2006

WASHINGTON—Guard-band licensees in the 700 MHz band have asked the Federal Communications Commission to scrap existing band rules that govern how they operate and adopt a plan that they say would give public-safety users a nationwide interoperable wireless broadband network. …

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—Openwave Systems Inc. announced the acquisition of SoloMio Corp., a Texas-based provider of integrated subscriber call management services. Terms of the all-cash deal were not disclosed. Key to the deal is SoloMio’s Smart Call platform, which supports both …

SINGAPORE—The Asia Pacific premium content market will explode from a $9.4 billion industry this year into a nearly $33 billion market by 2011, according to new figures from Frost & Sullivan. The market research firm said growing 3G networks, expanding …

SUNNYVALE, Calif.—Following Google Inc.’s lead, Yahoo Inc. said it expanded its sponsored-search offering to wireless phones in the United States and United Kingdom. The Internet giant announced the beta launch of a service that returns sponsored, clickable links with search …

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission tapped cell-phone association CTIA and wireless infrastructure trade group PCIA as clearinghouses for moving existing 2.1 GHz licensees to new frequencies to make room for new advanced wireless services operators. “PCIA is pleased that the commission …

WASHINGTON—Northrop Grumman Corp.’s five-year, $500 million contract to build a broadband public-safety wireless network in New York City could become the new model for equipping city and state officials with state-of-the-art equipment that enables interoperable voice and data communications offered …

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Mobile search startup JumpTap Inc. snared $22 million in a financing round as it welcomed new investor Valhalla Partners. Valhalla led the round, and existing investors General Catalyst Partners, BCE Capital and Redpoint Ventures also participated. JumpTap, which offers …

RESTON, Va.—Ali Tabassi, vice president for technology development at Sprint Nextel Corp., predicted diverse spectrum and technology assets, combined with proven strategic partners, will give the No. 3 mobile-phone carrier a substantial headstart over competitors in wireless broadband deployment in …

With big fanfare but little surprise, T-Mobile USA Inc. announced it would begin deploying UMTS technology across its network beginning early next year. The move follows the recent completion of the Federal Communications Commission’s advanced wireless services auction that saw …

Sprint Nextel announced that it will sell the Motorola Slvr, Krzr and Razr sometime in “early November.” We’re trying to figure out exactly why Sprint Nextel issued this press release. Why didn’t Sprint Nextel just wait until the phones were …

Nortel Networks Ltd. has made no secret of its plans to play big-time in the WiMAX ecosystem. Shortly after Sprint Nextel Corp. announced its plans to build a nationwide WiMAX network, Nortel named Peter MacKinnon as the new general manager …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to a new weekly feature at RCRNews.com, 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 …

BOSTON—Several vendors are launching WiMAX strategies and products as they prepare to take the stage at the WiMAX World USA 2006 trade show, running tomorrow and Wednesday in Boston. Among the announcements that coincide with the show: Andrew Corp.’s Comsearch …

Like most things in wireless, the mobile TV contest boils down to devices, networks and—perhaps most importantly—spectrum. As such, two U.S. companies are racing to build mobile TV networks using the same transmission standard (DVB-H), and both trumpet their position …

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. announced it will expand its directory assistance and search agreement with Tellme Networks Inc. so that the vendor will now power all of the carrier’s 411 calls. Tellme previously scored a deal with AT&T Wireless …

WASHINGTON—Online phone retailer InPhonic Inc. announced it will power the online mobile phone sales of retailer Best Buy Co Inc. InPhonic said it will be the provider and fulfillment partner of cellular products and services on BestBuy.com. “We are very …

VANCOUVER, British Columbia—Canadian operator Telus Mobility launched two handset-based Global Positioning System services developed by Networks In Motion. Telus said its new Navigator and Kid Find services are now available using the carrier’s CDMA2000 1x coverage area in British Columbia, …

BOSTON—Wireless enterprise data services in North America will generate more than $10 billion each year by 2010, according to a study from research firm Strategy Analytics Inc. The company said the market will serve more than 41 million users in …

“Idealistic” isn’t a word commonly associated with venture capitalists. But Brian Biniak, founder of the new wireless venture-capital firm Provenance Ventures L.L.C., believes there is a business case for making the world a better place. “Some people complain about it, …

 World Wrestling Entertainment is encouraging its fans to register to vote via an online voter registration campaign that urges young adults to register to vote using their cellular phone. WWE is using Mobile Voter’s text messaging tool to allow its …

LONDON—Wireless giant Vodafone Group plc selected two U.S. companies to manage its application development and maintenance services around the world. Vodafone chose to outsource the operations to EDS and IBM Corp. after an eight-month process and 11 competitive bidders. The …

WASHINGTON—In the ongoing battle over whether national carriers should have to provide automatic roaming access to smaller operators, SouthernLinc Wireless is pleading its case as an iDEN operator with only one potential national roaming partner: Sprint Nextel Corp. SouthernLinc, which …

The wireless industry already has MyCircle, Inner Circle, Mobile-to-Anyone, and Sprint-to-Home. Add to that list “myFaves,” the new offer from T-Mobile USA Inc. that allows customers to make unlimited calls to a handful of wireless or wireline numbers. The move …

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.—Customer spending on wireless services continues to increase, according to the latest survey by J.D. Power and Associates—and consumers’ expectations of their wireless carriers will continue to rise along with their spending. The firm’s latest customer satisfaction survey …

We are gathered here today to mourn the passing of a friend, a pioneer an innovator: Mobile ESPN. First of all I want to thank all of those how showed up today, especially the true supporters of Mobile ESPN, those …