February 2005

SHANGHAI, China-Internet game operator Shanda Interactive Entertainment Ltd. caught the attention of the Chinese wireless market after announcing it had taken a 19.5-percent stake in wireless media firm Sina Corp. …

PARIS-Nortel Network Ltd. made two infrastructure-related announcements. Nortel said Orange Slovensko has launched a high-data-rate business and consumer service in Slovakia based on EDGE gear from Nortel. The service is …

EDINBURG, Va.-Rural telecommunications provider and Sprint PCS affiliate Shenandoah Telecommunications Co. said it added 4,560 direct wireless subscribers during the fourth quarter of last year, ending 2004 with 102,600 direct …

Siemens AG appears to be in the midst of peddling its handset business, but by all accounts the world’s No. 5 phone vendor isn’t having any luck. That Siemens is …

KINGS PARK, N.Y.-The point-to-point microwave market will experience significant growth during the coming years due to emerging PTP application segments, according to a new report by Visant Strategies Inc. Wireless …

ATLANTA-Cingular Wireless L.L.C. launched its EDGE-based wireless wide area network connectivity service, which the carrier said is the first commercially available solution using a gateway device at the edge of …

Leap Wireless International Inc. appointed Albin Al Moschner executive vice president and chief marketing officer and Glenn Umetsu executive vice president and chief technical officer. Both positions are new to …

PARIS-SmartVideo subscribers can stay stylish and ogle supermodels with a new 24-hour-a-day channel from the mobile-video provider. SmartVideo Technologies Inc. said it has agreed to carry Fashion TV, streaming fashion, …

TOKYO-NTT DoCoMo Inc. said it will stop accepting new prepaid customers at the end of March, citing the use of prepaid phones for fraudulent purposes. The Japanese carrier said previous …

ATLANTA-This year’s “American Idol” text-message voting will likely surpass last year’s groundbreaking campaign, as Cingular Wireless L.L.C.’s 49 million subscribers can take part in the short message service offering for …

WASHINGTON-Sprint Corp. today confirmed it received a second request for information from the Justice Department on its proposed $36 billion acquisition of Nextel Communications Inc. It is not unusual for …

While industry is battening down the details of CDMA 450 MHz technology, IPWireless has introduced a UMTS play into the picture: Enter UMTS450 technology. The company describes UMTS450 as a …

WASHINGTON-The Telecommunications Industry Association is supporting a Dec. 31, 2006, date for the transition to digital TV. “Converting to DTV will clear valuable spectrum for other important uses, such as …

Sprint PCS affiliate Alamosa Holdings Inc. posted $221.7 million in total revenues during the fourth quarter of last year, which was in line with analysts’ estimates and a 32-percent improvement …

DENVER-The National Basketball Association wants to be on the forefront of technology, be it the Internet, High-Definition TV or satellite radio. And to be on the cutting edge, the NBA …

TORONTO-The Virgin Mobile Group is reportedly set to launch a mobile virtual network operator-based wireless service in Canada March 1 using Bell Canada’s CDMA network. The service is expected to …

WASHINGTON-Wireless billing may be about to come under some level of federal regulation, with U.S. telecom regulators poised to rule next week on whether regulatory recovery fees charged by mobile-phone …

In conjunction with its 20th anniversary in the country, Nokia Corp. reiterated its focus on China-the world’s No. 1 wireless market-and promised to increase its presence there. “In 2004, Nokia …

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.-Google Inc. has rolled out a movie-search service for wireless subscribers, allowing users to access showtimes and theater locations and phone numbers via handsets. The offering expands on …

After years of mostly futile efforts to exploit the largely untapped wireless e-mail market, wireless companies are thinking small. Instead of working to put high-tech devices in the hands of …

Two key lawmakers recently introduced legislation that would authorize the Justice Department to use wiretaps to investigate and prosecute criminal antitrust conspiracies. Somehow I cannot not see Big Brother listening …

MAITLAND, Fla.-Nextel Communications Inc., which is in the process of merging with Sprint Corp., said it plans to invest $384 million in its Florida network in 2004 and 2005 to …

WASHINGTON-The mobile-phone industry has signaled it will aggressively litigate taxes deemed illegal, suing the City of Baltimore over a wireless fee and persuading an Illinois court to order hundreds of …

Semiconductor company Sequans Communications said it has secured and closed about $9 million in its Series B financing round from major venture capital firms. Add Partners and Vision Capital co-led …