2006

AT&T Inc. offered to surrender some of its 2.5 GHz spectrum as part of a last-ditch attempt to secure approval of its $85 billion buyout of BellSouth Corp. The telecom giant filed a letter of commitment with the Federal Communications …

InterDigital Communications Corp. increased its share repurchase program from $200 million to $350 million. The wireless technology provider said its board voted for the move due to “strong positive cash flow” in 2006 and the anticipation of “high levels of …

Alltel Corp., the nation’s fifth-largest wireless carrier, is being floated as a potential target for a leveraged buyout by private-equity firms, according to unnamed sources in an article in today’s Wall Street Journal. Alltel currently has a market value of …

Mdog.com is the latest player in the mobile blogging arena with a portal for mobile phones. The offering allows users of Web-enabled phones to post and read blog entries, upload photos and respond to comments on major blog services including …

Verizon Wireless is pushing their mobile music offerings by allowing users to download a free ringtone on New Year’s Eve.Subscribers can text the word “tone” to short code 2007 to get instructions on how to download a free ringtone. Users …

Wireless service provider MobilePro Corp. said a subsidiary will offer satellite video from DirecTV Group Inc. CloseCall America will initially carry DirecTV services in 14 northeastern states including New Jersey and Pennsylvania. MobilePro resells fixed-line and wireless services from Verizon …

Tired of paying fees for 411 calls, trying to get a taxi on the line at 2 a.m.? Fret not, mobile phone users. Yellowpages.com L.L.C. today announced the launch of a new send to mobile feature that allows users to …

Leap Wireless International Inc. granted stock options to several of its executives, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.The company granted 116,000 non-qualified stock options and 12,500 restricted stock awards to President and CEO Douglas Hutcheson; 30,000 …

A $2.25 billion global settlement reached between Nortel Networks Ltd. and its shareholders was given final approval in federal court this week. The parties reached the agreement earlier this year to settle a pair of shareholder lawsuits filed after the …

Spanish mobile content giant LaNetro Zed scratched its plans to make a bid for buffeted ringtone provider MonsterMob Group plc.LaNetro said late last week that it would spend $66 million to pick up a 53-percent stake in MonsterMob, which operates …

Government enterprise software firm Accela Inc. reported a partnership with Nortel Networks Ltd. to deliver municipal wireless network products and services.Calif.-based Accela said its mobile inspection management application, called Accela Wireless, will be included in Nortel’s muni Wi-Fi solution. Accela …

Motorola Inc.’s plan to drop $200 million on broadband home equipment provider Netopia Inc. has been cleared by United States antitrust authorities. Based in Emeryville, Calif., Netopia makes wired and Wi-Fi modems, routers and gateways. The company sells to individuals, …

Thinner, more power, less drain on a handset-no, it’s not a supermodel whose New Year’ resolution is giving up mobile communications. It’s a new mobile memory chip produced by Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.The South Korean conglomerate announced today that its …

Redback Networks Inc.’s board gave L.M. Ericsson a green light to move forward with plans to buy the smaller equipment maker for about $2.1 billion, or $25 per share.Last week, Ericsson said it would pay approximately $1.9 billion for Calif.-based …

Perhaps Santa Claus understands the Byzantine machinations of handset pricing at the major carriers, but with his work done for the year, Santa’s contract calls for silence. Thus one is left to ponder the pricing gymnastics of, say, the Samsung …

Verizon Wireless will soon begin to allow advertising to accompany content from its official content partners, a company spokesperson said today. Verizon Wireless will become the second major U.S. carrier to carry mobile advertising, a closely watched sector that has …

Editor’s Note: Following are the most-read stories from RCRNews.com this year. They have been edited to fit in paper format. 1. Vodafone records $41B loss, reworks strategic plans May 30 Vodafone Group plc posted a massive $41.1 billion loss for …

WiMAX set-top box maker Alvarion Ltd. added Wi-Fi functionality to its BreezeMAX product line to support carrier interest in offering bandwidth-intensive mobile applications through broadband connectivity powered by both Wi-Fi and WiMAX network access technologies.The company said its BreezeMAX W12 …

Research In Motion Ltd. said that new product launches helped fill its sails as the company reported robust revenue and earnings in its fiscal third quarter, despite an ongoing, internal review of its stock option grants that may lead to …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission proposed to create a nationwide broadband wireless network at 700 MHz for first responders, but the public-safety community said the initiative does not obviate the need for additional spectrum.The focus on public-safety communications was heightened after …

So it was that FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell last Monday delivered his lyrical oratory about why he would continue to forbear from deliberations of the $79 billion AT&T-BellSouth telecom deal. Democrats on Capitol Hill hailed McDowell, a Republican, for maintaining …

Wirefly, the online retailer, is offering mobile handsets at prices that defy gravity.Tis the season, apparently, for free or low-cost offers on the market’s leading handsets to erode the last bastions of resistance to signing up for wireless service.The Motorola …

As 2006 draws to a close and we take stock of all the changes that have happened in the wireless industry, we can’t help but wonder how things will look a year from now. So here are some predictions for …

I’m at home right now, and I’m looking out the window and it’s snowing like crazy.RCR Wireless News is based in Denver, so we occasionally have weather-related troubles. Our most memorable weather disaster happened a few years ago when it …