August 2006

So Sprint Nextel fired its chief operating officer, Len Lauer. The carrier said it is making changes in the management of its core operations and that Lauer would leave the company immediately. Gary Forsee, Sprint Nextel’s president and chief executive …

Nortel Networks Ltd. came out of the closet last week touting dual-radio Wi-Fi gear that’s being used in large-scale network deployments in Moscow and Taipei, Taiwan, as well as in small and medium-sized cities, counties and university campuses. Kyle Klassen, …

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 …

PLAINFIELD, Ind.-Brightpoint Inc. inked a deal to supply wireless devices and accessories to online retailer Newegg Inc. Newegg operates a storefront for manufacturers of consumer electronics, communications equipment and hardware and software. The 5-year-old company claims nearly 6 million registered …

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 …

WASHINGTON-A New York federal judge refused to certify a potentially disruptive class-action lawsuit against the four national mobile-phone carriers, possibly removing from the line of fire for now the latest antitrust challenge to the standard industry practice of packaging wireless …

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 …

Len Lauer, Sprint Nextel Corp.’s chief operating officer and one of the company’s most high-profile executives, left the company last week after the carrier’s dismal second quarter put management under pressure to make a turn-around. Sprint Nextel announced that Lauer …

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 …

Nextlink Wireless Inc. announced it’s expanding its wireless broadband reach into Atlanta, Chicago and Houston and said it plans to continue aggressively leveraging its spectrum holdings in the United States’ 75 largest markets. Earlier this year, Nextlink launched broadband access …

Wherify Wireless Inc. will retail its Wherifone GPS Locator phones through Toys `R’ Us outlets nationwide starting Oct. 1, after a long delay during which the firm twice re-engineered the product. Wherify plans to sell the phone under a mobile …

VANCOUVER, British Columbia—Sierra Wireless Inc. says it expects to begin shipping wireless wide area network cards supporting CDMA2000 1x EV-DO Revision A networks during the first quarter of 2007, along with cards for HSDPA networks later in the year. The …

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 …

While Motorola Inc. grabbed the spotlight after posting strong, second-quarter results last month, the American vendor’s success obscured a remarkable surge in shipments by Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P. Sony Ericsson shipped nearly 19-percent more handsets from the previous quarter, …

Age, income, gender and location are among the familiar elements of demographic-based marketing across industries and, to an extent, the wireless industry has embraced the basics. One-touch dialing for pre-teens and seniors, feature-loaded, expensive gadgets for early adopters, pink handsets …

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands-Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. launched a handset equipped with Unlicensed Mobile Access technology in Italy. Samsung’s SGH-P200 phone runs on the Nexperia chip from Royal Philips’ Philips Semiconductor division. Philips’ Nexperia offering uses the company’s low-power wireless local area …

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 …

HELSINKI, Finland—Nokia Corp. and Siemens AG announced the business unit and regional leadership team for their planned Nokia Siemens Networks with the expectation that the proposed merger will be approved and begin operations by Jan. 1, 2007. “We are making …

SHERMAN OAKS, Calif.—Wireless video provider GoTV Networks said it will 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 content …

WASHINGTON—The Sprint Nextel Corp./cable joint venture appears to be achieving a national footprint without the benefit of costly regional licenses. Click here for the latest headlines from the AWS auction. Click here for full AWS auction coverage. As of round …

CHICAGO—U.S. Cellular Corp. increased its service revenues and average revenue per user in the first quarter of 2006, but its net customer additions were down compared to the year-ago period. U.S. Cellular posted a14 percent year-over-year increase in service revenues, …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden—L.M. Ericsson said it won a $1 billion contract to expand and upgrade Bharti Airtel’s GSM/GPRS network in India. The three-year deal includes managed services, including design, development and deployment of Bharti’s network. The two companies have an existing …

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. Pacific Growth Equities initiated coverage on Texas Instruments …

RESTON, Va.—Sprint Nextel Corp. launched a new program that gives business clients a single point of contact for their various mobility needs. The “Sprint Advanced Wireless Solutions” program provides business customers with a one-stop-shop experience along with a single contract …

The value of the contract is included when available. Click here for additional infrastructure awards from RCR Wireless News. Cellular France: Bouygues Telecom selected Nortel Networks as a supplier for its national high-speed mobile Internet and voice network. Nortel will …