What do you get when you combine personal locator beacon wireless technology, a loyal black Lab and three climbers stranded on Mt. Hood: survival. It doesn't always turn out that way, but luckily it did this time. Serious hikers are more likely than...
The next couple of quarters will be rocky, Motorola Inc.'s CFO told investors and analysts at last week's Bank of America's 2007 Technology Conference in New York. David Devonshire, Motorola's CFO, used the term three times until an unidentified analyst asked him to clarify...
So the latest topic of endless hype within the wireless industry seems to be ad-supported content and services. Ad-supported mobile social networking, ad-supported games, ad-supported muni Wi-Fi-the list goes on and on. I wish I could get an ad-supported assistant to sort everything out.But...
The Bush administration sent Congress a long-overdue report that is key to deploying spectrum licenses that bidders paid $13.7 billion for during last year's auction.Wireless carriers and lawmakers had been pressing the Office of Management and Budget to deliver to Congress a report detailing...
A survey of American online shoppers suggests that Apple Inc.'s yet-to-be-launched iPhone has penetrated consumer awareness, unlike other handsets before their launch. At a price between $200 and $300, the device could lead consumers to switch carriers, according to the survey. Moreover, once these...
Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), chairman of the House Commerce subcommittee on oversight and investigations, accused the National Telecommunications and Information Administration of surrendering control of a $1 billion first-responder wireless grant program to another agency that recently told Congress the Sept. 30 deadline...
In Style is the latest U.S. print publication to go mobile, launching a downloadable application with celebrity photos, fashion trends and shopping information.The application will include community features that allow users to share comments and recommend shopping finds, as well as offer a chance...
Think adult content is a safe play for wireless carriers? Try asking Canadian operator Telus Corp.Telus quietly dropped its racy offerings last week-less than two months after raising eyebrows by becoming the first Canadian carrier to dip its toe into the adult content waters-after...
Spending on SMS services worldwide is expected to reach $67 billion by 2012, according to a new report from Portio Research.The firm forecasts SMS volumes will increase at an even greater pace, with 3.7 trillion messages being sent by 2012."If there was one message...
Mobile capital expenditures fell at the close of 2006, while wireline spending increased, bucking the traditional trend of wireless spending outpacing spending on wireline networks.Research firm Ovum-RHK found North American wireline operators increased capital spending by 8 percent to $7.9 billion during the fourth...
Mobile Melo shoots, scoresCarmelo Anthony, star of the Denver Nuggets basketball team, has launched a mobile portal called Melo Mobile. The portal is powered by Konami Corp.'s mobile division. The Melo Mobile application will set users back $2 per month for news, statistics, updates...
After months of rampant speculation, the nation's only two satellite radio companies, XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. and Sirius Satellite Radio Inc., announced plans to merge as each aims to fend off mounting losses through an expanded blend of music, talk and sports. Predictions...
Executives come and go as corporate fortunes rise and fall, as surely as the sun rises and sets. It is rare, however, that that mobility is as seamless or as wickedly cool as Ron Garriques' departure from Motorola Inc. earlier this month. Even as...
For years, the nation's two largest wireless carriers, Cingular Wireless L.L.C. and Verizon Wireless, have focused on their network's reach and reliability in marketing strategies and their business models. But now that both carriers are going to use Qualcomm Inc.'s MediaFLO USA Inc. network...
Slim, shiny, clever devices dazzle and delight-impressions that all the major handset makers are capable of producing in a mobile phone. As carriers manage their handset portfolios, they see in those devices the means to capture the imagination of consumers and draw them into...
Companies looking to get in on RCR Wireless News' expansive CTIA Wireless 2007 coverage should be aware of several upcoming deadlines.March 9 is the deadline for possible inclusion in one of the three show dailies RCR Wireless News will distribute at the event. RCR...
Visto Corp. added to its already impressive coffers earlier this month, raising another $35 million in what the mobile e-mail service provider said is its final round of funding. But this time it's the investor-not the amount of cash-that's raising eyebrows.The Redwood City, Calif.-based...
Clearwire Corp. was the winner of AT&T Inc.'s mandated spectrum sell-off, agreeing to spend $300 million for 2.5 GHz spectrum covering portions of the southeastern United States.AT&T committed to unloading the spectrum in an effort to gain approval from the Federal Communications Commission for...
THE MOBILE-PHONE INDUSTRY INCREASINGLY finds itself confronted with disruptive digital technologies, a phenomenon that is challenging carriers' tight control of wireless networks and forcing policy-makers to grapple with how to promote consumer choice without unduly interfering with companies' ability to manage their businesses. The...
Private-equity buyout companies are the darlings of Wall Street, snapping up companies left and right and flush with the cash to do so. According to Thomson Financial, buyouts by private-equity companies accounted for more than 25 percent of the total merger-and-acquisition activity in the...
In these early days of mobile entertainment, full-track download services are a bit like the weather: everyone complains about them, but no one seems to be doing much about them.While carriers such as Sprint Nextel Corp. and Verizon Wireless have claimed success hawking tunes...
Want to invest like Verizon? Like any smart investor, Verizon Communications Inc. has its pension fund invested in a diverse array of stocks, from the Cheesecake Factory to Northrop Grumman Corp. The company's $40-plus billion pension portfolio includes hundreds of companies. The Verizon Investment...
It's good to have friends in high places, the saying goes. Better yet are the friends who push you to pursue a promising, emerging business in the wireless industry. David Lowder met his entrepreneurial muse in longtime friend Willie Nelson.Lowder has been an active...
Alltel Corp. posted robust wireless results for the fourth quarter and full-year 2006, solidifying its position as the largest small player in the wireless space. However, the company's president and CEO, Scott Ford, sparked speculation about Alltel being a possible acquisition target during remarks...
