WASHINGTON-The Great American Cowboy has become the star in the marketing/advocacy game between CTIA and rural wireline carriers. The Coalition to Keep America Connected, the universal-service reform lobbying group formed by rural local exchange carriers, released a video last week featuring animated cowboys."The Sweet...
With the need for using 850 MHz spectrum for its TDMA network decreases, Cingular Wireless L.L.C. has been carving out blocks of the spectrum to use for the launch of its UMTS/HSDPA mobile broadband network. The 850 MHz spectrum, prized for its propagation properties...
Cingular Wireless L.L.C. is reaping the benefits of its acquisition of the former AT&T Wireless Services Inc., company officials said-even as the company prepares for the merger of its two parent companies and a return to the AT&T Wireless brand. Cingular reported its highest-ever...
Timing, they say, is everything. And so it goes with mobile handset vendors and their product announcements. There's a natural tension between the need to keep the market informed about one's innovations and product pipeline and the downside of tipping off competitors or setting...
SAN FRANCISCO-Detroit and Minneapolis-St. Paul have the highest rates of wireless substitution among the 20 largest U.S. cities, according to research by Telephia. Detroit led the list of cord-cutting rates, with 19 percent of its 1.47 million households using only wireless for communications. Minneapolis-St....
It looks like everybody and their mother is courting the public-safety market. Thanks to the wonders of digital TV, there's now a bunch of extra spectrum at 700 MHz, a valuable band due to its propagation characteristics. Congress agreed to give 24 megahertz of...
ATLANTA-Helio L.L.C.'s operating costs pushed parent company EarthLink Inc. into an overall loss of $3.2 million for the third quarter, the company reported. EarthLink shares plunged nearly 10 percent on the announcement as Wall Street reacted to the news. Mobile virtual network operator Helio...
WASHINGTON-AT&T Inc. and BellSouth Corp., awaiting final federal action on their $79 billion merger and key stakeholders in the telecom reform debate on Capitol Hill, have been among the most generous donors to federal candidates and political parties in the 2006 election cycle. Indeed,...
BEDFORD, Mass.-Boston Communications Group Inc. said the settlement of all patent litigation brought against it by Freedom Wireless has been completed. The two companies announced a settlement in July that called for BCGI to pay $55.3 million for licensing rights to Freedom Wireless' patents....
Music publishers say they'll fight last week's ruling that establishes a compulsory licensing model for ringtones. The U.S. Copyright Office granted a request by the Recording Industry Association of America Inc. to simplify the licensing of mastertones-10- to 30-second snippets of original, full-length tunes-and...
Actor Ron Livingston, who plays a hostage negotiator on the new television series "Standoff," will promote Sprint Nextel Corp. service in a series of TV commercials that are part of the carrier's new "Power Up" campaign. Sprint Nextel said it doesn't want a big-name...
Measuring a strategy's effect on customers is a crucial part of figuring out what works best to reduce customer churn. SoundBite Communications Inc., based in Burlington, Mass., provides wireless carriers with a service that places automated voice calls to customers and tracks the outcome...
LONDON-Nokia Corp. is teaming with Turner Broadcasting to offer content from the Cartoon Network directly to wireless users. Subscribers will be able to browse and download games, video clips and other offerings from a dedicated mobile storefront via the Nokia Content Discoverer client, which...
SAN FRANCISCO-Motorola Inc. named veteran package goods marketer Kenneth "Casey" Keller as chief marketing officer, succeeding the late Geoffrey Frost. Keller, a P&G veteran, joined the H.J. Heinz Co. in 1998 and rose in late 2002 to chief growth officer. In that role, he...
One little number means so much-it's a sign of customer satisfaction, implies network quality and is closely tracked as an indication of the health of wireless service providers. Steve Bamberger, vice president of media, communications and utilities for Oracle, describes three strategies for tackling...
RIVERSIDE, Calif.-AT&T Inc. announced plans to build an 80-square mile citywide Wi-Fi network in Riverside, Calif., by early next year. The company said the network is intended for both public and municipal use and stands as the company's largest Wi-Fi deployment to date. Riverside's...
BOCA RATON, Fla.-Global Towers Partners dashed speculation in the media indicating that the privately owned tower company is for sale. The company's chief executive officer, Marc Ganzi, stated in an e-mail, "The stories of our impending sale for $1.5 billion were wildly false and...
BOSTON-Mobile instant messaging could grow to a $2 billion market in Western Europe and North America by 2010, according to a new report from Strategy Analytics Inc. Both IT-sanctioned and rogue use of mobile IM are set to grow significantly, said the report. Drivers...
LOS ANGELES-Mobile virtual network operator Xero Mobile Inc. said that it is now testing its technology and service in preparation for a 2007 commercial service launch. Xero plans to target college students with a large number of free handsets and low service costs, subsidized...
LOS ANGELES-Just in time for holiday sales, Amp'd Mobile Inc. has added a Motorola Inc. Razr to its handset lineup and designed a $100 promotional package that includes a headset, universal adapters and a memory card when customers sign a two-year postpaid contract. Amp'd...
Ever wondered whether Wi-Fi technology works in haunted houses? Nortel Networks Ltd. is about to find out, as the Canadian vendor announced Wi-Fi deployment-contracts with three mid-sized cities, including Occoquan, Va., known as one of America's most haunted towns. Situated 20 miles south of...
It's probably not a big deal, since Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin seemingly wants bipartisan approval of AT&T Inc.'s $79 billion play for BellSouth Corp. and apparently doesn't want to force the issue with fellow GOP Commissioner Robert McDowell.But in the spirit of...
WASHINGTON-AT&T Inc. offered to conduct a series of wireless broadband trials as part of a package of concessions aimed at winning Federal Communications Commission approval of its proposed $79 billion purchase of BellSouth Corp. AT&T said the newly merged company would launch 10 trials...
WASHINGTON-GSM proponents including 3G Americas and Cingular Wireless L.L.C. joined the 700 MHz public-safety craze with a technology demonstration aimed at convincing police, firefighters and others to use the GSM family of technology for their wireless communication needs. "The development of mobile broadband wireless...
