Mobile and Wireless Industry Reports

An informal survey of four analysts on the mobile devices on display at the International Consumer Electronics show this week in Las Vegas quickly took different directions with a common theme. Mobile, handheld devices on offer were “evolutionary,” not “revolutionary” …

Frontline Wireless L.L.C.’s freakish free-fall has begun to raise questions about whether the upcoming 700 MHz auction will produce a bidder willing to spend billions of dollars on spectrum and construction of a national public safety-commercial broadband network.Click here for …

Following this week’s single-day 10% drop in AT&T Inc.’s stock value, a financial firm is raising its guidance for the telecommunications juggernaut, citing strong iPhone sales as a major driver for what it sees as an upswing over the coming …

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 …

House Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.) announced the launch of a probe into the Federal Communications Commission, and strongly encouraged agency Chairman Kevin Martin to preserve records and to notify employees of their right to cooperate with congressional investigators. …

Vivendi Games said it will distribute some of its mobile titles through Nokia Corp.’s Download Application and Nokia Catalogues.Download is embedded on more than 50 Nokia handsets including NSeries and ESeries devices and offers a rotation of recent mobile game …

Aruba Networks Inc. reported plans to buy Airwave Wireless Inc., purveyor of management tools for multi-vendor wireless networks, for $37 million in stock and cash.Airwave will operate as a business unit of Aruba, which said the acquisition supports its strategy …

MetroPCS Communications Inc. plans to begin offering service in Jacksonville, Fla., following the acquisition of 10 megahertz of Personal Communications Service (PCS) spectrum.The company said it will pay an undisclosed sum for the spectrum from PTA Communications Inc.; MetroPCS also …

LAS VEGAS — Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin talked about his commitment to deregulation, removing barriers and increasing competition in a chat with Consumer Electronics Association President and CEO Gary Shapiro that ranged from wireless services to the nonstop …

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. —Kyte: Telefonica led a $15 million round of funding into Kyte. Also participating were …

ESPN announced it partnered with MobiTV to create ESPN Mobile TV. The 24/7 channel for wireless is designed to offer live, simulcast sports events; comprehensive and breaking sports news, mobile-exclusive programming; commentary and analysis; and real-time sports scores and game …

The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.Carrier–Credit Suisse First Boston lowered its 2007 EPS estimates on Leap Wireless to a loss of 99 cents and raised its …

The mobile-phone industry, criticized for stifling competition and innovation said to be on display in European and Asian markets and fearing a regulatory backlash in the United States, filed with the Federal Communications Commission an analysis showing the American wireless …

Sprint Nextel Corp. made several announcements this week that lend a sense of momentum to the carrier’s plans to deploy its WiMAX service, dubbed Xohm, on schedule.Since the collapse last year of a Sprint Nextel deal with Clearwire Corp. to …

Leap Wireless International Inc. enjoyed a busy holiday season, topping its prior view by adding 152,000 net customers during the fourth quarter of 2007.The San Diego-based carrier ended the year with 2.86 million customers and saw a quarterly churn rate …

A judge has refused to grant a temporary restraining order that would have forced Alltel Wireless to drop an advertisement.The commercial, which hit the air last year, implies that Verizon Wireless (among other carriers) requires users to extend their contract …

The future of Frontline Wireless L.L.C., the Silicon Valley-backed and politically connected startup that spent months positioning itself to bid big in the upcoming 700 MHz auction, has suddenly become shrouded in mystery.“Frontline is closed for business at this time. …

Verizon Wireless will follow Sprint Nextel Corp.’s lead in bumping text messaging rates from 15 cents to 20 cents per message.The carrier is informing postpaid subscribers that the cost for domestic text messages will be increased in March; messaging rates …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to On the Margins, a feature for RCR Wireless News’ weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. Every week, the RCR Wireless News staff considers events in the wider business world and how they could affect the …

Have you had enough of the year-in-review pablum? Up to your ears in oh-so-bold predictions about how 2008 will see a slight uptick in, say, mobile video consumption among younger mobile users?Same here.So instead, we’re issuing a little wish list …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to Reality Check, a feature for RCR Wireless News’ new weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. We’ve gathered a group of visionaries and veterans in the mobile content industry to give their insights into the marketplace. …

The following list details this week’s infrastructure awards for the cellular, Wi-Fi, and WiMAX industries. The contracts are broken down by transmission technology, country and vendor. The value of the contract is included when available.Cellular–Austria: L.M. Ericsson said it has …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to Yay or Nay, a feature for RCR Wireless News’ weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. Every week we’ll review a new wireless application or service from the user’s point of view, with the goal of …

LAS VEGAS — Bill Gates may not be slowing down on the professional and charitable projects that he holds near and dear, but it’s clear he’s having fun in his final months as chairman of Microsoft Corp. Gates took plenty …

Verizon Wireless unveiled a converged business device, packing the sexily named SMT5800 with features that make advertising copy a nuanced task.“Part compact phone, part messaging device” begins the carrier’s description, before the list of features makes categories difficult — standard …