August 2006

ASPEN, Colo.-The debates over net neutrality, protecting minors from nefarious content and digital rights management took a hiatus from their usual home in Washington, D.C., and were hashed out in picturesque Aspen, Colo. instead. The annual mountain conference of the …

In other Wi-Fi news, AeroScout Inc. announced the launch of its enhanced Wi-Fi-based active RFID chip, the T2 Tag, which is used primarily for asset-tracking in the healthcare and manufacturing industries. The company’s latest enhancements to the T2 include a …

The executive shuffle continued last week at RadioShack Corp. as President and Chief Operating Officer Claire Babrowski said she will step down at the end of the month. But the chain’s woes go far beyond the front office’s revolving door. …

WASHINGTON-The mobile-phone industry-and plaintiffs with health-related lawsuits against it-stand at a critical crossroads. Various judges are moving closer to issuing rulings on whether such legal challenges should go forward or fall by the wayside, as so many have since the …

BOSTON-Mobile virtual network operators Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. and Helio L.L.C. are more effective at using the Internet to drive brand awareness and sales relative to their peers, according to a new report from market research firm Compete Inc. The …

WASHINGTON-Cyren Call Communications Inc. believes it can convince Wall Street to pledge at least $5 billion for the U.S. Treasury in an effort to get around congressional opposition to its proposal to set aside 30 megahertz of spectrum in the …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Trade Commission is creating a task force to evaluate the thorny subject of network neutrality, although the FTC chairman told a Colorado audience Aug. 21 that she does not think there is a problem. “The FTC’s Internet Access …

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—The market for long-form mobile video will begin to gain traction in 2008, according to new figures from In-Stat. The market research firm said that while long-form wireless TV—video content of more than 30 minutes—is still in an experimental …

WASHINGTON—Bidding has slowed dramatically in the advanced wireless services spectrum auction, also known as Auction 66, with an average of about 140 new bids placed in the last few rounds. Click here for the latest headlines from the AWS auction. …

WASHINGTON-The Association of Public-safety Communications Officials said it will examine challenges calling 911 using Voice over Internet Protocol and other advanced communications technologies as part of its Project Locate. Locate is an acronym for Locate Our Citizens At Times of …

TOKYO—Japanese wireless operator NTT DoCoMo Inc. plans to dissolve a small subsidiary that focused on helping businesses use wireless phones more efficiently. Allucher Inc. had two employees and $384,000 in capital, and had been established in 2004 under an internal …

SHENZHEN, China—Reports are streaming out of China that ZTE Corp.’s net earnings fell 47 percent during the first half of 2006 compared to the same period last year. The company blamed its lackluster earnings on a slowdown in sales within …

BenQ Corp. announced it will spend an additional $400 million on its handset business-BenQ Mobile, which ranks just below the world’s top five handset vendors-while spinning off non-mobile businesses to strengthen the handset brand. The electronics firm has been making …

WASHINGTON-Alltel Corp. agreed to contribute $100,000 to the U.S. Treasury, but did not admit it violated a Federal Communications Commission rule that requires carriers to prove they are protecting customers’ call records. The FCC proposed fining Alltel in January after …

SHERMAN OAKS, Calif.-Wireless video provider GoTV Networks said it planned to broadcast made-for-mobile news coverage of Sunday’s Primetime Emmy Awards. The company plans to conduct red-carpet interviews with celebrities and offer reports from pre- and post-ceremony events and receptions. The …

Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. topped a new prepaid wireless customer satisfaction survey from J.D. Power & Associates. The rankings covered mobile virtual network operators and traditional wireless operators. The survey examined responses from about 4,000 current prepaid wireless customers on …

LOS ANGELES-A new partnership between TV Guide Mobile Entertainment Inc. and 4INFO Inc. aims to deliver TV listings to cellular phones. Wireless subscribers will immediately be able to search for programs by title, time or channel. The offering will work …

Now that Sprint Nextel Corp. has committed to WiMAX technology, it’s time to wonder if other carriers will follow suit. No doubt, carriers make next-generation investment decisions based largely on how they think they can best leverage their existing assets …

It may seem like you’ve been hearing about the concept of a “wireless wallet” for decades, but in North America, at least, m-commerce is very much in its infancy. Mobile money seems to be getting legs in Japan, where credit-card …

What the world (particularly poor countries) needs now is more leaders like Amirzai Sangin, Afghanistan’s minister of communications. The against-the-odds progress achieved by Sangin, who made the rounds in official Washington last week before heading up to New York to …

WASHINGTON-China suddenly faces serious time, economic and political pressures to issue third-generation wireless licenses in a way that showcases its homegrown TD-SCDMA standard for the 2008 summer games in Beijing, with Bush administration and wireless industry officials closely monitoring the …

The wireless industry simply won’t shut up about mobile marketing. And the biggest brands in the United States are listening. Mega-corporations across the country are scrambling to approach Americans on their wireless phones. Subway restaurants in Buffalo, N.Y., have teamed …

Leap Wireless International Inc. filed a lawsuit claiming that MetroPCS Communications Inc. had stolen its business plan-only to be accused of stealing in its own right. The lawsuit could be part of a major legal assault by Leap against small- …

The FLO Forum said it approved a specification for its mobile TV network technology, a move that will allow equipment makers to build gear designed to work on any FLO-based network and enable operators to choose products from multiple vendors. …

MIAMI—Mobile-phone distributor Brightstar Corp. said it has completed expansion of a $250 million credit facility. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. led syndication of the credit facility; other investors included HSBC, USBank, Fifth Third Bank, Western Bank, CIT and IBM. Brightstar, …