U.S. movie theater chain Regal Entertainment Group said altercations related to cell-phone use during movies was one factor that prompted it to begin testing new devices that will summon ushers to deal with such disruptions. The pager-sized devices have four functions, including alerting theater...
Are Helio execs good at playing "Follow the Leader." During a keynote at the CTIA Wireless I.T. Show, Helio CEO Sky Dayton made a couple of pointed jabs at his fellow panelists representing fellow MVNO Virgin Mobile (old-man socks were mentioned, for example.) At...
Consider video the wireless industry's equivalent of Powerball. But nobody's betting on the content providers.In these early days of well-heeled venture capitalists and hockey-stick projections, there is no shortage of cash in mobile video in the United States. Handset manufacturers are scrambling to rush...
The mobile virtual network operator space isn't cooling down, according to the head of mobile virtual network enabler telSpace. However, instead of following the models of Amp'd Mobile Inc. or Helio L.L.C., the newcomers to the space are incumbent local carriers seeking to stem...
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands-To understand Nokia Corp.'s outlook, one must leave the United States behind. This is somewhat akin to jumping from one fish bowl to another. The view from inside the U.S. fish bowl provides only a fun-house reflection of one's own image. The...
WASHINGTON-TracFone Wireless Inc., the nation's largest prepaid wireless company, said it is considering filing a lawsuit in federal court to repeal a new Library of Congress rule that exempts mobile-phone locking software from U.S. copyright law."Although TracFone believes that the exemption to the Digital...
A lot of ink is expended on the competitive machinations of the top five global handset vendors-for good reason. This year, together, they will account for perhaps 80 percent of the nearly 1 billion handset shipments around the world. Big research-and-development budgets that support...
LOS ANGELES-Fixed-line Internet companies and industry associations have long grappled with potential pitfalls and consumer-unfriendly tactics such as spam, click fraud and unwelcome pop-up ads from in-your-face marketers. In the world of wireless, though, carriers are hoping to boost mobile data services by keeping...
BASKING RIDGE, N.J.-Verizon Wireless has agreed to acquire a small GSM carrier in West Virginia. The deal, which must receive regulatory approvals, is expected to close sometime in the first quarter of next year, according to Verizon Wireless spokeswoman Robin Nicol. Financial terms of...
The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms. Click here for wireless ratings from past weeks from RCR Wireless News.CarrierStandard & Poor's Ratings Services revised its outlook on Dobson Communications Corp. and...
WASHINGTON-Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) has positioned himself to be chairman of the House telecom and Internet subcommittee when the new, Democratic-led Congress convenes in January, according to spokesman Israel Klein. Markey, who chaired the telecom panel from 1987-1995 and is the senior-most member of...
PARIS-Alcatel and Lucent Technologies Inc. said they have closed their merger and will begin operating as a single entity today. Alcatel-Lucent's stock also will begin trading on the Euronext Paris and New York Stock Exchange beginning today under the ALU ticker. Serge Tchuruk has...
WASHINGTON-The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the cell phone industry's request to the full court to rehear the repeal of a Federal Communications Commission decision pre-empting state regulation of line items on mobile phone bills, putting in play a possible Supreme Court...
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. Click here for additional infrastructure awards from RCR Wireless...
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 to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong...
CANNES, France-Motorola Inc. will supply the infrastructure equipment and services for six municipal Wi-Fi networks in the United Kingdom as part of BT Group plc's Wireless City initiatives. BT plans to offer Wi-Fi coverage in a dozen U.K. cities, and Motorola will design, deploy...
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.-Nielsen Entertainment's mobile division has launched its RingScan service to monitor the U.S. ringtone market. The company said it will issue a weekly report of polyphonic, master and voice ringtone sales. The data also will begin appearing Dec. 9 in Billboard magazine.Nielsen...
NEW YORK-A new report from consulting firm Katzenback Partners L.L.C. says leading wireless carriers must evolve from network operators to managers of complex and diversified businesses as new technologies and competitors enter the market. "Until now, all the carriers have needed to do is...
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.-NextHop Technologies Inc., which makes software for wired and wireless local area networks, announced it scored $4.8 million in its third round of venture financing. The company said it would use the money to "accelerate NextHop's product vision and expand sales channels...
ATLANTA-Cingular Wireless L.L.C. joined smaller rival T-Mobile USA Inc. in offering Research In Motion Ltd.'s latest BlackBerry, the consumer-focused Pearl. Cingular is selling the gadget for $200 with a two-year agreement. "The BlackBerry Pearl from Cingular provides a winning combination of business and entertainment-related...
NEW YORK-Big box retailer Best Buy has branched out with a new emphasis on wireless, opening new stores in the New York metro area that focus exclusively on offering a wide selection of handsets from various carriers. Five of the new stores are stand-alone...
BOSTON-American Tower Corp. posted third-quarter profits of $3.5 million, a swift turnaround from the same period a year earlier when the company reported net losses of $22.1 million. Revenues rose from $265 million to $333 million year-over-year. In the midst of its stock-option granting...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission officially awarded more than half of the 1,087 advanced wireless services licenses won at the agency's auction that began in early August and ended Sept. 18. The FCC said the 550 AWS licenses it granted represent $12.2 billion of the...
HONG KONG-Sun Microsystems Inc. used the ITU Telecom World 2006 trade show in Hong Kong to launch a new industry association that says its aim is to simplify technology integration by developing and pushing requirements for standardized products among network equipment providers. Nokia Corp....
