TerreStar Corp. said it received $300 million in investor commitments through the launch of its hybrid mobile satellite, with the transaction also giving the company access to additional frequencies to improve North American coverage.The funding will be provided by EchoStar Corp., Harbinger Capital Partners...
The rut continued in the Federal Communication Commission's 700 MHz auction with the final rounds of the day mirroring what transpired during the opening three rounds. Rounds 44 and 45 received 172 and 174 new bids respectively, with additional potential winning bids totaling $14.3...
Sprint Nextel Corp. has been hit with a class action lawsuit alleging the No. 3 mobile phone carrier is defrauding wireless consumers. The lawsuit was filed in Illinois federal court."Defendants have misled and deceived consumers by extending consumers' contracts for up to two years...
The hype cycle offers fertile ground for startups. Consider modu, a private company based in Israel, which today provided that familiar, heady mix of grandiose claims, intriguing technology, long launch window and big-name backers that often ignites press speculation.Less than a week before the...
The grind is on. After topping the $19 billion mark yesterday -- prodded by some arm-twisting from the Federal Communications Commission -- the 700 MHz auction resumed this morning with a trio of rounds, each slower than the previous one. Round 41 was good...
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 RCRWirelessNews.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way....
Just how big a problem is prepaid mobile-phone trafficking in the United States? All signs point to a potentially huge black market of international scope.AT&T Mobility, the nation's largest mobile-phone carrier, alleges in a suit filed in Texas federal court that its GoPhones are...
Medio Systems Inc. launched an on-device portal designed to give users one-click access to content on the wireless Web.The offering uses predictive text and a single universal search box to help users find real-time information as well as downloadable content. The Medio ODP is...
Blue Frog Mobile Inc. may have uttered its last "ribbit."The Seattle-based interactive TV firm filed for bankruptcy last week under Chapter 7, signaling its intention to sell off its assets. The company claimed liabilities of less than $1 million and assets of between $1...
AT&T Inc. has hired the Discovery Channel's new-media guru, Chris Schembri, to oversee the allocation of its $3.3 billion annual media budget.Schembri, known for creative and out-of-the-box marketing campaigns, will take the title of VP of media services, directing the telecom's media planning and...
The Federal Communication Commission's 700 MHz auction slowly crawled past the $19 billion mark this afternoon. Bidders laid down 203 bids during round 40, the last round of the day, adding $19.7 million to a total auction pot of $19.02 billion.Click here for complete...
Sensing a slowdown in the proceedings, the Federal Communications Commission instituted its so-called "Stage Two Transition" beginning with this morning's round 36, effectively requiring 700 MHz auction participants to keep bidding or quit the game. The rule stipulates that bidders must be active on...
Bango is moving beyond wireless transactions and into the world of mobile marketing.The U.K.-based firm, which specializes in off-deck activity, launched an offering designed to allow mobile advertisers to track the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns. Bango Analytics counts the number of unique visitors...
Apple Inc. has ensured that its customers have enough memory on their iPhone and iPod to store and consume more digital media from ... presumably, Apple's iTunes or its new movie rental service.The company said Tuesday it would sell 16 gigabyte-capacity iPhones for $500,...
The Federal Communications Commission extended by six months the deadline for streamlined local number portability processing.The new deadline is July 31, though regional telecom operator Embarq -- which requested a delay of streamlined LNP guidelines until Sept. 31 so it can implement a new...
Voce's promises are now just a hollow echo of P.T. Barnum's famous dictum, "there's a sucker born every minute." "The ultimate service," the now-defunct mobile virtual network operator's Web site still assures viewers. "Voce redefines customer care." In the case of Voce, which...
Sprint Nextel Corp.'s subsidiary Boost Mobile and mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. tweaked their unlimited voice, data and messaging plans.Boost Mobile introduced a new $1 per day voice plan for pay-as-you-go customers, which includes unlimited nights, unlimited mobile-to-mobile and a daytime rate of...
Two telecom agencies identified frequencies for testing spectrum sharing between federal and non-federal users, but there is concern that the Bush administration will not meet its self-imposed 2008 deadline for completing the project.The Federal Communications Commission designated 10 megahertz in the 470-512 MHz band...
AT&T Mobility said it will step up its 3G buildout, expanding its high-speed mobile service to more than 80 additional cities this year.The nation's No. 1 mobile carrier said it will launch more than 1,500 new cell sites as it increases its 3G footprint...
The Wall Street Journal Digital Network launched an on-device portal allowing users to access online content from Microsoft Corp.-based Windows Mobile-enabled devices.The downloadable application, which was developed by Action Engine, delivers news, videos and streaming podcasts from WSJ.com, MarketWatch.com and Barrons.com. Windows Mobile is...
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 Ratings Services assigned its A rating to AT&T Inc.'s $750 million of global notes due 2013, $750 million of global notes due...
Apparently it wasn't a Super Bowl hangover.
Bidding in the Federal Communication Commission's 700 MHz spectrum auction continued to slow today as bidders placed only 582 new bids during five rounds, adding just over $113 million to the auction's total haul. That number is...
The Federal Communications Commission approved AT&T Mobility's $2.5 billion purchase of Aloha Partners L.P.'s 700 MHz properties, triggering an angry dissent from a Democratic member of the GOP-led telecom agency. The deal, which is expected soon to get the Justice Department's blessing, gives AT&T...
The Bush administration proposed imposing spectrum fees on the cellular element of hybrid mobile satellite service networks as part of s $3.1 trillion budget sent to Congress. MSS operators are banking on the ancillary terrestrial component, or ATC, to revive an industry sector that...
