2007

If you were expecting AT&T’s rivals to slash, say, smartphone prices in the wake of the iPhone launch, you’d be wrong. A check on handset pricing over the past week revealed little by way of “me too” price cuts by …

Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. said that its users have earned more than 9 million minutes of free airtime since the mobile virtual network operator instituted its Sugar Mama program, which offers customers the chance to receive calling minutes in exchange …

Shares of Oasys Mobile Inc. continued their descent after the company lost two board members and defaulted on an $8 million loan.The Raleigh, N.C.-based outfit filed documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission disclosing the resignations of J. Winder Hughes …

Tira Wireless said it will expand beyond mobile entertainment after pocketing $5 milion in a Series D funding round.The San Mateo, Calif.-based company has gained considerable traction by helping game-makers and other publishers deploy their offerings across a broad swath …

Nortel Networks Ltd. has secured a three-year contract with Cricket Communications Inc. valued at $135 million, to supply the carrier with CDMA equipment as it expands its network coverage with CDMA2000 1x and EV-DO Rev. A equipment, the Toronto-based company …

Software vendor Synchronoss Technologies Inc. said that it has signed a multi-year deal with AT&T Inc. to “support the launch and ongoing operational support” for the iPhone. Stephen Waldis, president and CEO of Synchronoss, called the unique iPhone activation process …

Welcome to our Monday column, Analyst Angle. Every Monday, the industry’s leading analysts give their outlook on the hot topics in the wireless industry, from carriers to content to handsets to infrastructure. The July 4th holiday is just behind us, …

Tens of thousands of customers opening up their shiny, new iPhones during opening weekend experienced a different way to activate a wireless device-outside the store.Instead, customers were pointed to Apple Inc.’s iTunes for activation, in a transaction that was powered …

Conventional wisdom suggests a presidential-level veto of an International Trade Commission ruling is a long shot, especially compared to pardons or, say, commutations of prison sentences.But maybe not in this case. There’s the ITC patent infringement/import ban ruling against Qualcomm …

Telecom vendors cheered the signing of a U.S.-Korea trade pact boasting key market-opening telecom provisions, but the bilateral accord faces an uphill battle in Congress and skepticism about whether wireless and other American high-tech sectors will gain as much as …

Wireless is still drawing considerable interest-and dollars-from venture-capital companies, but VC investment overall saw a dip in the number of deals in the first quarter as investors concentrated on exit strategies, including initial public offerings. Some of the biggest IPOs …

Two U.S. carriers have unveiled converged Wi-Fi/cellular products that use Unlicensed Mobile Access technology and offer customers the chance to stretch their wireless minutes and improve in-home coverage by relying on Wi-Fi for voice calls. Regional telco Cincinnati Bell was …

MediaFLO USA Inc. has scooped up some exclusive mobile premieres since its launch in March and it plans to continue. In late June, the company broadcast the mobile premiere of MTV Network’s “Super Sweet 16: The Movie” before it hit …

Maybe it’s fitting that the two newest players in mobile social networking are named after sea creatures. Because they’re diving into a very crowded pool.Cellfish Media L.L.C. is hoping to be a one-stop shop for on-the-go consumers with a new …

WHILE FRONTLINE WIRELESS L.L.C., Congress and the mobile-phone industry sound off in the final throes of a testy, high-profile 700 MHz debate, the steady, low-key diplomacy of the public-safety community could prove decisive in determining whether the Federal Communications Commission …

Major wireless policy debates are increasingly ceasing to be Inside-the-Beltway brawls limited to high-powered lobbyists hired by well-heeled, warring industry factions. Instead, proponents of ambitiously controversial proposals-particularly those promising to extend the reach of a free and open Internet-have been …

Worldwide mobile content revenues are expected to surpass $44 billion in 2011, more than double the expected $20 billion in revenues generated this year, according to iSuppli Corp.The mobile market research firm said the growth largely will be driven by …

It’s beginning to look like all that money being poured into mobile search may end up in the pockets of patent lawyers.Shares of Local.com Corp. skyrocketed last week after the online search company said it had received a patent for …

MediaFLO USA Inc. is locking up high-profile content deals and shifting into overdrive as it nears its service launch with AT&T Mobility. Meanwhile, its would-be competitors remain in idle as they work to lock up their first carrier customers.While the …

Hedge*hog*ing v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cube. Nokia-Siemens sent out a press release this week stating that Finnish ISP Nebula was beginning to offer “very high speed broadband Internet …

The wireless industry has watched since 2001 as Sony Corp. and L.M. Ericsson joined forces to tackle the handset market. Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications focused on profitability first and has attained fourth place in global handset-vendor rankings. The JV’s financial …

MobileStorm Inc. said it is working with the MGM Grand Las Vegas hotel to help it promote events at its Studio 54 and Tabu nightclubs. The promotions will use text messaging and mobile billboards to invite patrons to events. The …

HOLLYWOOD, Calif.-Hollywood and gaming have been cohorts for quite a while, but their relationship is budding in new ways as film and TV properties look to drive their brand beyond the big screen.Whereas mobile games may have been an afterthought …

Covering the Hatfields’ and the McCoys’ blood feud might be easier than sifting through the conflicting claims between Broadcom Corp. and Qualcomm Inc. over patent rights and competitive issues.The two chip vendors’ public rhetoric continued to heat up last week, …