2006

RESTON, Va.—Sprint Nextel Corp. said it won a government contract worth an estimated $679 million to continue providing telecommunications services for federal agencies. The General Services Administration awarded Sprint Nextel the Federal Telecommunications System 2001 Bridge contract, which Sprint Corp. …

SANTA ANA, Calif.—Powerwave Technologies Inc. reworked its $336 million acquisition agreement with Filtronic plc, paring the deal down to $185 million in cash along with 17.7 million in shares of Powerwave common stock. In June, the two companies struck an …

MINNEAPOLIS—Internet Service Provider US Internet won a contract to build and operate a 54-square-mile, citywide Wi-Fi network in Minneapolis using equipment from BelAir Networks. The agreement spells out that the city will pay US Internet $2.2 million up front and …

WASHINGTON—Dobson Communications Corp., T-Mobile USA Inc. and Leap Wireless International Inc. are among the bidders still jockeying for spectrum in the advanced wireless services auction. The auction continues to creep toward a close, with just 64 bids in recent rounds. …

ESPOO, Finland—Nokia Corp. this week announced the pending launch of three new handsets in its L’Amour Collection line of fashion phones aimed at the European market. The new handset models are 7390, 7373 and 7360; they are expected in European …

   MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—Google Inc. has joined the mobile marketing playground with a wireless version of its AdWords service. The Internet giant quietly launched the offering that allows AdWords customers to place marketing messages—including clickable links—in listings retrieved through Google’s …

   NEW YORK—In a note to investors this week, CIBC World Markets analyst Ittai Kidron wrote that LG Electronics Co. Ltd.’s Chocolate phone has “challenged” the dominance of Motorola Inc.’s Razr, though actual sales of LG’s much-touted handset have been …

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.—Sprint Nextel Corp. launched a branded, pay-per-view movie service that offers nearly four dozen classic films and recent releases. Sprint Movies, which is powered by mSpot, allows users to watch films in their entirety or view chapters that can …

Here’s what got us talking in the RCR Wireless News editorial department last week: Throwing caution, and perhaps good sense to the wind, the Wi-Fi Alliance has decided that it will begin certifying pre-standard IEEE 802.11n products beginning next year. …

PARIS-Alcatel Inc. cut a deal with Nortel Networks Ltd. to buy the Canadian supplier’s UMTS radio access business for $320 million. Alcatel says the purchase will strengthen its UMTS market position as well as its research-and-development capabilities, namely in HSxPA …

292 is the magic number for Finland’s Lassi Etelatalo, who threw a Nokia cell phone 292 feet to win the World Mobile Phone Throwing Championships. The event’s organizers said about 100 people participated in the 7th annual contest, which was …

SANTA CLARA, Calif.-Atheros Communications Inc. isn’t wasting any time getting its pre-802.11n Wi-Fi technology on the market, having launched its new pre-n chips and networking processors last week. The company says its launch of pre-n gear could push WLAN access …

TOKYO-KDDI Corp. said it plans to invest $1.73 billion over the next three years to upgrade its network to CDMA2000 1x EV-DO Revision A technology. Japan’s second-largest carrier said the upgrade should boost network speeds roughly tenfold, allowing downloads up …

TOKYO-Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc. said it launched HSDPA service in Tokyo, and plans to cover all major Japanese cities with the technology by the end of October. The carrier is selling its new HSDPA-capable phone, the N902iX, to support …

Creating the homeland security regime in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks also prompted a long, overdue re-examination of the nation’s emergency alert system. The warning system was created more than a half-century ago when mobile phones, …

Space Data Corp. landed a $49 million contract to supply the U.S. Air Force with a communication system that sends radio-equipped industrial balloons filled with hydrogen or helium to between 12 miles and 62 miles above sea level. Space Data …

The third week of the advanced wireless spectrum auction showed significant slowing in bidding action. Nevertheless, it appears the Sprint Nextel Corp.-cable joint venture is aiming to build a broad footprint of 20-megahertz B-block licenses. Click here for the latest …

Since ditching merger negotiations and a takeover bid a few weeks ago, Andrew Corp. has been busy buying back 2.4 million shares of its common stock at an average price of $9.10 per share. “We believe the share repurchase program …

ATLANTA-PC maker Lenovo is selling a laptop computer that has built-in support for Cingular Wireless L.L.C.’s EDGE- and UMTS/HSDPA-based networks. The laptop is selling online for around $1,900. “ThinkPad users can now enjoy wireless broadband Internet access via the Cingular …

Sprint Nextel Corp. last week launched a new program for enterprise customers, hoping to be a “one-stop shop” for a range of needs from fleet dispatch management to mobile device management, with additional aspects to be added to the program …

MIAMI-Mobile-phone distributor Brightstar Corp. said it has completed expansion of a $250 million credit facility. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. led syndication of the credit facility; other investors included HSBC, USBank, Fifth Third Bank, Western Bank, CIT and IBM. Brightstar, …

If you’re seeking evidence that mobile marketing is truly-and finally-gaining ground, look no further than Third Screen Media’s bottom line. The Boston-based firm claims it saw more revenue in July than during the entire first quarter of the year, thanks …

Valista Ltd. is vying for more space on the mobile payments playground with a hosted, WAP-based offering for carriers in the United States and Europe. The Dublin, Ireland-based developer this week plans to unveil a new platform designed to serve …

PLAINFIELD, Ind.-Brightpoint Inc. handled roughly 42 million mobile phones last year and may handle 60 million or more this year. But whatever you do, don’t call the company a distributor. “If anything, we are a customized logistics company,” Senior Vice …

Qualcomm Inc. declared victory after a U.S. district court dismissed an antitrust lawsuit filed by fellow chipmaker Broadcom Corp. Broadcom’s complaint, which was filed in July 2005, accused Qualcomm of violating antitrust laws by charging too much to license its …