Mobile News – RCR Wireless News

Faced with increasingly crowded shelf space on carrier decks, content providers are gaining traction by marketing directly to U.S. consumers with Web-based storefronts of their own. And carriers are slowly warming to the idea. Off-portal marketing of ringtones, wallpapers and …

The California Public Utilities Commission is scheduled to hold a hearing today on a proposal to revamp state regulation of wireless and wireline telecom carriers. The agency will hear from academics, industry executives, consumer groups and others. Commissioner Susan Kennedy …

WASHINGTON-The software-defined radio community came together June 20 to address the current state of SDR regulation, but it was an uncomfortable discussion for some participants. “Some people don’t want to talk about SDRs because they don’t want to invite regulation. …

The legal chess battle between BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. and patent-holding company NTP Inc. continues, with new patent rulings from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office bolstering RIM’s position in the case. The patent office rejected four of …

Verizon Wireless reinforced its position as the industry’s top dog regarding the rollout of high-speed wireless data services, announcing the recent expansion of its CDMA2000 1x EV-DO based BroadbandAccess service to 43 markets covering more than 100 million potential customers. …

WASHINGTON-Mobile-phone carriers have abandoned legal challenges to a Federal Communications Commission rule permitting mobile satellite service operators to build land-based cellular networks with some of their frequencies to supplement satellite operations. Verizon Wireless, the No. 2 mobile-phone operator, last week …

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.-The babysitting potential of cell phones is largely being undervalued by the industry, according to a new report from consultant firm IDC. Mobile video programming for children that can effectively placate and entertain youngsters is quickly gaining traction, IDC …

BEDMINSER, N.J.-Verizon Wireless plans to introduce new rate plans combining voice minutes and unlimited data access from a personal digital assistant, smart phone or BlackBerry device. The new plans begin at $80 per month for 450 anytime calling minutes, unlimited …

WASHINGTON-FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said Thursday that his wireless legal adviser, Sam Feder, will become general counsel of the Federal Communications Commission. No announcement was made as to whom will be advising Martin on wireless issues or on a new …

TOKYO-Japanese giant NTT DoCoMo Inc. said it reached speeds of 1 gigabit per second while traveling at 20 kilometers per hour while testing its new technology for fourth-generation wireless networks. The telecommunications council of Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and …

SAN JOSE, Calif.-Japanese carrier KDDI Corp. has deployed InnoPath Software’s over-the-air technology on two new handsets, the companies said Thursday. The new phones feature InnoPath’s DeltaUpgrade Plus, which allows carriers to fix glitches and update firmware through the network. InnoPath, …

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-Capital expenditures by wireless carriers on infrastructure will begin to slow next year, decreasing from 47 percent of total operator capex to 33 percent by 2009, according to a new report from Pyramid Research. “The rapid growth of non-infrastructure …

CHICAGO-Federal gambling regulations won’t prevent wireless wagering from becoming a $3 billion industry by 2009, according to a new report from consultant firm Mintel International. Already a popular application among users in some Asian and European markets, mobile gambling “is …

American Tower Corp. announced a call for redemption of $75 million principal amount of its 9.375-percent senior notes due 2009. The redemption date is set for July 21. The notes will be redeemed at a price equal to 104.688 percent …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission has asked a federal appeals court in Atlanta to delay setting a briefing schedule for challenges to the agency’s truth-in-billing decision to avoid a confusing hodgepodge of filings. The FCC told the 11th U.S. Circuit Court …

LONDON-Jamster said it plans to offer a rap collective for mobile phones, an effort to duplicate the success of the popular ringtone character Crazy Frog. Crazy Frog has moved from ringtone to chart topper on the U.K. singles chart and …

WASHINGTON-Verizon Wireless has petitioned the Federal Communications Commission for a waiver of the priority access service rule, telling regulators equipment and software used in CDMA mobile phone systems are currently not capable of delivering the emergency service with the five …

Family and peer groups as well as customer service quality are increasingly affecting U.S. consumers’ selection of their wireless service providers and driving customer churn, according to initial results from the Yankee Group’s 2005 Wireless User Surveys. The survey found …

WASHINGTON-The United States and Canada reached an agreement effective June 20 that allows for public safety to use TV channels 63, 64, 68 and 69 (764-776 MHz and 794-806 MHz) along the U.S.-Canadian border. “The agreement sets forth the principles …

TORONTO-Motorists can use their cell phones to pay for parking at nearly 5,000 meters in Coral Gables, Fla., through a new m-commerce application powered by Canadian electronic payment provider Mint Inc. The offering, called PayMint, allows drivers who have registered …

A bill passed by the Illinois legislature and headed to Gov. Rod Blagojevich would make it illegal for minors to operate handheld mobile phones while driving. Beginning next month, across-the-board driver use of handheld cell phones in Chicago will be …

WASHINGTON-In separate actions, the Federal Communications Commission lowered the universal-service contribution factor to 10.2 percent and said it would begin examining the USF subsidy program, perhaps dramatically changing the way the E-rate is administered. “I fully support the universal-service program …

Seventy-five years after it sold the first car radio, Motorola Inc. wants to get back into your dashboard. The world’s No. 2 handset manufacturer is preparing to beta test iRadio, a digital music service that uses cell phones to link …

LAUREL, Md.-Verizon Wireless said it will hold a job fair June 25 in an attempt to add 200 bilingual Spanish-speaking employees to its Washington-Baltimore-Virginia area workforce. The carrier noted the full- and part-time employees are needed to fill customer-service positions …

SANTA MONICA, Calif.-Intel Capital and Japanese TV production company Yoshimoto Kogyo are among those backing Bellrock Media Inc., a new company that will develop, produce and deliver content over mobile and broadband platforms. Hiroshi Nakata, who founded content provider Fandango …