2006

The future of the “anywhere Internet” will likely involve a variety of networks and devices, analysts said during a teleconference this week-and if wireless operators want to get in on the innovation, they’re going to have to open up the …

New Wave Mobile Inc. snared a $500,000 investment to fund the launch of a platform the company said will support wireless sales of lottery tickets.New Wave said it expects its acquisition of WagerPhone, a mobile gaming technology company, to close …

Italian teens are leading their U.S. and Western European counterparts in consuming user-generated content and social networking applications, according to new figures from M:Metrics.The market research firm found that 70 percent of 13- to 17-year-old Italian wireless consumers used their …

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 whatever …

Leap Wireless International Inc. said it completed its acquisition of 13 10-MHz licenses from Urban Comm-North Carolina Inc.The cash deal is worth $31.8 million.The licenses include markets in North Carolina and South Carolina and cover more than 4.9 million potential …

Alltel Corp. said it will sell four markets in rural Southern Minnesota to Rural Cellular Corp.Terms of the deal were not released.Alltel had to divest the markets as part of its purchase of Midwest Wireless. The transaction includes licenses, retail …

WASHINGTON-The mobile phone industry plans to take the line-item billing controversy to the U.S. Supreme Court.Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA Inc. asked the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to stay a final order reversing the Federal Communications Commission’s …

WASHINGTON-Key House Democrats said Federal Communications Commission General Counsel Samuel Feder made a weak legal case for authorizing Commissioner Robert McDowell to participate in AT&T Inc.’s hung-up $79 billion acquisition of BellSouth Corp. Meanwhile, a top global equipment supplier warned …

SAN FRANCISCO-Hip-hop continues to rule the ringtone market, according to new charts from two top content providers.Mobile entertainment publisher Moderati said rapper Lil Jon’s “Snap Yo Fingers” has been its top-selling independent-label ringtone over the past year, and fellow hip-hop …

NEW YORK-CTIA unveiled a version of its Web site designed for mobile phones. The site was built by mobile content company Lift Mobile.“Lift Mobile’s service is helping us meet the growing demand for accessing information on wireless devices,” said CTIA …

SAN MATEO, Calif.-Digital Chocolate Inc. scored a high-profile franchise, inking a deal to produce a mobile game based on the hit HBO series “The Sopranos.”The publisher said it will offer a Sopranos-branded game that will place gamers in the front …

WASHINGTON-Industry veteran Dale Hatfield was named chairman of a federally-chartered panel assisting the Bush administration on spectrum reform.“Dale Hatfield’s expertise, seasoned judgment and unquestioned integrity make him the obvious choice to chair this important committee,” said John Kneuer, head of …

Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. tapped JumpTap Inc. to power a mobile-specific search engine for users looking for wireless content.The mobile virtual network operator said JumpTap will provide an advertising-supported search offering designed to deliver ringtones, games, wallpapers and other mobile …

NEW YORK-Scanbuy Inc., which provides a barcode scanning service, announced it garnered new financing and scored a new chief executive officer.The company completed a $9 million, second round of financing led by Longworth Venture Partners, Masthead Venture Partners and Hudson …

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.-Sprint Nextel Corp. is offering a weekly rotation of about 10 free, full-track music downloads from independent artists in an effort to showcase its mobile music store.The carrier is teaming with the Independent Online Distribution Alliance, which boasts …

Machine-to-machine wireless network operator Aeris Communications Inc. said it recently enhanced its data services to support asset tracking, automotive telematics and stolen vehicle recovery using CDMA and GSM networks nationwide-a move that puts the company in the same class as …

SAN DIEGO-Leap Wireless International Inc. said it launched its Cricket-branded service in Portland, Ore., via its Cricket LCW joint venture. Cricket LCW is a collaboration between Leap and WLPCS Management formed in July.Leap began service in 14 new markets this …

SAN FRANCISCO-Former YouTube head of sales Tony Nethercutt has joined one of the hottest start-ups in the mobile-marketing space, AdMob.Before joining AdMob as vice president of advertising sales, Nethercutt headed ad sales for YouTube. Prior to joining YouTube in May, …

RESTON, Va.-Sprint Nextel’s former operations chief, Len Lauer, who was fired from the company earlier this year following Sprint Nextel’s disastrous second-quarter financial performance, has landed at Sprint Nextel’s technology partner Qualcomm Inc. Lauer will be Qualcomm’s corporate executive vice …

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.-With the launch of 10 CDMA2000 1x EV-DO Revision A markets today, Sprint Nextel Corp. has more than met its goal of covering 40 million people with the technology by the end of this year. The carrier said …

T-Mobile USA Inc. grabbed attention among tier one U.S. carriers for the most price drops in early December, with four Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. handsets discounted-and one jumping in price.The Samsung t619 careened from $80 to free, the t319 dropped …

LOS ANGELES-Research In Motion Ltd. is suing Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and the Korean handset vendor’s American subsidiary over the use of the name “BlackJack” for the latter’s new smart phone currently available through Cingular Wireless L.L.C., alleging that it …

PHOENIX-Worldscout Corp. announced it purchased location-services company Alltigo Inc. for an undisclosed sum. Worldscout said the deal will bolster its efforts in location tracking.Alltigo’s Personal Location Tracking Device combines GPS and GSM/GPRS technologies to locate, track and protect, people, vehicles …

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.-Sprint Nextel Corp. is quietly sweetening service deals for a limited time during the holiday season by offering the public the same deals on service that it gives customers who are referred by its employees.Of course, it takes …

DALLAS-A slowdown in wireless chip sales forced Texas Instruments Inc. to trim its fourth-quarter revenue outlook from between $3.46 billion and $3.75 billion to between $3.35 billion and $3.5 billion The company said semiconductor revenues are expected in the range …