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!
FCC tests find no interference, AWS-3 auction draws closer: T-Mobile USA disputes findings while M2Z pops cork
The Federal Communications Commission tentatively concluded that nationwide broadband operations in the advanced wireless services-3 band will not interfere with T-Mobile USA Inc. and others in the advanced wireless services-1 band, possibly signaling the agency is close to issuing final rules for an auction next year that could prove disruptive for the telephone-cable high-speed Internet duopoly. The report, issued by the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology, is an analysis of laboratory bench tests conducted Sept. 3 – 5 in Seattle on the potential for interference from operations in the AWS-3 band – the 2155 – 2180 MHz – to those in the AWS-1 band at 2110 – 2155 MHz. … Read More
Handset market evaluation: Analysts to focus on Nokia’s outlook on Thursday: Third-quarter earnings moot, due to meltdown
Financial analysts typically gauge companies on their future prospects, not past performance.
That is acutely so for the current moment in history, a couple weeks into the critical fourth quarter.
The collapse of the financial sector, tightened credit markets and global repercussions that began in mid-September had little impact on third-quarter numbers, analysts said. But those forces have yet to wreak their full havoc and thus the focus has shifted to current and future impacts across the patchwork quilt of global economies. Many believe that wireless handsets and service, though widely perceived as indispensable to modern life, are hardly immune to the growing financial malaise. … Read More
Consumers, carriers spar on short-code rules: Critics claim ‘content-based discrimination’
Public-interest groups accused wireless carriers of conjuring up misleading excuses to avoid federal regulation of short-code text messaging, pointing to content restrictions in industry documents that they say underscore the need for anti-discriminatory safeguards. “Wireless carriers admit that they engage in content-based discrimination,” Public Knowledge, Free Press, Consumer Federation of America and others told the Federal Communications Commission. “Therefore, the wireless carriers should bear the burden of demonstrating why refusing to grant short codes is necessary, just and reasonable.” The controversy over whether the Federal Communications Commission should treat short codes as a regulated common carrier telecom service or as a largely unregulated information service is a subset of a broader debate over telecom carriers’ control of their networks. … Read More
Economics, politics could force Verizon Wireless away from Alltel purchase: Analyst: Verizon may pay $500M break-up fee, then come back for better purchase price
Verizon Wireless offered to divest another 15 markets as part its $28.1 billion play for Alltel Communications L.L.C., but the proposed transaction is becoming trickier by the day because of fluid economic, regulatory and political factors. In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission, the No. 2 mobile-phone carrier said the 15 additional markets it would sell are located in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina and Utah. Verizon Wireless, after discussions with the Department of Justice, said in July it was willing to sell assets in 85 markets in order to address any antitrust concerns regarding the purchase of Alltel. … Read More
Bell Canada, Telus to deploy HSPA by 2010: Move will provide ‘smoother’ transition to LTE in the future
Canada’s two largest CDMA carriers, Bell Canada and Telus Mobility, announced plans to deploy HSPA technology by 2010 as part of an effort to eventually upgrade to Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology. Nokia Siemens Networks and Huawei will build the HSPA networks for both carriers.
Investment banking firm UBS reported in July that Bell Canada and Telus were considering deploying HSPA networks. The carriers’ official announcement represents another nail in the CDMA coffin, as well as further industry momentum toward LTE technology. Both Verizon Wireless (a CDMA carrier) and AT&T Mobility (a GSM carrier) in the United States plan to use LTE. … Read More
Who is the richest CEO in wireless?: Troubled firms pay handsomely
The following list ranks U.S. wireless industry CEOs by total compensation for the 2007 fiscal year. The ranking includes executives at public U.S. companies listed on the RCR Wireless News Stock Watch. Salary and total compensation figures were derived from annual proxy statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Total compensation includes salaries, bonuses, stock and option awards, non-equity incentive compensation and other compensation as defined by each company. … Read More
What are the top 5 most popular cellphones in the U.S.?: Razr still No. 1, iPhone at No. 2
The cheap, voice-centric, clamshell handset still rules the American marketplace, as Motorola Inc.’s Razr V3 remains the top-selling handset in the country, according to recent data from NPD Group. Yet smartphones claim three of the top five slots, with Apple Inc.’s iPhone 3G at No. 2 and Research In Motion Ltd.’s Blackberry Curve at No. 3 and Pearl at No. 5. … Read More
Carriers need to enter ‘the cloud’ to keep their grip on subscribers
The most important weapon in the war against the dumb-pipe scenario may just be the cloud.
Cloud-based services – hosted applications “in the sky” and accessible through the Internet, as opposed to native apps – are suddenly all the rage in mobile. The concept is the cornerstone of Apple’s MobileMe, and Google has made it a key component of its much-hyped Android platform. Nokia Corp. has joined the bandwagon, too, allowing Ovi users to synch contact and calendar information between PCs and phones. But operators – who increasingly are fending off the third parties in an effort to stay relevant to consumers – are uniquely positioned to stay in front of the customer and create real value by adding the cloud to their offerings, according to Funambol CEO Fabrizio Capobianco. … Read More
Mobile e-mail space remains challenge for all: ‘RIM’s got this runaway success’
There may not be much room at the top of the mobile e-mail service food chain, but there seems to be plenty of opportunity below. Nokia Corp. last week finally threw up its hands and pulled the plug on Intellisync, its enterprise-targeted wireless e-mail solution, after failing to steal many high-end users away from Research In Motion Ltd. and Microsoft Corp. The Finnish company said it will stop developing and marketing the service, opting instead to integrate its devices and applications with technology from third-party companies with their own services. … Read More
AT&T Mobility looks beyond handsets: Carrier appoints president of new division focused on non-traditional devices
Thanks to a new executive position, AT&T Mobility is attempting to expand the range of gadgets its network interacts with – and counter similar efforts by its rivals. The carrier announced the appointment of Glen Lurie to president of AT&T’s newly created Emerging Devices, National Distribution and Resale operation. Lurie will lead the carrier’s initiative to move beyond handsets and integrate new devices and applications onto AT&T Mobility’s network – including personal computers, mobile Internet devices (or mini computers), in-car entertainment and navigation systems, cameras and machine-to-machine communications solutions. … Read More
