Mobile News – RCR Wireless News

LA JOLLA, Calif.-With the NFL’s opening weekend just days away, Sorrent announced three new sports-related mobile content offerings. The California-based company will promote the launch with a television advertising campaign that Sorrent claims will be the first of its kind …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission deemed the wireless industry competitive and for the first time used antitrust data in its report. “There is effective competition in the wireless marketplace, and the state of the industry is strong,” said John Muleta, chief …

German wireless operator E-Plus has developed and applied for a patent for a new system to expand its UMTS network called Ultra High Sites, which the carrier said would reduce its third-generation buildout costs. The innovation will save E-Plus about …

Nortel Networks Ltd. said it will supply its converged multiple network offering to rural carrier Western Wireless Corp. Nortel said it will supply Passport 15000 Multiservice Switches to bring the carrier’s CDMA, GSM/GPRS and TDMA/AMPS networks onto one transport network. …

With each side of the ultra-wideband technology conflict ratcheting up rhetoric and maneuvers, the turf of war is sizzling with less love and more politics. With another voting session looming next week in Berlin, both the direct-sequence companies and their …

WASHINGTON-Alan Shark is resigning as president of the American Mobile Telecommunications Association to become executive director of Public Technologies Inc., a nonprofit association that promotes technology benefits to local governments. “We are very excited to have the experience and creative …

TRENTON, N.J.-Lucent Technologies Inc. may enjoy a tax windfall of $816 million in refunds if the IRS and the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation give their nods. Already, the IRS has offered a tentative agreement to the refund. Taking advantage …

SANTIAGO, Chile-Smartcom, a wireless operator in Chile, has deployed CDMA2000 1x EV-DO technology from Nortel Networks Ltd. to boost its wireless network capacity and expand its service offerings in the greater Santiago area. The upgraded network makes it possible for …

WASHINGTON-Most of the Federal Communications Commission continues to hail the leasing of spectrum rights-known as secondary markets-as a way to ensure that spectrum is fully utilized, but FCC Commissioner Michael Copps believes the revolutionary rules first adopted in 2003 are …

Few names garner as much attention in the wireless space as Craig McCaw, who is often regarded as one the savviest investors in the industry. From the original creation of McCaw Cellular Communications Inc., which eventually was sold to AT&T …

WASHINGTON-A judge in New Jersey has granted Verizon Wireless a permanent injunction against Jacob Brown, a text-message spammer from Rhode Island. “We got him and now he is permanently prevented from ever contacting our customers, and if he does, we …

No company is an island. With three major acquisitions last week, Cisco Systems Inc., ARM Ltd. and Eastman Kodak Co. have demonstrated that many firms are involved in the mobile world. The trend is not restricted to the smaller firms …

WASHINGTON-The United Telecom Council is urging members to tell their lawmakers that utilities need a 10-megahertz allocation of spectrum in the 700 MHz band. “UTC’s position continues to be that true interoperability must include critical infrastructures for better emergency response …

CHARLESTON, S.C.-Trivo Wireless L.L.C. debuted its wireless voice and data services in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. The company’s “Free Plan” service uses AT&T Wireless Services Inc.’s network to target credit-challenged consumers. Trivo offers big buckets of …

WASHINGTON-Verizon Wireless said it reached a settlement with Dr. Bonnie O’Day over a 2003 complaint filed with the Federal Communications Commission in which she alleged the nation’s top mobile-phone operator violated federal law by failing to make its products and …

Sprint Corp. and SBC Communications Inc. announced they have entered a reciprocal Wi-Fi roaming agreement. Through the partnerships, the carriers’ customers will be able to access each other’s public Wi-Fi networks using existing user IDs and passwords, and will be …

WASHINGTON-The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau granted Nextel Partners Inc. eligible telecommunications carrier status, making it eligible to receive universal-service subsidies for the customers it serves in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia. “Nextel’s universal-service offering will provide …

Nextel Communications Inc. affiliate Nextel Partners Inc. completed its 30,000-square-foot customer care center expansion in Panama City Beach, Fla., which the carrier said would help support its rapid growth. The expansion is located adjacent to the carrier’s existing 65,000-square-foot center …

Regulatory fees have been a contentious item for both wireless carriers that claim they are just passing along government-mandated charges and customers who have found up to 30-percent increases in wireless bills due to such fees. The fees first gained …

AUSTIN, Texas-Cingular Wireless L.L.C. has named Axalto a supplier of Subscriber Identity Module cards for its GSM wireless services, extending the companies’ previous relationship. “Axalto is pleased to support Cingular in the achievement of its progressive strategies for new value-added …

LONDON-Smart phones, personal digital assistants and notebook computers will generate more than $130 billion in data access revenues by 2009, according to ARC Group’s Future Mobile Computing 2004 report. The majority of those revenues-72 percent-will come from cellular access, or …

Thousands of protesters will use more than just placards, chants and giant puppets to gain attention at this week’s Republican National Convention. They’ll have specifically designed wireless communications too. As many as 5,000 of the expected 250,000 demonstrators at the …

CALABASAS, Calif.-Tekelec Inc said it has agreed to acquire Steleus Group Inc. to advance its network and service performance management capability for global reach. Tekelec will purchase 100 percent of Steleus’ outstanding stock of about $56 million, said Tekelec. “With …

Millicom International Cellular said its Central American wireless operations have launched GSM services in the 800 MHz band under the brand name Tigo. The service will cover 92 percent of the population of El Salvador and 75 percent of the …

WASHINGTON-A high percentage of the loans approved for the Rural Broadband Loan Program were awarded for wireless services, said Hilda Gay Legg, administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service. “Actually wireless is a very high percentage of …