March 2006

BERWYN, Pa.-Wireless location technology developer TruePosition Inc. said it is moving forward with its lawsuit against Andrew Corp., alleging the company’s products infringe on its patents for dealing with the location of cell phones using the wireless network control channel. …

The newest player on the crowded mobile search playground is one of the most vocal. Promptu-known until this week as Agile TV-officially joined the world of wireless, delivering a voice-recognition offering designed to allow users to discover, purchase and download …

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission Friday created its long anticipated Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, which will take over various functions and issues from seven other entities within the commission. “Many of the problems we saw during Hurricane Katrina were …

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 …

BOCA RATON, Fla.—SBA Communications Corp., the nation’s fifth-largest tower company, is offering $1 billion to acquire AAT Communications Corp., the nation’s sixth-largest tower company. SBA said it will pick up AAT’s 1,855 owned tower sites along with an additional 250 …

WASHINGTON—The Senate Commerce Committee Thursday easily passed several nominations after it decided not to consider its cell-phone privacy bill due to pressing business on the Senate floor. The Commerce Committee sent to the full Senate for its consideration the nominations …

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 Merrill Lynch lowered its price target on …

NEWBURY, England—Vodafone Group plc confirmed that it will sell its struggling Japanese operation to Japanese Internet conglomerate Softbank in a deal valued at about $15.4 billion. The cash that Vodafone receives from the sale is to be dispensed to shareholders …

TORONTO—Nortel Networks Ltd. said its insurers have agreed to put $228.5 million toward Nortel’s settlements for a pair of class-action lawsuits that stemmed from an accounting scandal. In February, Nortel agreed to pay more than $2.4 billion in cash and …

AURORA, Ill.—The city of Aurora, Ill., a suburb about 40 miles west of Chicago, awarded two contracts this week as it prepares to launch a citywide Wi-Fi network that is scheduled to offer free public Internet access as well as …

NEW YORK—Frazzled, on-the-go parents can now entertain their kids with Thomas & Friends stories on their Sprint Nextel Corp. mobile phones. Vocel and Random House Children’s Books teamed up to bring the adventures of Thomas the Tank Engine to mobile …

SAN FRANCISCO—Tira Wireless, which provides mobile content deployment technology, added $13 million to its coffers as part of its third round of funding. Lehman Ventures led the investment. Existing investors Brightspark Ventures, Flagship Ventures and Export Development Canada also participated. …

Steve Wozniak has put the brakes on the Wheels of Zeus. The Apple Computer co-founder formed the start-up four years ago in an effort to “help everyday people track everyday things,” according to a press release announcing the company’s launch. …

ALAMEDA, Calif.—UTStarcom Inc., a wireless equipment and handset manufacturer, announced it will delay filing its 2005 annual report until the end of April so its audit committee could resolve a premature recognition of $22 million in revenue and complete an …

RESTON, Va.—Sprint Nextel Corp. is teaming with the Associated Press to allow reporters to file 60-second video clips from the 215 cities and 466 airports where the carrier offers high-speed wireless access. The service uses SNAPfeed, a “store and forward” …

SAN DIEGO—Leap Wireless International Inc. had a slightly weaker-than-expected fourth quarter, but the company emphasized that it is looking forward to a strong first quarter of 2006. Leap said it added about 46,000 net new retail customers in the fourth …

WASHINGTON—Six senators are asking the Bush administration to develop guidelines for a new public-safety interoperable communications grant program to allow for the use of Internet Protocol-based technologies instead of the wholesale replacement of current equipment. “The administration should seriously consider …

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Cantata Technology, the newly formed company created by the combination of Excel Switching Corp. and Brooktrout Technology, introduced an updated version of its SnowShore IP Media Server, which now includes support for 3G networks and IMS applications. The …

SEOUL, South Korea—LG Electronics Co. Ltd., one of the world’s top five handset vendors, plans to acquire South Korean handset rival KTF Technology, allowing LG to go head-to-head with Pantech Group, which is now the top handset vendor in the …

CHICAGO—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. is using PCTel Inc.’s Roaming Client software as part of the carrier’s BroadbandConnect service, according to PCTel. Cingular launched its BroadbandConnect UMTS/HSDPA network late last year in 16 markets. PCTel said it is providing a customized version …

FREMONT, Calif.—The Flo Forum ratified technical specifications for devices, transmitters and test applications based on Qualcomm Inc.’s Flo technology standard for mobile TV. The group said the new specifications are companion documents to the previously ratified Flo Air Interface Specification …

REDMOND, Wash.—Microsoft Corp. is expected to overhaul ActiveSync, its Windows Mobile device management offering, when the software giant rolls out the next version of its PC operating system later this year. Microsoft will change the service’s name to Windows Mobile …

MIAMI—Brightstar Logistics Pty Ltd. said it signed a three-year agreement with Australian carrier Telstra to manage its handset supply chain. The deal calls for Brightstar to manage the carrier’s retail fulfillment operation and launch inventory management tools to help Telstra …

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.—A new report from J.D. Powers and Associates says wireless call-quality problems declined for the second straight year, with reported problems reaching their lowest level since the renowned customer survey firm began studying the issue in 2003. The …

CHICAGO—U.S. Cellular Corp. released revised figures on the impact of the financial restatement the company has been working on since November, and put out a few preliminary figures on its operations for the fourth quarter and year-end 2005. The company …