BARCELONA, Spain—Internet and mobile vendor VeriSign Inc. signed an agreement to acquire Vienna, Austria-based 3united Mobile Solutions AG, which is a privately held wireless applications service provider founded in 1999. 3united said its network connects with more than 50 wireless operators in Eastern Europe,...
LONDON—Vodafone Group plc announced that it is working with Google Inc. to develop mobile search services, which Vodafone plans to integrate into its Vodafone Live portal. The Google search results would be delivered via Vodafone’s high speed data networks and the product is designed...
Warren, N.J.—Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. introduced an unlimited night and weekend calling plan that allows users to place unlimited off-peak calls to three phone numbers of their choice.The "Inner Circle" deal gives customers who sign up by April 30 unlimited night and weekend service...
DALLAS—Nothing says "I’m sticking with you" like a three-year contract for network services and equipment. Cingular Wireless L.L.C. said it will stand by its long-time equipment supplier, the much beleaguered Nortel Networks Ltd., as the nation’s largest carrier gets serious about upgrading its network...
BARCELONA, Spain-Microsoft Corp. furthered its efforts in the wireless e-mail space with an announcement that Cingular Wireless L.L.C., Orange SA, T-Mobile International and Vodafone Group plc plan to offer its push e-mail service. The service works on devices running Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system.The...
BARCELONA, Spain-Software giant Microsoft Corp. announced it acquired Paris-based mobile search company MotionBridge. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Founded in June 2000, MotionBridge powers mobile search services for operators including O2 plc, T-Mobile International, Orange SA and Sprint Nextel Corp. On Sprint...
LA CRESCENTA, Calif.-Magnific's Inc. said it has created a magnifying glass-like product that fits onto cellular phone displays. The Phone Monocle, which Magnific claims magnifies screen characters up to two times, is designed for phone users who are over 40 years old, those who...
BARCELONA, Spain-The world's handset makers rushed to show off the fruits of their labors on the opening day of the 3GSM World Congress trade show, but most of the newly unveiled gadgets were aimed at the mass market and included a relatively tame set...
SAN BRUNO, Ca.-Sprint Nextel Corp. is set to be the first operator to test the next evolution of IPWireless Inc.'s mobile broadband technology, the companies announced. IPWireless announced that beginning in March, Sprint Nextel plans to begin testing the company's new Long Term Evolution-capable...
NEW YORK-Third-generation handsets now account for roughly 16 percent of the U.S. mobile phone landscape, according to a new study from CIBC World Markets. In the firm's January report on 3G handset sales, CIBC found that 12 out of a total of 76 handsets...
BRISTOL, England-Apertio announced a new deal with Vodafone Group plc that places Apertio's One Network Directory Server at the core of Vodafone's network in the United Kingdom. "By deploying a single data platform underpinning the entire core network, Vodafone is able to create a...
Google Inc. and Skype Technologies SA are among the backers of Fon, a Spanish Internet software company with plans to create a global network of 1 million shared Wi-Fi hot spots by 2010. In its first round of funding, the three-month-old company said it...
Operating system vendor Symbian Ltd. announced it will cut its licensing fees in half in a bid to counter encroaching competition from Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Mobile OS and Linux OS. Symbian currently charges handset makers $5 per phone (for shipments of more than 2...
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.-Motorola Inc. is hoping to kick-start the lagging mobile-commerce market with a system that allows users to purchase products, transfer funds or pay bills with their cell phones. The company unveiled M-Wallet, a downloadable application for both smart phones and mass-market devices...
LONDON-Next-generation wireless networks are driving multimedia offerings in the United Kingdom and Germany, according to the latest figures from M:Metrics. The Seattle-based mobile measurement firm found that while 3G users remain a small minority, such subscribers are as much as five times more likely...
WASHINGTON-The FBI and Department of Homeland Security have advised state and local law enforcement officials to be alert for large purchases of prepaid cell phones, an FBI spokesman said. The advisory follows an investigation of recent incidents in Texas, California and possibly other states...
Lucent Technologies Inc. said it agreed to purchase Ethernet developer Riverstone Networks' assets for $170 million in cash. Most of Riverstone's employees are expected to join Lucent as part of the company's Multimedia Network Solutions business."We are extremely pleased and energized to join forces...
Bluetoothing in cars is on the rise and the technology shows no signs of slowing down any time soon, says a new report by ABI Research. While Bluetooth automotive markets have been stalled in the past, ABI stated that the market grew significantly in...
WASHINGTON-President George W. Bush signed into law budget deficit legislation requiring TV broadcasters to surrender analog spectrum by Feb. 18, 2009, paving the way for the redistribution of valuable frequencies to public safety and other wireless users. The bill requires the Federal Communications Commission...
SAN MATEO, Calif.-Mobilitec Inc. this week expects to launch an offering for operators and brands looking to publish, manage and deliver mobile content. The mobile software developer will release mPower 5.0, a single-platform solution that supports the spectrum of wireless content including ringtones, games...
Openwave Systems Inc. and Sun Microsystems Inc. this week will unveil an agreement to share technologies in an effort to whittle time-to-market for applications from operators and software developers. The companies will share technologies to produce a software development toolkit that integrates Sun's Java...
At this year's 3GSM World Congress, the world's handset makers will have an important line to toe. On one side, vendors must keep pace with the market's technological advancements. HSDPA, MP3, DVB-H, Bluetooth, wireless e-mail-the list of new technologies seems never-ending.On the other side,...
TEMPE, Ariz.-Motorola Inc. named Interphase Corp. its preferred provider for I/O Advanced Mezzanine Cards, according to an alliance announced by the companies. The first communications server products to include Interphase technology are expected to launch during the second half of this year.Interphase has worked...
WASHINGTON-A new Department of Defense report says the military will depend on broadband and wireless technologies in future warfare, a policy direction that could create added business opportunities for telecom and high-tech industry sectors. The Quadrennial Defense Review Report, the second comprehensive defense assessment...
