February 2008

Brightpoint Inc. racked up enviable revenues and profits in the fourth quarter and all of 2007 and gave optimistic projections for the current year in its earnings report. But Wall Street had expected substantially higher earnings-per-share, sending the handset distribution …

EarthLink Inc. has officially shut down all operations related to its municipal Wi-Fi projects that hit the skids last summer. Making good on earlier promises, the company is looking for potential buyers after writing down a $20.7 million charge on …

Verizon Wireless said its users will get exclusive access to an entire “mobile album” from hip-hop producer Timbaland.Timbaland, a five-time Grammy nominee, will be the first subject of Verizon Wireless’ Mobile Producer in Residence program. The program will begin production …

The Federal Communication Commission’s 700 MHz auction began its first day of six rounds-per-day bidding pretty much the way it left the previous five rounds-per-day of bidding: A dwindling number of new bids focused on the A, B and C …

Canadian operator Telus Mobility said it will become the first North American operator to offer Zi Corp.’s mobile search service.The service, dubbed Qix, is designed to allow wireless uses “to access the full range of features on their device simply …

Alcatel-Lucent reported a loss of $3.74 billion during the fourth quarter, bringing its total loss to $5.1 billion for 2007. The company’s stock was down less than 4% to $6.02 on the news, however it has suffered a steady decline …

Two groups sued the Bush administration in an attempt to gain access to public records on questioning and searches of cellphone directories, laptop computer files and other property of travelers at U.S. borders. The Asian Law Caucus and Electronic Frontier …

TerreStar Corp. said it received $300 million in investor commitments through the launch of its hybrid mobile satellite, with the transaction also giving the company access to additional frequencies to improve North American coverage.The funding will be provided by EchoStar …

The rut continued in the Federal Communication Commission’s 700 MHz auction with the final rounds of the day mirroring what transpired during the opening three rounds. Rounds 44 and 45 received 172 and 174 new bids respectively, with additional potential …

Sprint Nextel Corp. has been hit with a class action lawsuit alleging the No. 3 mobile phone carrier is defrauding wireless consumers. The lawsuit was filed in Illinois federal court.“Defendants have misled and deceived consumers by extending consumers’ contracts for …

The hype cycle offers fertile ground for startups. Consider modu, a private company based in Israel, which today provided that familiar, heady mix of grandiose claims, intriguing technology, long launch window and big-name backers that often ignites press speculation.Less than …

The grind is on. After topping the $19 billion mark yesterday — prodded by some arm-twisting from the Federal Communications Commission — the 700 MHz auction resumed this morning with a trio of rounds, each slower than the previous one. …

Hello! And welcome to our Thursday column, Worst of the Week. There’s a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCRWirelessNews.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs …

Just how big a problem is prepaid mobile-phone trafficking in the United States? All signs point to a potentially huge black market of international scope.AT&T Mobility, the nation’s largest mobile-phone carrier, alleges in a suit filed in Texas federal court …

Medio Systems Inc. launched an on-device portal designed to give users one-click access to content on the wireless Web.The offering uses predictive text and a single universal search box to help users find real-time information as well as downloadable content. …

Blue Frog Mobile Inc. may have uttered its last “ribbit.”The Seattle-based interactive TV firm filed for bankruptcy last week under Chapter 7, signaling its intention to sell off its assets. The company claimed liabilities of less than $1 million and …

AT&T Inc. has hired the Discovery Channel’s new-media guru, Chris Schembri, to oversee the allocation of its $3.3 billion annual media budget.Schembri, known for creative and out-of-the-box marketing campaigns, will take the title of VP of media services, directing the …

The Federal Communication Commission’s 700 MHz auction slowly crawled past the $19 billion mark this afternoon. Bidders laid down 203 bids during round 40, the last round of the day, adding $19.7 million to a total auction pot of $19.02 …

Sensing a slowdown in the proceedings, the Federal Communications Commission instituted its so-called “Stage Two Transition” beginning with this morning’s round 36, effectively requiring 700 MHz auction participants to keep bidding or quit the game. The rule stipulates that bidders …

Bango is moving beyond wireless transactions and into the world of mobile marketing.The U.K.-based firm, which specializes in off-deck activity, launched an offering designed to allow mobile advertisers to track the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns. Bango Analytics counts the …

Apple Inc. has ensured that its customers have enough memory on their iPhone and iPod to store and consume more digital media from … presumably, Apple’s iTunes or its new movie rental service.The company said Tuesday it would sell 16 …

The Federal Communications Commission extended by six months the deadline for streamlined local number portability processing.The new deadline is July 31, though regional telecom operator Embarq — which requested a delay of streamlined LNP guidelines until Sept. 31 so it …

Voce’s promises are now just a hollow echo of P.T. Barnum’s famous dictum, “there’s a sucker born every minute.” “The ultimate service,” the now-defunct mobile virtual network operator’s Web site still assures viewers. “Voce redefines customer care.” In the case …

Sprint Nextel Corp.’s subsidiary Boost Mobile and mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. tweaked their unlimited voice, data and messaging plans.Boost Mobile introduced a new $1 per day voice plan for pay-as-you-go customers, which includes unlimited nights, unlimited mobile-to-mobile and …

Two telecom agencies identified frequencies for testing spectrum sharing between federal and non-federal users, but there is concern that the Bush administration will not meet its self-imposed 2008 deadline for completing the project.The Federal Communications Commission designated 10 megahertz in …