.-Nextel Partners Inc. signed a letter of intent to expand its Panama City Beach, Fla., customer care center including a new 30,000 square-foot facility adjacent to its existing 65,000-square-foot building that opened last year. The expansion is expected to …

LONDON-Vodafone Group plc said it will acquire from Intracom S.A 51.25 million shares in Vodafone-Panafon Hellenic Telecommunications Co. S.A., representing 9.433 percent of the outstanding shares of the Greek operator. Vodafone will pay $7.37 per share in cash, for a …

WATERLOO, Ontario-Wireless e-mail company Research In Motion Ltd. continued its international expansion, launching a new BlackBerry device with European carrier MmO2 and racking up deals with Telcel in Latin America and Smart Communications in the Philippines. To date, RIM’s BlackBerry …

WASHINGTON-T-Mobile USA Inc. has reportedly agreed to pay $4.8 million in back wages to employees in 13 call centers after a Department of Labor investigation at three of the call centers found that employees were not paid for preparatory work. …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden-L.M. Ericsson said it raised $517 million in total acceptances as it closed its bonds exchange offer. The company said the new bond, which will pay a coupon of 6.75 percent, will mature Nov. 28, 2010. “The bond exchange …

A survey by global marketing research firm Ipsos-Insight found that while 70 percent of wireless customers are aware of the local number portability mandate, 73 percent of those questioned said they are not likely to switch from their current providers …

WASHINGTON-The Department of Defense Tuesday said it has begun to investigate allegations of wrongdoing in connection with the award of three mobile-phone licenses in Iraq last month to a group of Arab consortia that plan to deploy GSM wireless networks …

IRVINE, Calif.-Susteen Inc. said it has released a software solution that enables handset users to transfer contact information between devices. The company said it will help ease device transition as a result of local number portability. The software, which is …

WASHINGTON-Legislative relief from spam, including wireless devices, moved one step closer Tuesday when the Senate passed the Can Spam Act by voice vote. “We have all seen the negative impacts of spam and know that the toxic sea of spam …

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is looking to join Nokia Corp. in its legal disagreement with wireless technology company InterDigital Communications Corp. Samsung is requesting international arbitration in its fight against InterDigital and that its case be combined with that of …