March 2006

HANOVER, Germany—Lucent Technologies Inc. is swimming in new contracts, announcing seven deals worth more than $300 million at the CeBIT 2006 trade show. “Our customers’ competitive landscape continues to undergo tremendous change as the boundaries between the telecom, media and …

WASHINGTON—Allocating spectrum for unlicensed uses would help rural America achieve full broadband deployment, the chief technology officer for Microsoft Corp. told lawmakers Tuesday. Microsoft’s CTO, Craig Mundie, endorsed bills that would make TV White Space spectrum available to unlicensed users. …

VANCOUVER, British Columbia—Social networking vendor AirG said it expanded its customer list to include Alltel and Amp’d Mobile. The company said it launched a mobile social networking community service with Alltel Corp. called Coolchat. Using the service, Alltel customers can …

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.—Sprint Nextel Corp. unveiled a new mobile calling offer that allows its wireless customers to make and receive unlimited calls from one designated wireline number, without draining their wireless minutes. The Sprint to Home plan for consumers costs …

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—The mobile virtual network enabler market has achieved more than $400 million in recurring revenues on the back of the growing mobile virtual network operator segment in Western Europe and the United States, according to a new study from …

PALO ALTO, Calif.—M-commerce software developer Obopay said it has snared $10 million in Series A venture funding. Obopay, which was founded last year, plans to offer a mobile payment service in coming months that will allow users to make purchases …

HANNOVER, Germany—Pantech Group spotlighted a variety of upscale handsets at the CeBIT trade show in Hannover, Germany this week in an effort to further establish itself as a new player in European and global markets. The company, one of the …

BONN, Germany—Vodafone Group plc announced that the company’s chief marketing officer and board member Peter Bamford will leave the company as of April 1, the latest of several high-profile company members to leave or announce their upcoming departures. According to …

WASHINGTON—A new report says injecting property rights and market forces into spectrum allocations would best foster efficient spectrum use and development of new technologies. The report, issued by academics and former policymakers affiliated with the Digital Age Communications Act Project, …

WASHINGTON—The House Commerce Committee Wednesday morning quickly passed a bill making the sale of telecommunications customer call records illegal. The bill also gives the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission added tools to restrict the sale of call …

SAN FRANCISCO—Intel Corp. says its WiMAX cards for laptops will be available sometime in the second half of this year, not in 2007 as was previously announced. The announcement was made by Sean Maloney, vice president of Intel’s mobility group …

HANNOVER, Germany—Opera Software ASA scored a major win, inking a deal to pre-load its Java-based mobile browser on T-Mobile International phones in Europe. The deal calls for a customized, branded version of Opera Mini with “T-Mobile’s look and feel” to …

By Matthew Creamer and Alice Z. Cuneo NEW YORK—Sprint Nextel Corp. has consolidated its $745 million media buying and planning business at WPP Group’s MindShare, the marketer said. The decision, made months after Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc. completed …

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.—Earlier this week Motorola Inc. hedged the value of the 37.6 million shares of Sprint Nextel Corp. it owns, which represent about 1.25 percent of Sprint Nextel’s stock. Hedging allows Motorola to maintain the stock’s current value and participate …

SAN DIEGO—Leap Wireless International Inc. joined several other wireless operators in announcing financial restatements—though the company said it expects the adjustments will result in improved financials. Leap said it plans to restate results for the final five months of 2004 …

NEW YORK—Data services and convergence are the key to Sprint Nextel Corp.’s future, Chief Executive Officer Gary Forsee made clear at the company’s annual analyst meeting. Forsee argued that Sprint Nextel’s partnership with cable companies and its relationships with multiple …

MONTREAL—Canadian telecom companies Bell Canada Enterprises Inc. and Aliant Inc. announced that they are combining their operations to form what they say is one of the largest regional telecommunications service providers in North America. As part of the deal, BCE …

ESPOO, Finland—Nokia Corp. announced that its HSDPA network equipment has been launched by T-Mobile International Inc. in Hanover, Germany during the CeBIT 2006 conference. Later in the year, the service is expected to be rolled out in England and the …

DALLAS—Texas Instruments Inc. honed its financial estimates for the first quarter, projecting a narrower range of solid sales, from $3.22 billion to $3.35 billion, compared with its earlier projection of $3.11 billion to $3.38 billion. TI also estimated earnings per …

ALVISO, Calif.—TiVo Inc. took another small step toward wireless this week, inking a deal to allow Verizon Wireless subscribers to use their wireless phone as a TiVo remote control. The companies unveiled a downloadable BREW application that can be used …

FORT WORTH, Texas—RadioShack Corp. reported plans to team with three other phone resellers to form a purchasing alliance that the companies said will resell more than 50 million phones a year. Brightstar Corp. of the United States, European distributor Dangaard …

WASHINGTON—House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) today plans to introduce legislation that would require majority U.S. ownership of “critical infrastructure,” including possibly wireless networks and other telecommunications systems. The legislation is being pursued in response to the controversial …

BURNABY, British Columbia—Unity Wireless Corp. said it closed a $2.2 million three-year debt financing by institutional investors. The company, which develops wireless subsystems and coverage solutions, said it plans to use proceeds from the transaction for general corporate purposes. The …

ATLANTA—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. expanded its mobile TV offerings, launching a streaming video service featuring short clips from 18 channels. Cingular Video is available free to subscribers purchasing the carrier’s unlimited 3G data plan, which costs $20 a month. Content providers …

It may seem like Unlicensed Mobile Access has only recently burst onto the wireless scene, but the Third Generation Partnership Project standard that enables handovers between GSM-based cellular networks and Wi-Fi hot spots has been in development since the turn …