SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—The market for long-form mobile video will begin to gain traction in 2008, according to new figures from In-Stat. The market research firm said that while long-form wireless TV—video content of more than 30 minutes—is still in an experimental phase, the market will...
TOKYO—Japanese wireless operator NTT DoCoMo Inc. plans to dissolve a small subsidiary that focused on helping businesses use wireless phones more efficiently. Allucher Inc. had two employees and $384,000 in capital, and had been established in 2004 under an internal system to encourage entrepreneurship...
Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. topped a new prepaid wireless customer satisfaction survey from J.D. Power & Associates. The rankings covered mobile virtual network operators and traditional wireless operators.The survey examined responses from about 4,000 current prepaid wireless customers on their experience in seven aspects...
In other Wi-Fi news, AeroScout Inc. announced the launch of its enhanced Wi-Fi-based active RFID chip, the T2 Tag, which is used primarily for asset-tracking in the healthcare and manufacturing industries. The company’s latest enhancements to the T2 include a built-in temperature monitor and...
The FLO Forum said it approved a specification for its mobile TV network technology, a move that will allow equipment makers to build gear designed to work on any FLO-based network and enable operators to choose products from multiple vendors. Designed to broadcast multimedia...
The executive shuffle continued last week at RadioShack Corp. as President and Chief Operating Officer Claire Babrowski said she will step down at the end of the month. But the chain's woes go far beyond the front office's revolving door. Babrowski joined the company...
Age, income, gender and location are among the familiar elements of demographic-based marketing across industries and, to an extent, the wireless industry has embraced the basics. One-touch dialing for pre-teens and seniors, feature-loaded, expensive gadgets for early adopters, pink handsets for (presumably) women, satellite...
NEW YORK-Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. has tapped MX Telecom to support its off-deck content activity. The mobile virtual network operator said MX Telecom will deliver premium SMS support and provide short-code connectivity for third-party transactions. The London-based messaging company maintains direct connections to more...
As shareholders of Lucent Technologies Inc. and Alcatel Inc. get set to vote Sept. 7 on the companies' proposed merger, analyst opinions run the gamut on the infrastructure "merger of the season." "It has been a long, arduous year for (Lucent chief) Pat Russo...
Few wireless applications tickle my oh-so-fickle fancy. As a matter of fact, up until last week only a pair of apps were useful enough for me to download to my handset: Google Maps and Opera Mini Browser, both of which are off-deck apps and...
PLAINFIELD, Ind.-Brightpoint Inc. inked a deal to supply wireless devices and accessories to online retailer Newegg Inc. Newegg operates a storefront for manufacturers of consumer electronics, communications equipment and hardware and software. The 5-year-old company claims nearly 6 million registered customers including IT professionals,...
French rock star Johnny Hallyday’s latest single, "La Loi du Silence," is being made exclusively available on Orange mobile phones for one week, according to Orange. Hallyday has been called the French equivalent of Elvis Presley, though the French’s fascination with Jerry Lewis should...
NEW YORK-Comverse Inc. said it will pay $19 million in cash for privately held Netonomy, a developer of customer self-service, bill analysis and point of sale software for wireless communications. Comverse said Netonomy's self-service application suite enables subscribers, including consumers, enterprise and retailers, to...
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands-Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. launched a handset equipped with Unlicensed Mobile Access technology in Italy. Samsung's SGH-P200 phone runs on the Nexperia chip from Royal Philips' Philips Semiconductor division. Philips' Nexperia offering uses the company's low-power wireless local area network system-in-package that integrates...
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.-Mobile users continue to opt for streaming music services over full-track downloads and wireless video services, according to the latest figures from In-Stat. The market research firm found that consumer interest in mobile music has outpaced interest in wireless TV over the past...
Nortel Networks Ltd. came out of the closet last week touting dual-radio Wi-Fi gear that's being used in large-scale network deployments in Moscow and Taipei, Taiwan, as well as in small and medium-sized cities, counties and university campuses. Kyle Klassen, director of Mobility Marketing...
If, as the saying goes, pops are tops in an auction, then T-Mobile USA Inc. is certainly outdoing itself in the advanced wireless services spectrum auction thus far. Meanwhile, Sprint Nextel Corp.'s joint venture with several cable companies also is doing well, despite losing...
Len Lauer, Sprint Nextel Corp.'s chief operating officer and one of the company's most high-profile executives, left the company last week after the carrier's dismal second quarter put management under pressure to make a turn-around. Sprint Nextel announced that Lauer was leaving the company,...
WASHINGTON-A New York federal judge refused to certify a potentially disruptive class-action lawsuit against the four national mobile-phone carriers, possibly removing from the line of fire for now the latest antitrust challenge to the standard industry practice of packaging wireless service and handsets in...
Nextlink Wireless Inc. announced it's expanding its wireless broadband reach into Atlanta, Chicago and Houston and said it plans to continue aggressively leveraging its spectrum holdings in the United States' 75 largest markets.Earlier this year, Nextlink launched broadband access services in Dallas, Los Angeles,...
Leap Wireless International Inc. filed a lawsuit claiming that MetroPCS Communications Inc. had stolen its business plan-only to be accused of stealing in its own right. The lawsuit could be part of a major legal assault by Leap against small- and mid-sized wireless carriers...
The wireless industry simply won't shut up about mobile marketing. And the biggest brands in the United States are listening. Mega-corporations across the country are scrambling to approach Americans on their wireless phones. Subway restaurants in Buffalo, N.Y., have teamed with MobileLime to send...
SHERMAN OAKS, Calif.-Wireless video provider GoTV Networks said it planned to broadcast made-for-mobile news coverage of Sunday's Primetime Emmy Awards. The company plans to conduct red-carpet interviews with celebrities and offer reports from pre- and post-ceremony events and receptions. The content will be available...
It may seem like you've been hearing about the concept of a "wireless wallet" for decades, but in North America, at least, m-commerce is very much in its infancy. Mobile money seems to be getting legs in Japan, where credit-card companies have teamed with...
