January 2005

OKLAHOMA CITY-Rural carrier Dobson Communications Corp. announced it purchased the wireless assets of Michigan carrier RFB Cellular Inc. out of bankruptcy for $29.3 million. Dobson said the deal gives it …

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.-Canadian broadband wireless service provider Barrett Xplore selected Motorola Inc. to deploy a wireless broadband network in cities throughout Canada. The contract’s initial term is three years, but the …

MUNICH, Germany-Siemens AG said it has signed a $32 million contract to expand the GSM network for Pakistan Telecom Mobile Ltd., otherwise called U-Fone. The project will be completed in …

NEW YORK-Swedish-based telecom carrier Tele2 gained two new licenses in Europe, one through a government award and the other through an acquisition. In Croatia, Tele2 gained a GSM 1800 MHz …

The Open Mobile Terminal Platform group’s board of directors appointed Mats Nilsson as its new managing director effective Jan. 1. Nilsson is OMTP’s first full-time employee, and initially he will …

HOLTSVILLE, N.Y.-Mobile enterprise software developer Symbol Technologies Inc. announced Wednesday that it has opted not to pursue its proposed offering of common stock. Instead, the company said it has entered …

ORLANDO, Fla.-A real estate company launched a service last week that allows prospective buyers to access information about homes on the market via text messaging. Main Street Realtors of Windermere, …

More than 1.5 billion people subscribe to wireless services. The vast majority of those wireless users see their mobile phone as a device that allows them to talk to other …

Even as it begins serious deployments of third-generation technologies, the wireless industry is hedging its bets on next-generation technology. Since W-CDMA and CDMA2000 someday may reach their tethers, some industry …

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.-Sprint PCS and Sybase Inc. said they will expand their relationship to develop and market corporate wireless data applications. Under terms of the agreement, the carrier will use …

BETHLEHEM, Pa.-Corr Wireless, a cellular provider in Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia, selected Infonxx to provide directory assistance services to its customers. “One of the main reasons for us to choose …

WOODBURY, N.Y.-Comverse introduced its Comverse MMS Exchange, a central hub that allows multiple network operators to interconnect their multimedia messaging services. Operators currently must implement separate routing connections and interconnectivity …

VIENNA, Austria-Telekom Austria said it acquired a call option to purchase Bulgarian wireless carrier Mobiltel AD. The option gives the Austrian carrier the right to purchase full control of Mobiltel …

Mobile media company Zingy is expected to announce deals this week to bring exclusive mobile content from hip-hop artist Kanye West and late pop singer Aaliyah to wireless phones. West …

Time Warner Cable is in discussions with Sprint PCS to test a wireless offering that would be bundled with the media giant’s TV, landline phone and Internet services. However, it …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission declared the outage reporting requirements and the changes to the telemarketing rules to be in effect Dec. 30. Under rules adopted in 2004, carriers must report …

In a move that drove up its shares 6 cents following the announcement, Global Signal Inc. said it plans to sell 2.9 million common shares. The company intends to acquire …

January 6-9 Consumer Electronics Association. Las Vegas. www.cesweb.org Excellence in Information & Communications Technologies January 15 Frost & Sullivan. Doubletree Paradise Valley Resort, Scottsdale, Ariz. www.frost.com WCA International Symposium Expo …

While the numbers aren’t available yet for the all-important fourth quarter wireless sales, I’m predicting stellar results. Why? Because I just spent the holidays with the Anderson clan (my side …

And once again the wireless industry (and the world) prepares to face the implications of the further permeation of wireless technology into our lives and culture with the pending prospect …

TOKYO-Japanese wireless carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc. announced it invested in two Chinese wireless software companies in an effort to tap into the massive potential of the Chinese market. DoCoMo said …

PalmOne PalmOne Inc. announced its VersaMail 2.7 wireless e-mail software is available for Treo 600 smart phones. Treo 600 users will now have access to Internet Message Access Protocol, said …

SYDNEY, Australia-Telstra Corp. said it plans to launch a fixed short message service early this year. Telstra has a branded SMS-capable phone on sale in Australia for the service, it …

Buoyed by its high speed, GigaBeam Corp.’s Virtual Fiber solution offers an alternative to fiber for last mile, local loop, central office bypass, local area network, metropolitan area network and …