#TBT: PTT battles in full swing; Verizon Wireless top carrier … 11 years ago this week

Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes all in for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the top headlines from the past. Fire up the time machine, put on the sepia-tinted shades and enjoy the memories!
Patent office will decide who owns ‘push to talk’
Whether generic or proprietary, the phrase “push to talk” may become the words of war in the wireless industry in the next few years. As it stands today, Nextel Communications Inc. has claimed it has an exclusive right to trademark the phrase. Others disagree, noting the phrase has been around since World War II. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has not given definitive approval to Nextel’s request to be issued the trademark. The iDEN carrier has received a final review of its trademark application with the federal agency, but that does not entitle the carrier to any exclusive claim to the trademark, according to the USPTO Web site. … Read More
Lauer says Sprint PCS’ Ready Link service will equal Verizon PTT offering
Sprint PCS President Len Lauer said the carrier expects its upcoming Ready Link push-to-talk service will be competitive with Verizon Wireless’ current offering, though would still fall short of the sub-one-second call latency provided by Nextel Communications Inc. Direct Connect service. “I feel fairly good about where we are in our push-to-talk,” Lauer said at a Morgan Stanley investor conference in Boston. “I think we’ll have a competitive product compared with Verizon’s.” Despite the greater latency compared with Nextel’s service, Lauer added that Sprint PCS would provide other advantages including a variety of push-to-talk handsets. … Read More
Startups, stalwarts target enterprise space
“No one ever got fired for buying IBM.” It’s a saying that has been floating around the business world for years. It highlights both the complications technology shoppers face as well as the challenges of selling such technology. And those going up against IBM Corp. and other technology giants understand its significance. The saying “is a combination of the fact that we’re a very stable company … and our level of expertise in the area,” said Norm Korey, vice president of wireless solutions for IBM. “We can tap into resources that most people can’t.” … Read More
Nextel slips, Cingular improves in rankings
With nearly all wireless carriers having reported second-quarter results, or at least filing an extension with the Securities and Exchange Commission, N. Moore Capital Ltd. released its quarterly carrier metric rankings that showed continued domination by nationwide carriers, which took the top three positions and seven of the top 10 spots. The rankings cover 21 North American wireless operators and are based on five operational metrics: subscriber growth as measured by penetration gain, average revenue per user, customer churn, pre-interest expense free-cash-flow per subscriber per month and cost of acquisition. Carriers are ranked from first to 21st in each category with the lowest overall score taking the top prize. … Read More
LNP costs could trigger consolidation
In addition to an expected jump in customer churn, analysts predict a huge financial burden tied to the implementation of wireless local number portability that eventually could ignite carrier consolidation rumors that have been simmering since the government relaxed spectrum cap rules last year. A study by market strategy consultant iGillottResearch Inc. found that a 10-percent increase in customer churn associated with the implementation of WLNP could cost the industry more than $20 billion over four years. iGillottResearch founder and president Iain Gillott noted that while the figure represents a “worst-case scenario” for the wireless industry, the losses are possible since “nobody truly knows what the effect of WNP will be in the U.S.” … Read More
Motorola looks to exit Symbian
Despite just releasing a phone based on the Symbian operating system, Motorola Inc. said it will exit the OS venture. Nokia Corp. said it and Psion plc have begun procedures with Motorola to transfer Motorola’s shares in Symbian to Nokia and Psion. Once the transaction is completed, Nokia would increase its shareholding from about 19% to 32%, and Psion would increase its Symbian ownership to about 31%. Nokia said the transfer would not affect Motorola’s existing licensing arrangement with Symbian. … Read More
Customer-care problems lead to churn, J.D. Power asserts: Photo messaging, PTT are most desired features
Wireless customers unhappy with their carriers’ customer care are more likely to switch service providers, according to J.D. Power and Associates’ 2003 Wireless Customer Care Performance Study. The group found that 26% of those who rated their latest customer-care experience as below average are “definitely” or “probably” likely to switch from their current carrier in the next year, while just 7% of those who experienced above-average customer care are likely to switch. J.D. Power said 55% of wireless users have contacted customer care in the past year-76% by phone, 21% at a retail store and 3% via e-mail or Internet. … Read More
Nokia blitzes emerging markets
In a strategic blitz to take advantage of the revenue streams in what industry experts call emerging or new-growth markets, Nokia Corp. has rolled out a string of mobile phones, business models and network solutions. Pointing out Russia, India and Latin America as prime examples of this initiative, the company described the markets as capable of lifting worldwide mobile subscriptions to 2 billion by 2008 from the current 1.2 billion. … Read More
Competitors see RIM’s legal battles as business opportunity to track enterprise market
Although Research In Motion Ltd. has worked to diffuse concerns over its ongoing legal troubles, some of the company’s competitors see RIM’s high-profile court battles as an opportunity to promote their own products. “We certainly don’t want to knock RIM,” said Martin Schwartz, managing partner with Wireless2Web L.L.C. “It occurred to us that there may be others out there that may be concerned about RIM’s problems looking for alternatives.” … Read More
Alternative 3G solutions try to gain followers
While most wireless operators are in the midst of launching third-generation wireless data services using traditional base stations over licensed airwaves, an increasing number of smaller, independent companies have begun deploying high-speed wireless data services using unlicensed spectrum and both proprietary and standards-based technologies that could alter the 3G landscape. Many industry analysts and wireless carriers have dismissed competition between wide area network-based 3G services and local area network services, citing distinctively different coverage areas from each network. Analysts have noted that wide area networks can cover several square miles with a single base station while a local area network access point generally covers less than 300 feet in most urban surroundings. … Read More
Check out RCR Wireless News’ Archives for more stories from the past.
Photo courtesy of the Marconi Society.
Bored? Why not follow me on Twitter?