August 2006

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 …

Chinese equipment supplier Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. landed a deal to deliver CDMA2000 network equipment to Leap Wireless International Inc. for market buildouts in Spokane, Wash.,; Boise, Idaho; and Reno, Nev. Huawei said it plans to deploy its SoftX3000-Softswitch, Air …

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 …

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. …

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 …

WASHINGTON-A federal judge in Detroit Thursday issued a ruling to halt the National Security Agency’s warrantless-wiretapping program. However, Judge Anna Diggs Taylor said the American Civil Liberties Union could not sue to stop a separate program-the data mining of telecommunications …

WASHINGTON-When T-Mobile USA Inc. signed the contract to provide wireless priority access service to Washington, D.C., and New York City in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the carrier’s national sales manager, Robert Kaplan, thought he would be …

Sprint Nextel Corp. is launching a new advertising campaign focused on the quality and capabilities of its network. The new tagline for the carrier’s ads will be: “Sprint. Power Up.” The nation’s third-largest carrier will launch internal employee campaigns and …

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, …

Higher-throughput speeds for Wi-Fi got slowed down again as the IEEE’s 802.11n task group’s vote on the second draft of the wireless specification was postponed until January. Frank Hanzlik, managing director of the Wi-Fi Alliance, which tests and certifies products …

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 …

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.-Google Inc. quietly snapped up mobile photo-recognition software developer Neven Vision for an undisclosed sum. Neven Vision’s technology automatically extracts information from photos, allowing users to categorize images or search for specific types of pictures. Google plans to …

IRVINE, Calif.-Search company go2 plans to deliver sponsored listings from Yahoo Inc. through its mobile service. Go2 Directory Systems, which is offered on the decks of Cingular Wireless L.L.C., Sprint Nextel Corp. and Verizon Wireless, will deliver relevant links from …

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 …

Tropos Networks Inc. launched a new line of smart-routing, multi-band MetroMesh routers. The company’s first such product, the dual-band 5320 outdoor unit, sports 802.11a and 802.11b radios, and can create multi-band paths through a mesh network. Tropos said both radios …

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 …

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 …

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 market …

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,” …

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 …

SAN DIEGO-Qualcomm Inc. said it plans to spend $18 million to acquire Qualphone Inc., a provider of IP Multimedia Subsystems software for mobile devices and interoperability testing services. Qualcomm noted the acquisition, which is expected to close this month, will …

As the advanced wireless spectrum auction moved into its second full week, competition for regional licenses was slowing considerably and a number of potential new wireless players had dropped out. T-Mobile USA Inc. appears likely to succeed in its quest …