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...
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.Handset and infrastructure vendorsGoldman Sachs raised its price target on Research In Motion...
WASHINGTON—Two key Senate lawmakers today suggested the Justice Department and Federal Communications Commissions consider imposing conditions—including the divestiture of WiMAX spectrum—on the proposed $67 billion merger of AT&T Inc. and BellSouth Corp. to prevent any anticompetitive warehousing of such spectrum by the combined telecom...
WASHINGTON—The House suspended an in-building wireless license worth $1.5 million to $2 million to MobileAccess Networks. The move comes two weeks after Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) admitted in a plea agreement with U.S. officials to backing the bid of MobileAccess—the client of convicted lobbyist...
TAIPEI, Taiwan—Enough already—that’s the decision handed down from BenQ Corp. amid heavy losses at its mobile venture, BenQ Mobile. The company announced that it won’t pour any more money into its German-based mobile-phone subsidiary. As a result, BenQ said its handset subsidiary may file...
DENVER—Where should cell-phone enthusiasts go for the latest in handset technology? EBay, it appears. An eBay shopper recently purchased a dual-mode CDMA/iDEN phone from Motorola Inc. for $300. Sold by "Rager4208," the phone is dubbed the "Sprint Nextel Hybrid ic502" and offers...
FRAMINGHAM, Mass.—IDC said there is tremendous growth potential in the market for business-focused phones, and predicted that Microsoft Corp’s involvement with Motorola Inc., Palm Inc., and others, as well as Nokia Corp.’s commitment to an end-to-end strategy, threatens to weaken Research in Motion Ltd.’s...
ESPOO, Finland—Nokia Corp. said it has developed an HSDPA connectivity module for notebook computers. The module will be included with Intel Corp.’s next-generation Centrino Duo mobile technology platform, said Nokia."This collaboration is good news for notebook users as cellular technology offers superior connectivity and...
NEW YORK—After a mere eight months on the market, Mobile ESPN has decided to get out of the mobile virtual network operator business. The brand’s entrance into the wireless space was eagerly anticipated, scrutinized and praised for its innovative user interface, but handset problems...
OTTAWA, Ill.—B&B Electronics, which provides automation and communications products, said it acquired Advanced Embedded Systems, a Phoenix-based company that develops industrial-focused wireless products. AES is expected to become part of B&B Electronics’ engineering and technical group. B&B Engineering said the acquisition gives it in-house...
RICHARDSON, Texas—Watch-maker Fossil Inc. and phone-maker Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P. announced a teaming to produce wristwatches that can connect to cell phones. Users will be able to mate their cell phone and watch through Bluetooth technology. The first product to emerge from the...
BASKING RIDGE, N.J.—Verizon Wireless flexed its handset muscle with the launch of Motorola Inc.’s Krzr K1m phone, a music- and video-playing handset similar to Motorola’s Razr. Motorola gave the wireless industry its first peek at the Krzr in July, but Verizon Wireless is the...
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 to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the...
BASKING RIDGE, N.J.—Starting next week, Chocolate phone users will be able to get a software upgrade that will add speakerphone capabilities to their handset. Users will be able to visit Verizon Wireless retail outlets to get the free software upgrade. Verizon recently introduced its...
GREENSBORO, N.C.—RF Micro Devices Inc. said it plans to sell its equity interest in Jazz Semiconductor for between $24 million and $27 million in cash. The company is divesting its interest in Jazz due to the pending merger of Jazz with a subsidiary of...
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—Visto Corp. will have no trouble paying its lawyer fees. The mobile e-mail service provider raked in another $51 million this week in a funding round led by Oak Investment Partners. The haul follows a $70 million round that closed last November;...
NEW YORK—Dada USA Inc. launched its social networking and entertainment community for the U.S. market. The company’s Web site allows users to subscribe to a variety of services and content including personal blogging, profile matching, text messaging, ringtones, mobile gaming and wallpapers.Dada was founded...
HONG KONG—Altai Technologies Ltd. snapped up $10 million during its first round of financing and said it plans to use the funds to expand its engineering, sales and marketing efforts to fuel its growth within the citywide Wi-Fi ecosystem. Altai’s flagship product is its...
NEW YORK—Two research firms say the future looks bright for location-based services running on Global Positioning System technology. ABI Research’s latest study on the subject suggests that subscribers of GPS-enabled LBS services will reach 315 million by 2011, up from 12 million this year....
NEW YORK—Jamster International bulked up its content portfolio in North America with a deal to offer ringtones, graphics and mobile games from the Walt Disney Internet Group. Disney and its third-party content licensing arm Starwave Mobile already use VeriSign Inc.’s mobile content business to...
NEW YORK—A new mobile virtual network operator targeting Chinese-Americans officially launched today, offering cheap international calls to Asia and a Razr phone with menus in Chinese. Red Pocket Mobile soft-launched about two weeks ago, according to Max Smetannikov, vice president of business development for...
LONDON—Best Buy International will team with U.K. wireless retail giant Carphone Warehouse Group to open stand-alone cell phone stores in the United States. In a prepared statement, the firms said a trial of Best Buy Mobile stores in New York "is about to commence;"...
By Kate MacArthur CHICAGO—McDonald's franchisees John and Karen O'Keefe watched sales flatline for most of the year at their store in Chicago's suburban Woodfield Mall while other restaurants in the fast-food chain's system pulled in gains of 2 percent or better.But after the couple...
NEW YORK—Nokia Corp. debuted three handsets targeting mobile music lovers at its Nokia Theater in Times Square. The phones are set to be available in select markets within weeks, but Nokia did not name the markets. The company also did not name any carriers...
