2007

The groups behind the Ultra Mobile Broadband technology for wireless communications-which is often referred to as a 4G technology-announced that the specifications for the air interface have been published, and that UMB is now poised to become an official standard. …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to our weekly feature, 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 from Current Analysis’ …

The phrase “pop up” typically elicits a collective response of tempered rage-being synonymous with computer spam and otherwise uninvited interruptions-but VH1 Mobile is hoping to take a more positive tact with its new “Pop Up Video To Go” service.The service, …

Mobile banking service provider Clairmail Inc. is partnering with digital infrastructure provider VeriSign Inc. to offer financial institutions multiple options for mobile banking as a managed service.The two companies made the announcement today, but said they have been working together …

THE WIRELESS INDUSTRY INCREASINGLY FINDS ITSELF on the defensive on policy fronts across the board, a situation with the potential to disrupt the deregulatory framework and the fundamental business model prevalent during the sector’s phenomenal success the past three decades.A …

Like Al Pacino in “Scent of a Woman,” the mobile advertising space is just gettin’ warmed up. And so is the sniping.Nokia Corp. cranked up the already-deafening buzz last week, agreeing to acquire Boston-based mobile marketing firm Enpocket for an …

VERIZON WIRELESS AND VODAFONE GROUP PLC will move toward a common network technology path for their respective networks and specifically mentioned the use of LTE technology without a formal commitment to that choice, according to remarks by company executives last …

THREE OF THE LARGEST REGIONAL wireless carriers are in the process of being acquired by national operators, as the nationals push further into rural and suburban markets and seek to expand their coverage and continue their growth in the face …

All that cash being poured into voice-activated search is beginning to look like a good bet.A recent study from Usable Products Co. indicates speechrecognition technology finally may have become user-friendly. The New York-based market research firm tested four mobile search …

Alan Bergstein has been named publisher and editorial director of RCR Wireless News. Bergstein, who was previously president-publisher of IDG’s Bio-IT World, is set to join RCR Wireless News Oct. 1.Bergstein is a senior media executive with more than 25 …

Leap Wireless International Inc. sent a stinging rebuke to MetroPCS Communications Inc. in response to its merger proposal, but most analysts believe the public sparring is simply a precursor to an almost inevitable merger.Both companies, which compete in the flat-rate, …

“It’s official” is the phrase that introduces news from Apple Inc. when months of Apple-fueled media frenzy reach fruition with actual announcements.Last week, the top operators in the United Kingdom (O2), Germany (T-Mobile) and France (Orange) said they will sell …

A friend in need is a friend indeed. This mantra seems to ring remarkably true at Alcatel-Lucent, evident by its wide reach and the position it finds itself in the telecom industry.The telecom equipment maker fused a breadth of French …

Declare yourself a voterCricket Communications Inc. said it has signed up as a presenting sponsor of the Declare Yourself nonpartisan, youth-voter initiative, which encourages 18-year-olds to register and vote in the 2008 elections. Cricket will work with the organization to …

Like most things that taste good but that are not good for you (think Dairy Queen Blizzard) the industry’s taste for mergers and acquisitions is getting out of hand, leaving a bad taste for many.Over the past several weeks, a …

These are tenuous times for T-Mobile USA.Having spent $4.2 billion for 120 licenses in last year’s advanced wireless services auction and seeing its German sister company ready to live with the iPhone, you can understand why T-Mobile USA might be …

If you’ve been reading the tea leaves for signs of Nokia Corp.’s resurgence in the United States, a more tangible sign could be sitting on the shelves at you local AT&T Mobility store.The Nokia 6555, a mid-tier clamshell priced at …

The next big thing in mobile virtual network operators may not look much like the MVNOs that have been launching-and sometimes crashing-in the past couple of years. With the hype around the space settling into caution, observers see a new …

MetroPCS Communications Inc. urged the Federal Communications Commission to address alleged efforts to run up local termination fees levied by incumbent and competitive wireline carriers within the scope of an upcoming rulemaking on a related practice regarded as access-charge traffic …

Nokia Corp., two handset rivals and semiconductor companies active in the memory space are pursuing an open standard dubbed universal flash storage that could smooth the uptake path for a variety of converged mobile and consumer electronics devices.The standard is …

Patent reform is often billed as a battle between high-tech and pharmaceutical heavyweights, but in reality sharp divisions exist such that Motorola Inc., Qualcomm Inc., InterDigital Communications Corp., Texas Instruments Inc. and others are fighting largely Democratic-crafted legislation backed by …

Wireless carriers should be expected to speak highly of their networks-it’s arguably their greatest asset alongside spectrum holdings-but the No. 3 and No. 4 carriers are now enabling customers to build their own micro networks of sorts. Are they giving …

Record labels and carriers are looking for creative ways to keep the lucrative ringtone party alive. But a handful of startups have taken a cue from music group REM, asking, “Why don’t we give it away?”Ringtones for years have been …

AT&T Mobility announced earlier this month that it has expanded its W-CDMA/HSDPA service to McAllen, Texas (population: just over 125,000). That’s great news for McAllen, but a stark reminder that the nation’s No. 1 carrier has yet to launch its …