2006

RICHMOND, Va.—Patent-holding company NTP Inc. said it filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Treo maker Palm Inc. that claims the company’s mobile e-mail products infringe on NTP’s patents. NTP filed the claim in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern …

CHICAGO—BridgePort Networks, which specializes in mobile Voice over Internet Protocol convergence, said it raised $13 million in venture-capital financing from existing investors TD Capital Ventures, Polaris Venture Partners, General Catalyst Partners and BCE Capital. The company said it has raised …

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Army said it will evaluate Nokia Corp.’s wireless technology for potential military and defense applications. Nokia said it has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the Army, agreeing to showcase technologies including W-CDMA, GSM and …

ALEXANDRIA, Minn.—Rural Cellular Corp.’s financial losses widened during the third quarter, despite an improved churn rate and a $6 jump in average revenue per user due mostly to roaming revenue. The company’s operating income was down $6.2 million compared with …

ATLANTA—A new Motorola Inc. Razr V3 “R” phone shipping to Cingular Wireless L.L.C. stores is equipped with MP3 capabilities, but not Apple Computer Inc.’s iTunes platform, a Cingular spokesperson said. “This would be in line with our strategy of providing …

OKLAHOMA CITY—Dobson Communications Corp. reported a third consecutive quarter of profits and increases to its subscriber base, and the company said it hopes to maintain its momentum as it enters 2007. Dobson added 23,500 net customers during the third quarter, …

SUNNYVALE, Calif.—Yahoo Inc. stepped further into the white-hot mobile marketing arena, launching a “graphical advertising platform” for its wireless service. The company outlined a platform that supports interactive ads that users can click on to access more information or place …

LONDON—Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications announced plans to purchase UIQ Technology AB, a subsidiary of Symbian Ltd. UIQ, based in Sweden, licenses its user interface and application development platform to mobile phone vendors worldwide, including Sony Ericsson. The two companies have …

SAN DIEGO—Leap Wireless International Inc. said it signed an agreement to provide its users direct access to Google Inc.’s wireless products and services. The deal allows Leap customers to use Google’s Gmail e-mail service, Google maps and the company’s search …

TORONTO—Nortel Networks Ltd. narrowed its overall loss for the third quarter to $99 million and said that it would go ahead with a plan to consolidate its shares on a 1-for-10 basis. Nortel had reported a $136 million loss at …

WASHINGTON—Online wireless retailer InPhonic Inc. said its third-quarter net loss widened despite an increase in revenues. The company also announced it reached a settlement “in principle” with the District of Columbia Attorney General over a consumer-protection lawsuit that revolved around …

Ordinary people like Luke Johnson sit at the intersection of social networking and the cell phone. Searching for something new that he could do involving video-sharing site YouTube.com, Johnson woke up one night with an idea: Why not post his …

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission rejected Cyren Call Communications Inc.’s broadband public-safety plan only days after putting it out for public comment. The move stands as a setback for Cyren Call, but Morgan O’Brien, the company’s chairman, said it won’t stop …

Two years after Cingular Wireless L.L.C. acquired AT&T Wireless Services Inc. and drove Verizon Wireless out of its spot as the largest U.S. wireless carrier, Verizon Wireless’ performance has allowed the carrier to reintroduce some superlatives. Verizon Wireless is touting …

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.-Embarq Corp. plans to offer its wireless customers push-to-talk services and parental controls on a Sanyo Corp. 2400 mobile phone. Embarq, which has a mobile virtual network operator relationship with Sprint Nextel Corp. after being spun off from …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission launched a rulemaking to determine whether rules are necessary to reduce the number of migratory bird collisions with cell-phone towers and other telecom antenna structures, setting the stage for a pitched battle between environmentalists and the …

Leap Wireless International Inc. said it will allow its Cricket customers to roam in Cricket markets across the country without paying an additional fee. The carrier also announced a new WAP-based wireless portal and a new rate plan that includes …

The Palms Hotel and Casino is now accepting live wagers on mobile betting devices, according to Progressive Gaming International Corp., which developed the system. The Rapid Bet Live Wireless technology was tested during last week’s Monday Night Football game between …

Qwest Communications International Inc. reported a profitable third quarter with net income of $194 million, reversing a $144 million loss the company reported in the same quarter last year. Further, Qwest said the penetration rate of its service bundles increased …

WESTCHESTER, Ill.-Consolidation among communications vendors continued as Andrew Corp. announced plans to spend $50.5 million in cash to buy the wireless division of EMS Technologies Inc. Georgia-based EMS Wireless racked up revenues of $28.5 million during the first half of …

LOS ANGELES-Helio L.L.C., the self-proclaimed mobile virtual network operator for the young and hip, will launch additional handsets this year and next, according to Rick Heineman, the company’s head of media relations. Heineman promised to give more details on the …

Motorola Inc. reiterated its concern over a proliferation of counterfeit accessories, particularly Bluetooth headsets, purported to be made by Motorola and reaching consumers in the United States. Motorola warned that the counterfeits are cheap fakes, won’t perform as advertised and …

Trying to form a sense of the sprawling chip market for mobile phones is akin to getting a tape measure around an elephant’s waist. With dozens of players and product types, the chip industry that enables the fantastic functions of …

Good news! In hedgehogging this week, we found a lot of positive things to say about new apps and devices. And you thought we were just a bunch of disgruntled journalists. Maybe it’s the sugar high from all the Halloween …

For mobile content players, these are either the best of times or the worst of times. Or, in some cases, both. Investment money continues to flow into wireless content and marketing. Thumbplay Inc., a direct-to-consumer aggregator, hauled in $10 million …