Mobile and Wireless Industry Reports

One little press release can change everything (including this column).Verizon Wireless’ announcement today that starting next year it will begin allowing any device and any application to work on its network is groundbreaking-and smart.Verizon Wireless has a tradition of innovation, …

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 …

Verizon Wireless announced this morning a major shift in its position on non-carrier-offered devices and applications, saying it will begin activating any device that meets a “minimum technical standard” and will allow “any application the customer chooses” to be used …

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–China: Alcatel-Lucent won contracts with China …

Earlier this month at the World Radiocommunication Conference, the International Telecommunication Union approved various frequency bands for mobile communications. More than 2,800 delegates representing 164 member states negotiated the future of wireless communications as the group aimed to achieve global …

While you were contemplating the origins of cranberry sauce in a can, a federal judge Friday let stand a jury verdict in Santa Ana, Calif., that found Qualcomm Inc. infringed on three Broadcom Corp. patents. The “willfulness” finding against Qualcomm, …

AT&T Mobility and LG Electronics Co. Ltd. are betting that American consumers will upgrade their handsets based on a combination of style and features-and are willing to pay the price. Those are the twin lures of LG’s new Shine handset, …

The mobile-phone industry asked a federal appeals court to overturn a new federal mandate setting minimum requirements for backup-power sources at cell sites and other wireless facilities, arguing the government overstepped its legal authority in attempting to address communications problems …

Virgin Mobile USA Inc. named a telecom and customer service veteran as VP of its customer management team.Ted Vagelos will oversee Virgin Mobile USA’s 4.8 million wireless customers, and the company said his primary objective will be “integrating the company’s …

Clear Channel Communication Inc.’s outdoor advertising division will team with Qwikker to send marketing messages to wireless users via Bluetooth.The companies announced plans to “build an interactive digital network” integrating Clear Channel’s display ads with mobile content in airports, shopping …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to our Monday feature, Analyst Angle. We’ve collected a group of the industry’s leading analysts to give their outlook on the hot topics in the wireless industry. In the coming weeks look for columns from Jupiter Research’s …

As the wireless industry kicks into high gear for the upcoming holiday shopping season, and handset makers pull out all the stops to hype their latest offerings, now seems a good time to take a tour of some similarly much-hyped …

A federal-state panel recommended that the Federal Communications Commission cap government subsidies for rural wireless deployment as part of a broader effort to reform the swelling universal service fund, an action that if upheld could cost mobile-phone carriers billions of …

T-Mobile USA Inc. announced it will restart sales of the Motorola Inc.-built Sidekick Slide starting next week. The carrier said Motorola will fix the glitch-which caused some of the devices to power off when the gadget’s sliding door was opened …

That sucking sound you hear is Steve Jobs trying to get air after laughing too hard at the spectacle of German operators fighting over the Apple Inc. iPhone. More fighting, more publicity, more sales-hence that haunting laughter echoing throughout the …

United Kingdom-based ROK Entertainment Group said it has acquired a controlling stake in Fun Little Movies, a Los Angeles company that focuses on original video content for mobile.ROK, a technology, application and entertainment-development company formed in 2003, obtained a 51% …

Frontline Wireless L.L.C. asked the Federal Communications Commission to briefly delay 700 MHz short-form application and upfront payment deadlines, pointing to new domestic and international wireless policy developments that have a bearing on the upcoming auction.The deadlines for filing short-form …

In a presentation in New York, executives from infrastructure giant L.M. Ericsson said the company’s fourth-quarter results likely will be “in the lower end of the range” the company had expected, news that sent Ericsson’s stock down almost 6% in …

The FlipShot, a new Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. phone at Verizon Wireless, sports a 3-megapixel camera and a swivel-out screen and lands at the higher end of Verizon Wireless’ portfolio at $200 with two-year contract.The handset is a dual-band phone …

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. –ComAbility: Stata Ventures and Vertex Venture Capital co-led a $6 million round of financing …

The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.Carrier –Lehman Brothers lowered its rating on Leap Wireless to equal weight from overweight and cut its price target on the …

Shares of satellite provider EchoStar Communications Corp. surged more than 25% yesterday, prompted by speculation that the company may be purchased by AT&T Inc. TheStreet.com reported that AT&T is close to a deal with EchoStar for a $29.5 billion buyout, …

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum sued Buongiorno S.p.A, accusing the Italian mobile content giant of blatantly deceptive practices and cramming charges onto consumers’ cellphone bills. “For too long, not enough attention has been paid to the manner in which unscrupulous …

The Federal Communications Commission selected the Public Safety Spectrum Trust Corp. as the licensee that will team up with the winning bidder of the commercial D-Block spectrum license in the upcoming 700 MHz auction to deploy a dual-use wireless broadband …