Mobile and Wireless Industry Reports

Openwave Systems Inc. finally found a buyer for Musiwave, selling the mobile music business to Microsoft Corp. Microsoft will spend $46 million in cash for Musiwave and assume roughly $4 million of the Paris-based business’s net debt. The software giant …

San Antonio-based carrier Pocket Communications introduced a pair of new rate plans, including one that starts at $25 per month, in an attempt to attract users to its flat-rate calling service. Pocket has a track record of shaking up the …

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 …

Over the past week, a wide breadth of telecom companies have completed Long Term Evolution tests.Nokia Corp. announced results last week from the first phase of a trial that the company claimed achieved 100 megabit-per-second data transfer speeds. The trial …

J.D. Power announced Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications’ handsets scored highest in overall customer satisfaction among U.S. and Canadian consumers in the consumer research firm’s latest survey.SEMC ranked highest in features, battery life, physical design, operation and durability among U.S. consumers. …

MetroPCS Communications Inc. beat Wall Street’s earnings expectations in spite of weak customer numbers, and the company’s stock soared nearly 13% in early afternoon trading. MetroPCS’ financial metrics were strong, with a 47% year-over-year increase in service revenue to $489 …

The mobile banking space got even hotter as Qualcomm Inc. said it will shell out $210 million in cash for Firethorn Holdings L.L.C.Firethorn’s technology links financial institutions and mobile network operators, allowing users to check bank balances and transfer funds …

Qualcomm Inc. announced the dismissal of Nokia Corp.’s complaint in District Court in The Hague against the chip and licensing company over patent exhaustion.Nokia had complained in March that Qualcomm’s European patents were “exhausted” with respect to chips sold on …

VeriSign Inc. outlined plans to streamline its operations and sell or close as many as 12 divisions including some-or perhaps all-of its mobile operations.The Mountain View, Calif.-based company said it will divest “a number of businesses in the company’s portfolio, …

After a trial involving 5,000 users, regional wireless carrier Revol has decided to go forward with a full launch of a mobile advertising service that the company said has achieved engagement rates of close to 50%. The company will begin …

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.–Celltick: JVP and Amadeus invested $8.5 million into mobile marketing company Celltick Technologies. The company …

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 placed the ratings of Leap Wireless International on CreditWatch with negative implications after the company …

China Mobile Ltd. subsidiary Jiangsu Mobile Communications Corp. picked Texas-based Kodiak Networks to supply push-to-talk technology for deployment in the coastal Jiangsu Province. Kodiak said it has been in trials with JMCC with a user base of 20,000 customers who …

AT&T Mobility launched a mobile banking platform that will be preloaded on its handsets starting later this year. The offering is now available for download to more than 30 of the carrier’s devices, which account for about 30 million wireless …

After more than two years, M:Metrics had its day in court and prevailed. A court has ruled that the mobile research firm did not infringe on a patent owned by its competitor Nielsen Mobile.The battle may be won, but the …

ZenZui is rebranding as it prepares to release an open-access beta version of its widget-based application.The Microsoft Corp. spinoff changed its name to Zumobi to underscore the “zooming” user interface of its flagship offering, which uses a matrix of up …

Volantis Systems is joining the open-source bandwagon.The U.K.-based mobile software developer is open sourcing its server, allowing developers to download and run its content-optimizing system free under a proprietary license. The Volantis Mobility Server is available immediately as a free …

Just as we suspected: Smartphone sales far outpace the overall handset market in growth and will continue to do so over the next five years, according to new data from In-Stat. Projections call for a 30% compound annual growth rate …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to On the Margins, a feature for RCR Wireless News’ new 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 wireless industry usually teems with laugh-inducing sniping and enjoyable acrimony. But last week, it was all about the love.The mobile space in the past couple of years has become an “us vs. them” showdown as entrenched carriers struggle with …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to Yay or Nay, a feature for RCR Wireless News’ new 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 …

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. …

After shutting down two mobile virtual network operations in the United States, Walt Disney Co. is hoping the third time is the charm; the company is restarting its “Disney Mobile” offering, this time in Japan.The company said it will work …

Qwest Communications International Inc. introduced a set of wireless plans emphasizing messaging and data use.The Messaging and More plans are aimed at subscribers who are heavy text message users and utilize data services such as Web browsing and sending photos …

LONDON-A handful of people queued overnight in the cold and rain outside Apple’s flagship store on London’s Regent Street to be among the first to legally buy an iPhone outside the U.S. when it went on sale at precisely 6:02 …