KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa.—InterDigital Communications Corp. has been awarded $134 million in past royalties, plus interest, from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. on Samsung’s sales of GSM and GPRS/EDGE phones from 2003 to 2005, according to an international arbitration tribunal. The tribunal, operating under the...
WASHINGTON—Verizon Wireless is pitching a plan to build a nationwide broadband public-safety network in the 700 MHz band, according to sources familiar with the plan. The spectrum has already been allocated to public safety as part of the transition to digital TV. The Verizon...
OVERLAND PARK, Kan.—Sprint Nextel Corp. launched a branded, pay-per-view movie service that offers nearly four dozen classic films and recent releases. Sprint Movies, which is powered by mSpot, allows users to watch films in their entirety or view chapters that can be watched over time....
MINNEAPOLIS—Internet Service Provider US Internet won a contract to build and operate a 54-square-mile, citywide Wi-Fi network in Minneapolis using equipment from BelAir Networks. The agreement spells out that the city will pay US Internet $2.2 million up front and $1.25 million a year...
WASHINGTON—Dobson Communications Corp., T-Mobile USA Inc. and Leap Wireless International Inc. are among the bidders still jockeying for spectrum in the advanced wireless services auction. The auction continues to creep toward a close, with just 64 bids in recent rounds. Click here for the...
ESPOO, Finland—Nokia Corp. this week announced the pending launch of three new handsets in its L’Amour Collection line of fashion phones aimed at the European market. The new handset models are 7390, 7373 and 7360; they are expected in European stores this fall. The...
NEW YORK—Crisp Wireless unveiled a service from the Associated Press designed to deliver updates and results from the upcoming election to wireless users. AP Mobile Election Results will feature state-by-state results for national office races and gubernatorial contests in November as well as political...
RESTON, Va.—Sprint Nextel Corp. said it won a government contract worth an estimated $679 million to continue providing telecommunications services for federal agencies. The General Services Administration awarded Sprint Nextel the Federal Telecommunications System 2001 Bridge contract, which Sprint Corp. first won in 1988....
SANTA ANA, Calif.—Powerwave Technologies Inc. reworked its $336 million acquisition agreement with Filtronic plc, paring the deal down to $185 million in cash along with 17.7 million in shares of Powerwave common stock. In June, the two companies struck an agreement to transfer Filtronic’s...
NEW YORK—In a note to investors this week, CIBC World Markets analyst Ittai Kidron wrote that LG Electronics Co. Ltd.’s Chocolate phone has "challenged" the dominance of Motorola Inc.’s Razr, though actual sales of LG’s much-touted handset have been "somewhat disappointing." Ultimately, according to...
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—Google Inc. has joined the mobile marketing playground with a wireless version of its AdWords service. The Internet giant quietly launched the offering that allows AdWords customers to place marketing messages—including clickable links—in listings retrieved through Google’s mobile search service. AdWords customers...
The third week of the advanced wireless spectrum auction showed significant slowing in bidding action. Nevertheless, it appears the Sprint Nextel Corp.-cable joint venture is aiming to build a broad footprint of 20-megahertz B-block licenses. Click here for the latest headlines from the AWS...
If you're seeking evidence that mobile marketing is truly-and finally-gaining ground, look no further than Third Screen Media's bottom line. The Boston-based firm claims it saw more revenue in July than during the entire first quarter of the year, thanks largely to big-budget campaigns...
SANTA CLARA, Calif.-Atheros Communications Inc. isn't wasting any time getting its pre-802.11n Wi-Fi technology on the market, having launched its new pre-n chips and networking processors last week. The company says its launch of pre-n gear could push WLAN access points to below $100...
TOKYO-KDDI Corp. said it plans to invest $1.73 billion over the next three years to upgrade its network to CDMA2000 1x EV-DO Revision A technology. Japan's second-largest carrier said the upgrade should boost network speeds roughly tenfold, allowing downloads up to 3.6 megabits per...
TOKYO-Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc. said it launched HSDPA service in Tokyo, and plans to cover all major Japanese cities with the technology by the end of October. The carrier is selling its new HSDPA-capable phone, the N902iX, to support the service launch. DoCoMo...
292 is the magic number for Finland's Lassi Etelatalo, who threw a Nokia cell phone 292 feet to win the World Mobile Phone Throwing Championships. The event's organizers said about 100 people participated in the 7th annual contest, which was held in Finland. The...
PARIS-Alcatel Inc. cut a deal with Nortel Networks Ltd. to buy the Canadian supplier's UMTS radio access business for $320 million.Alcatel says the purchase will strengthen its UMTS market position as well as its research-and-development capabilities, namely in HSxPA and next-generation Long-Term Evolution."We are...
SUNNYVALE, Calif.-Mobile technology startup SiBEAM said it snared $21 million in Series B venture funding. Foundation Capital led the round, which included follow-on investments from New Enterprise Associates and U.S. Venture Partners. SiBEAM, which designs chips for gigabit-speed wireless equipment, said it will use...
WASHINGTON-The California legislature last week passed wireless-related bills that prohibit driver use of handheld cell phones in the nation's most populous state, enhance Wi-Fi security and allow consumers to contest unauthorized wireless charges. A bill that would have given new subscribers 21 days to...
WASHINGTON-Government spectrum managers are being challenged like no time before in efforts to clear the way for next-generation mobile phone and wireless broadband services-as well as rectify serious interference problems-through messy licensee relocation and frequency re-banding processes. Indeed, relocation and re-banding glitches have tended...
Here's what got us talking in the RCR Wireless News editorial department last week: Throwing caution, and perhaps good sense to the wind, the Wi-Fi Alliance has decided that it will begin certifying pre-standard IEEE 802.11n products beginning next year. In essence the Wi-Fi...
Creating the homeland security regime in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks also prompted a long, overdue re-examination of the nation's emergency alert system. The warning system was created more than a half-century ago when mobile phones, the Internet and other...
Five years ago no one used the term homeland security. Five years ago, the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 had yet to happen. Five years ago, Katrina was just a girl's name-not a deadly hurricane.Today, all that has changed. Five years after the 9/11...
