2005

While America’s cell-phone bandit may be the best known mobile-phone subscriber in the world, and consumers in Japan and Korea may have a corner on the coolest wireless apps on …

OKLAHOMA CITY-Dobson Communications Corp., the primary licensee of the Cellular One brand, said it plans to purchase the brand from Alltel Corp. for $1.3 million. Alltel acquired the Cellular One …

WASHINGTON-Top wireless carriers asked a federal court to block the state of Kentucky from enforcing a new law set for Jan. 1 that would prohibit operators from passing to subscribers …

Just two weeks after Mike Zafirovski took the reins as Nortel Networks Ltd.’s new chief executive, two longtime employees have been shown the door. Nortel confirmed that Brian McFadden, chief …

Japan-based weather content provider Weathernews Inc. this week plans to launch a Java-based video application for users with Sprint Nextel Corp. multimedia phones. The Weathernews Network will deliver personal video …

WASHINGTON-Another deadline for offering enhanced 911 services has come and gone. This time, however, the Voice over Internet Protocol industry is the market begging for relief. In June, the Federal …

PARIS-Alcatel Corp. said it bought a minority stake in broadband solutions developer 2Wire Inc., a move that puts the company into the coveted home-gateway arena. “2Wire has extended the carrier’s …

BOSTON, Mass.-MobileSphere said it is offering CarrierILD, an international long-distance solution for mobile virtual network operators and wireless carriers. The service uses MobileSphere’s patent-pending softswitch technology and global Tier 1 …

WASHINGTON-The California regulator behind the campaign to overhaul the state’s bill of rights for telecom consumers has been tapped as chief of staff to GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The appointment …

SAN FRANCISCO-Mobile game-maker Mforma Group Inc. unveiled its latest licensed title from Marvel, launching Ultimate Spider-Man in the United States and Europe. The two-dimensional platform game is based on Activision …

WASHINGTON-Colorado authorities last week were expected to limit charges to a misdemeanor against a teenage driver who investigators said was text messaging on his cell phone when he crossed over …

WASHINGTON-Small rural carriers argued that they are treated unfairly by the four nationwide carriers when it comes to automatic roaming, an accusation disputed by their larger counterparts. Because mergers have …

The BlackBerry-maker suffered yet another black eye last week in its legal scrap with NTP Inc. A Virginia judge rejected a request from Research In Motion Ltd. to enforce a …

WASHINGTON-The Commerce Department last week missed key deadlines tied to the Bush spectrum plan, prompting further questions about the political handling and priority of a White House wireless initiative the …

NEW YORK-Wireless Venture Partners Inc., a national wireless retailer based in Las Vegas, said it has closed $10 million in series A financing. The round was led by The Greenspun …

LONDON-Vodafone Group plc announced it has launched a mobile e-mail service in the United Kingdom under its own brand of Vodafone Business Email. The company said the service is available …

SAN JOSE, Calif.-Worldwide sales of semiconductors surged past $20 billion in October, driven by strong customer demand for consumer electronics such as cellular phones. Sales increased by 6.75 percent compared …

HOUSTON-Crown Castle International Corp. announced plans to redeem $200 million in convertible preferred stock held by an affiliate of General Electric Co. Under terms of the agreement, CCI’s revolving credit …

Cingular Wireless L.L.C. infused some new blood into the languishing push-to-talk market with the launch of its PTT service. The carrier joins a market dominated by Sprint Nextel Corp.’s iDEN-based …

TAMPA, Fla.-Syniverse Technologies Inc. said it has won the contract to provide GSM clearinghouse services for Vodafone Group plc. Syniverse recently announced plans to establish a clearinghouse data center in …

RCR Wireless News is pleased to announce that Kelly Hill has been hired as a reporter covering the cellular beat for the newspaper. Hill recently received her Masters of Journalism …

Free, municipally run Wi-Fi Internet access will become a permanent fixture in New Orleans, according to Mayor Ray Nagin, who announced plans to cover the entire city with a Wi-Fi …

WASHINGTON-Federal Communications Commission officials last week refused to discuss whether they were prodded by cellular lobbyists to get involved in brain-cancer lawsuits, the first time to date the agency is …

LOS ANGELES-Brightpoint Inc. announced an agreement to distribute products for mobile virtual network operator Amp’d Mobile Inc. The Indiana-based distributor of phones and accessories will perform inventory management, product fulfillment …

Qualcomm Inc. snared its first customer for MediaFLO last week, as Verizon Wireless said it will use the chipmaker’s new network to broadcast live TV to subscribers. The nation’s second-largest …