August 2006

When Sprint Nextel Corp. unveiled its choice of next-generation network technology last week, there appeared to be two types of reactions: “Finally!” and “Quit trying to distract us.” After months of hints and trials, the carrier laid out its technology …

In a quarter where the carrier transitioned from one-year to two-year service contracts, T-Mobile USA Inc.’s net customer additions were down sharply and its churn was up. Service revenues increased 18 percent year-over-year, but the carrier’s net income plunged nearly …

WASHINGTON-A federal appeals court-which earlier sided with the Federal Communications Commission that VoIP and broadband Internet services must comply with the digital wiretap act-may be questioning itself. The court has asked the FCC to explain why the court should not …

Welcome to Hedgehogging, the editorial staff’s weekly column about wireless-related stories that got us talking this week. Is it just us, or are a lot of people who work in the wireless industry checking to see what the high bids …

DENVER-RCR Wireless News took home a national silver award for its on-site trade show coverage of CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2005 Expo. The award, given by the American Society of Business Publication Editors, is one of the most competitive …

Sprint Nextel Corp.’s decision to deploy mobile WiMAX technology for its next-generation network answers one set of questions, but begs another. For a couple of years now, Sprint Nextel has touted that it is not a telecom company, but a …

CARO, Mich.—Three men were arrested on terrorism charges after reportedly buying 80 prepaid phones from a Wal-Mart store in Michigan. Police found about 1,000 phones in the men’s van. According to the Associated Press, most of the phones were from …

WASHINGTON-The Association of Public-safety Communications Officials endorsed a proposal submitted earlier this year by Cyren Call Communications Corp. that would set aside 30 megahertz of spectrum in the upper 700 MHz band for a next-generation public-safety network that industry would …

Nokia Corp. is buying its way onto the mobile music playground, agreeing to acquire distributor Loudeye Corp. for $60 million. But the key to success in mobile music still lies in the devices. The world’s largest manufacturer of mobile phones …

The beauty of unlicensed mobile access, or UMA, it seems, is in the eyes of the beholder. The question of the technology’s appeal to network operators who might deploy it depends on the particular operator’s business plans and whether adopting …

U.S. Cellular Corp. released limited operating results for the second quarter, reporting a churn rate that ticked upward and net overall customer activations that were about half of what the carrier achieved during the same period last year-however, the company …

Andrew Corp.’s merger-and-acquisition adventures skidded to a full stop last week as the company pumped its brakes on potential deals with both ADC Telecommunications Inc. and CommScope Inc.-preferring instead to go it alone. Andrew announced in May a merger with …

Employers who want to avoid the awkward situation of firing employees face to face may want to follow the lead of the Blue Banana body piercing studio in Cardiff, Wales, which fired one if its employees recently via text message. …

WASHINGTON—Bidding is picking up speed in the FCC’s advanced wireless services spectrum auction, with the total value of provisionally winning bids jumping from more than $2.4 billion late Friday to more than $4.1 billion in the two rounds held so …

RALEIGH, N.C.—Mobile content providers Oasys Mobile Inc. and Moderati announced a contract win with Sprint Nextel Corp. that establishes them as the “agent partners” for the carrier’s CDMA ringers and wallpapers offerings. Sprint Nextel said it expects the partnership to …

By Alice Z. Cuneo SAN FRANCISCO—Burger King is letting its customers get their information their way—and more and more, that way appears to be via a mobile phone. Although McDonald’s Corp. and other rival chains have toyed with mobile marketing …

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.—American consumers spent about $4.4 billion on 67 million mobile phones in the first half of the year, according to The NPD Group. Motorola Inc. captured 32 percent market share, or nearly one-third of those sales, double the …

NEW YORK-Sprint Nextel Corp. subscribers will soon be able to tune in to live radio broadcasts of their favorite professional baseball teams straight from their handsets. The carrier unveiled a non-exclusive pact with Major League Baseball Advanced Media to deliver …

Nokia Corp. filed a complaint with the Delaware Court of Chancery over several matters relating to its disputes with Qualcomm Inc., the latest in a series of squabblings between the two companies. The Nokia statement, though brief, raised a handful …

While the long-term vendor ramifications of Sprint Nextel Corp.’s plan to deploy a WiMAX network remain uncertain, it’s clear that the early winners are Intel Corp., Motorola Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.-while the biggest losers are Qualcomm Inc. and …

NEW YORK-The broadening investigation into stock-option grants continues to plague wireless as federal prosecutors brought criminal charges against three former executives of Comverse Technology Inc. The criminal complaint, which was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn, accuses founder and former …

EMERYVILLE, Calif.-WiMAX gained another backer as MobiTV Inc. said it will support the wireless broadband technology. The wireless video provider said it has been “investing heavily in research and technology development” for WiMAX, and committed to deploying multimedia services over …

In a decision worthy of professional boxing, Sprint Nextel Corp. and its affiliates Horizon Personal Communications Inc. and Bright Personal Communications Services L.L.C. claimed victory in a lawsuit that pitted the companies against one another following Sprint Corp.’s acquisition of …

SOUTH BEND, Ind.—Horvath Communications Inc. sold 79 towers in Midwestern and eastern metropolitan markets to HC Acquisition L.L.C., a subsidiary or SBA Communications Corp. Horvath said it still owns several facilities and has plans to build more than 100 towers …

LONDON—The Walt Disney Co. has opted to delay the launch of its mobile virtual network operator phone service in the United Kingdom. “We have decided to postpone the launch of the Disney Mobile service,” said Disney Mobile U.K. spokeswoman Sandra …