Mobile News – RCR Wireless News

Post-CTIA Wireless 2006, the pundits and ponderers have plenty to chew on. With the conference showcasing the leading edge, the bleeding edge and the receding edges of the wireless industry and mobile technology, it offered a view of where the …

OKLAHOMA CITY-Dobson Communications Corp.’s wireless subsidiary, American Cellular Corp., expanded its spectrum position in Texas with the $25 million purchase of a Rural Service Area and additional spectrum in markets that the company already serves. The Texas 15 RSA covers …

As earnings reports tumbled in, equipment vendors pointed to third-generation pricing wars and the still-not-granted 3G licenses for China’s advanced network buildout as reasons for sluggish financials. Alcatel Inc. reported strong growth in its fixed-line business during the first quarter, …

The flurry of activity in the content and messaging space continued last week as Wireless Services Corp. announced the acquisition of Mobile Media North America. Terms of the deal were not announced. WSC said it plans to merge the operations …

WASHINGTON-A bold plan to take a large swath of spectrum off the auction block and devote the valuable airwaves to a national broadband public-safety network-one having interoperability capabilities missing before and after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks-ran smack up …

WASHINGTON-The House Commerce Committee voted to streamline the process that the Federal Communications Commission uses to approve multi-mode devices. “All we are trying to do is kick in a quicker process so that we don’t have to wait 64 days …

WASHINGTON-A dispute among Democrats during a House panel debate on telecom reform underscored how lawmakers’ views of network neutrality often corresponds to whether they think telephone companies should be allowed to compete in the TV space. In the end, a …

LOS ANGELES-Mobile episodes of the hit TV show “Lost” are once again in the works following an agreement between Walt Disney Co. and three Hollywood unions. Disney’s Touchstone Television reached an agreement with the Screen Actors Guild, the Writers Guild …

DURHAM, N.C.-Motricity is looking to expand its content business after raking in $40 million in venture capital. Advanced Equities Inc. led Motricity’s most recent round; fellow existing investors New Enterprise Associates and Technology Crossover Ventures also participated. Motricity has raised …

REDMOND, Wash.-Microsoft Corp. said its Mobile and Embedded Devices unit operating loss widened during its fiscal third quarter ended March 31. The company reported a $14 million loss for the unit, an increase from the $9 million loss it reported …

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa.-Nokia Corp. has agreed to pay $253 million to InterDigital Communications Corp. to settle a long-running patent dispute between the companies, according to InterDigital. InterDigital’s stock soared more than 20 percent on the news to around $27.01 …

Hewlett-Packard Co., Intel Corp., Motorola Inc., Nortel Networks Ltd. and Siemens AG are just a few of the heavy-hitters aiming to certify interoperability requirements through a new trade group, the Communications Platforms Trade Association. While similar groups have been lauded …

WASHINGTON-The solution to the thorny problem of first responders not being able to communicate with each other may come from the local level rather than the federal government, a federal public-safety communications official told a House panel last week. “Sometimes …

Google Inc. was finally awarded a patent for speech-recognition technology that allows users to search the Internet by uttering a few words. But whether that’s good news or bad news for a handful of wireless software developers is far from …

WASHINGTON-Small and regional wireless carriers petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to conduct a special inquiry designed to collect and inspect a representative sample of wireless roaming agreements on a confidential basis. Airpeak Communications L.L.C., Airtel Wireless L.L.C., Cleveland Unlimited Inc., …

READING, United Kingdom-The worldwide smart mobile device market is in flux, according to a new study from market research firm Canalys. The firm defines smart mobile devices as handhelds, wireless handhelds and smart phones. According to the study, top-ranked Nokia …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Highway Administration last week released the “presolicitation notice” for the next-generation 911 system, which would overhaul the current nationwide emergency-response system that relies on 6,000 public-safety answering points with divergent ways of handling calls. “This follow-on project will …

CALGARY, Alberta-CSI Wireless, which designs and manufactures products using wireless and Global Positioning System technology, has agreed to sell its fixed wireless telephone business to Illinois-based Telular Corp. for $13 million. CSI said that its decision to seek a buyer …

WASHINGTON-Motient Corp. may be the wireless industry’s premier high-wire act. The Lincolnshire, Ill., company is attempting a great leap forward from a business model based on unprofitable land-based wireless data operations to one premised on high-risk-but potentially lucrative-mobile satellite communications …

FALLS CHURCH, Va.-Nokia Corp., Motorola Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. last year captured more than 60 percent of the $117 billion in worldwide handset revenue, according to a report by Telecom Trends International Inc. Sony Ericsson placed fourth in …

Alltel Corp. launched a new service offering that allows customers to select up to 10 phone numbers-wireless, landline, home or office-that they can call for free at any time of day. The My Circle program is available to Alltel subscribers …

There’s no question that wireless users are searching for porn on their mobile phones. But in the United States, at least, it seems nobody is cashing in. A recent study by mobile-search provider JumpTap Inc. found that searches for adult …

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.-VeriSign Inc.’s direct-to-consumer mobile content business continues to erode. The company reported $77 million in revenues from its Jamba and Jamster businesses during the first quarter, down 32 percent from the fourth quarter of 2005. While the decline …

GigaBeam Corp. keeps racking up sales for its for wireless in-building infrastructure product, WiFiber, which the company says is being used by Telkonet Inc.’s subsidiary Microwave Satellite Technologies Inc. in New York City to expand an ultra high-speed wireless loop …

A German newspaper reported last week that Motorola Inc. is looking into buying Siemens A.G.’s money-losing telecom equipment unit, Com. The Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung reported that Motorola is mostly interested in the profit-bearing Mobile Network division of Com, but Siemens wants …