Mobile News – RCR Wireless News

WASHINGTON-With a small improvement in equipment, unlicensed wireless spectrum could solve the network-neutrality debate by providing proponents with enough bandwidth to compete with cable and digital subscriber lines, said Yochai Benkler, a professor at Yale University and author of “The …

WASHINGTON-A coalition of top wireless and high-tech manufacturers urged the Federal Communications Commission to reject a California testing lab’s call to revise compliance measurement guidelines for new 5 GHz wireless Internet devices. A government-industry group crafted the guidelines to ensure …

Chicago’s Mayor Richard M. Daley announced that the city will begin taking requests for proposals in turning Chicago into a wireless community. The mayor is seeking submissions from private-sector firms that would provide Internet access throughout the city, including free …

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.-Motorola Inc. said it will shell out $192 million to acquire TTP Communications plc, a U.K.-based mobile software developer and chipmaker. TTPCom is a 575-employee holding company with substantial stakes in a handset certification business, and also sells software …

While big-name media conglomerates scramble to find ways to leverage the “third screen,” a handful of wireless companies are slowly gaining traction by offering content from hometown TV newscasts. Local Solutions Network, an Atlanta-based mobile content delivery company, has quietly …

Zingy is hoping to find some stability in the direct-to-consumer market. The New York-based mobile content provider launched an Internet storefront targeting 13- to 21-year-olds with both a la carte and subscription pricing models for ringtones, images, games and applications. …

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates-Phone junkies have been speculating for months about i-mate’s forthcoming slim Smartflip handset ever since photos of the device were posted on the Internet earlier this year. Now the company has offered a more concrete glimpse of …

The news that India’s government plans to delay the launch of 3G services in that country is probably grabbing attention in the executive suites of the world’s most ambitious handset vendors; India’s market potential is enormous and among the fastest …

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill.-Yuvee Inc. introduced a new cell-phone keypad interface called NeoKeys that it says simplifies commands and text and number entry and eliminates use of the upper screen for navigation. The keypad eliminates hard labeling on the keys and …

LOS ANGELES-The Independent Film & Television Alliance released a revised wireless guide in advance of the 2006 Cannes Film Festival to keep its membership educated about evolving digital rights management issues. The group said the guide provides direction on business, …

Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma wreaked havoc along the Gulf Coast and in Florida last year, and the U.S. is facing another above-average hurricane season. Cellular carriers claim that they are ready for the storm season, which starts June 1 …

WASHINGTON-With a $31.3 million offer, AC BidCo L.L.C., an affiliate of AirCell Inc., looks to be the winner of a 3-megahertz license to offer air-to-ground services in the 800 MHz band. Bidding continues between Space Data Spectrum Holdings L.L.C. and …

Gas prices and higher mortgage rates have not affected the demand for Sprint Nextel Corp.’s wireless services, the carrier’s chief financial officer told analysts last week. Paul Saleh’s remarks were made during a parade of wireless executives at conferences in …

BEIJING-Rumors are swirling that China Mobile Communications Corp., the world’s largest wireless carrier, may be on the brink of acquiring Luxembourg-based Millicom International Cellular SA-or possibly, already has bought the company. Several newspapers reported last week that the two companies …

The wireless industry is good at churning out enterprise-focused applications and the devices to run them, but has largely failed to offer businesses an easy way to purchase, deploy and manage mobile phones. Two former Sprint Corp. wireless executives are …

The upcoming AWS auction of 1700 MHz and 2100 MHz spectrum, now slated for August, raises the question of how many frequency bands might be jammed onto a handset and whether that poses technical challenges for component and handset vendors. …

Motorola Inc. will finally bring its much-touted MOTO Q smart phone to market as you read this, probably the last time it will announce a handset far in advance of its launch, to avoid tipping off competitors and so its …

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.-Sprint Nextel Corp. and LG Electronics Co. Ltd. announced the launch of the Fusic music phone, another example of taking a feature phone and branding it a “lifestyle” device to tap the U.S. youth market. The phone also …

Further glimpses at Nokia Corp.’s strategy for addressing the CDMA market that has largely eluded its global grasp came to light recently as several phones surfaced, rebranded for the Finnish handset giant. Web-based reports revealed last week the existence of …

SAN DIEGO-Qualcomm Inc. announced a single-chip solution that supports a trio of mobile broadcast standards. The chipmaker’s new UBM chip supports Qualcomm’s own MediaFlo technology, plus Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld (DVB-H) and One-Segment integrated services Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial (ISDB-T) technology.

ATLANTA-Whereas BellSouth Corp. tried legal maneuvers to shut down New Orleans’ free municipal Wi-Fi network even though the city’s hurricane-weary residents and thousands of relief and rebuilding workers had no other means of Internet access, EarthLink Inc. went after the …

The Federal Communications Commission’s decision to delay the auction of spectrum licenses it the 1.7 GHz and 2.1 GHz bands until Aug. 9 isn’t expected to have a big impact on equipment vendors as most have been working with carriers …

Qualcomm Inc. sent yet another shot across Nokia Corp.’s bow, filing a lawsuit last week in the United Kingdom against the Finnish handset maker for alleged violations of two of Qualcomm’s GSM-related patents focusing on GPRS/EDGE handsets. In typical Nordic …

The Federal Communications Commission finally has five members after the Senate confirmed Robert McDowell before leaving town for two weeks. McDowell was senior vice president and general counsel at CompTel, a trade association representing carriers attempting to compete in the …

WASHINGTON-Senate Democrats last Thursday released their version of telecommunications reform that was much kinder to the independent wireless industry than the version released in early May and passed by the House Commerce Committee. Independent wireless carriers-those carriers that are not …