August 2006

   RESTON, Va.—Sprint Nextel Corp. ousted its chief operating officer, Len Lauer. The company released a statement saying it is making changes in the management of its core operations and that Lauer was leaving the company immediately. Gary Forsee, president …

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.—Motient Corp. increased its ownership of TerreStar Networks Inc. from 54.3 percent to 55.1 percent, according to an 8-K filing the company made. The transaction involved Motient Ventures Holding Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Motient Corp., purchasing more …

   REDWOOD SHORES, Calif.—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 will sell the phone under …

WASHINGTON—Leap Wireless International Inc.’s flat-rate-service patent infringement suit against MetroPCS Communications Inc. in a Texas federal court could be the start of Leap’s major legal assault against small- and mid-sized wireless carriers around the country that are trying to emulate …

ATLANTA—PC maker Lenovo announced it is now selling a laptop computer that has built-in support for Cingular Wireless L.L.C.’s EDGE- and UMTS/HSDPA-based networks. The laptop is selling online for around $1,900. “ThinkPad users can now enjoy wireless broadband Internet access …

The advent of contactless payment technology in mobile handsets ushers in big possibilities for credit-card companies, network operators, and handset and chip vendors-if all parties can agree on an equitable business model. For consumers, new technologies such as near field …

BERWYN, Pa.-Michael Kalogris, chairman and chief executive officer of SunCom Wireless Holdings Inc., has resumed his official duties after taking a medical leave of absence due to injuries he sustained in a car accident. SunCom’s chief financial officer, Eric Haskell, …

While perusing the Telus Mobility Web site-hey, it was a slow week-we noticed the Canadian carrier was offering a Motorola Inc. M800 Bag Phone for the bargain price of $500 without a contract. In this day and age of ever-decreasing …

SAN FRANCISCO-Burger King Corp. 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 tests, such as …

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa.-InterDigital Communications Corp. issued guidance for the third quarter, saying it expects to record revenues of between $67 million and $68 million. The guidance is below average analyst estimates of $69.02 million for the quarter. The company’s …

SAN FRANCISCO-Mobileplay, a mobile content company that delivers free ad-supported content to wireless users, said it has added a variety of new content to its stable of offerings. Among the company’s new content partners are Fodor’s, which offers hotel and …

Belgian car fanatics can now download a free ringtone that features the revving engine of a Porsche Cayman S. The ringtone is an interactive “mupy” promotion offered by communication agency DDB, urban furniture company JCDecaux and wireless marketing firm Alterwave. …

WASHINGTON-The National Telecommunications Cooperative Association used a member survey to bolster its argument that Americans living in rural communities served by non-regional Bell operating companies have access to broadband services. Those services are defined as 200 kilobits per second of …

PALO ALTO, Calif.-Social networking provider FriendFinder.com said it launched a new payment system that allows its members to be billed for the company’s services via their cellular carrier. “We are turning on a (premium short message service) billing system that …

HELSINKI, Finland-Nokia Corp. was set to launch its fourth flagship store last week, taking the wraps off a multimedia retail outlet in its home country. The world’s largest handset maker planned to open the doors Aug. 18 at the new …

Amid intensified airport security, U.S. passports outfitted with RFID technology rolled off the government’s presses as the U.S. State Department began issuing electronic passports to the public. The State Department said e-passports are being produced at its Colorado Passport Agency …

Sprint Nextel Corp. CDMA affiliate iPCS Inc. has claimed victory in a lawsuit that could force Sprint Nextel to divest its iDEN operations in the affiliate’s territory. Sprint Corp. took control of the iDEN network when it acquired Nextel Communications …

DUBLIN, Ireland- The company behind the .mobi movement plans to auction off thousands of domain names for Web sites dedicated for wireless use. Top Level Domain Ltd. (also known as mTLD and DotMobi) released a 149-page document of “premium” names. …

The buzz surrounding mobile TV and full-track downloads grows increasingly deafening as the industry heads into next month’s CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment show in Los Angeles. But for now, at least, the most lucrative application in wireless may be …

CHICAGO-Boeing Co. grounded its money-losing, in-flight communications offering known as Connexion, saying it plans to “facilitate an orderly phase out” of the service. “Over the last six years, we have invested substantial time, resources and technology in Connexion by Boeing,” …

The global, mobile handset business is a rough-and-tumble arena that requires players to succeed in a daunting number of areas that include technology, design, manufacturing, distribution, marketing and relationships-most factors obscured by the shipment and market-share numbers provided on this …

Everyone knows that pink is hot, at least when it comes to sales of Motorola Inc.’s Razr V3 handset. But what about the cachet of the recently released blue Razr, a Motorola exclusive for Cingular Wireless L.L.C.? After appearing on …

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-Motorola Inc. topped a list of most trusted handset brands compiled by Forrester Research Inc. The manufacturer, most known for its wildly successful Razr handset line, posted a B in brand trust, A- in brand potential and B in …

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 …

DALLAS-Moving advanced functionality from smart phones down to feature-rich phones is a goal on many minds, fueled by cost reductions in chipsets, among other things. Texas Instruments Inc. and LG Electronics Co. Ltd. took a step in that direction when …