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Geosign invests $13M in go2

IRVINE, Calif.—Mobile search content provider go2 reported a "strategic alliance" with Internet publishing and marketing company Geosign Corp. that includes a $13 million investment by Geosign in go2. Beyond the financing, the two companies said they will work together to combine their respective content...

After six months, FCC puts Cyren Call plan out for comment

WASHINGTON—The debate is officially on. And the clock is ticking. Six months after receiving Cyren Call Communications Inc.’s plan for a public-safety wireless broadband network the private sector would build and share with first responders, the Federal Communications Commission is now asking for public...

Telephia stumbles on U.K. mobile video measurements

SAN FRANCISCO—Mobile content measurement firm Telephia clarified a recent study that raised eyebrows among mobile video experts in the United Kingdom. The company last week released a report that said one-third of all U.K. mobile TV watchers tune into BBC1, and nearly one-fourth watch...

Hate your phone’s OS? Just install a different one

TOKYO—Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc. announced that, in partnership with Intel Corp., it has developed specifications for mobile handsets that will allow users to install their own operating system, one that would run side by side with a pre-installed OS. DoCoMo said its specification...

Verizon Wireless paces industry in customer growth, revenues

NEW YORK—Verizon Wireless continued its domination of the postpaid wireless market and outpaced larger rival Cingular Wireless L.L.C. in net customer additions during the third quarter. Verizon Wireless brought in 1.9 million net subscribers for the quarter, compared with Cingular’s 1.4 million net additions....

Embarq intros push-to-talk service

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.—Embarq Corp. plans to offer its wireless customers push-to-talk services and parental controls on a Sanyo Corp. 2400 mobile phone. Embarq, which has a mobile virtual network operator relationship with Sprint Nextel Corp. after being spun off from the larger company earlier...

NextPhase plans SoCal pre-WiMAX expansion

ANAHEIM, Calif.—Network designer and operator NextPhase Wireless Inc. laid out plans to expand its pre-WiMAX network through acquisitions, providing outsourcing services to Internet service providers and introducing more value-added services to its customers. The operator said it is still on track to deploy WiMAX...

Analyst Angle: There are no WiMAX applications, but that’s not a bad thing

Editor's Note: Welcome our Monday feature, Analyst Angle. We’ve collected a group of the industry’s leading analysts to give their outlook on the hot topics in the wireless industry. In the coming weeks look for columns from Strategy Analytics' Chris Ambrosio, M:Metrics’ Seamus McAteer...

Keeping the buzzards at bay

Several weeks ago I wrote a eulogy for fallen mobile virtual network operator Mobile ESPN. In it I cited the MVNO's lofty aspirations for the wireless space, but noted that the company misjudged the market's appetite for a sports-focused operator with little pricing differentiation....

Motorola sued over Bluetooth headset: California man alleges company failed to warn of potential dangers

A California man is suing Motorola Inc., alleging the cellular phone maker knew its wireless Bluetooth headsets could cause "serious hearing loss" and failed to warn customer of the potential dangers. The suit, which seeks class-action status, was filed earlier this month in U.S....

LBS players navigate wireless space

A German driver last week followed his navigation system's command to "Turn right now" and veered into a roadside bathroom 30 yards shy of his intended intersection. Consider it a metaphor for the wireless location-based services industry.In the wonderfully hyped world of wireless, no...

Made-for-mobile clips get respect

The overwhelming majority of wireless users continue to view the phone simply as a platform for voice conversations. For a handful of aspiring filmmakers, though, it's a potential ticket to Hollywood. Entertainment industry executives and wireless types gathered last week at the Museum of...

Boost bump helps Sprint Nextel post subscriber adds

Sprint Nextel Corp. lost 188,000 postpaid customers in the third quarter as it sweated out customer credit-related issues and iDEN customer losses. But overall, Sprint Nextel came out with positive customer growth due to another strong quarterly performance from its Boost Mobile L.L.C. sub-brand....

Comcast adds wireless to video distribution, mum on spectrum plans

Comcast Corp. will unveil a new multi-screen platform that will allow content to be distributed via TV, online and through wireless devices.The new platform will initially provide Halloween-related content such as horror movies when it is launched on Tuesday, according to remarks by John...

FOTA: from fixing-on-the-fly to generating revenue

The development of firmware-over-the-air, or FOTA, lies at the intersection of several related trends in mobile devices and their management. The sector is growing and, already, several players claim market leadership. As handsets are packed with features, they are packed with software-bugs and updates...

Qualcomm to diversify chip fabrication

SAN DIEGO-Qualcomm Inc. is making its fabless approach to its semiconductor business leaner and meaner by signing on with the chip fabrication alliance of IBM Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd., also known as the Common Platform initiative. Qualcomm's move...

Motorola eyes Sagem

Motorola Inc. is moving and shaking with ambition and two news items this week point to a growth strategy that includes European markets for handsets and networks. In public statements, Greg Brown, president of Motorola's network and enterprise division, said that public-safety needs and...

Relocating gov’t spectrum users to take time, money, aspirin

WASHINGTON-Top mobile-phone carriers, having bid the lion's share of the $13.9 billion for advanced wireless services licenses auctioned by the Federal Communications Commission, now face the potentially time-consuming and costly process of negotiating to relocate commercial and government users off of the 2110-2155 MHz...

Railroad treks into tower biz

While the big dogs in the tower industry have national footprints, there are still places they don't or can't cover. And often, hard-to-cover areas mean hard-to-gain-access-to land. But a few companies are finding clever ways to zero in on what used to be considered...

TracFone scores 215,000 customers during third quarter

MEXICO CITY-Prepaid wireless provider TracFone Wireless Inc. reported soaring third-quarter revenues of $330 million, a 36-percent increase over its year-ago figure of $243 million. The Miami-based prepaid carrier's subscriber base grew by 41.1 percent year-over-year, from 5.1 million to 7.2 million as the carrier...

Crown Castle prepares for Modeo launch

Crown Castle International Corp. said its net loss narrowed during the third quarter as revenues increased. During the company's earnings conference call, Crown's president and chief executive, John Kelly, called 2006 a "very good year." He also confirmed that, by the end of the...

AT&T/BellSouth concessions do little to eliminate competitive concerns

WASHINGTON-Consumer groups and wireless carriers last week said AT&T Inc.'s proposed conditions to its $79 billion purchase of BellSouth Corp. are inadequate, creating uncertainty over whether the Federal Communications Commission can pull off a planned Nov. 3 vote on the deal. "AT&T's concessions are...

Give the guy credit

In past years, Nobel prizes have been awarded for the gaming theory that is at the heart of spectrum auctions and even for sophisticated transistor technology used in cell phones.This year the Nobel Peace Prize went to a man whose economic-but really humanitarian-genius is...

Carriers redesign online tools to connect with customers

Two national wireless carriers launched redesigned Web pages last week, as operators increasingly try to drive traffic and sales to the low-cost Internet channel. Cingular Wireless L.L.C. introduced a streamlined new Web site, trimming out some of the previous page's many links and going...