2003

DALLAS-Southwest Airlines joined several other major air carriers in relaxing its mobile-phone usage rules. The carrier said customers with cell phones onboard may begin using them while taxiing to the airport gate, after the flight attendant gives permission to do …

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif.-Wireless carrier Alltel Corp. announced a wide-ranging deal with Walt Disney Internet Group to bolster its wireless content offerings, including its BREW application download service. Through the new deal, Alltel said it will offer sports scores from ESPN.com, …

PALO ALTO, Calif.-Danger Inc. said it will include Sun Microsystems Inc.’s Java 2 Micro Edition application download technology in its Hiptop wireless device platform, which forms the basis for T-Mobile USA Inc.’s Sidekick wireless phone. The move is notable as …

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa-Independent telecommunications provider McLeodUSA Inc. signed a multi-year wholesale agreement with AT&T Wireless Services Inc. allowing McLeodUSA to provide wireless voice services as part of its bundled Preferred Advantage product portfolio. McLeodUSA said it will market its Preferred …

BEDMINSTER, N.J.-Verizon Wireless signed a $1 billion multi-year agreement with Nortel Networks Ltd. to expand and upgrade the carrier’s nationwide CDMA network. The agreement calls for Nortel to provide expansion and upgraded CDMA2000 1x radio base stations, switching, Nortel’s Passport …

WASHINGTON-The California Public Utilities Commission, facing heavy pressure from mobile-phone carriers with generous funding support from their national trade association, last week sent fresh signals that it may postpone a scheduled Sept. 18 vote on a proposed telecom consumer bill …

WASHINGTON-Wireless carriers that still oppose wireless local number portability are trying another last-ditch effort to stop the mandate. The Senate Appropriations Committee last Thursday sent to the Senate floor a bill that directs the Federal Communications Commission to release the …

Wireless Internet software provider Openwave Systems Inc. announced it could further its acquisition push with a new offering of $100 million in convertible subordinated notes due 2008. The company said it has no definite acquisition or investment plans. Openwave said …

WASHINGTON-The Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday sent to the Senate floor a bill that directs the Federal Communications Commission to release the implementation guidelines for wireless local number portability before the Nov. 24 deadline. “The Committee is pleased that the FCC …

SAN DIEGO-Leap Wireless International Inc.’s Cricket Communications Inc. subsidiary named Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners as the agency of record to handle its advertising account, which the carrier said is worth between $20 million and $25 million annually. “We are …

Motorola Inc. will introduce a mobile phone running Microsoft Corp.’s Smartphone operating system this month, and European operator Orange will sell the device, according to a report in the Financial Times. Motorola declined to comment on the report, citing company …

SAN ANTONIO-A Texas school student was given three days of detention after school officials said they found pictures of drugs, guns and gang-related activities on the student’s camera phone, according to a report by a local TV station. School officials …

BERLIN-Germany’s largest wireless operator, T-Mobile International AG, which is a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG and parent company to U.S.-based T-Mobile USA Inc., said it has nearly fixed a software problem in its Frankfurt market that incapacitated the carrier’s network …

POWAY, Calif.-Gateway Inc. said it has launched 802.11b and g products, which include a broadband router and cards. The router ensures connection with a variety of computers, while the cards connect notebooks and PCs to the network. “The new wireless …

TOKYO-Sharp Electronics has developed a 128-megabyte flash memory, which offers a maximum access time of 60 nanoseconds, which the company calls the industry’s fastest. It is aimed at mobile phones and other wireless devices. “These new high-speed memory devices mark …

WASHINGTON-An amendment to the bill that would fund the Federal Communications Commission for Fiscal Year 2004 was passed late Thursday by the Senate Appropriations Committee and would grant Northpoint Technology Ltd. spectrum without an auction, but could also end auctions …

Sprint PCS reported that an undetermined number of its wireless customers in area codes beginning with 41 and 42 were affected for about six hours Thursday by a software glitch that prevented them from making calls between mobile phones and …

LONDON-Wireless content company Digital Bridges announced the release of a wireless game based on “The Weakest Link” TV show, which will be available through interactive TV company Sky Active. “We are very pleased to launch The Weakest Link to U.K. …

The battle over business customers continues to heat up as Nextel Communications Inc. and Verizon Wireless launched new advertising campaigns targeting potential deficiencies in each other’s business-centric offerings. Nextel’s campaign, which includes full-page advertisements in prominent newspapers, highlights latency issues …

TOKYO-Japanese mobile operator J-Phone Co. Ltd. announced that its board of directors proposed a resolution to change its name to Vodafone K.K., which will completely rebrand the mobile operator under its U.K.-based parent’s name. K.K. stands for Kabushiki Kaisha, J-Phone …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden-L.M. Ericsson has tweaked its organization by creating a new business unit known as Access, which focuses on radio products. It is divorced from the business unit known as Systems. The vendor will also form a sales and marketing …

LONDON-A U.K. supplier plans to offer push-to-talk services in the United Kingdom through an alliance with Wizcom Ltd., which owns retail outlet chain Phones4U. In October, Fastmobile’s Fastchat service will be available through Phones4U stores in the United Kingdom. The …

BELLEVUE, Wash.-Following the five simultaneous concerts T-Mobile USA Inc. hosted across the country Sept. 4, the carrier announced it will hold another All Access concert, featuring Barenaked Ladies and Train, at the same location the carrier first launched the T-Mobile …

WASHINGTON-California regulators could issue a proposed decision as early as next week on their year-long investigation of Cingular Wireless L.L.C., according to a source close to the probe. The California Public Utilities Commission launched a probe into the business practices …

MILPITAS, Calif.-Palm Inc. asserted that it will continue to use Novarra Inc.’s Web browser in its future wireless personal digital assistants. Novarra’s Web Pro 1.0 browser is included in Palm’s Tungsten T, Tungsten T2 and Tungsten W handhelds. “We’ve had …