The Federal Communications Commission appeared poised to reject M2Z Networks Inc.'s plan to offer free nationwide broadband service on the 2155-2175 MHz band, a move likely to prompt a court challenge and refocus the campaign to integrate open access-wholesale requirements in the wireless space.Once...
Mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. cut about 5% of its workforce, mostly in its field sales team, the company confirmed following media reports of the move.The cuts amount to around 100 positions, and Helio spokesman Rick Heineman described them as being part of...
Japanese telecom giant NTT DoCoMo Inc. announced it will form a joint venture with ACCA Networks Co. Ltd. in order to take advantage of ACCA's plans to build a mobile WiMAX network in the country using 2.5 GHz spectrum.The Japanese government decided to ban...
The Federal Communications Commission said it plans to fine Sprint Nextel Corp., Alltel Corp. and U.S. Cellular Corp. nearly $3 million collectively for failing to meet enhanced 911 rules.Sprint Nextel faces a $1.3 million penalty, while Alltel and U.S. Cellular are on the hook...
Welcome to our Friday feature, Week in Review. Every Friday, RCR Wireless News will run through the major events of the past week, outlining what happened and speculating on what to look for in the coming weeks. Check below for news about carriers, handset...
The family of late reggae star Bob Marley said they will sue Verizon Wireless and Universal Music Group in response to an exclusive ringtone deal announced earlier this week.Verizon Wireless on Tuesday trumpeted an exclusive pact to offer ringtones and ringback tones from more...
Mobile-game publisher Telcogames acquired Australia's Viva La Mobile for an undisclosed sum.Viva La Mobile operates Redstar, a platform for multiplayer mobile gaming in use by a half-dozen network operators including 3 Australia, 3 Austria, SmarTone Vodafone Hong Kong and Telstra. The 4-year-old firm's platform...
The cellular backhaul market is expected to reach $23 billion by 2012, according to a new ABI Research study. Backhaul currently accounts for about $14 billion in capital expenditures, the company said. ABI also found that Eastern Europe would replace Western Europe as the...
Qualcomm Inc. reached a deal with Maxis Communications Berhad and ASTRO All Asia Networks plc to conduct a technical trial of the San Diego-based company's MediaFLO mobile broadcast TV technology in Malaysia. Expected to begin in the fall, the trial will feature 25 live...
Hello!And welcome to our Thursday column, 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 at RCRNews.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way....
Mobile TV vendor MediaFLO USA Inc. is in the midst of an executive shuffle. Dan Novak, who has long been the public face of MediaFLO at trade shows and other industry events, is now playing a key role in corporate marketing at MediaFLO's parent...
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications this week eliminated one job in its North American operations-sidelining VP for Corporate Communications Cherie Gary-in an effort to realign its global public relations efforts, which in turn will help it realize its ambitions as a top handset vendor, according...
Nokia Corp. unveiled four handsets along with its "Ovi" Internet-based content services in what appears to be an early example of how the Finnish company will dovetail its hardware business with a future-facing Internet services business model. The handsets appear targeted at the European...
EarthLink Inc. has fired 900 employees and closed offices in Orlando, Fla.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Harrisburg, Pa.; and San Francisco. The company said it will also substantially reduce its presence in Pasadena, Calif., and Atlanta. Billed as a "corporate restructuring," the company expects to pay...
Diebold Inc., maker of self-service and security systems including automatic teller machines and electronic voting machines, said that it has been granted five U.S. patents over the past 18 months that cover applications allowing mobile devices to interact with bank ATMs. Diebold said the...
Nokia Corp. outlined a surprisingly aggressive direct-to-consumer strategy comprising music, games, maps and social-networking offerings across both PCs and mobile phones.The manufacturer introduced Ovi-which means "door" in the Finnish company's native tongue-at its Nokia Go Play event in London this morning. The portal will...
AT&T Inc. is reviewing its advertising strategy, and has put its estimated $3.345 billion media-buying and -planning account up for grabs. The nation's No. 1 wireless carrier said the review is expected to be completed by the end of the year.In a statement, AT&T...
The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.Carrier --Standard & Poor's assigned it's A rating to AT&T Inc.'s $2 billion of global notes due 2037 and affirmed the company's other ratings, including...
The following list includes venture capital and other investments into wireless companies announced during the past week. The value of the investment is included when available.--Bluepulse: VantagePoint Venture Partners invested $6 million into mobile social networking company Bluepulse--MocoSpace: General Catalyst Partners led a $3...
The California Assembly overwhelming voted to take all wireless devices out of the hands of drivers under the age of 18, a measure that builds on the state's existing across-the-board ban on handheld phone use while behind the wheel.The bill, which passed the State...
Enterprise search company Fast Search & Transfer and Rakuten, a Japan-based Internet service provider, announced they have formed a joint venture to develop and provide mobile search and advertising service in Japan.The new entity will be called Rakuten FAST Mobile Search and will be...
A new survey focused on smartphone operating systems by iGR found that more than half of all respondents use a Research In Motion Ltd. BlackBerry device, while the majority of the remaining respondents use a Windows Mobile device. At least 30% of those surveyed...
A pair of Motorola Inc. subsidiaries filed a lawsuit against Aruba Networks Inc. alleging patent infringement related to wireless local area network communication technologies. Motorola's Symbol Technologies Inc. and Wireless Valley Communications Inc. filed the lawsuit yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the...
Redback Wireless Corp. said it entered a joint venture agreement with digital advertising agency NextLevel.com.NextLevel, which has designed more than 75 Internet sites for customers including Sony Corp., Warner Bros. and World Championship Wrestling, will handle client accounts and sales for the venture. Redback...
