2006

Hello! And welcome to our Thursday column, Worst of the Week. There’s a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCR Wireless News to rant and rave about …

LOS ANGELES—Mobile virtual network operator Xero Mobile Inc. said that it is now testing its technology and service in preparation for a 2007 commercial service launch. Xero plans to target college students with a large number of free handsets and …

CARY, N.C.—TowerCo L.L.C. announced that its credit facility from CapitalSource has been raised from $35 million to $75 million. The two-year-old tower company said it will use the funds to expand its tower portfolio from its existing 360 towers to …

SINGAPORE—Wireless casino software developer Spiral Solutions Ltd. said it has acquired the Ki-Bi card content distribution business. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Spiral subsidiary Spin3 took over Ki-Bi from Zone-IP Ltd. and will retain the Ki-Bi brand. Ki-Bi …

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.—After eye-opening, second-quarter results that seemed to tilt the handset game table in its favor, Motorola Inc. announced third-quarter revenue and earnings that fell short of guidance and analysts’ expectations—despite otherwise strong fundamentals and record handset shipments. The news …

BEDFORD, Mass.—Boston Communications Group Inc. said the settlement of all patent litigation brought against it by Freedom Wireless has been completed. The two companies announced a settlement in July that called for BCGI to pay $55.3 million for licensing rights …

RIVERSIDE, Calif.—AT&T Inc. announced plans to build an 80-square mile citywide Wi-Fi network in Riverside, Calif., by early next year. The company said the network is intended for both public and municipal use and stands as the company’s largest Wi-Fi …

NEW YORK—Mobile marketing took another step toward the mainstream as noted advertising firm R/GA launched a division to address wireless phones. The agency, which has moved aggressively to embrace digital advertising platforms in recent years, outlined an effort “to meet …

IRVINE, Calif.—Chip-maker Broadcom Corp. is crowing that its W-CDMA baseband chip is shipping in Panasonic’s new 3G handset for Japanese operator SoftBank Mobile Corp. Broadcom has already secured W-CDMA chip business with Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., the third-largest handset vendor …

SAN FRANCISCO—Detroit and Minneapolis-St. Paul have the highest rates of wireless substitution among the 20 largest U.S. cities, according to research by Telephia. Detroit led the list of cord-cutting rates, with 19 percent of its 1.47 million households using only …

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—US Wireless Online, a wireless Internet broadband network operator, said it plans to sell a majority equity interest in the company to IElement Corp. under a nonbinding letter of intent signed by the companies. Dallas-based IElement provides advanced communication …

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.—Sprint Nextel Corp. officially announced plans to move forward with Qualcomm Inc.’s QChat push-to-talk service, which the carrier said will work across both its iDEN and CDMA2000 1x EV-DO Revision A networks. The carrier currently uses iDEN technology …

SAN FRANCISCO—Actuate Corp. has teamed with software developer Webalo to launch an Internet-based service that delivers integrated, managed spreadsheets to mobile devices. The service couples Webalo’s User Proxy offering with the Actuate 9 e.Spreadsheet product to address user interface issues …

DALLAS—Fixed wireless service provider Airband Communications dove into the southern California wireless market by scooping up RedWire’s high-speed Internet access and Voice over Internet Protocol business. Airband’s President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Spagnolo stated the company plans to enhance …

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Regional carrier SunCom Wireless Holdings Inc. unveiled its GoodCall prepaid service targeted at low-usage, first-time wireless users and budget-conscious consumers. Customers can choose from the Motorola Inc. C115, the Nokia Corp. 6010 and the Nokia 6061. The initial set …

SINGAPORE—The GSM Association said 12 operators joined its “3G for All” campaign, which aims to make third-generation wireless service available to the mass market. Cingular Wireless L.L.C., Globe Telecom, Hutchison 3G, KTF, MTN, Orange, Smart, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, Telenor, T-Mobile …

NEWARK, N.J.—Prepaid wireless service provider TuYo Mobile, which focuses on Hispanic and bi-lingual customers, launched service in Los Angeles and Orange County, Calif. TuYo is a service of IDT Corp., which offers telecom services including calling cards, local and long …

By Alice Z. Cuneo and Jack Neff SAN FRANCISCO—Motorola Inc. today named veteran package goods marketer Kenneth “Casey” Keller as chief marketing officer, succeeding the late Geoffrey Frost. Keller, a P&G veteran, joined the H.J. Heinz Co. in 1998 and …

IRVINE, Calif.—WiSpry Inc., a developer of chips with radio frequency integrated circuits for wireless devices, picked up $13.5 million in its second round of funding. New investor L Capital Partners led the round, joined by fellow new investor Hotung Capital …

NEW YORK—Mobile music and video may be sexier applications, but carriers looking to cash in on wireless data should focus on messaging applications, according to a report from eMarketer Inc. The market research firm said text messaging, multimedia messaging, e-mail …

WASHINGTON—InPhonic Inc. said it has partnered with Delta Air Lines on a loyalty program that allows customers to earn travel miles via wireless purchases. The Delta SkyMiles Wireless program allows SkyMiles members to shop for calling plans and wireless devices …

SAN DIEGO—PacketVideo Corp. hopes to increase its European presence with the acquisition of Berlin-based software developer TwonkyVision GmbH. Terms of the deal were not announced. PacketVideo produces multimedia software for mobile phones and counts the world’s 10 largest manufacturers among …

LONDON—Nokia Corp. is teaming with Turner Broadcasting to offer content from the Cartoon Network directly to wireless users. Subscribers will be able to browse and download games, video clips and other offerings from a dedicated mobile storefront via the Nokia …

SEOUL, South Korea—As promised, the world’s two tier-one Korean handset vendors rebounded from their second-quarter doldrums. Based on handset shipment volumes—and despite a strong showing in North American markets—LG Electronics Co. Ltd. slipped to fifth place in global rankings behind …

LOS ANGELES—Just in time for holiday sales, Amp’d Mobile has added a Motorola Inc. Razr to its handset lineup and designed a $100 promotional package that includes a headset, universal adapters and a memory card when customers sign a two-year …