Mobile News – RCR Wireless News

RESTON, Va.-Sprint Nextel Corp. completed its $427 million acquisition of affiliate IWO Holdings Inc. The deal includes the assumption of approximately $208 million in debt. IWO Holdings’ shareholders received $42.50 per share in cash from the deal. Sprint Nextel noted …

The world’s largest handset makers enjoyed generally plentiful profits and solid shipment numbers in the third quarter, but investors heard a few sirens of caution. Specifically, market-leader Nokia Corp. alarmed Wall Street with its reliance on sales of low-end, inexpensive …

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.-VeriSign Inc. posted a strong third quarter despite disappointing revenues from its mobile content business. The Internet security company reported quarterly income of $44.6 million, or 17 cents a share, up from $40.4 million, or 16 cents a …

VANCOUVER, British Columbia-Telus Corp. reported that George Cope, president and chief executive officer of Telus Mobility, has left the company to become chief operating officer of rival Bell Canada. Cope is expected to begin his new position in January and …

BRACKNELL, United Kingdom-Macromedia Inc. said it completed its acquisition of Mobile Innovation, a user interface designer for mobile devices. The value of the deal was not disclosed. Macromedia sells a scaled-down version of its Flash player for mobile phones, technology …

NEW YORK-MTV Networks International and Motorola Inc. launched a series of eight comedy shorts created exclusively for mobile phones. “Head and Body,” which depicts a character with a detached head, are being disseminated through MTV’s wireless distribution channels and through …

Enhanced directory-assistance provider Metro One Telecommunications Inc. said Sprint Nextel Corp. is terminating the master services agreement between Metro One and Nextel Operations Inc. effective Jan. 9. Nextel Operations is a subsidiary of Sprint Nextel following Sprint Corp.’s acquisition of …

The W-CDMA race has just started, but chipset vendors from all corners of the industry are driving to play in the nascent but growing market. Already, industry heavyweights Texas Instruments Inc., Freescale Semiconductor Inc., Qualcomm Inc. and others have vaulted …

PALM BEACH, Fla.-Directory information services provider 422 Inc. launched a free wireless offering for college students. The service, dubbed 422me Student Connect, allows a user to send a text message with the name of both a school and the person …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden-Calling its third quarter financials solid, L.M. Ericsson reported a net profit of $672.8 million, a 22-percent increase from results a year ago when the company reported a net profit of $545.7 million. The company’s third-quarter earnings per share …

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit denied Research In Motion Ltd.’s motion to stay further proceedings in a patent case between RIM and patent-holding company NTP Inc. RIM had asked the court to stay further proceedings until …

FORT WORTH, Texas-RadioShack Corp., which sells wireless products and services from Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel Corp. and Tracfone Wireless Inc., reported a 15-percent increase in wireless sales during the third quarter, which the company attributed to growth in its kiosk …

DOUGLAS, Isle of Man-O2, Manx Telecom and Lucent Technologies Inc. announced that Europe’s Isle of Man will have a commercial HSDPA network by Nov. 1, providing mobile high-speed data services based on Lucent’s UMTS/HSDPA and Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem solutions. …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission may not be the best agency to oversee the E-rate program, according to a House Commerce subcommittee report critical of the government effort to connect schools and libraries to the Internet. The 52-page report from the …

AUSTIN, Texas-Tower company Kampen and Greenwell Inc. announced a deal with Kum & Go L.C. to license space on the chain’s 425 or so Western and Midwestern convenience stores for cell-site construction. KGI said network design is in the works …

WASHINGTON-Verizon Wireless has asked the Federal Communications Commission to waive its rules requiring location technology to be embedded in 95 percent of a carrier’s handset base by the end of the year. However, Verizon said it can meet the requirement …

L.M. Ericsson and Nokia Corp. announced they might offer GSM products for the 450 MHz band. The move-albeit somewhat delayed-is an attempt to provide a GSM alternative to CDMA offerings in the 450 MHz range. Several carriers in European and …

ATLANTA-BellSouth Corp. expanded its pre-WiMAX network to Palatka, Fla., offering wireless broadband services starting at $30 per month. BellSouth previously launched services in Athens, Ga. “Palatka was an obvious choice for BellSouth to offer this exciting technology,” said Marshall Criser, …

Three wireless companies announced dividend payments last week. Qualcomm Inc. announced a quarterly cash dividend of 9 cents per common share payable Jan. 4 to shareholders of record at the close of business Dec. 7. Sprint Nextel Corp. declared fourth-quarter …

PALO ALTO, Calif.-Mobile search service provider 4INFO launched a service that automatically delivers personalized information including sports scores and stock quotes. With the new offering, registered users can create a profile on the company’s Web site to receive automated information …

LONDON-I-play said Friday it will publish a mobile-phone game based on the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. The U.K.-based game maker unveiled a partnership with International Sports Multimedia, a brand-management company with an exclusive license from the International …

NEW YORK-TV channel Nickelodeon said it was partnering with m-Qube to launch its Nick Mobile portal that will allow wireless users to download directly ringtones, wallpapers and text-messaging services to their cell phones. Nickelodeon said the mobile portal will draw …

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.-Building on a five-year agreement announced in mid-August to become the official wireless service provider of the National Football League, Sprint Nextel Corp. launched its NFL Mobile service, providing customers with access to exclusive NFL content and original …

Wireless operators are playing the retail field, selling some high-end phones exclusively through nontraditional channels. And the nation’s largest big-box retailer is becoming a first-stop shop. Verizon Wireless quietly launched a high-end Samsung handset exclusively through Best Buy late last …

SEOUL-Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. posted increasing revenues, but the company’s profit line took a hit due to a $300 million fine the U.S. Department of Justice levied against the company for international price fixing. The Justice Department said the fine …