March 2006

The following list details this week’s infrastructure awards for the cellular, Wi-Fi and WiMAX industries. The contracts are broken down by transmission technology, country and vendor. The value of the contract is included when available. Click here for additional infrastructure …

PARIS—Alcatel Inc. and Lucent Technologies Inc. confirmed they are in talks to create a “merger of equals,” a transaction that would result in a single telecom equipment company with a total market capitalization of more than $33 billion. “We can …

BELLEVUE, Wash.—T-Mobile USA Inc. has upped the ante in a pricing duel with Cingular Wireless L.L.C. by adding a $40 service plan with 1,500 minutes. The Get More 1500 plan was available during the holiday season and has been resurrected …

The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms. Click here for wireless ratings from past weeks from RCR Wireless News. Carrier RBC Capital Markets increased its price target …

BEIJING—Motorola Inc. announced it opened another research and development center in China, this one in the Binjiang District of Hangzhou’s Hi-tech Industry Development Zone. The center will focus on developing equipment products for China’s operators. Motorola said the new center …

WESTCHESTER, Ill.—Comsearch said it has been selected as the official spectrum manager for the CTIA Wireless 2006 tradeshow next month in Las Vegas. As spectrum manager, Comsearch said it would make sure radio frequencies used in demonstrations and by exhibitors …

SUNNYDALE, Calif.—Palm Inc. reported it sold more than a half-million Treos in its fiscal third-quarter, an increase of more than 100 percent from the same quarter last year. The company said the results reflect demand for its Treo 650 and …

PARIS—Mobile GPS navigation solutions company Webraska said its revenues doubled during its 2005 fiscal year, driven by sales of the company’s SmartZone Geospatial Platform and its Navigation Platform. The company said it expects to report revenues for the year, which …

DULUTH, Ga.—Itaas Inc. and Embience Inc. announced they have partnered on a new interactive TV platform designed to allow users to download content associated with television programs to their mobile phones. The MPTV platform allows consumers to use their remote …

MUNICH, Germany—Siemens AG said its chief financial officer, Heinz-Joachim Nueburger, has resigned from his position for personal reasons and plans to step down in May, a year before his contract expires. His replacement, Joe Kaeser, is a company veteran and …

SAN MATEO, Calif.—Sling Media Inc. launched a software package allowing wireless subscribers to view TV broadcasts on Windows Mobile devices. The developer announced a beta version of the much-awaited offering, which sends video from a cable box through an Ethernet …

GOLDEN, Colo.—Verizon Wireless’ full-page advertisement in The Denver Post’s March 22 edition, prominently displayed on page 5 of the newspaper’s front section, trumpets: “IT’S THE NETWORK” and “#1 in Customer Loyalty in Denver,” both well-worn marketing phrases for the nation’s …

WAYNESBORO, Va.—Regional telecommunications operator Ntelos Holdings Corp. reported strong growth in the fourth quarter and full-year 2005, generating wireless operating revenues of $73 million during the final three months of 2005 and $280 million for the year. Ntelos Inc., the …

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Nvidia Corp. said it plans to acquire Hybrid Graphics Ltd., a Finnish company that provides embedded 2-D and 3-D graphics software for handheld devices. Under the definitive agreement, Hybrid is to become a subsidiary of Nvidia, maintaining support …

LAS VEGAS—UTStarcom Inc. announced plans to commercialize Qualcomm Inc.’s mobile wireless network base station, which is designed to provide a portable, all-IP CDMA2000 800/1900 MHz network in remote or disaster-affected areas. The unit will work on UTStarcom’s MovingMedia 2000 all-IP …

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa—MTN Group, which provides cellular service in 14 African countries, said it expects to launch service in Iran by the third quarter. MTN last year bought a 49 percent stake in Irancell for $350 million. Irancell is licensed …

SAN JOSE, Calif.—PayPal quietly launched a service for customers to make purchases or send money to other users from a mobile phone. The world’s largest supplier of online payment services is testing the offering, which allows users to send a …

SAN FRANCISCO—MobileLime and mFoundry are the latest companies to announce financing rounds this week. Mobile application publisher mFoundry said it completed a $7.3 million Series B round of private equity financing. GRP Partners led the round, which included participation from …

SHANGHAI, China—Qualcomm Inc. and Chinese firm China TechFaith Wireless Communication Technology Ltd. announced today the two companies would form a new venture, TechFaith Software China Ltd., to develop software applications for wireless devices. The deal is worth up to $35 …

BURNABY, Canada—Fortuna Gaming Corp., a Canadian-based company focused on online and mobile gambling, sees mobile gambling as a big part of its future and eventually wants to launch a mobile virtual network operator for gambling. “The long-term vision is to …

LAS VEGAS—Sprint Nextel Corp.’s local phone service spin-off, Embarq, plans to launch a mobile virtual network operator later this year, according to Embarq’s chief executive officer-to-be, Dan Hesse. Hesse told attendees during a keynote address at the TelecomNext conference of …

LAS VEGAS—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. plans to shut off both its TDMA and analog networks by 2008, chief executive officer Stan Sigman told attendees during a keynote address earlier this week at the TelecomNext conference. Cingular spokesman Ritch Blasi noted that …

SAN FRANCISCO—Content providers will need to deliver compelling programming for mobile video to grow beyond the young, male demographic it currently attracts, two new reports indicate. Mobile TV is already drawing a key demographic for advertisers, according to Telephia. Wireless …

SANTA CLARA, Calif.—Lucent Technologies Inc. outbid L.M. Ericsson in the auction of Ethernet developer Riverstone Networks Inc.’s business. Riverstone said Lucent’s final bid was $207 million in cash along with certain modifications to the Asset Purchase Agreement originally signed by …

AUSTIN, Texas—KGI Wireless Inc. said it snagged a multi-year deal to manage Alltel Corp.’s 3,000 wireless tower sites. The agreement represents the first time a domestic wireless carrier has selected a company to direct the marketing and licensing of its …