2007

The French finally got their chance to embrace another American export last night. Move over McDonalds and EuroDisney. Orange, the iPhone’s exclusive French carrier (owned by France Telecom), offered a typically complex French equation for those who wanted the device: …

Verizon Wireless announced it will use Long Term Evolution technology for its fourth generation network. The carrier said that it and parent company Vodafone Group plc will begin testing LTE technology next year with equipment suppliers Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Motorola Inc., …

A class-action law firm has begun an investigation into mobile virtual network operator Virgin Mobile USA Inc. to determine if it bears any civil liability under federal securities laws to its shareholders.Kahn Gauthier Swick L.L.C. alleges that the MVNO may …

Google Inc. apparently got so fed up waiting for more GPS-enabled devices to hit the market that it has taken matters into its own hands. Google Maps for Mobile users can now have their location automatically set, with or without …

Is the mobile-phone industry’s increasingly reluctant embrace of open access really a concession to consumers, or an inescapable inevitability driven in part by legal developments that have forced carriers to loosen their iron-clad grip on networks and handsets and otherwise …

A California consumer group has filed a lawsuit in federal court against Sprint Nextel Corp. accusing the No. 3 mobile-phone carrier of improperly assessing taxes and fees on broadband data customers. The San Diego-based Utility Consumers’ Action network claims Sprint …

Mobile Satellite Ventures said the Federal Communications Commission waived a requirement that it build a ground-based spare satellite in the event of satellite failure.FCC rules require mobile satellite service licensees, like MSV, to build an on-the-ground spare satellite within one …

Verizon Wireless introduced a new business-oriented device to its lineup-the XV6800.The device, which is available online and in stores beginning Dec. 5, runs the Windows Mobile 6 operating system, and includes support for Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents as …

The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.Carrier –Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services assigned a B- corporate credit rating to Virgin Mobile USA Inc. The outlook is stable. …

Verizon Wireless’ declaration this morning that “any application, any device” will run on its network next year is clearly an overstatement-Verizon’s CDMA network allows only CDMA-based devices, in use by 60% of subscribers in the United States market, but only …

Verizon Wireless’ open platform announcement was met with a mix of optimism and skepticism by parties at the forefront of a campaign to persuade the Federal Communications Commission to mandate that mobile-phone carriers allow third-party devices and applications on their …

Verizon Wireless said it will take a wrecking ball to its notorious garden walls, opening its network to third-party devices and applications. What that means for developers and consumers, though, is far from clear.The nation’s No. 2 carrier-generally the most …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to Yay or Nay, a feature for RCR Wireless News’ new weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. Every week we’ll review a new wireless application or service from the user’s point of view, with the goal …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to a special edition of 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 …

Homes with access to the NFL Network may be hard to find, but Sprint Nextel Corp. is giving the new channel more exposure by adding live NFL game coverage and other key moments of all games televised on the network …

One little press release can change everything (including this column).Verizon Wireless’ announcement today that starting next year it will begin allowing any device and any application to work on its network is groundbreaking-and smart.Verizon Wireless has a tradition of innovation, …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to On the Margins, a feature for RCR Wireless News’ weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. Every week, the RCR Wireless News staff considers events in the wider business world and how they could affect the …

Verizon Wireless announced this morning a major shift in its position on non-carrier-offered devices and applications, saying it will begin activating any device that meets a “minimum technical standard” and will allow “any application the customer chooses” to be used …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to Reality Check, a feature for RCR Wireless News’ new weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. We’ve gathered a group of visionaries and veterans in the mobile content industry to give their insights into the marketplace. …

The following list details this week’s infrastructure awards for the cellular, Wi-Fi and WiMAX industries. The contracts are broken down by transmission technology, country and vendor. The value of the contract is included when available.Cellular–China: Alcatel-Lucent won contracts with China …

Earlier this month at the World Radiocommunication Conference, the International Telecommunication Union approved various frequency bands for mobile communications. More than 2,800 delegates representing 164 member states negotiated the future of wireless communications as the group aimed to achieve global …

While you were contemplating the origins of cranberry sauce in a can, a federal judge Friday let stand a jury verdict in Santa Ana, Calif., that found Qualcomm Inc. infringed on three Broadcom Corp. patents. The “willfulness” finding against Qualcomm, …

AT&T Mobility and LG Electronics Co. Ltd. are betting that American consumers will upgrade their handsets based on a combination of style and features-and are willing to pay the price. Those are the twin lures of LG’s new Shine handset, …

The mobile-phone industry asked a federal appeals court to overturn a new federal mandate setting minimum requirements for backup-power sources at cell sites and other wireless facilities, arguing the government overstepped its legal authority in attempting to address communications problems …

Virgin Mobile USA Inc. named a telecom and customer service veteran as VP of its customer management team.Ted Vagelos will oversee Virgin Mobile USA’s 4.8 million wireless customers, and the company said his primary objective will be “integrating the company’s …