SAN DIEGO-It's all about the money. And why not? That's a healthy reason for hundreds of people to fly into San Diego and cloister themselves inside a luxury hotel, as the nearby sea beckoned. When Paul Jacobs, Qualcomm Inc.'s chief executive officer, noted in...
WASHINGTON-A leading industry group blasted a Department of Homeland Security draft report that highlighted potential privacy problems with radio frequency identification technology and downplayed the value of the wireless technology. "RFID technology may have a small benefit in terms of speeding identification processes, but...
SAN DIEGO-Qualcomm Inc. refuted claims made in a Korean newspaper that certain Korean manufacturers' royalty obligations will expire in 2006 for sales within Korea and in 2008 for sales outside Korea. Qualcomm said The Korea Times apparently is reporting details of an old agreement...
Wireless industry trade association CTIA is hoping to spur direct-to-consumer revenues by expanding the industry's short-code program. The industry group, along with short-code administrator NeuStar Inc., announced open registration for six-digit short codes. Wireless subscribers can access content or services by sending a key...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission ruled late Friday to limit controversial small-business bidding changes to the advanced wireless services auction and future license sales, mollifying critics of retroactive provisions while emboldening other opponents to seek relief in court. The FCC's retreat in April from a...
Amp'd Mobile Inc. has rounded out its service offering with a prepaid play that began selling last week, touting its new pay-as-you-go service as "the first and only pay-as-you-go 3G wireless phone service." Amp'd Mobile's prepaid offering charge customers 10 cents per minute for...
SKOKIE, Ill.-Rand McNally and Motorola Inc. are teaming up in an effort to get drivers to rely on their cell phones for navigation instead of in-car GPS systems or those old-fashioned, hard-to-fold road maps. The two companies said that they will work together to...
Across the telecommunications industry, companies are taking baby steps toward the quadruple-play bundle of voice, video, high-speed Internet and wireless services. Typically, luring customers to adopt those bundles can include monthly discounts from the price of services if they were purchased separately, sometimes in...
OVERLAND PARK, Kan.-Sprint Nextel Corp. will sell Mobile ESPN L.L.C. service in hundreds of its retail stores, a move that adds weight to the sports-focused MVNO's distribution network. Sprint Nextel originally committed to provide Mobile ESPN space in at least 500 of its stores...
CHICAGO-U.S. Cellular Corp. and its parent company, Telephone and Data Systems Inc., have further delayed their year-end regulatory filings, as well as filings for the first quarter of 2006. TDS and U.S. Cellular said that the delay was due to a review of financial...
WASHINGTON-The nation's most populous state is a step closer to banning drivers from operating handheld cell phones while behind the wheel. The bill, approved 21-14 by the California Senate and sponsored by Sen. Joe Simitian (D), now goes to the California State Assembly for...
IRVINE, Calif.-Boost Mobile L.L.C., a subsidiary of Sprint Nextel Corp., said its prepaid wireless phones and service will be available at Fred Meyer stores. The company's products are already available at Target, Wal-Mart and Best Buy locations.Boost said it is offering three Motorola Inc....
WASHINGTON-The 800 MHz Transition Administrator warned that vendors supplying equipment for companies moving off the 800 MHz band need to proactively prepare for their clients' needs as the reconfiguration process goes forward. Companies like Motorola Inc., Kenwood and M/A Com supply products to the...
DENVER-Qwest Communications International Inc. wireless customers seeking directory assistance no longer have to rely on memory or a quick scribble to recall the number that they're looking for. The regional telecommunications provider has begun offering a text-messaging 411 option. When a customer calls 411...
As RCR's online editor, I am starting a weekly column at RCRNews.com. It's called 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 to rant about whatever rubs us...
WASHINGTON-EarthLink Inc. is set this week to respond to privacy concerns raised about its bid with Google Inc. to build a municipal Wi-Fi system in San Francisco. The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, The Electronic Privacy Information Center and the Electronic Frontier...
Global Tower Partners expanded its footprint in the Western United States with an agreement to buy 78 towers from Chinook Wireless Communications, a carrier holding 1900 MHz licenses in eight basic trading areas covering more than 1 million people across Montana and part of...
WASHINGTON-With a small improvement in equipment, unlicensed wireless spectrum could solve the network-neutrality debate by providing proponents with enough bandwidth to compete with cable and digital subscriber lines, said Yochai Benkler, a professor at Yale University and author of "The Wealth of Networks: How...
The United States last week struck a historic trade deal with Vietnam, the communist nation and one-time foe whose name pops up a lot these days as we find ourselves bogged down militarily in another overseas hot spot.The U.S.-led coalition made it possible for...
In a move designed to give the wireline equipment leader a boost in its wireless sales, ADC Telecommunications Inc. said it would pay $2 billion in stock to acquire Andrew Corp. Indeed, a combined Andrew and ADC would reap almost half of its revenues...
WASHINGTON-A coalition of top wireless and high-tech manufacturers urged the Federal Communications Commission to reject a California testing lab's call to revise compliance measurement guidelines for new 5 GHz wireless Internet devices. A government-industry group crafted the guidelines to ensure the devices won't interfere...
Chicago's Mayor Richard M. Daley announced that the city will begin taking requests for proposals in turning Chicago into a wireless community. The mayor is seeking submissions from private-sector firms that would provide Internet access throughout the city, including free wireless service in Chicago...
SCHAUMBURG, Ill.-Motorola Inc. said it will shell out $192 million to acquire TTP Communications plc, a U.K.-based mobile software developer and chipmaker. TTPCom is a 575-employee holding company with substantial stakes in a handset certification business, and also sells software for GSM and GPRS...