Mobile News – RCR Wireless News

Timing, they say, is everything. And so it goes with mobile handset vendors and their product announcements. There’s a natural tension between the need to keep the market informed about one’s innovations and product pipeline and the downside of tipping …

SAN FRANCISCO-Detroit and Minneapolis-St. Paul have the highest rates of wireless substitution among the 20 largest U.S. cities, according to research by Telephia. Detroit led the list of cord-cutting rates, with 19 percent of its 1.47 million households using only …

ATLANTA-Helio L.L.C.’s operating costs pushed parent company EarthLink Inc. into an overall loss of $3.2 million for the third quarter, the company reported. EarthLink shares plunged nearly 10 percent on the announcement as Wall Street reacted to the news. Mobile …

WASHINGTON-AT&T Inc. and BellSouth Corp., awaiting final federal action on their $79 billion merger and key stakeholders in the telecom reform debate on Capitol Hill, have been among the most generous donors to federal candidates and political parties in the …

BEDFORD, Mass.-Boston Communications Group Inc. said the settlement of all patent litigation brought against it by Freedom Wireless has been completed. The two companies announced a settlement in July that called for BCGI to pay $55.3 million for licensing rights …

Actor Ron Livingston, who plays a hostage negotiator on the new television series “Standoff,” will promote Sprint Nextel Corp. service in a series of TV commercials that are part of the carrier’s new “Power Up” campaign. Sprint Nextel said it …

LONDON-Nokia Corp. is teaming with Turner Broadcasting to offer content from the Cartoon Network directly to wireless users. Subscribers will be able to browse and download games, video clips and other offerings from a dedicated mobile storefront via the Nokia …

SAN FRANCISCO-Motorola Inc. named veteran package goods marketer Kenneth “Casey” Keller as chief marketing officer, succeeding the late Geoffrey Frost. Keller, a P&G veteran, joined the H.J. Heinz Co. in 1998 and rose in late 2002 to chief growth officer. …

RIVERSIDE, Calif.-AT&T Inc. announced plans to build an 80-square mile citywide Wi-Fi network in Riverside, Calif., by early next year. The company said the network is intended for both public and municipal use and stands as the company’s largest Wi-Fi …

BOCA RATON, Fla.-Global Towers Partners dashed speculation in the media indicating that the privately owned tower company is for sale. The company’s chief executive officer, Marc Ganzi, stated in an e-mail, “The stories of our impending sale for $1.5 billion …

BOSTON-Mobile instant messaging could grow to a $2 billion market in Western Europe and North America by 2010, according to a new report from Strategy Analytics Inc. Both IT-sanctioned and rogue use of mobile IM are set to grow significantly, …

LOS ANGELES-Mobile virtual network operator Xero Mobile Inc. said that it is now testing its technology and service in preparation for a 2007 commercial service launch. Xero plans to target college students with a large number of free handsets and …

LOS ANGELES-Just in time for holiday sales, Amp’d Mobile Inc. has added a Motorola Inc. Razr to its handset lineup and designed a $100 promotional package that includes a headset, universal adapters and a memory card when customers sign a …

Ever wondered whether Wi-Fi technology works in haunted houses? Nortel Networks Ltd. is about to find out, as the Canadian vendor announced Wi-Fi deployment-contracts with three mid-sized cities, including Occoquan, Va., known as one of America’s most haunted towns. Situated …

WASHINGTON-AT&T Inc. offered to conduct a series of wireless broadband trials as part of a package of concessions aimed at winning Federal Communications Commission approval of its proposed $79 billion purchase of BellSouth Corp. AT&T said the newly merged company …

WASHINGTON-GSM proponents including 3G Americas and Cingular Wireless L.L.C. joined the 700 MHz public-safety craze with a technology demonstration aimed at convincing police, firefighters and others to use the GSM family of technology for their wireless communication needs. “The development …

L.M. Ericsson, the world’s largest equipment supplier, posted a 17-percent increase in year-over-year third-quarter net profits thanks to its wildly successful handset joint venture, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P. The mobile networks giant owns half of Sony Ericsson, which shipped …

In the Oct. 16 issue on page 7, we incorrectly stated the company and number of towers that Crown Castle International Corp. is buying. CCI is in the process of buying Global Signal Inc.’s 11,000 towers.

Did anyone else notice that during the recent WiMAX World trade show, every vendor launching WiMAX gear touted Multiple Input, Multiple Output technology as part of its solution? Indeed, Aclatel Inc., Fujitsu Network Communications, Motorola Inc., Nortel Networks Ltd., Samsung …

Mobile marketing took another step toward the mainstream last week as noted advertising firm R/GA launched a division to address wireless phones. The agency, which has moved aggressively to embrace digital advertising platforms in recent years, outlined an effort “to …

NEWARK, N.J.-Prepaid wireless service provider TuYo Mobile, which focuses on Hispanic and bi-lingual customers, launched service in Los Angeles and Orange County, Calif. TuYo is a service of IDT Corp., which offers telecom services including calling cards, local and long-distance …

Representatives from the former Flextronics Software Services business are making the media rounds, clamoring for attention, now that the company is about to announce its new identity-fully six months after being weaned from its Fortune Global 500 parent last spring. …

BOSTON-Rapid product development among semiconductor players could pave the way for nearly 50 million ultra low cost handset shipments by the end of next year, according to a new report from research firm Strategy Analytics Inc. “In addition to Texas …

LOS ANGELES-Mobile virtual network operator Amp’d Mobile Inc. continued to expand its offerings with the introduction of several family plans, which the MVNO is selling as “shared” plans. Interestingly, the plans are far more aggressive-and offer far more minutes-than the …

PC maker Lenovo posted positive results with a mobile marketing campaign it used for branding. The campaign, developed by OgilvyInteractive, New York, ran for four weeks in June. It had a click-through rate of 6.7 percent, compared with the mobile …