WASHINGTON—The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia affirmed a lower court ruling dismissing a lawsuit by a former T-Mobile USA Inc. national sales manager, who claimed the No. 4 cell-phone carrier fired him to avoid paying more than $320,000 in commissions...
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 to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way....
BOSTON—Closely held Clearwire Corp. offered a closer look into its pre-WiMAX efforts in conjunction with the WiMAX World trade show with news that the carrier currently commands 162,000 customers and has plans to cover a total of 9 million potential customers with its services...
CHICAGO—U.S. Cellular Corp. said it received $95.1 million from the sale of its stake in regional operator Midwest Wireless Holdings to Alltel Corp. U.S. Cellular said it also expects to receive an additional $10.5 million soon in connection with the sale. The sale closed...
ALAMEDA, Calif.—UTStarcom Inc. said it is exploring "strategic alternatives" and has retained Merill Lynch & Co. as its financial adviser. The announcement could mean that UTStarcom is openly seeking to sell itself or merge with another company. "Our board of directors and management team...
By Claire AtkinsonNEW YORK—Outlining Walt Disney Co.'s strategy for tackling a consumer-driven TV future, Anne Sweeney, co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney-ABC TV, revealed some of the company's numerous new-media initiatives around the globe at Mipcom, an international programming sales conference...
BEDFORD, Mass.—Two top executives at Boston Communications Group Inc. have bowed out of their positions in connection with an internal review of stock-option grants, as has the company’s general counsel. BCGI’s chief financial officer, Karen Walker, left the company, while President and Chief Executive...
BOCA RATON, Fla.—Global Tower Partners may be the next tower company to get swallowed up as the industry’s giants fight over who will be king of the mountain. Global Tower Partners is owned by Blackstone Group LP, and, according to media reports, the buyout...
WASHINGTON—After sitting on the issue for almost two years, the Federal Communications Commission voted to allow Qualcomm Inc. to operate its MediaFLO mobile TV offering in markets where TV broadcasters are currently using the 700 MHz spectrum Qualcomm plans to use for the service....
NEW YORK—Internet search company Ask.com upgraded its mobile search offering, rolling out a free service featuring Internet sites, driving directions, maps and weather. The subsidiary of InterActive Corp. launched Ask Mobile, an ad-free, Internet-based service designed to minimize the number of keystrokes needed to...
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands—Royal Philips Electronics is set to transfer its remaining mobile-phone business to China Electronics Corp. by the end of 2006. Philips said its mobile-phones unit produced around $501 million annually and employs about 240 people, mainly in Asia Pacific and Eastern Europe.In the...
SAN JOSE, Calif.—Adobe Systems Inc. said it acquired vector graphics technology developed by Actimagine, a company that provides software solutions for video and interactive vector graphics. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.Adobe said the acquisition allows it to extend the reach of its...
SAN DIEGO—Skyriver Communications said it expanded its pre-WiMAX network in Los Angeles county to include Pasadena and surrounding communities. The expanded network covers Pasadena, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, Alhambra, San Gabriel, Rosemead and El Monte, said the company.Skyriver joins a growing number of carriers launching...
WASHINGTON—The Justice Department’s unconditional approval of the $67 billion merger of AT&T Inc. and BellSouth Corp. ignited a firestorm of protest from consumer groups and the Federal Communications Commission’s two Democrats, setting the stage for a showdown at the FCC over whether to subject...
BELLEVUE, Wash.—InfoSpace Inc. said it plans to lay off about 250 employees as part of a restructuring plan. The move follows news late last month that Cingular Wireless L.L.C. plans to develop direct licensing relationships with major record labels next year, instead of using...
BOSTON—The WiMAX ecosystem is getting fatter by the day, as Nokia Corp. joined the list of tier-one vendors launching WiMAX portfolios at the WiMAX World trade show in Boston. Nokia unveiled its modular Flexi WiMAX base station, which the company said will be available...
STOCKHOLM, Sweden—Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P., at five years old, is pursuing two trends in the rapidly changing mobile handset market—a worldwide thirst for music and imaging—and is profiting handsomely in its chosen markets. The partnership between the Japanese consumer electronics whiz and the...
DEL MAR, Calif.—Great Call Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. announced the launch of a new mobile virtual network operator called Jitterbug, named after the dance craze that originated in the 1930s and popularized by band leader Cab Calloway. The MVNO will sell phones...
SAN DIEGO—An administrative law judge with the International Trade Commission handed down a split decision in the acrimonious patent dispute between chipmakers Qualcomm Inc. and Broadcom Corp., ruling that Qualcomm did infringe on one of Broadcom’s patents but not on two others. The judge...
WASHINGTON—The Federal Trade Commission issued a guide of sorts for municipalities considering wireless broadband, offering city planners and policymakers a list of the pros and cons of various approaches to the issue. The report essentially outlines a decision tree for municipalities, with a variety...
PARIS—Alcatel Inc. snapped up a global framework agreement to supply Vodafone Group plc with network equipment and services worldwide. Though Alcatel didn’t divulge how much the agreement means in terms of revenues, the deal could be worth billions considering Vodafone Group’s global footprint.Vodafone is...
LOS ANGELES—Mobile virtual network operator Amp’d Mobile Inc. continued to expand its offerings with the introduction of several family plans, which the MVNO is selling as "shared" plans. Interestingly, the plans are far more aggressive—and offer far more minutes—than the family plans from the...
WASHINGTON—One of the three Republicans of the five-member, GOP-controlled Federal Communications Commission has decided not to participate in the agency’s vote on the proposed $67 billion merger between AT&T Inc. and BellSouth Corp. because of a conflict of interest. The news—when combined with controversy...
RESTON, Va.—In the second departure of a high-ranking leader within the past two months, Sprint Nextel Corp. announced that Chairman Tim Donahue is retiring from the company’s board of directors. Meanwhile, several investment companies have downgraded their rating of Sprint Nextel stock. Donahue’s retirement...
