Nortel Networks Ltd. has made no secret of its plans to play big-time in the WiMAX ecosystem. Shortly after Sprint Nextel Corp. announced its plans to build a nationwide WiMAX network, Nortel named Peter MacKinnon as the new general manager of its WiMAX business....
While many in the wireless industry consider Sprint Nextel Corp's decision to build a WiMAX network the technology's defining and legitimizing moment, vendors that have been developing 802.16-2005-compliant WiMAX products are just beginning to feel the glow of the industry's spotlight. During the WiMAX...
SAN DIEGO—A squabble over documents in the heated legal battle between chipmakers Qualcomm Inc. and Broadcom Corp. serves to highlight the contentious nature of the companies’ fight, as both players took completely different stances over a relatively minor courtroom event. Earlier this week, Broadcom...
SAN DIEGO—A U.S. District Court judge ruled yesterday that Broadcom Corp. can develop and sell third-generation chipsets. Rival Qualcomm Inc. had pushed for a preliminary injunction to stop Broadcom from making the chipsets, accusing Broadcom of misappropriating trade secrets. Broadcom denies those charges. The...
One of the worst-kept secrets in the wireless industry today is T-Mobile USA Inc.'s much-discussed-by everyone but them, that is-plan to launch services that allow subscribers with dual-mode handsets to move seamlessly between cellular and Wi-Fi networks. U.S. trials of the technology by T-Mobile...
SAN DIEGO--Qualcomm Inc. announced that chipmaker Newport Media Inc. signed a royalty-free agreement to design, manufacture and market Qualcomm's MediaFlo multicast mobile TV technology. The move is somewhat surprising since Qualcomm has a history of collecting what many in the industry consider inflated royalties...
SANTA CLARA, Calif.-Atheros Communications Inc. isn't wasting any time getting its pre-802.11n Wi-Fi technology on the market, having launched its new pre-n chips and networking processors last week. The company says its launch of pre-n gear could push WLAN access points to below $100...
ATLANTA-PC maker Lenovo is selling a laptop computer that has built-in support for Cingular Wireless L.L.C.'s EDGE- and UMTS/HSDPA-based networks. The laptop is selling online for around $1,900. "ThinkPad users can now enjoy wireless broadband Internet access via the Cingular BroadbandConnect service without needing...
Sprint Nextel Corp. last week launched a new program for enterprise customers, hoping to be a "one-stop shop" for a range of needs from fleet dispatch management to mobile device management, with additional aspects to be added to the program later this year. Although...
In other Wi-Fi news, AeroScout Inc. announced the launch of its enhanced Wi-Fi-based active RFID chip, the T2 Tag, which is used primarily for asset-tracking in the healthcare and manufacturing industries. The company’s latest enhancements to the T2 include a built-in temperature monitor and...
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands-Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. launched a handset equipped with Unlicensed Mobile Access technology in Italy. Samsung's SGH-P200 phone runs on the Nexperia chip from Royal Philips' Philips Semiconductor division. Philips' Nexperia offering uses the company's low-power wireless local area network system-in-package that integrates...
It may seem like you've been hearing about the concept of a "wireless wallet" for decades, but in North America, at least, m-commerce is very much in its infancy. Mobile money seems to be getting legs in Japan, where credit-card companies have teamed with...
Wherify Wireless Inc. will retail its Wherifone GPS Locator phones through Toys `R' Us outlets nationwide starting Oct. 1, after a long delay during which the firm twice re-engineered the product. Wherify plans to sell the phone under a mobile virtual network operator business...
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands—Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. launched a handset equipped with Unlicensed Mobile Access technology in Italy. Samsung’s SGH-P200 phone runs on the Nexperia chip from Royal Philips’ Philips Semiconductor division. Philips’ Nexperia offering uses the company’s low-power wireless local area network system-in-package that integrates...
REDWOOD SHORES, Calif.—Wherify Wireless Inc. will retail its Wherifone GPS Locator phones through Toys ‘R’ Us outlets nationwide starting Oct. 1, after a long delay during which the firm twice re-engineered the product. Wherify will sell the phone under a mobile virtual network operator...
The advent of contactless payment technology in mobile handsets ushers in big possibilities for credit-card companies, network operators, and handset and chip vendors-if all parties can agree on an equitable business model. For consumers, new technologies such as near field communication, or NFC, offer...
Amid intensified airport security, U.S. passports outfitted with RFID technology rolled off the government's presses as the U.S. State Department began issuing electronic passports to the public. The State Department said e-passports are being produced at its Colorado Passport Agency in Denver and will...
SAN JOSE, Calif.—Infineon Technologies AG secured a multimillion-dollar order to supply the U.S. government with its RFID chips for electronic passports. The company touts its RFID chips as being designed to "facilitate international travel by allowing automatic identity verification, faster immigration inspections and greater...
Look out, Texas Instruments Inc. and Infineon Technologies AG. Your closest competitor in EDGE baseband chips and W-CDMA RF transceivers, respectively-Philips Semiconductor-has a new, ambitious owner anxious to position its acquisition to eat your lunch. Or at least grow Philips Semiconductor by feeding on...
The Symbian operating system, championed by Nokia Corp. in its smart phones, currently has a majority of OS market share, a state of affairs likely to continue for the foreseeable future, according to projections from market research firm IDC. This is likely despite the...
OVERLAND PARK, Kan.—Forget the car charger. Sprint Nextel Corp. is the first to market with a portable charger from Energizer, the Energi To Go, which can charge a cell phone using AA batteries. RCR Wireless News first reported on the recharging device in June,...
WASHINGTON-Rep. Chip Pickering (R-Miss.), co-chairman of the Congressional Wireless Caucus, led a group of lawmakers last week in writing a letter urging the Federal Communications Commission to declare that states have no jurisdiction over early-termination fees. "In our view, there is no question that...
WASHINGTON—Rep. Chip Pickering (R-Miss.), co-chairman of the Congressional Wireless Caucus, is asking lawmakers to join him in writing a letter to the Federal Communications Commission urging the FCC to declare that states have no jurisdiction over early-termination fees. "In our view, there is no...
Qualcomm Inc. is faring well based on fiscal third-quarter results, albeit with a cautious outlook for its fiscal fourth quarter, reflecting the wireless industry's robustness. In contrast, Intel Corp.—the world's largest chip maker, based on its position in the personal computer market—posted disappointing results,...
