LONDON—Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P. announced that its earnings for the second quarter—$181 million—nearly doubled its earnings from the year-ago quarter, while revenue increased more than 40 percent and handset shipment volumes increased by 33 percent. The results exceeded financial analysts’ expectations. The handset...
SHANGHAI, China—Motorola Inc. is hoping to expand its efforts in the burgeoning Chinese wireless market with a new flagship store in Shanghai. The handset manufacturer said the new outlet is the first of four planned for China, and follows the launch of 50 smaller...
LOS ANGELES—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. has teamed with HBO to offer made-for-mobile episodes of the cable operator’s hit show "Entourage." The 4-minute episodes are designed to complement the TV series and will center on "Entourage" character Johnny Drama. The wireless clips will feature the same...
SUNNYVALE, Calif.—In a move apparently designed to assuage investors’ concerns, Palm Inc. announced that it would bring its Treo smart phone sporting Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Mobile operating system to Vodafone Group plc by the end of the year. Palm currently offers its Windows-powered Treo...
COSTA MESA, Calif.—GTC Wireless Inc. is looking to the Amway-style Independent Distributor Sales model to help boost sagging revenues. The 9-year-old provider of business process outsourcing services announced the formation of Shine Wireless, a subsidiary that will offer discount wireless services through independent agents....
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....
ALBRIGHTON, United Kingdom—Mobile software developer ROK Media Ltd. said it has acquired U.K.-based content developer Fonedream. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.ROK’s offerings include a "place-shifting" device that allows users to watch their home TV broadcasts over mobile devices. The company said it...
BELLEVUE, Wash.—MinuteWatcher L.L.C. is accusing T-Mobile USA Inc. of blocking access to its MinuteWatcher service, which is designed to help carrier customers track their wireless usage. According to MinuteWatcher, the company has been unable to contact T-Mobile USA’s servers since June 19. MinuteWatcher offers...
OVERLAND PARK, Kan.—Sprint Nextel Corp. has modified how its customers reach an automated service line and how their identities are verified following concerns raised by customers about their privacy on a Web site. According to Sprint Nextel spokeswoman Jennifer Walsh, subscribers who called customer...
EMERYVILLE, Calif.—MobiTV Inc. said it snared a whopping $70 million in a Series C financing round led by Oak Investment Partners. The three-year-old wireless video provider said it will use the capital to expand its offerings internationally and across platforms. Oak Investment Partners’ Bandel...
LONDON—Symbian Ltd. announced the release of its operating system version 9.3, touting it as providing shorter start-up times for smart phones and applications. Symbian OS licensees are currently developing handsets based on v.9.3 and product launches are expected next year.Symbian, which holds about 69...
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—Obopay inked its first carrier agreement, announcing a deal to provide mobile payment services for mobile virtual network operator Amp’d Mobile Inc. Obopay allows users to set up stand-alone accounts that can be used to send and receive money between users or...
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—VeriSign Inc. announced an agreement with the WiMAX Forum to become the official security provider for the 802.16 standard. In a joint statement, VeriSign and the WiMAX Forum said the partnership will promote equipment compatibility and interoperability by creating a device-authentication standard...
LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.—Motient Corp. announced a solid win against Highland Capital Management L.P. and its president, James Dondero, with news that Motient stockholders voted to elect all of the company’s six nominees to the board of directors at its annual stockholder’s meeting, held today. "We...
WASHINGTON—Federal Communications Commission member Jonathan Adelstein said the government should prohibit Wall Street money manager Mario Gabelli from participating in the Aug. 9 advanced wireless services auction as part of a fraud settlement with the Justice Department. "I think the Justice Department as part...
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos—Caribbean mobile operator Digicel Group plc said it plans to launch new mobile services in its Turks & Caicos market. New services include per-second billing, international roaming and free activation, said the company. The company also recently opened 113 top-up locations...
NEW YORK—The confirmation of Robert McDowell to the Federal Communications Commission in May, which creates the first Republican majority in the commission since early 2005, could impact several key policies on controversial telecom issues including the Universal Service Fund, according to Fitch Ratings’ Biannual...
FREMONT, Calif.—Mobile resource management solutions provider @Road Inc. said it plans to acquire the assets of MobileAria Inc. under an asset sale and purchase agreement between the companies that followed an auction for MobileAria’s assets on July 6. Terms of the agreement call for...
BRUSSELS—The European Union has announced plans to cap the international roaming rates that carriers charge one another, which could end up cutting those prices by as much as 70 percent. "The commission wants to ensure that prices paid by consumers for roaming services within...
WASHINGTON—The House passed legislation to ban Internet gambling domestically and abroad. The legislation, based on a 1961 law that prohibits gambling over telephone lines, expands the ban to the Internet, wireless and other new technologies. "I am extremely pleased by the passage of this...
SEATTLE—The Automobile Association of America selected Volantis Systems Ltd. to develop and deploy a mobile portal that will allow AAA members to access association information from any mobile device. The mobile portal is expected to go live in October with searchable information on hotels,...
SAN FRANCISCO—Wireless game-maker Hands-On Mobile Inc. has created a new division in an effort to tap the booming mobile marketing space. The publisher, formerly known as Mforma, is joining a field that seems to get more crowded by the day. Wireless storefront operators and...
SAN RAMON, Calif.—Canadian telecom company MTS Allstream Inc. plans to offer push-to-talk services using technology from Kodiak Networks. MTS Allstream’s service uses Kodiak’s Real-Time Exchange System, with features including availability display, call waiting, group calling, handset-based contact management and Kodiak’s Press2Talk walkie-talkie service. MTS...
COPPELL, Texas—Shares of CellStar Corp. jumped after the company reported a profitable quarter and unveiled a distribution agreement with LG Electronics Co. Ltd. The wireless distributor reported a net income of $2.7 million during the quarter, a dramatic turnaround from its loss of $9.4...
