FRAMINGHAM, Mass.—This year could mark the beginning of important changes for the U.S. wireless industry, according to new research from IDC. Last year was a stellar year for the industry, with about 21.8 million new subscribers activating service, propelling the industry to more than...
LAS VEGAS—Mobile virtual network operator XE Mobile said it plans to launch its pay-as-you-go cellular service targeted at students during an event in Las Vegas next week. The company said it will launch the service at a party April 6 at the Tao Nightclub...
SAN FRANCISCO—An Apple Computer Inc.-branded mobile phone could hit the market this spring, predicts research and consulting firm Visiongain. The "iPhone" product, which has long been a popular rumor topic, is likely to launch in tandem with mobile virtual network operator Helio’s service in...
HELSINKI, Finland—Nokia Corp. sent ripples through the mobile device industry by raising its estimate of global handset sales for this year from 10 percent to 15 percent "or more" over last year. The statement was delivered by Jorma Olilla, Nokia’s outgoing chairman and chief...
PARIS—Alcatel Inc.’s board of directors is meeting in Paris today to review its "merger of equals" with longtime rival telecom equipment vendor Lucent Technologies Inc. Though the French company said it’s not likely to reach a final decision about the merger during the meeting,...
OVERLAND PARK, Kan.—Even as Sprint Nextel Corp. continues to build out its CDMA2000 1x EV-DO network, the carrier has announced a plan to make its network even faster using EV-DO Revision A. According to Sprint Nextel, the company will concurrently put in Rev. A...
ROCHESTER, N.Y.—About two in five adult cellular phone subscribers currently are on a family plan, and another one in five is considering a multi-line plan when their current service contracts expire, according to a recent survey by Harris Interactive. The online study was conducted...
WASHINGTON—The Senate Commerce Committee Thursday morning passed the Protecting Consumer Phone Records Act of 2006 but only after adding an amendment that the chairman of the committee believes will doom the bill to failure. By voice vote, the Senate Commerce Committee amended the bill...
PALO ALTO, Calif.—Obopay officially came out of stealth mode, unveiling a mobile payment service that will allow users to make purchases and send and receive funds on their handsets. The startup outlined a downloadable application that offers real-time purchases and transfers and can be...
SAN DIEGO—Qualcomm Inc. announced it filed a patent infringement suit against chipmaker Broadcom Corp., the third in a running dispute over what Qualcomm alleges is misuse of its intellectual property. The latest suit focuses on what Qualcomm charges is Broadcom’s misappropriation of trade secrets...
WASHINGTON—Network Neutrality has emerged as a key sticking point in the debate regarding a scaled-backed communications draft bill released by the House Commerce Committee Monday. Network neutrality generally refers to the ability to run any lawful application or connect any lawful device to the...
SARASOTA, Fla.—XG Technology L.L.C. said its first consumer product, a Voice over Internet Protocol handset, will be available by the end of this year and that the device will work with low-cost xMAX-enabled base stations. The handsets are expected to be dual-mode, equipped with...
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.—Wireless operators are doing well at retaining customers, and only 7 percent of cellular customers say they plan to switch providers when their contracts are up, according to a survey by consumer and retail information company NPD Group. NPD bases its mobile...
PLAINFIELD, Ind.—Brightpoint Inc. will supply Motorola Inc.’s handsets and accessories to some of its customers in the United States, Brightpoint announced. The agreement between the two companies is something of a coup for Brightpoint, as Motorola is the No. 1 handset supplier in the...
IRVINE, Calif.—Location-services company Networks In Motion announced it scored $10 million in its latest round of venture funding. Sutter Hill led the round, while the company’s existing investors Redpoint Ventures and Mission Ventures also participated. Networks In Motion said it would use the funds...
ATLANTA—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. and Verizon Wireless announced developments in their respective offerings of wireless data service via laptop computers. Verizon Wireless unveiled pay-as-you-go pricing option for its CDMA2000 1x EV-DO-based BroadbandAccess service, available on seven laptops that come with embedded EV-DO technology. For $15...
OTTAWA—Canadian mobile data company ZIM said it will pay $1.1 million in cash and stock to acquire U.S.-based content provider Advanced Internet Services Inc. ZIM hopes to use the acquisition as an "immediate entry" point to the mobile content market. AIS was founded in...
RALEIGH, N.C.—Oasys Mobile Inc.’s makeover has been expensive. The company formerly known as Summus Inc. reported a net loss of $1.82 million in the quarter ended Dec. 31, up more than threefold from its net loss during the final quarter of 2004. The company...
NEW YORK—Mobile video will generate $501 million in revenue in the United States by 2010, according to figures from JupiterResearch. The latest study on wireless TV found that while only 2 percent of U.S. users currently subscribe to a wireless video service, 41 percent...
BELLEVUE, Wash.—The Bluetooth Special Interest Group picked the WiMedia Alliance multiband orthogonal frequency division multiplexing version of ultra-wideband for integration with Bluetooth technology, thus taking the next step in its plan to create a high-speed data rate version of version of Bluetooth capable of...
BOULDER, Colo.—The Mobile Marketing Association has created a committee to address the operational and technical guidelines surrounding wireless video. The committee, which is open to all MMA members, seeks to establish best practices for marketing through wireless video and create guidelines for measuring the...
MENLO PARK, Calif.—LimeLife Inc. snared $10 million in Series B financing, the women’s mobile content publisher said. U.S. Venture Partners led the round; other investors include Rustic Canyon Partners, i-Hatch Ventures and Monitor Ventures. LimeLife publishes casual games targeted at women; other planned offerings...
TORONTO—Current and former directors, officers and employees of Nortel Networks Ltd. are forbidden by the Ontario Securities Commission to trade shares of the company’s stock, Nortel said in a statement. Nortel said the temporary cease trade order came as a result of its delay...
BRUSSELS, Belgium—European Union telecom regulators today announced plans to force wireless operators to lower their international roaming rates within EU countries, with the goal that subscribers would be charged for calls made while traveling within the EU at the same rates that they receive...
