Mobile News – RCR Wireless News

OKLAHOMA CITY-Dobson Communications Corp. said the Securities and Exchange Commission notified the company that an informal inquiry concerning the timing of Dobson’s disclosure in 2001 that a controlling interest in the company was pledged to secure a loan to Dobson’s …

KIRKLAND, Wash.-Nextel Partners Inc., via its wholly owned subsidiary Nextel Partners Operating Corp., said it expects to save $14 million in annual interest expenses due to a new $550 million tranche D term loan it is using to replace an …

BOCA RATON, Fla.-Global Towers Partners said it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 51 towers from Jesta Towers, a regional developer and wireless facilities owner with a focus on the Gulf Coast region. Terms of the acquisition were not …

WASHINGTON-A new study says the substance and timing of regulatory reform can determine the fate of entire industries and whether competition and consumer choice are created during times of technological disruption, a finding the authors say is a cautionary tale …

The Mobile Marketing Association and wireless carrier association CTIA released guidelines outlining policies for wireless carriers and content providers marketing to consumers. A committee including all five Tier 1 operators helped draft the nine-page document, which addresses issues including advertising …

Verizon Wireless announced an agreement with Clear Channel Entertainment Properties to broadcast concert footage of Velvet Revolver, Avril Lavigne, the Moody Blues and other artists. The carrier added a channel to its Vcast service that will feature rotating performances from …

Three test and measurement companies last week announced acquisition plans in separate deals. JDS Uniphase Corp. announced it purchased network testing and measurement company Acterna Inc. for $760 million in cash and stock. “Broadband and optical solutions are foundational to …

HAMPSHIRE, United Kingdom-Mobile entertainment revenues are expected to grow to more than $59 billion by 2009, driven by a rapid expansion in mobile content and sharp increases in 2.5- and third-generation handset adoption, according to a report from Juniper Research. …

Wireless carriers have gained a level of satisfaction among business users equal to wireline offerings, but are still struggling to gain truly loyal subscribers, according to the Walker Loyalty Report for Communications Services released this week by Walker Information. The …

OYSTER BAY, N.Y.-Industry should ship more than 100 million dual-mode mobile phones by 2010, according to new numbers from research and consulting firm ABI Research. Dual-mode phones combine wireless wide area and local area network technologies, potentially allowing users to …

Telesystem International Wireless Inc. said its shareholders approved the sale of its indirect interest in ClearWave N.V. to Vodafone International Holdings B.V. for $3.5 billion and the assumption of about $950 million in net debt. A total of 143.7 million …

Struggling to shore up decreasing revenues from voice usage, U.S. carriers agreed last October to a set of messaging guidelines they said would allow them to be MMS-interoperable by the end of 2004. While the target date is long past, …

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.-Sprint PCS has restructured categories on its games deck in an effort to make it easier for customers to find and buy mobile games. New listings on the deck include categories for casual titles, traditional console-type games, titles …

WASHINGTON-While government approval of the proposed $35 billion Sprint Corp.-Nextel Communications Inc. deal and other pending telecom mega-mergers do not appear in doubt, there is a lively debate going on about the adequacy of long-standing antitrust law in the face …

Nortel Networks Ltd. and IBM Corp. announced they will pool their resources to develop new products, collaborate on research and development and design new carrier servers. “It’s a tremendous opportunity for collaboration,” said Pat Toole, IBM’s vice president of business …

MILPITAS, Calif.-Satellite carrier Globalstar heralded its successes a year out of bankruptcy, claiming new products and services, expanded coverage, reduced costs and a growing subscriber base. “Globalstar has delivered on and even exceeded every growth metric we set one year …

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.-SmartVideo Technologies Inc. inked a deal to offer made-for-mobile video content from Fun Little Movies, the companies announced Friday. SmartVideo, which offers a subscription-based mobile video service for Windows Mobile-based devices, said it will add the FLM channel …

WASHINGTON-After hearing emotional presentations from users who were unable to successfully connect to 911 from Voice over Internet Protocol phones, the Federal Communications Commission last week adopted rules requiring VoIP providers to offer direct access to 911 services within about …

IRVINE, Calif.-Broadcom Corp. unleashed a major patent suit against CDMA pioneer Qualcomm Inc., alleging the company’s chip offerings violate 10 of its patents. The move is notable as Qualcomm has typically been the instigator in a number of patent battles. …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden-L.M. Ericsson announced it has formed a strategic alliance with China’s ZTE to collaborate on TD-SCDMA solutions for China. TD-SCDMA is a Chinese-developed technology expected to be used for third-generation networks in the country. The Chinese government, however, has …

OTTAWA-Bridgewater Systems, which develops subscriber-centric policy management software, introduced its Application Authorization Software with Verizon Wireless. The product provides a common profile and policy system for central management of authentication and authorization of users when they try to access applications, …

Online wireless retailer and mobile virtual network operator InPhonic Inc. scored a major coup last week, signing a deal with Sprint Corp. to manage Sprint’s targeted e-commerce initiatives using InPhonic’s online marketing channels and e-commerce platform. The deal also strengthens …

LONDON-Symbian said it appointed Nigel Clifford as its chief executive officer to begin in June. Clifford most recently served as CEO of Tertio Telecoms Ltd., which was sold to Evolving Systems Inc. in November. Tertio develops and markets billing and …

Nokia Corp. announced it will expand its gaming initiative beyond its N-Gage QD gaming device by selling a range of devices that can play N-Gage games. Nokia said it would sell additional N-Gage-capable devices starting in the first half of …

MILPITAS, Calif.-As expected, PalmOne Inc. announced its new LifeDrive mobile device, which features a 4-gigabyte hard disk drive from Hitachi along with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technologies. Information about the device surfaced a few weeks ago on Amazon.com and other sites. …