Mobile News – RCR Wireless News

Rounding out what has been a record-setting quarter for the country’s nationwide operators, Sprint Corp. reported fourth-quarter 2004 results last week that pushed net customer additions by the industry’s big 5 past the 5.5 million subscriber mark for the quarter …

If Van Toffler has his way, the “M” in MTV may soon stand for “mobile.” Toffler, who ascended to the presidency of MTV Networks in October, has worked aggressively to move beyond simply selling ringtones and images of the latest …

Sprint PCS may be going out on a date with WiMAX, but it does not guarantee a wedding ring. That’s the way another technology provider, Flarion Technologies Inc. with its Flash-OFDM, approaches the carrier’s decision to join the WiMAX Forum. …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission is investigating reports that Wi-Fi devices were responsible for disrupting radar at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, a probe that comes amid the Bush administration’s failure to date to craft a solution that would enable …

WASHINGTON-The Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies urged the Federal Communications Commission to set stringent standards for competitors-usually wireless carriers-to receive universal-service subsidies and then require the staff to stick to those rules. “If the FCC’s …

NEW ORLEANS-The world’s largest automaker, General Motors, said it will make OnStar a standard feature on all of its vehicles in the United States and Canada by 2007. The move marks a major milestone for the wireless telematics and communications …

2 Sprint PCS affiliates select Nortel for 1x Nortel Networks Ltd. said it has won wireless infrastructure contracts from two carriers, Horizon PCS Inc. and iPCS inc.Under a four-year, estimated $14 million deal, Nortel will replace Horizon’s existing CDMA network …

PARIS-Alcatel Corp.’s shares fell on its fourth-quarter results, although the company’s mobile business experienced a surge. However, the company reported its first full-year profit in three years with $365 million, in contrast to a loss of $2.5 billion in 2003. …

WASHINGTON-A bill favored by CTIA that would have reduced telecom taxes in Virginia was killed by a state Senate committee last week but is expected to be resurrected in a year. “We have decided to not move forward with the …

BEIJING-Future mobile competition in China could be reduced if the government approves a proposal by fixed-line carrier China Telecom to buy mobile carrier China Unicom, according to international press reports. Under the proposal, China Telecom would join fellow fixed-line carrier …

KIRKLAND, Wash.-Nextel Partners Inc. has adopted a retention and severance program that will make all Nextel Partners executives eligible to receive cash incentives if the carrier exercises its “put right” in connection with Nextel Communications Inc.’s pending merger agreement with …

Turning rumor into fact, SBC Communications Inc. reported a deal last week to acquire former parent company AT&T Corp. for $16 billion, creating a telecommunications provider with vast domestic and international wireline holdings, as well as a range of domestic …

ATLANTA-Industry is awash in high-end phone news, as Cingular Wireless L.L.C. and T-Mobile in Germany showed off new smart phones, and as Panasonic gears up to release a new device running Nokia Corp.’s Symbian-based Series 60 operating system. First, Cingular …

DALLAS-U.S. mobile-phone penetration is expected to grow from 61 percent last year to more than 75 percent by 2010, according to a new report by The Diffusion Group. The report, “U.S. Mobile Markets: Analysis & Forecasts,” forecasts more than 236 …

SAN DIEGO-Leap Wireless International Inc. expanded the international long-distance offering for its Cricket wireless service to more than 60 countries. The expanded service will allow customers to call the new markets for 18 cents per minute using a prepaid bucket …

Verizon Wireless rolled out its consumer-focused high-speed data service last week with the launch of VCast, offering a slew of video-on-demand and gaming options to subscribers with compatible phones in 32 U.S. markets. To support the much-anticipated service, the second-largest …

WASHINGTON-A new report says wireless technology is a big force behind renewed telecom industry spending. The Telecommunications Industry Association said telecom equipment purchases rose 7.9 percent to approximately $784 billion last year, following three years of decline. “An increase in …

The mobile-gaming industry further consolidated as publisher In-Fusio acquired Thumbworks, a Tustin, Calif.-based provider of entertainment content. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. In-Fusio, a France-based specialist in the “connected gaming” arena, has established footholds in Europe and China. …

WASHINGTON-Cingular Wireless L.L.C. disputed organized labor’s claim that the No. 1 mobile-phone operator promised not to fire any union employees as a result of the carrier’s $41 billion acquisition of AT&T Wireless Services Inc. The dispute comes amid impending post-merger …

Although Cingular Wireless L.L.C. is racing to launch a UMTS/HSDPA network in 15 to 20 markets by the end of this year, the carrier probably will face slim pickings when it comes to phones capable of taking advantage of its …

The venture capital arm of Siemens said it will join Cardinal Venture Capital and Garage Technology Ventures in investing $3 million in wireless technology company PhoneBites. PhoneBites is developing a mobile-phone application that will allow users to interject sounds into …

DENVER-RCR Wireless News is pleased to announce Cindy Plough has joined Crain Communications as circulation manager for the publication, and Dennis Carey has been hired as its promotions manager. Both work in the Denver office. Plough will handle all subscription-related …

Todd Bradley, chief executive of Treo maker PalmOne Inc., announced plans to resign at the end of the quarter. The news alarmed investors, who sent the company’s stock down by more than $2 per share to a low of around …

NEW YORK-Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc. are offering a number of top executives bonuses if they stay with the carriers following their $35 billion acquisition, set to close later this year. Sprint said all executive officers-excluding Gary Forsee, chairman, …

DALLAS-The number of households that use Wi-Fi technology for home networking has now surpassed the number that use Ethernet, according to a new Parks Associates survey. According to the “Global Digital Living” report, 52 percent of U.S. households with home …