2003

WASHINGTON-The chiefs of the FCC’s Enforcement and Wireless Telecommunications Bureaus want to go on field trips to see how well carriers are implementing wireless local number portability. In letters to four carriers, WTB Chief John Muleta asked the carriers to …

WARREN, N.J.-Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. reported its prepaid products and services are now available at more than 220 CompUSA Inc. stores nationwide, an expansion of its retail presence that includes Best Buy, Circuit City and Amazon.Com. “Our partnership with CompUSA …

OYSTER BAY, N.Y.-Micro fuel cells face a number of hurdles before wide-scale use and acceptance is possible, according to research from ABI. The firm emphasized that regulatory approvals must be granted for final product designs and a distribution network must …

WASHINGTON-If the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association hoped to prove to the consumer-advocate world that its voluntary code of conduct, which it officially unveiled Sept. 9, is an adequate response to criticism about lack of quality customer service, it was …

MANILA, The Philippines-Globe Telecom, the second-largest mobile operator in the Philippines, launched multimedia messaging service interconnection with more than 30 MMS operators around the world and a new Java-based subscriber identity module card. Mobileway said it worked with Globe Telecom …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission Wednesday closed out the four-year-old National Coordination Committee, which developed standards for using public-safety spectrum in the 700 MHz band. After more than 20 meetings, the NCC reached consensus that will ensure public-safety interoperability at 700 …

BEDMINSTER, N.J.-Verizon Wireless and Ztango announced that Verizon customers can now download polyphonic ring tones and monotonic ring tones using the operator’s TXT messaging. Verizon said Ztango’s offering is the first premium content available to its TXT customers and offers …

OYSTER BAY, N.Y.-The emergence of converged wireless handheld devices capable of multiple communications tasks may provide relief for the seemingly slowing PDA industry, according to research firm ABI. Converged devices, which ABI refers to as “connected PDAs,” have thus far …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission Wednesday proposed relaxing future license and buildout rules in an effort to bring the benefits of wireless to rural America. While the notice of proposed rulemaking passed unanimously, the Democrats on the panel expressed some concerns. …

SCHAUMBERG, Ill.-Clarity Technologies Inc. said it has closed $11.3 million in financing for its software technology for voice-based products. The funding, a Series A offering of preferred stock, was led by Reservoir Venture Partners and Motorola Ventures among five others. …

ORLAND PARK, Ill.-Andrew Corp. said its Microceptor Window Mount Antennas are being used in Schlotzsky’s Deli made-to-order sandwich restaurants to provide Wi-Fi coverage to countertop Apple Mac computers and to customer-owned laptops. “The Andrew Microceptor antennas are easy to install, …

SUNNYVALE, Calif.-L.M. Ericsson will use Proxim Corp.’s ORiNOCO AP-2000 Wi-Fi access point product in its wireless local area network solution for China Mobile, which will enable public hot spots in more than 10 cities and provinces in China. “The joint …

BOSTON-Diversinet Corp. said it has expanded its opportunities in the financial services and government sectors by acquiring Caradas Inc. in an all-stock transaction. Caradas provides a credential management platform for the financial services industry. “The list of the wireless sector’s …

BEDMINSTER, N.J.-Verizon Wireless completed the acquisition of a 10-megahertz PCS license serving the Pittsburgh, Pa., basic trading area from Devon Mobile Communications L.L.C. for $10.5 million in cash. Verizon Wireless, which already controls a 25-megahertz cellular license in the Pittsburgh …

OTTAWA-Spotwave Wireless Inc. announced new capabilities for its SpotCell 100 line of repeater products for enhanced in-building coverage. The products now include support for SpotCell Coverage Extension Antennas, which extend coverage areas by 25 percent, support for the SpotCell Viewer …

Sprint PCS president Len Lauer said the carrier expects its upcoming Ready Link push-to-talk service will be competitive with Verizon Wireless’s current offering, though would still fall short of the sub-one-second call latency provided by Nextel Communications Inc. Direct Connect …

NEW YORK-U.S. Cellular Corp. said it expects to spend more than $400 million upgrading its network to CDMA2000 1x technology by the end of next year, including $265 million through the end of 2003 and up to an additional $145 …

SAN DIEGO-Qualcomm Inc. said its Mobile Station Modem chipset and software known as MSM6250 has been selected by LG Electronics for its W-CDMA handsets. “By integrating Qualcomm’s MSM6250 chipsets into our handsets, we will be able to offer consumers sophisticated …

LONDON-U.K. Wi-Fi operator The Cloud struck a deal with NWP Spectrum, which operates pay phones and Internet terminals across the country, to offer Wi-Fi services at an additional 7,000 locations. The Cloud will now offer Wi-Fi in up to 10,000 …

ROCKVILLE, Md.-MobilePro Corp. announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding to acquire Constellation Networks Corp. The company plans to use stock and cash to acquire and fund the expansion of CNC’s international satellite and fiber network. The transaction is …

Nextel Communications Inc. said its Nationwide Direct Connect service is now available in the northern region of Baja California, Mexico, including Tijuana, Ensenada, Rosarito, Mexicali and Tecate. The quasi-international coverage, which was launched with Nextel’s international partner NII Holdings Inc.’s …

MARLBORO, Mass.-Rogers AT&T Wireless will use Telica Inc.’s Plexus 9000 Gateway Mobile Switching Center application to handle network traffic more efficiently and to facilitate the operation of its dual TDMA IS-136 and GSM/GPRS networks. “The deployment of the Gateway MSC …

Sprint PCS reported a deal with Cometa Networks that will allow Wi-Fi Access subscribers to roam onto select Cometa hot spots, which are expected to include more than 250 locations in Seattle by the end of this year. Sprint PCS, …

Nokia Corp. put a damper on the stock market as it announced its guidance for the third quarter. Although Nokia expects faster-than expected volume growth for its handsets for the quarter, on a year-on-year basis, the company expects sales to …

FRANKFURT, Germany-Motorola Inc. announced it is working with luxury sports car manufacturer Aston Martin to create a mobile device to complement the new Aston Martin DB9 sports car, unveiled at this week’s Frankfurt Motor Show. The Motorola V600 mobile handset …