2006

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.-VeriSign Inc. will spend $52 million to acquire technology consulting firm inCode Wireless. InCode has 14 offices in 10 countries and provides strategy consulting services to wireless and fixed-line operators as well as cable TV providers and telecom …

MONTREAL-Oz hopes to increase its presence on the mobile messaging playground after raking in $34 million in a second round of funding. Canadian institutional fund Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec led the round, and VantagePoint Venture Partners and …

Editor’s Note: Welcome our Monday feature, Analyst Angle. We’ve collected a group of the industry’s leading analysts to give their outlook on the hot topics in the wireless industry. In the coming weeks look for columns from Strategy Analytics’ Chris …

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.-The nation’s handset vendors are kicking into high gear in time for the holiday shopping season-which started on “Black Friday,” the day after Thanksgiving-with a range of new, advanced products. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., the world’s third-largest phone …

ESPOO, Finland-Nokia Corp. and L.M. Ericsson won T-Mobile USA Inc.’s third-generation network buildout business as the nation’s fourth-largest carrier sets out to offer its 22 million subscribers greater data throughput via W-CDMA technology. The companies didn’t share financial details about …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden-Although L.M. Ericsson announced in September it would hire 500 new engineers to accelerate its research into next-generation Internet Protocol-based networks and multimedia technology, it appears the company is also planning a similar number of layoffs. According to an …

WASHINGTON-The U.S. Copyright Office recommended that mobile-phone subscribers beginning Dec. 1 can keep their handsets to use on other wireless networks when they change cellular operators, a minimum three-year ruling with huge implications for carriers and vendors. “The underlying activity …

French chipmaker Sequans Communications further established its standing in the WiMAX ecosystem, announcing an investment from Motorola Inc. along with an agreement with Alcatel Inc. to supply the vendor with WiMAX chips for customer premise equipment in India and other …

WASHINGTON-Sprint Nextel Corp. has struck a deal to lease satellite TV spectrum from EchoStar Communications Corp., an arrangement that will give the No. 3 wireless carrier on-demand satellite capacity for its emergency response team and engineering sales support programs. “Sprint …

NEW YORK-Crisp Wireless said it built a WAP site for MindShare Interaction to promote Unilever’s I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter brand. The site features Fabio in the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter “Kitchen of Love” originally developed for …

ARMONK, N.Y.-IBM Corp. added to the rapidly consolidating market for vendors serving wireless operators by snapping up privately held Vallent Corp., a software firm that develops network performance monitoring and service management applications for wireless carriers. IMB said adding Vallent’s …

SUNNYVALE, Calif.-Palm Inc. lowered its financial guidance for its second fiscal quarter, which ends Dec. 1, due to delays in shipping its Treo 750 in the United States. The company now expects revenues to fall between $390 million and $395 …

STERLING, Va.-NeuStar Inc. said it acquired Followap Inc., a U.K.-based company that provides mobile instant messaging products for Europe and Asia. The deal is valued at about $139 million. Followap has a customer base of 17 mobile carriers, including Vodafone, …

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands-Nokia Corp. slightly lowered its financial expectations for the coming years, news that caused investors to pause, but the company also unveiled four new slim, mid- and low-tier devices Nokia hopes will boost its worldwide market share. “To …

BOSTON-Comcast Corp. launched wireless service in partnership with Sprint Nextel Corp. in two markets: Boston and Portland, Ore. Comcast’s Mobile Access service is “a new arrangement from Comcast and Sprint that will make it easier for you to access all …

WASHINGTON-The National Telecommunications and Information Administration set Dec. 13 for the first public meeting of a new federal advisory committee created to assist the agency in pursuing new policies envisioned in President Bush’s 2003 spectrum initiative. The panel-comprised of industry …

SAN JOSE, Calif.-The future is all about WiMAX for Alvarion Ltd. now that the wireless broadband solutions developer cut its Cellular Mobile business unit loose for $15 million. The company sold its CMU business to privately held LGC Wireless Inc., …

SAN BRUNO, Calif.-Video-sharing phenomenon YouTube.com has selected Verizon Wireless for its first mobile distribution agreement. Verizon Vcast subscribers will be able to use their handsets to watch and share YouTube user-generated videos, beginning in early December. “People want to be …

WASHINGTON-The National Transportation Safety Board urged federal and state governments to ban motor coach and school bus drivers from using cell phones-except in emergencies-while operating those vehicles, an action that comes as government investigators probe the cause of a school …

NEW YORK-Casual game developer Oberon Media added to its portfolio, snapping up mobile game-maker Blaze for an undisclosed sum. Blaze claims more than 100 carrier relationships and boasts a library of licensed mobile games including The Da Vinci Code, VH1 …

ST. LOUIS-MetroPCS Communications Inc. has tapped Amdocs Ltd.’s Qpass digital commerce platform to deliver mobile content. The carrier said it will use the technology to offer chat and voting services as well as ringtones and graphics. Qpass’ platform will also …

ATLANTA-Palm Inc.’s new Treo 680-combining enterprise applications with multimedia to expand Palm’s traditional market-will launch via Cingular Wireless L.L.C. on Friday at $200, the two companies announced today. The device is compatible with Cingular’s GSM/GPRS/EDGE network. The holiday-season launch is …

BASKING RIDGE, N.J.-As chocolate-lovers know, their favored confection appears in many colors. And Verizon Wireless and LG Electronics Co. Ltd. appear to be banking on the near-universal appeal of the sweet and holiday color schemes to sell their new Chocolate …

SHENZHEN, China-Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. racked up a contract with Mobistar to deploy mobile switching centers as the Belgium-based carrier transitions its core network from TDM to a distributed Internet Protocol architecture over the next several years. Huawei said its …

SAN FRANCISCO-In September Sprint Nextel Corp. said it would help marketers target ads for its mobile Web pages by gender or region, for example. Now the nation’s wireless-service providers are getting ready to roll out a new targeting tool for …