2006

WASHINGTON-Government spectrum managers are being challenged like no time before in efforts to clear the way for next-generation mobile phone and wireless broadband services-as well as rectify serious interference problems-through messy licensee relocation and frequency re-banding processes. Indeed, relocation and …

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 …

SUNNYVALE, Calif.-Mobile technology startup SiBEAM said it snared $21 million in Series B venture funding. Foundation Capital led the round, which included follow-on investments from New Enterprise Associates and U.S. Venture Partners. SiBEAM, which designs chips for gigabit-speed wireless equipment, …

WASHINGTON-The California legislature last week passed wireless-related bills that prohibit driver use of handheld cell phones in the nation’s most populous state, enhance Wi-Fi security and allow consumers to contest unauthorized wireless charges. A bill that would have given new …

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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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. …

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.-Sprint Nextel Corp. and Novatel Wireless Inc. announced the first CDMA2000 1x EV-DO Revision A card for use on the carrier’s soon-to-launch network. Sprint Nextel noted the card will support “a mobile DSL experience” with higher uplink and …

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 …

LOS ANGELES-Rhino Entertainment is targeting Generation X wireless users with content from classic children’s television shows from the 1970s and `80s. The division of Warner Music Group unveiled Krofft Mobile, a suite of ringtones, ringback tones, video ringers and images …

DENVER-Qwest Communications International Inc. said it plans to launch Sanyo Electronics Co. Ltd.’s Katana handset to its customers nationwide. The Katana, or model 6600, is a thin, clamshell phone that more than nods at Motorola Inc.’s Razr. “Katana,” Sanyo points …

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 …

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, …

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 …

Two briefings. Two telecom execs. One conclusion: The market of one is the future-and companies that successfully navigate that space will profit from this small audience. Today, carriers have segmented their subscribers in several ways: there is the business user, …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission is moving closer to deciding whether to seek a rehearing or possibly a Supreme Court review of a federal appeals court’s rejection of rules that pre-empt states from regulating certain line items on consumers’ monthly bills, …

BRISTOL, Conn.-Mobile ESPN L.L.C. reported plans to offer college football fans the chance to watch up to 25 live games each month during the season from their Mobile ESPN wireless phones. The mobile virtual network operator announced that it will …

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 …

In the Aug. 21 article “Philadelphia loses chief of Wi-Fi push to consulting firm linked to muni network,” Dianah Neff was not fully named as Philadelphia’s departing Chief Information Officer.