retail

Hysteria about Voice over Internet Protocol is apparently not without cause, as VoIP is claiming a big (and-getting-bigger) piece of the communications market. Earthlink Inc. and Linksys, a Cisco Systems Inc. subsidiary, late last week teamed up to offer retail …

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—SunCom Wireless Holdings Inc. said it has begun offering Research In Motion Ltd.’s Blackberry 8700g Wireless Handheld device at all of its retail stories. The BlackBerry 8700g operates on SunCom’s GSM/GPRS network. Features of the device include quad-band GSM/GPRS …

ATLANTA—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. kicked off 2006 with strong first quarter results, including driving its churn rate down to a company record low of 1.9 percent overall, with 1.6 percent postpaid churn. While Cingular’s postpaid average revenue per user showed growth, …

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.—Financial analysts are awaiting Motorola Inc.’s first-quarter earnings report—scheduled for later today—which may exceed the company’s own projections and those of Wall Street made in the fourth quarter of 2005 when handset sales growth was expected to slow this …

Soon-to-launch mobile virtual network operator Xero Mobile plans to use 2 million free handsets and discounted talk time to jump into the wireless marketplace-the catch being that the freebies are in exchange for allowing mobile advertising on the handset. The …

Regional operator Shenandoah Telecommunications Co. is considering the sale of its wireless operations, the company said on Friday-one day before the forbearance agreement the company had signed with Sprint Nextel Corp. was to expire. Shentel, a Sprint Nextel CDMA affiliate, …

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P. announced first-quarter results that were down significantly from the previous quarter, but more than triple its earnings from the same quarter last year. Sony Ericsson earned about $132 million in the first quarter, down from …

EDINBURG, Va.—Regional operator Shenandoah Telecommunications Co. is considering the sale of its wireless operations, the company said on Friday—one day before the forbearance agreement the company had signed with Sprint Nextel Corp. was to expire. Shentel, a Sprint Nextel PCS …

  LAS VEGAS-With fog, fireworks and a helping hand from Mickey Mouse, Disney Mobile announced the launch of its cellular service at CTIA. Steve Wadsworth, president of the Disney Internet Group, joked that the towering on-stage model of the silver …

LAS VEGAS-PayPal Inc. officially went mobile, launching a service that allows users to make purchases and send or receive funds  via wireless phones. Wireless subscribers can use the offering-which the company quietly began testing several weeks ago-to send money to …

LAS VEGAS—With fog, fireworks and a helping hand from Mickey Mouse, Disney Mobile announced the launch of its cellular service at yesterday’s CTIA keynote. Steve Wadsworth, president of the Disney Internet Group, joked that the towering on-stage model of the …

LAS VEGAS—Recently launched sports-oriented mobile virtual network operator Mobile ESPN L.L.C. reported a deal with network partner Sprint Nextel Corp. to expand the distribution of Mobile ESPN phones and services to at least 500 Sprint Nextel retail locations in the …

By Lorene Yue LAS VEGAS—Motorola Inc. is expanding its retail base by partnering with a top seller of mobile phones. The Schaumburg-based mobile phone manufacturer has partnered with InPhonic of Washington, D.C., which sells wireless services and products through thousands …

All signs point to the Walt Disney Co. gearing up to jump into the wireless space soon. The company’s mobile virtual network operator’s Disney Mobile Web site has been stepping up efforts to lure would-be subscribers to the service, as …

In the wireless universe, one outstanding fact about India trumps its ancient history, heterogeneous society and complex political and economic mix: With more than 1 billion people, India is the second-most-populous country in the world, and with rising prosperity, its …

PALO ALTO, Calif.—Obopay officially came out of stealth mode, unveiling a mobile payment service that will allow users to make purchases and send and receive funds on their handsets. The startup outlined a downloadable application that offers real-time purchases and …

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.—Wireless operators are doing well at retaining customers, and only 7 percent of cellular customers say they plan to switch providers when their contracts are up, according to a survey by consumer and retail information company NPD Group. …

PLAINFIELD, Ind.—Brightpoint Inc. will supply Motorola Inc.’s handsets and accessories to some of its customers in the United States, Brightpoint announced. The agreement between the two companies is something of a coup for Brightpoint, as Motorola is the No. 1 …

BRUSSELS, Belgium—European Union telecom regulators today announced plans to force wireless operators to lower their international roaming rates within EU countries, with the goal that subscribers would be charged for calls made while traveling within the EU at the same …

Do Europeans like chocolate as much as South Koreans? What about Americans? If we’re talking food, the question is crazy. But because we’re talking about LG Electronics Co. Ltd.’s new Chocolate mobile phone, which has done well since its release …

MIAMI-Brightstar Logistics Pty Ltd. said it signed a three-year agreement with Australian carrier Telstra to manage its handset supply chain. The deal calls for Brightstar to manage the carrier’s retail fulfillment operation and launch inventory management tools to help Telstra …

SAN JOSE, Calif.-PayPal quietly launched a service allowing users to make purchases or send money to other users from a mobile phone. The world’s largest supplier of online payment services is testing the offering, which allows users to send a …

SEOUL, South Korea—Do Europeans like chocolate as much as South Koreans? If we’re talking food, the question is crazy. But because we’re talking about LG Electronics Co. Ltd.’s new Chocolate mobile phone, which has done well since its release in …

Razr availability through Cingular Wireless L.L.C. and T-Mobile USA Inc. may be unpredictable until the end of March, according to equity research firm Bear Stearns. That’s when the firm expects Motorola Inc. to fix and return Razr batches that were …

It was a week of mixed results for regional carriers, as numbers trickled in from a handful of operators-some of which had delayed their reporting or had to restate prior earnings. Leap Wireless International Inc. had a slightly weaker-than-expected fourth …