Mobile News – RCR Wireless News

TORONTO-The Virgin Mobile Group is reportedly set to launch a mobile virtual network operator-based wireless service in Canada March 1 using Bell Canada’s CDMA network. The service is expected to be similar to Virgin’s MVNO launch in the United States …

EDINBURG, Va.-Rural telecommunications provider and Sprint PCS affiliate Shenandoah Telecommunications Co. said it added 4,560 direct wireless subscribers during the fourth quarter of last year, ending 2004 with 102,600 direct customers. The company added that it also signed up 7,734 …

Motorola Inc. leapt into the high-volume, low-cost mobile phone business-a space dominated by the likes of Nokia Corp. and Siemens-with plans to sell millions of new phones in emerging wireless markets like India, Turkey, Pakistan, Thailand and elsewhere. The company …

WASHINGTON-The International Electrotechnical Commission, a Geneva-based group, has published the first global standard for testing mobile-phone compliance with radiation safety guidelines. “Until now, there hasn’t been a single, globally accepted standardized measurement method for products that must adhere to SAR …

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.-Sprint Corp. reported a three-year, multimillion dollar agreement with integrated billing services provider Convergys to provide domestic wireless, global data networking and voice solutions. Sprint, which is one of Convergys’ largest clients, said it will provide a mix …

CANNES, France-An industry group of marketing executives announced an effort to drive consumer uptake of new mobile applications. The Chief Marketing Officer Council announced it formed the Forum to Advance the Mobile Experience (FAME), which is expected to comprise 200 …

Nokia Corp.’s longtime stranglehold on the U.S. mobile-phone market appears to be broken-at least for now-by a major surge in sales from Motorola Inc. “Motorola products are really just more appealing right now,” said Mark Bremer, an analyst with research …

Less than three weeks after it began, the Federal Communications Commission’s Auction 58 of 242 spectrum licenses in the 1.9 GHz band came to a quiet close last Tuesday, having garnered just more than $2 billion in net bids including …

The hacker accused of breaking into T-Mobile USA Inc.’s computer systems and accessing customer information has pleaded guilty. Nicholas Lee Jacobsen, 22, pled guilty in U.S. district court in Los Angeles to “gaining unauthorized access to a protected computer and …

LUBBOCK, Texas-Sprint PCS’ largest affiliate Alamosa Holdings Inc. said it has completed its $630 million acquisition of fellow affiliate AirGate PCS Inc. The transaction combines Alamosa’s operations in the Midwest, Southwest and Western United States with AirGate’s operations in the …

WASHINGTON-Public-safety advocates last week told President George W. Bush that Voice over Internet Protocol services need to be required to have access to enhanced 911 services regardless of how VoIP is otherwise regulated. “The public has an expectation that telephone …

CANNES, France-Intel Corp. announced three agreements to pursue its WiMAX technology and promote its XScale and mobile technologies. The chip bellwether said it has entered an alliance with Alcatel Corp. to develop, integrate and conduct interoperability testing for Alcatel’s network …

CANNES, France-Following through on its fourth-quarter promises, Openwave Systems Inc. announced a deal with Qualcomm Inc. to include Openwave’s WAP browser on Qualcomm’s MSM chips. “This phone solution streamlines development efforts and accelerates time to market to significantly reduce the …

At long last, the tower deal causing months of speculation is etched on the record books. Global Signal Inc. has won the exclusive rights to lease or operate more than 6,600 towers from Sprint PCS for 32 years, sending Global’s …

TORONTO-Redline Communications said it is working with Nomad Digital to offer high-speed Internet for Southern Trains. The project is a joint effort among Nomad, T-Mobile U.K. and Southern Trains and will see the deployment of Redline’s AN-50e broadband wireless platforms …

WASHINGTON-A key Democrat on the House telecommunications subcommittee Thursday put the brakes on setting a hard date for the digital TV transition. “I think it is impossible to say at this point what the final outcome will be. We don’t …

Rebuffing a more substantial offer from Qwest Communications International Inc., MCI Inc. agreed last week to be acquired by Verizon Communications Inc. for approximately $6.7 billion. Qwest, which initiated the latest bidding for MCI, reportedly offered $8 billion but was …

Startup VKB Inc. is now selling a $200 mobile-phone accessory the company believes could significantly improve the way wireless users interact with their phones. About the size of a cigarette lighter, the company’s new BTVKB gadget uses a red laser …

CANNES, France-Two global carriers announced contracts for content charging systems last week. Lucent Technologies Inc. and NetSpira Networks said they have provided Singapore’s MobileOne Ltd. with a content-based online charging system for GPRS and UMTS services. M1’s system will allow …

CANNES, France-Alcatel Alsthom won a contract to supply T-Mobile USA with its core infrastructure. Alcatel will deploy its Alcatel 5020 Spatial Atrium Distributed MSC solution to upgrade and optimize T-Mobile’s core network. “The solution will allow T-Mobile USA to continue …

The Federal Communications Commission this week lauded CTIA’s efforts to control mobile adult content and urged the association to step up its efforts in keeping inappropriate material out of the hands of children. In a letter to Steve Largent, CTIA …

SAN DIEGO-Publisher Random House said it has acquired a minority stake in a startup company called Vocel to offer educational content to mobile-phone subscribers for a monthly fee. To prop up the deal with Vocel, Random House said it has …

CHICAGO-U.S. Cellular Corp.’s parent company Telephone and Data Systems Inc. reported its board of directors has approved a distribution of a stock dividend for each outstanding common share and series A common share owned. The dividend is in the form …

CANNES, France-Visto Corp. said it has embarked on a major expansion that has increased its customers to more than 500,000. The company, which provides corporate wireless e-mail and PIM solutions for mobile operators, said it would support automatic updates of …

BELLEVUE, Wash.-Voice over Internet Protocol voice provider Ecuity Inc. reported an agreement with Boingo Wireless Inc. and TeleSym Inc. to jointly market a VoIP over Wi-Fi service. The companies said the arrangement will use Boingo’s more than 13,000 Wi-Fi hot …