After declaring a strategy of diversity in semiconductor suppliers and signing deals with Texas Instruments Inc. and Qualcomm Inc. for W-CDMA and other chips, Motorola Inc. declared yesterday that it still cherishes its relationship with its spinoff, Freescale Semiconductor.If in fact the two companies,...
Sprint Nextel Corp.'s local-line spin-off company, Embarq Corp., reported that it doubled its wireless customer base in the fourth quarter and earned consolidated profits of $194 million for the quarter. The company was spun off from Sprint Nextel Corp. in May 2006. Embarq added...
The following list details this week's infrastructure awards for the cellular, Wi-Fi and WiMAX industries. The contracts are broken down by transmission technology, country and vendor. The value of the contract is included when available. Cellular Macau: Alcatel-Lucent said it won a contract to...
The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.Handset and infrastructure vendors Robert W. Baird upgraded Nortel Networks to outperform from neutral and raised its price target to $34 from $27, saying the...
Intertrust Technologies Corp. unveiled a licensing program in an effort to bridge the longstanding gap between the wireless industry and Open Mobile Alliance-supported digital rights management technology.The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based developer announced a patent licensing initiative for all patents from Intertrust, Philips Royal Electronics and...
The recently merged Alcatel-Lucent announced plans to cut 3,500 jobs in addition to the 9,000 job cuts it previously announced. The French-American company also posted a loss of almost $800 million in its fourth quarter.Interestingly, the company sought to give the bad news a...
The market for MBMS mobile TV technology appears to be gaining steam as several major wireless vendors announced plans to showcase the technology at the upcoming 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, next week.L.M. Ericsson and a teaming of Qualcomm Inc. and Huawei Technologies...
L.M. Ericsson, the world's largest network-equipment provider, announced the launch of the company's femtocell product, news that could stand as a major event in the evolution of the wireless industry by giving cellular carriers the ability to compete directly with wireline carriers."This is a...
Mobliss co-founder Brian Levin has spun off another startup, selling a Denver-area location-based services outfit to Liberty Media Corp.Terms of the deal were not disclosed.Liberty Media subsidiary TruePosition Inc. acquired Useful Networks, a developer of mobile location technology and applications. Both Liberty and Useful...
As with many legal settlements, the terms are undisclosed and it's back to business as usual, but probably with subtle changes. Research In Motion Ltd. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. apparently announced yesterday-how or to whom remains unclear, as both companies' Web sites reflect...
Comverse Technology Inc. said CEO Zeev Bregman will leave the company at the end of March.Yaron Tchwella, president of Comverse Inc.'s InSight Open Services Environment Group, has been named president and will lead Comverse after Bregman leaves the company. Comverse said it will begin...
Polycom Inc. plans to acquire SpectraLink Corp., according to a definitive agreement between the companies.SpectraLink provides workplace wireless solutions, including wireless handsets that integrate with VoIP and business telephone platforms. Polycom specializes in video, voice, data and Web technologies such as conferencing and collaboration...
Nokia Corp. hopes to expand its mobile navigation business by offering free downloadable maps to users with a variety of smartphones.The handset maker announced plans to give away smart2go, a platform that delivers mapping and routing information in more than 150 counties and can...
Regional telecommunications operator Qwest Communications International Inc. pushed its way into the black for the first time in several years, posting profits of $593 million for the full-year 2006.The company had four consecutive quarters of positive net income, and reported fourth quarter revenue of...
Voice-recognition software developer Promptu pocketed $5.6 million in a round of funding led by existing investors Steelpoint Capital Partners and Lauder Partners L.L.C. Promptu, which was founded as AgileTV in 2000, gained traction working with cable operators and on-demand TV service providers before shifting...
German chip maker Infineon Technologies AG crowed yesterday that it will supply Nokia Corp. with baseband and RF chips for the handset vendor's entry-level phones in GSM markets.Details of the deal were not disclosed, so the relative impact of the move to Texas Instruments...
House Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.) said the Federal Communications Commission's gauge for measuring broadband speed and penetration in the United States is outdated. Dingell called for improved spectrum management and other actions to improve the nation's broadband stature in the world. "To...
UrbanWorld Wireless announced a high-profile advisory board in an effort to move beyond mobile content into the broader world of digital media.The company has tapped a couple of familiar names: Jon Bukosky, managing partner at BFD/ventures and the former head of content at m-Qube,...
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 RCR Wireless News the chance to rant and rave about whatever rubs...
The latest version of Microsoft Corp.'s operating system for mobile handsets, dubbed Windows Mobile 6.0, is set to become available in the second quarter. The OS will include security enhancements for enterprise and revenue-producing features for network operators, according to the software giant. After...
The interactive arm of CBS said it is creating a new division to focus on building the company's wireless entertainment properties.The creation of CBS Mobile is the latest step in CBS' mobile video strategy. Already CBS has inked deals to distribute its video clips...
Hearst Magazines is pushing into the mobile space this week with the introduction of new cellphone sites for its teen magazines Seventeen, Cosmopolitan and Cosmo Girl, and more sites are planned this spring for Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Esquire, Popular Mechanics and House Beautiful. Hearst...
The content and user interface of the short-lived Mobile ESPN L.L.C. mobile virtual network operator is set to be resurrected as an addition to Verizon Wireless' Vcast data service. ESPN and Verizon Wireless said that they have signed an exclusive, multi-year agreement to provide...
Just as the GSM Association prepares to announce the winner of its low-cost 3G handset contract in conjunction with the group's 3GSM trade show in Barcelona, Spain, next week, the CDMA Development Group rolled out news that some CDMA handsets are now selling for...
