Sprint PCS tower assets are creating industry buzz again as the carrier affirmed it is talking with potential buyers. With its 6,200 towers up for sale, Sprint seems poised to get enough money to fund its merger with Nextel Communications Inc. and other technology...
Around the world, carriers are looking to boost wireless data sales to offset razor-thin profit margins from voice services. And they're getting a lot of help. NMS Communications last week launched a framework that allows carriers to manage subscriber relations, track information from wireless...
Convenience store 7-Eleven Inc. added the low-end Nokia Corp. 1100 handset to its lineup for its Speak Out Wireless prepaid offering. The phone will sell for $40 after a $20 rebate. "The Nokia 1100 phone is an ideal 7-Eleven Speak Out Wireless handset for...
Two new services announced last week take advantage of cell phones as a medium for consumers to gain information on potential big-ticket purchases. Car maker BMW will promote its upcoming 3Series line by allowing mobile users to access product information via their handsets.The automaker...
Following a rather uneventful holiday season in which wireless operators favored handset subsidies over aggressive rate-plan changes, the new year has seen numerous adjustments. Industry observers note that the changes could reflect operational trends within the operators as well as showing that despite fewer...
SEATTLE-M-commerce software developer Qpass is partnering with Sonim Technologies to enable operators to manage push-to-talk and other next-generation services. Through the alliance, Qpass operator customers can integrate Sonim's Voice over Internet Protocol applications into their business systems, allowing subscribers to provision services via their...
STOCKHOLM, Sweden-In its second W-CDMA contract announcement in a week, L.M. Ericsson said Connex, a wireless operator in Romania, has selected the Swedish vendor to supply gear for its W-CDMA rollout. The network will be the first to offer third-generation services to mobile users...
SACRAMENTO, Calif.-SBC Communications Inc. reported an agreement to install Wi-Fi networks covering 85 California state parks. SBC noted that San Eli State Beach located outside San Diego will be the first state park gaining Wi-Fi services, with plans to install networks in the other...
Redline Communications unveiled a WiMAX-ready base station and subscriber station. Redline released the AN-100U, a fully compliant IEEE 802.16-2004 platform. A member of the WiMAX Forum T, Redline said it is actively participating in developing the 802.16e standard for mobile applications. "Interest in the...
WASHINGTON-Hoping to capitalize on recent decisions by a pair of wireless carriers to postpone their involvement in the controversial wireless 411 directory, the Consumers Union is urging Congress to pass legislation that would require consumers to provide written permission to be included in such...
COSTA MESA, Calif.-The CDMA Development Group added 31 CDMA2000 networks and 60 million subscribers in 2004, the trade association announced. By the end of the year, more than 100 CDMA2000 carriers in 53 countries were providing service to 145 million users, CDG said, and...
WASHINGTON-Dian Grueneich was sworn in as a member of the California Public Utilities Commission, allowing her to vote next week on a proposal to suspend the bill of rights for telecom consumers. Grueneich, a Democratic who headed an energy and environmental consulting firm, is...
The Powell era is over. Michael Powell, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said he is leaving the agency within the next couple of months. "Having completed a bold and aggressive agenda, it is time for me to pursue other opportunities and let someone...
Validating its increasing focus on wireless operations, Alltel Corp. posted robust fourth-quarter and full-year results for 2004, including higher-than-expected customer growth, average revenue per user and lower churn. Alltel, which recently announced plans to acquire rural wireless provider Western Wireless Corp., posted 139,000 internal...
WASHINGTON-The Virginia Senate is poised to vote on a bill passed by the transportation subcommittee yesterday that would prohibit cell-phone use by teenage drivers.The measure is championed by state Sens. James O'Brien and William Mims, two Republican lawmakers whose previous teen-driving bill-which includes a...
STOCKHOLM, Sweden-Cingular Wireless L.L.C. has selected a Swedish company to develop and implement a merger alignment initiative for its acquisition of AT&T Wireless Services Inc. BTS Group said Cingular will use its customized business simulation and complementary Web-based tools. The leadership initiative targets the...
SAN RAMON, Calif.-PowerHouse Technologies Group Inc., a supplier of mobile software, said it can now collect the $12.8 million it won in a complaint against several defendants, including Joseph Ford Proctor, The Mayfair Capital Group and Brickhouse Venture Capital.The Superior Court of California also...
SEATTLE-Cingular Wireless L.L.C. announced plans to lay off up to 88 employees in its Washington operations, which the Atlanta-based company gained from its recently completed acquisition of AT&T Wireless Services Inc. A Cingular spokesman noted the job cuts are part of the carrier's plan...
NEW YORK-Billing software company Amdocs enjoyed a stock rise on its fiscal first-quarter results.The company's quarterly revenues rose 3.8 percent to $469.5 million, its highest performance to date."In our view, Amdocs has broken away from the pack, and we believe the strong visibility levels...
Siemens AG officials said they have no plans to sell the company's loss-making handset business, according to reports. Industry has been awash in rumors that Siemens will either sell its mobile phone operations or form some type of joint venture with the likes of...
Four of the world's biggest consumer electronics companies are partnering to develop a digital rights management (DRM) standard to deter piracy and illegal copying of music and video. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Royal Philips Electronics, Samsung Electronics Co. and Sony Corp. formed the Marlin...
Finnish mobile phone component manufacturer Perlos said it will lay off 200 workers in its Lehmonharju plant. The plant currently employs around 640 people. The news comes as industry gears down for a sluggish year of mobile-phone sales after several stellar years of growth....
VIENNA, Austria-Mobilkom Austria said Thursday it will incorporate EDGE technology to expand its UMTS network coverage.The carrier said it currently has UMTS coverage across 60 percent of Austria's population, and the EDGE addition will allow for 95-percent population coverage. The new network is scheduled...
ESPOO, Finland-Nokia Corp. said it will put almost $4 million toward helping India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand rebuild after December's devastating tsunami."During the first crucial days, we channeled our relief efforts into direct cash contributions, product and service donations and extensive employee volunteering,"...
