Mobile News – RCR Wireless News

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission tapped cell-phone association CTIA and wireless infrastructure trade group PCIA as clearinghouses for moving existing 2.1 GHz licensees to new frequencies to make room for new advanced wireless services operators. “PCIA is pleased that the commission …

WASHINGTON—The Telecommunications Industry Association and the United States Telecom Association announced plans for a new industry conference that will replace Globalcomm and TelecomNext next year. The conference, called NXTcomm, is scheduled for June 18-21 in Chicago. The two groups said …

WASHINGTON—A three-judge panel on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed its rejection of a Federal Communications Commission decision pre-empting states from regulating line items on mobile-phone bills. However, the panel clarified their July 31 opinion by specifically vacating …

RESTON, Va.—Ali Tabassi, vice president for technology development at Sprint Nextel Corp., predicted diverse spectrum and technology assets, combined with proven strategic partners, will give the No. 3 mobile-phone carrier a substantial headstart over competitors in wireless broadband deployment in …

Nortel Networks Ltd. has made no secret of its plans to play big-time in the WiMAX ecosystem. Shortly after Sprint Nextel Corp. announced its plans to build a nationwide WiMAX network, Nortel named Peter MacKinnon as the new general manager …

While many in the wireless industry consider Sprint Nextel Corp’s decision to build a WiMAX network the technology’s defining and legitimizing moment, vendors that have been developing 802.16-2005-compliant WiMAX products are just beginning to feel the glow of the industry’s …

Crown Castle International Corp.’s $5.8 billion acquisition last week of Global Signal Inc. not only altered the tower industry’s leadership position, but could spark another round of consolidation among industry players, with SBA Communications Corp. seen as the next likely …

PURCHASE, N.Y.—MasterCard Worldwide customers can find nearby ATMs with their mobile phones thanks to a new application from Mobile 365. Under the new service, Mobile users can dial an 800 number and enter their location information to receive a text …

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.—Mobile handset display shipments could exceed 1.2 billion units this year, up 17 percent from 1.05 billion in 2005, according to new research from iSuppli Corp. The growth, said iSuppli, is being driven by the wide variety of …

WASHINGTON—As Congress broke for midterm elections, the wireless industry won a few battles, but for the most part failed to get legislation it supported passed. It’s not clear how industry felt about anti-pretexting legislation. But pretexting bills died, getting bogged …

It happens to nearly everyone: you check your wireless bill at the end of the month, and you’ve gone over your minutes. Maybe by a few, maybe by a few hundred. Perhaps you vow to cut down on calls, or …

WASHINGTON—GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed legislation to allow California wireless and wireline telecom subscribers to contest unauthorized billing charges, including those arising from the theft or loss of mobile phones. Schwarzenegger’s veto is a big victory for the mobile-phone industry, …

HELSINKI, Finland—Nokia Corp. introduced a new short-range radio technology called Wibree that the company said transfers data at speeds of 10 megabits per second and uses only a fraction of the power needed for Bluetooth. Nokia is touting Wibree as …

Who’s got the hottest handset on the market? I do! I do! On the heels of the Motorola Inc. Razr’s phenomenal success, carriers may play it cool, but there’s a sense in the industry that hot handsets drive subscriber numbers …

NEW YORK—Motorola Inc.’s iRadio service is the latest to woo music lovers with unreleased content, with the vendor inking a deal with Sony BMG to allow subscribers to access “leaked” albums before they hit the shelves. The music company has …

BERWYN, Pa.—SunCom Wireless Holdings Inc. has fallen below the minimum requirements to continue to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and the company said it intends to submit a plan to the exchange on how it expects to …

KANATA, Ontario—Wireless broadband service provider BelAir Networks hopes to build on its municipal Wi-Fi business after scoring $21.4 million in a Series D financing round. Ventures West Management Inc. led the round; other investors included Trilogy Equity Partners, Comcast Interactive …

OKLAHOMA CITY—Dobson Communications Corp. said its subscriber additions improved significantly during the third quarter. In a preliminary quarterly report, the company said it added about 23,500 net subscribers, including 11,300 postpaid customers and 14,500 prepaid customers. During the third quarter …

BURLINGTON, Mass.—Lightbridge Inc. said it will quit its Telecom Decisioning Services business after losing Sprint Nextel Corp.’s business. The nation’s No. 3 carrier was Lightbridge’s largest TDS customer. Sprint Nextel’s TDS contract is scheduled to expire at the end of …

VANCOUVER, British Columbia—Canadian operator Telus Mobility launched two handset-based Global Positioning System services developed by Networks In Motion. Telus said its new Navigator and Kid Find services are now available using the carrier’s CDMA2000 1x coverage area in British Columbia, …

WASHINGTON—Northrop Grumman Corp.’s five-year, $500 million contract to build a broadband public-safety wireless network in New York City could become the new model for equipping city and state officials with state-of-the-art equipment that enables interoperable voice and data communications offered …

WASHINGTON—Online phone retailer InPhonic Inc. announced it will power the online mobile phone sales of retailer Best Buy Co Inc. InPhonic said it will be the provider and fulfillment partner of cellular products and services on BestBuy.com. “We are very …

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.—Customer spending on wireless services continues to increase, according to the latest survey by J.D. Power and Associates—and consumers’ expectations of their wireless carriers will continue to rise along with their spending. The firm’s latest customer satisfaction survey …

BOSTON—Wireless enterprise data services in North America will generate more than $10 billion each year by 2010, according to a study from research firm Strategy Analytics Inc. The company said the market will serve more than 41 million users in …

WASHINGTON—In the ongoing battle over whether national carriers should have to provide automatic roaming access to smaller operators, SouthernLinc Wireless is pleading its case as an iDEN operator with only one potential national roaming partner: Sprint Nextel Corp. SouthernLinc, which …