PARIS—Alcatel Inc. and Lucent Technologies Inc. confirmed they are in talks to create a "merger of equals," a transaction that would result in a single telecom equipment company with a total market capitalization of more than $33 billion. "We can confirm that Lucent and...
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa—MTN Group, which provides cellular service in 14 African countries, said it expects to launch service in Iran by the third quarter. MTN last year bought a 49 percent stake in Irancell for $350 million. Irancell is licensed to become Iran’s second...
SAN MATEO, Calif.—Sling Media Inc. launched a software package allowing wireless subscribers to view TV broadcasts on Windows Mobile devices. The developer announced a beta version of the much-awaited offering, which sends video from a cable box through an Ethernet cable to a handset...
GOLDEN, Colo.—Verizon Wireless’ full-page advertisement in The Denver Post’s March 22 edition, prominently displayed on page 5 of the newspaper’s front section, trumpets: "IT’S THE NETWORK" and "#1 in Customer Loyalty in Denver," both well-worn marketing phrases for the nation’s second-largest carrier in the...
WAYNESBORO, Va.—Regional telecommunications operator Ntelos Holdings Corp. reported strong growth in the fourth quarter and full-year 2005, generating wireless operating revenues of $73 million during the final three months of 2005 and $280 million for the year. Ntelos Inc., the company’s prior incarnation, was...
SAN JOSE, Calif.—PayPal quietly launched a service for customers to make purchases or send money to other users from a mobile phone. The world’s largest supplier of online payment services is testing the offering, which allows users to send a text message indicating the...
PARIS—Mobile GPS navigation solutions company Webraska said its revenues doubled during its 2005 fiscal year, driven by sales of the company’s SmartZone Geospatial Platform and its Navigation Platform. The company said it expects to report revenues for the year, which ends this month, of...
SAN JOSE, Calif.—Nvidia Corp. said it plans to acquire Hybrid Graphics Ltd., a Finnish company that provides embedded 2-D and 3-D graphics software for handheld devices. Under the definitive agreement, Hybrid is to become a subsidiary of Nvidia, maintaining support functions for its existing...
DULUTH, Ga.—Itaas Inc. and Embience Inc. announced they have partnered on a new interactive TV platform designed to allow users to download content associated with television programs to their mobile phones. The MPTV platform allows consumers to use their remote control to select and...
MUNICH, Germany—Siemens AG said its chief financial officer, Heinz-Joachim Nueburger, has resigned from his position for personal reasons and plans to step down in May, a year before his contract expires. His replacement, Joe Kaeser, is a company veteran and has been Siemens’ chief...
LAS VEGAS—UTStarcom Inc. announced plans to commercialize Qualcomm Inc.’s mobile wireless network base station, which is designed to provide a portable, all-IP CDMA2000 800/1900 MHz network in remote or disaster-affected areas. The unit will work on UTStarcom’s MovingMedia 2000 all-IP CDMA wireless core infrastructure...
SEOUL, South Korea—LG Electronics Co. Ltd. said it plans to bring its Chocolate phone to the United States sometime this year. The company said the move is part of its plans to more quickly bring its advanced Korean handsets to U.S. shoppers. LG has...
SAN FRANCISCO—Content providers will need to deliver compelling programming for mobile video to grow beyond the young, male demographic it currently attracts, two new reports indicate. Mobile TV is already drawing a key demographic for advertisers, according to Telephia. Wireless users between the ages...
SAN MATEO, Calif.—Three former executives from mobile marketing company Enpocket have teamed to launch a "reverse auction" service for wireless users. Limbo 41414 unveiled a beta site that rewards users who makes the lowest offer via text message for an item that no other...
NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif.—Starwave Mobile said it signed a mobile licensing agreement with Artificial Life Inc. to bring the company’s virtual girlfriend and virtual boyfriend games to the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The V-girl and V-boy applications are role-playing mobile games that...
LAS VEGAS—Sprint Nextel Corp.’s local phone service spin-off, Embarq, plans to launch a mobile virtual network operator later this year, according to Embarq’s chief executive officer-to-be, Dan Hesse. Hesse told attendees during a keynote address at the TelecomNext conference of Embarq’s MVNO intentions, which...
SHANGHAI, China—Qualcomm Inc. and Chinese firm China TechFaith Wireless Communication Technology Ltd. announced today the two companies would form a new venture, TechFaith Software China Ltd., to develop software applications for wireless devices. The deal is worth up to $35 million in cash and...
BURNABY, Canada—Fortuna Gaming Corp., a Canadian-based company focused on online and mobile gambling, sees mobile gambling as a big part of its future and eventually wants to launch a mobile virtual network operator for gambling. "The long-term vision is to develop the ultimate Mobile...
LAS VEGAS—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. plans to shut off both its TDMA and analog networks by 2008, chief executive officer Stan Sigman told attendees during a keynote address earlier this week at the TelecomNext conference. Cingular spokesman Ritch Blasi noted that about 95 percent of...
SANTA CLARA, Calif.—Lucent Technologies Inc. outbid L.M. Ericsson in the auction of Ethernet developer Riverstone Networks Inc.’s business. Riverstone said Lucent’s final bid was $207 million in cash along with certain modifications to the Asset Purchase Agreement originally signed by the two companies in...
AUSTIN, Texas—KGI Wireless Inc. said it snagged a multi-year deal to manage Alltel Corp.’s 3,000 wireless tower sites. The agreement represents the first time a domestic wireless carrier has selected a company to direct the marketing and licensing of its national tower inventory, KGI...
SAN FRANCISCO—MobileLime and mFoundry are the latest companies to announce financing rounds this week. Mobile application publisher mFoundry said it completed a $7.3 million Series B round of private equity financing. GRP Partners led the round, which included participation from previous investors Ignition Partners...
SEOUL, South Korea—Do Europeans like chocolate as much as South Koreans? If we’re talking food, the question is crazy. But because we’re talking about LG Electronics Co. Ltd.’s new Chocolate mobile phone, which has done well since its release in South Korea in November—300,000...
BOULDER, Colo.—The Mobile Marketing Association revised its "consumer best practices," updating the guidelines to include chat services, interactive television and viral and affiliate marketing. The rules are designed to establish a standard, efficient platform for brands, advertisers and carriers looking to market to wireless...
