Editor’s Note: The RCR Wireless News Time Machine is a way to take advantage of our extensive history in covering the wireless space to fire up the DeLorean and take a trip back in time to re-visit some of the more interesting headlines from this week in history. Enjoy the ride!
Apple cracks open the iPhone: Move expected to entice enterprise and app developers
Four days after Apple Inc. released its iPhone software development kit (SDK), the company announced that more than 100,000 developers had already downloaded the set of application programming interfaces (APIs) and tools used to create applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Interest is definitely high. People around the industry continue to talk about the “iPhone effect” nine months after it was released. … Read More
Whistleblower links wireless carrier to warrantless wiretaps
A new whistleblower has surfaced with allegations that a major wireless carrier may have given the U.S. government wholesale access to subscribers’ calls and other proprietary information. The claims, which are strikingly similar to those in a 2006 suit filed against Verizon Wireless and others, arise at a critical moment in a high-profile fight between the White House and Congress over whether telecom companies should be given retroactive immunity for participation in the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program begun after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. … Read More
T-Mobile USA, Leap ready to roll out AWS markets
Almost 18 months after the advanced wireless services spectrum auction wrapped, carriers are on the verge of commercially launching networks and devices that make use of the recently cleared 1.7/2.1 GHz spectrum bands. Although the carrier hasn’t launched any AWS markets yet, Leap Wireless International Inc. recently released the first CDMA handset in the United States to support the 1700 MHz spectrum band. The UTStarcom CDM7126 handset initially was for sale for $120 to customers in Tulsa, Okla., with plans to expand to all of its markets. … Read More
NextWave inks deal with Alcatel-Lucent: Contract to provide NextWave with WiMAX TV solution
NextWave Wireless Inc. tapped Alcatel-Lucent to develop WiMAX broadcast solutions that the company plans to integrate with its recently announced MXtv technology. NextWave plans to use the technology to give WiMAX operators the ability to deliver multimedia services like mobile TV and digital audio over their networks. Terms of the agreement were not announced. … Read More
Congress targets carriers’ ETF plans
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) asked chief executives of AT&T Mobility, Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA Inc. to explain whether they will pro-rate early termination fees as previously promised. Her letter comes amid a new Government Accountability Office report that found shortcomings with how the Federal Communications Commission processes consumer complaints. … Read More
Search for the mobile masses: Mobile search set to explode as platform evolves
It’s no secret that trying to find content or information on a mobile phone is a daunting task for most consumers. Carrier deck layers can seem like concentric circles of hell, wireless Web searches are often ill-suited for wireless devices, and the screen sizes of most wireless phones aren’t much bigger than a postage stamp. And entering data via a 12-button keypad is a concept Torquemada must have dreamt up. So carriers and software developers are hoping to offer some contextual healing, developing services that take into account all the information that can be gleaned from a phone to deliver the most accurate search results possible. … Read More
Moto CEO: head-hunting exec for device business: No new details on possible spin-off
Motorola Inc. is on the lookout for an executive to lead its troubled handset division to the promised land, according to CEO Greg Brown, who said yesterday he is currently spending 80% of his time on resurrecting the unit. Brown made his remarks to an audience at the Morgan Stanley Technology Conference in Dana Point, Calif. Dubbed a “fireside chat,” the event was one of Brown’s first major forums for discussing Motorola’s future since he assumed the CEO role Jan. 1. … Read More
Carriers go all in with unlimited pricing plans: Big 4 target $100 price point with new plans
After years of only minor price plan tweaks and occasional promotional offers, the nation’s four largest carriers have ignited a new pricing war centered around unlimited voice calling minutes for $100 per month. And in a move that begs for a response, Sprint Nextel Corp. last week said it would include unlimited everything in its offer. … Read More
Nokia, Qualcomm ‘stand down’ for upcoming case: Rivals seek court’s expertise in contract law over expired agreement
Nokia Corp. and Qualcomm Inc. have ended their arbitration process over the renewal of an expired cross-licensing contract and agreed to consolidate the major issues with a FRAND case in Delaware Chancery Court, to avail themselves of that court’s reputation for speed and expertise in corporate contract law. FRAND stands for fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, required by standards-setting bodies for the licensing of patents declared “essential” to a standard. … Read More
It’s good to be in the tower biz: In-building coverage, new uses of wireless and new spectrum point to healthy market
The wireless industry relies on towers like a lifeline. All those wireless calls, messaging exchanges and data downloads and uploads rely on a steadily budding array of transmission towers. Without them, nothing happens. Bearing that in mind, it’s no surprise towers are considered one of the safest financial investment plays in the entire industry. … Read More
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