Mobile Phones

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission, lacking solid options and clear direction from the Bush administration, likely will be forced to postpone a final decision in July on spectrum for third-generation wireless systems. While FCC officials have publicly stated they want to …

There are a lot of ways to get in touch with Patrik Falstrom. He’s got telephone, mobile phone, fax machine, e-mail and snail mail addresses. It’s quite a lot of numbers, and it can take quite a while to hit …

WASHINGTON-Congress last week was set to pass a new budget that embraces President Bush’s plan to delay two auctions of valuable radio spectrum but rejects an administration proposal to impose fees on TV broadcasters in order to encourage the clearing …

BUCHAREST, Romania-Streaming video is a technology that is often mentioned in conjunction with third-generation (3G) networks, but users may see its possibilities sooner than 3G network rollouts. Streaming media is the ability to receive video alerts, wireless games, short video …

DENVER, United States-With its feet in the New York Stock Exchange and an eye toward the future, Siemens has advanced a package of products and strategies to make it a major player in the U.S. wireless space. At the Cellular …

NEW DELHI, India-The Asia-Pacific region is witnessing a rapid growth of short message service (SMS), which is not only beginning to contribute significantly to operators’ revenues, but is also setting the stage for future mobile data services. The Philippines continues …

Mobile devices Alcatel Alcatel launched the One Touch 502 General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) phone with Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) access. The phone offers GPRS monoslot technology, which is ideal for WAP transmission because the packets of data involved are …

SINGAPORE-The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore said the number of prepaid card subscribers in Singapore has doubled in the 12 months ending January 2001 from 306,600 to 741,200 users. The 141.7-percent increase exceeds the 65-percent rise in the country’s overall …

In Beijing, it is uncivilized for a lady to talk on a mobile phone while walking, according to a report on the Beijing Evening News. It seems cultural rules of society can be seamlessly translated to the mobile industry and …

WASHINGTON-Commerce Secretary Donald Evans told industry executives last week he will continue to engage other administration officials in hopes of resolving a spectrum fight between the Pentagon and mobile-phone firms that threatens to delay a decision by the Federal Communications …

NEW YORK-SV1, which last year introduced SafeTShield, an aftermarket earpiece cover to reduce radio-frequency emissions from wireless and cordless phones, will begin marketing the product through 7-Eleven stores in May. Since debuting the product a year ago, the Boca Raton, …

WASHINGTON-RCR Wireless News has learned that a General Accounting Office report scheduled for release next month will sharply criticize the Federal Communications Commission and the Food and Drug Administration for not educating consumers sufficiently on mobile-phone health issues, but the …

Sony of Japan is holding talks with Sweden’s L.M. Ericsson on merging their handset divisions, hinting at what some analysts perceive as a possible trend in the industry. Both companies recoiled from revealing details on the talks, a deal from …

WASHINGTON-Jeb Bush, the Florida governor who figured big in the controversial electoral victory that proved decisive in getting his brother elected president, has entered the political fray over third-generation mobile-phone spectrum by urging the Federal Communications Commission to let schools …

WASHINGTON-The nation’s growing driver-distraction problem has taken on new urgency as a result of a deadly traffic accident in Las Vegas allegedly caused by woman speeding and talking on her mobile phone when her Toyota Landcruiser plowed into another car, …

WASHINGTON-Congress, watching dazzling new technological and marketing advances driven by the Internet and its uncertain migration to wireless devices, has been dragged into high-stakes controversy over whether business methods patents are stifling innovation in the New Economy. The nasty and …

WASHINGTON-In a development with national implications for a wireless industry increasingly hit with complaints about service quality and billing problems, a California telecom regulator last week suggested the state Public Utilities Commission may consider approving a new policy before year’s …

While most wireless companies are targeting either the consumer or the business market with their technology, a select few are targeting a new and rather unlikely area for wireless services and devices-the classroom. The vision these companies have consists of …

Several recent announcements have cast an unfavorable light on Symbian Ltd., a maker of operating systems for a number of wireless devices. But even with the added illumination, it’s still unclear whether the company is in for rough times or …

WASHINGTON-The law firm of Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos, which earlier this year took control of an $800 million mobile phone-brain cancer lawsuit, has joined forces with attorneys in a New Orleans class-action case against the wireless industry seeking to …

The wireless Internet is only as good as the device it’s on. Granted, there are plenty of other issues surrounding the look and feel of the experience-including network speeds and coverage areas-but the device is a central part of the …

For the love of Java, three companies with two handsets have come together. Using Sun Microsystems’ Java software in Motorola Inc.’s phones over Nextel Communications Inc.’s networks, the three companies are targeting both white collar and blue collar users. The …

Instant messaging, the simple act of writing to another person in real time, is a big deal. This fact has been proven by the popularity of America Online Inc.’s instant messaging program, which became a subject of debate during the …

TROY, N.Y.-MapInfo Corp.’s Location Management Platform has been integrated with Alcatel’s Intelligent Mobile Location Server to provide a fully scalable E911 solution, the companies said. MapInfo’s Location Management Platform adds location capabilities to call processing, which is required of vendors …

All BREW lovers are welcome to the party. Software developers and carriers are joining Qualcomm Inc. to propagate the virtues of the Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless, an open platform introduced by the San Diego-based company in January. “It’s exciting,” …