Mobile News – RCR Wireless News

PETALUMA, Calif.-PixToPix Inc., an Internet-based picture-messaging service, announced it is shutting down its free interoperability service. The service allowed users to send camera-phone pictures to subscribers of rival carriers. Although questions to the company went unanswered, the shutdown is likely …

LG Electronics Co. Ltd. appears to be joining the likes of Enfora L.P., Firefly Mobile Inc. and Wherify Wireless Inc. in selling mobile phones to children. According to documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission, LG is prepping the child-friendly …

Controversial messaging company SMS.ac is hoping to scrub its image by issuing consumers’ rights guidelines for wireless companies. The text-messaging company issued a six-point Consumer Bill of Rights calling on messaging and content providers to offer clear pricing, effective customer …

Has another town fallen in love with Wi-Fi networking? So it seems, as Tropos Networks recently announced it has added Malden, a staunchly small-town city 5 miles north of Boston, to its list of more than 200 municipal clients. The …

NEW YORK-The number of U.S. wireless users who have downloaded ringtones has more than quadrupled during the past year, according to a report from research firm Ipsos Insight. The company’s latest quarterly study of digital music behaviors indicates 23 percent …

Consumer appetite for wireless services continued unabated during the second quarter as the nation’s seven largest operators posted a 39-percent jump in net customer additions to more than 6 million new subscribers compared with the 4.4 million they added during …

WASHINGTON-Using FCC Chairman Kevin Martin’s goal of universal broadband access as a jumping-off point, a group of 700 MHz guard-band licensees asked the Federal Communications Commission to reband the commercial spectrum set aside to protect public safety in the 700 …

FREMONT, Calif.-Digital Fountain Inc. unveiled a deal to license its Forward Error Correcting technology for wireless multimedia broadcasts to Nokia Corp., the software developer said last week. The world’s largest handset manufacturer will use Digital Fountain’s DF Raptor technology, which …

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.-Verizon Wireless said it plans to expand its nationwide network into Little Rock, Ark., beginning Nov. 1. As part of the expansion, the carrier said it will spend up to $200 million to build 280 cell sites in …

Nortel Networks Ltd. seems to have emerged from under a financial cloud that has haunted it in recent years. The company recorded net earnings of $45 million, or 1 cent per share, during the second quarter. The results are in …

Motorola Inc. will score $4.4 billion in accumulated earnings in the third and fourth quarters thanks to a federal tax incentive. The company said the incentive will add $200 million to its net income in the third quarter. The incentive …

As tower companies’ second-quarter earnings begin to roll in, three firms posted net losses last week, but industry analysts said the companies are on the right track and most rate the stocks as strong buys. In addition, a merger proposal …

Cingular Wireless L.L.C. staged a minor coup last week as the industry’s largest operator signed a 10-year deal to replace smaller, but faster-growing rival Verizon Wireless at RadioShack Corp.’s more than 5,000 retail outlets beginning next year. The deal provides …

PLAINFIELD, Ind.-Mobile virtual network operator ESPN Mobile signed an agreement with Brightpoint North America L.P. for Brightpoint to provide integrated logistics services to ESPN Mobile. Services include inventory management, custom packaging, reverse logistics and fulfillment services. ESPN expects to launch …

Tiger Telematics Inc. is scheduled to release its high-end Gizmondo portable video-game device in the United States Thursday, although information on the launch is hard to come by. The company recently fired its U.S.-based public-relations firm and is directing all …

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa.-InterDigital Communications Corp. said it will continue its battle with Nokia Corp. over royalty payments for InterDigital’s 2- and 2.5-generation technologies. The company said it would oppose Nokia’s recent motion to vacate the decision by the International …

SAN DIEGO-Leap Wireless International Inc. launched service in Fresno, Calif., extending its footprint throughout the San Joaquin Valley. Leap also offers service south of Fresno in Visalia, as well as north into Modesto and Merced. “Fresno is a bridge between …

A District Court judge in Collin County, Texas, ruled in favor of Ericsson Inc. at an Aug. 1 hearing for injunctive relief against distributor MarketShare Telecom, according to Ericsson. The case is set to go to trial May 15, 2006. …

Nokia Corp.’s longtime Chief Executive Jorma Ollila announced he will step down next year, paving the way for the head of the company’s mobile-phone operations to take the wheel. The move represents a significant marker in Nokia’s stellar rise to …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission Friday changed the band plan for advanced wireless services in the 2 GHz band, making additional licenses available in rural areas. “The minor modifications we make might actually turn out to be important. We want to …

While the industry steps up marketing campaigns in an effort to push lucrative nonvoice applications, content providers are quietly working to create “mobile communities” centered on wireless content and services. Motricity Inc., a North Carolina-based content and technology provider, began …

The U.S. launch of Tiger Telematics Inc.’s Gizmondo portable video-game device, as outlined on page 18 of this week’s issue, has been delayed until October. The company blamed the delay on lags on a planned sports game and a global …

BELLEVUE, Wash.-T-Mobile USA Inc. announced it will sell the Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. x495 for $50 with a service contract. The phone features an internal antenna, tri-band GSM capabilities and support for downloadable Java games. Separately, Leap Wireless International Inc. …

Independent regional operators posted mixed second-quarter results that in most cases included sagging customer growth, but increased revenue per subscriber bolstered by growing wireless data usage. Recently strengthened Alltel Corp., which closed its acquisition of Western Wireless Corp., was a …

LONDON-Wireless and online download services are fueling a dramatic surge in digital music offerings, according to a study from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. The group’s annual report indicates 180 legitimate download services were launched last year, bringing …