July 2005

Perhaps no surviving mobile technology has suffered the pummeling WAP has endured since its over-hyped introduction in 1999. But after six years of being tied to the whipping post, it …

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn.-Cingular Wireless L.L.C. is closing the gap in customer care, but Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA Inc. maintained their positions atop Vocal Laboratories’ quarterly report measuring the quality …

Developers, publishers and carriers are bringing new titles to market every day in their haste to cash in on the exploding mobile-game industry. But the crush of new games includes …

BELLEVUE, Wash.-Wireless carrier Western Wireless Corp. has chosen an electronic lending services system from CGI-AMS Inc. Western Wireless will use CGI-AMS’ NetCredit system to improve the efficiency of customer acquisitions. …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission next week is expected to approve a band plan for third-generation wireless services, a ruling with major implications for incumbent mobile-phone operators of all sizes, potential …

VANCOUVER, British Columbia-PC card maker Sierra Wireless Inc. reported revenues of $21.9 million for the second quarter, a 57.5-percent decrease from the same period last year when the company posted …

To the Editor, I just read the article, “Emergency alert tests with cell phones expanded,” by Jeffrey Silva, in your July 11 edition and found it very interesting. I do …

WASHINGTON-The Progress & Freedom Foundation said Thursday that state agencies should be given greater latitude on telecommunications social policy, but less on economic regulation. “The advent of digital technologies in …

SUNOL, Calif.-The MultiMediaCard Association announced a new svelte form factor aimed at the -phone market. The group’s new MMCmicro specification measures 12 by 14 by 1.1 millimeters and is about …

WASHINGTON-A California-based consumer group last week filed formal complaints with state regulators against Cingular Wireless L.L.C. and Sprint PCS, accusing the No. 1 and No. 3 mobile-phone operators of charging …

Third-generation wireless buildouts propelled earnings for L.M. Ericsson and Lucent Technologies Inc. during the quarter ended June 30. Ericsson reported net profits of $744 million during its second quarter, a …

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.-Alltel Corp. is teaming with Fujifilm on an offering allowing users to create and send personal postcards from their handsets. With the BREW-based application, users can create a …

Cell phones are operating again in busy New York City tunnels, after being turned off July 7 following terrorist attacks in subways in London. Service in the Lincoln and Holland …

WASHINGTON-The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs last week brought a lawsuit in state court against Nextel Communications Inc., Sprint Corp. and T-Mobile USA Inc. for allegedly deceiving consumers …

The second-quarter earnings race got off to a relatively solid start as Cingular Wireless L.L.C. and Nextel Communications Inc. posted financials largely in line with Wall Street expectations. The results-coupled …

PORTLAND, Ore.-Legacy Wireless Towers L.L.C., a subsidiary of Legacy Wireless Services Inc., said it acquired seven existing tower sites in the Portland, Ore., metropolitan market. The seven existing tower sites …

The article titled “3G buildouts should boost network vendors’ Q2 financials” on page 6 of the July 18, 2005 issue included incorrect forecast figures for Lucent Technologies Inc. The company …

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.-An Illinois judge will not issue a temporary restraining order to block Sprint Corp.’s acquisition of Nextel Communications Inc. Sprint affiliate iPCS Inc. requested the restraining order in …

Ironically, the march toward a simplified, converged “digital home” is producing an overwhelming number of wireless and wireline offerings for consumers. It seems the only thing growing as fast as …

The mobile-phone industry applauded new legislation clarifying for depreciation purposes that computer-based equipment at cell sites is five-year property. CTIA, the U.S. cell-phone association, said today there is significant uncertainty …

Moviegoers with Bluetooth-enabled handsets can download movie trailers, ringtones and wallpapers at three Loews Theatres this summer. Twentieth Century Fox is providing kiosks at theaters in Los Angeles, New York …

WASHINGTON-Legislation ensuring Internet Protocol-enabled services are not subject to traditional telecommunications regulation will be rolled into the telecom reform bill being drafted by the Senate Commerce Committee, said Sen. John …

TAMPA, Fla.-Nearly a dozen major players from the wireless and technology industries unveiled a joint venture that will offer a registry service for the “.mobi” Internet domain. The suffix was …

A comic strip I ran across last week wonderfully summed up in a brilliant, understated manner the transformational wireless dynamic in America and the world. In the first scene, a …

To the Editor, I enjoy Tracy Ford’s editorial columns, as I do Jeffrey Silva’s. Your July 11, 2005, comments about the 2.5 GHz band are right on including, “The potential …