August 2006

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Look out, Texas Instruments Inc. and Infineon Technologies AG. Your closest competitor in EDGE baseband chips and W-CDMA RF transceivers, respectively-Philips Semiconductor-has a new, ambitious owner anxious to position its acquisition to eat your lunch. Or at least grow Philips …

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 downgraded Sprint Nextel …

PORTLAND, Ore.—Enhanced directory assistance provider Metro One Telecommunications Inc. said its revenues continue to be affected by the loss of Sprint Nextel Corp.’s business. Revenues fell 75 percent for the second quarter to $5.1 million from $20.1 million during the …

DURHAM, N.C.—Motricity Inc. continued to fatten its wallet this week, snaring $32 million as part of “a larger funding round” that will gradually be disclosed over the next few weeks. The latest round was led by Advanced Equities Inc. and …

WASHINGTON—NextWave Telecom Inc.-backed AWS Wireless Inc. made three of the highest bids in the sixth round of the advanced wireless services spectrum auction, capturing—at least temporarily—the highly coveted Great Lakes regional 20-megahertz license as well as a 20-MHz license that …

RESTON, Va.—Sprint Nextel Corp. said it won a $1 million settlement in its case against data broker 1st Source Information Specialists Inc. Sprint Nextel secured a permanent injunction against the company in March. The data broker issue came to a …

By Gavin O’Malley NEW YORK—Zenith Media, a part of Publicis Groupe’s ZenithOptimedia Worldwide, has agreed to acquire Moxie Interactive, the Atlanta-based digital advertising agency. Zenith and Moxie have worked together for five years on the Verizon Wireless account, sharing traditional …

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 …

HICKORY, N.C.—In the wake of Andrew Corp.’s rejection of CommScope Inc.’s $9.50 per share acquisition proposal, CommScope said it will not pursue the company further. “After careful consideration with our advisors, CommScope has decided not to pursue its proposal to …

WASHINGTON—South Dakota citizens in November will be able to vote to repeal a 4-percent gross-receipts tax on wireless after the South Dakota Supreme Court last week said the initiative could be placed on the ballot. The decision is a victory …

WASHINGTON—The Association of Public-safety Communications Officials endorsed Cyren Call Communications Corp.’s proposal that would set aside 30 megahertz of spectrum in the upper 700 band for a next-generation public-safety network that industry would build and share with first responders. This …

WASHINGTON—T-Mobile USA Inc. is dominating the Federal Communications Commission’s spectrum auction after three rounds in terms of sheer dollars, with $226.6 million in bids so far. The carrier is the high bidder on 25 spectrum licenses covering 235 million potential …

BOSTON—The U.S. mobile virtual network operator market continues to take hits from naysayers who believe the segment isn’t living up to its hype. The latest blow comes from research firm Strategy Analytics, which predicts the majority of MVNOs will fail …

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—SunCom Wireless Holdings Inc. became the latest carrier to step onto the full-track download playground, teaming with digital music provider Napster L.L.C. to offer a relatively vast library of 2 million tunes. SunCom subscribers can download songs to both …

WESTCHESTER, Ill.—Andrew Corp.’s merger-and-acquisition adventures skidded to a full stop 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 ADC, …

SAN DIEGO—Wireless handset distribution company InfoSonics Corp. saw its second-quarter profit fall due to stock-option charges. Net income for the quarter was $127,000, down significantly from net income of $408,000 during the same period last year. Excluding the stock-options charges, …

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.—XM Satellite Radio Corp. notched its first deal with a U.S. carrier, teaming with Alltel Corp. to offer 20 channels of commercial-free music. The service, which is available for $8 a month, offers several music genres including pop, …

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.—Sprint Nextel Corp. has made changes to its child-location offering designed to simplify the registration process, make the service available to more families and expand the range of handsets that can be used to locate or be located …