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Editor’s note: At the end of each year, the RCR Wireless News editorial staff looks back on the news events that made headlines and decides which were the most significant, industry-impacting stories during the past 12 months. While our list …

U.S. consumers will be shopping for high-tech phones to take advantage of new high-speed networks this holiday season, according to a new study from Boston-based research firm Compete Inc.. Instead of bargain-basement voice-only phones, users are shopping for gadgets with …

WASHINGTON-The Bush administration asked Japan to promote competitive wireless policies and to improve spectrum management, but some reforms pushed by trade officials here are not necessarily legally embraced in the United States. The office of U.S. trade representative weighed in …

Amid holiday howls over the use of “Merry Christmas” instead of more all-inclusive seasonal greetings, Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. is blithely tripping its own way by pushing its “Chrismahanukwanzakah” marketing campaign again this year. The company declared Dec. 13 to …

Amid holiday howls over the use of “Merry Christmas” instead of more all-inclusive seasonal greetings, Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. is blithely tripping its own way by pushing its “Chrismahanukwanzakah” marketing campaign again this year. The company declared Dec. 13 to …

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif.-Enterprise broadband service provider iPass Inc. reported plans to purchase Wi-Fi hot spot service aggregator GoRemote Internet Communications Inc. for $76.5 million in cash. While iPass serves roaming mobile broadband users, such as salespeople and business travelers, GoRemote …

Wireless distributor and fulfillment services provider Brightpoint Inc. is going directly to consumers with branded retail stores. The company said it plans to sell mobile phones and services from Sprint Nextel Corp., Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. and Vonage Holdings Inc. …

OREM, Utah-Mobile virtual network operators Ready Mobile and Mojo Mobile said they will buy phone-in-a-box kits and airtime from Q Comm International Inc., which provides prepaid transaction processing and electronic point-of-sale distribution solutions. Ready Mobile includes airtime rollover minutes and …

COLUMBUS, Ohio-National reseller IMO reported plans to offer Verizon Wireless phones and service. IMO-short for “independent mobile”-was founded last year as an alternative to both carrier-branded stores and big-box retailers. The company resells products and services for Sprint Nextel Corp., …

SEATTLE, Wash.-In a move that proves cellular phone service is truly going to the dogs, Cimbix Corp. said it has completed a licensing agreement that allows it to proceed with worldwide distribution plans for cellular phones for pets. Cimbix said …

PLAINFIELD, Ind.-Wireless distributor Brightpoint Inc. is going directly to consumers with branded retail stores. The company will sell mobile phones and services from Sprint Nextel Corp., Virgin Mobile USA L.L.P. and Vonage Holdings Corp. through outlets under the brand Fono …

Cingular Wireless L.L.C. infused some new blood into the languishing push-to-talk market with the launch of its PTT service. The carrier joins a market dominated by Sprint Nextel Corp.’s iDEN-based PTT service, despite much-ballyhooed launches from rivals. As had been …

WASHINGTON-Small rural carriers argued that they are treated unfairly by the four nationwide carriers when it comes to automatic roaming, an accusation disputed by their larger counterparts. Because mergers have reduced the number of nationwide wireless carriers from six to …

NEW YORK-Wireless Venture Partners Inc., a national wireless retailer based in Las Vegas, said it has closed $10 million in series A financing. The round was led by The Greenspun Corp. and Catalyst Investors L.P. The company said it plans …

RCR Wireless News is pleased to announce that Kelly Hill has been hired as a reporter covering the cellular beat for the newspaper. Hill recently received her Masters of Journalism degree from the University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of …

Cingular Wireless L.L.C. infused some new blood into the languishing push-to-talk market with the launch of its PTT service. The carrier joins a market dominated by Sprint Nextel Corp.’s iDEN-based PTT service, despite much-ballyhooed launches from rivals. As had been …

NEW YORK-Wireless Venture Partners Inc., a national wireless retailer based in Las Vegas, said it has closed $10 million in series A financing. The round was led by The Greenspun Corp. and Catalyst Investors L.P. The company said it plans …

SEATTLE-Mobile gamers continue to rely on carrier decks for their wireless entertainment even as off-deck businesses continue to gain traction, according to the latest figures from M:Metrics. The firm’s most recent monthly survey found that 90 percent of wireless game …

PARIS-Orange France and Research In Motion Ltd. today announced the launch in France of the BlackBerry on the mobile-phone operator’s EDGE network. The companies said the BlackBerry 8700f is expected to be available for Orange’s enterprise customers in France on …

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif.-Wherify Wireless Inc. said it now plans to launch its Wherifone GPS-capable mobile phone in the United States sometime in the first half of next year, almost a year after the company initially planned to offer the gadget. …

What traditionally has been a holiday battle for market share among nationwide operators this year has turned into a struggle to compete against the Verizon Wireless juggernaut. The industry’s second-largest operator has been on a roll this year, adding several …

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif.-Wherify Wireless Inc. said it now plans to launch its Wherifone GPS-capable mobile phone in the United States sometime in the first half of next year, almost a year after the company initially planned to offer the gadget. …

Cingular Wireless L.L.C. announced it will sell a new phone aimed at children. The carrier picked up Firefly Mobile Inc.’s Firefly phone, which Firefly has been selling through retail outlets and its Web site. Cingular said it will sell the …

ATLANTA-BellSouth Corp. unveiled its Wireless Data Backup solution for business customers that utilizes Cingular Wireless L.L.C.’s EDGE network to back up BellSouth’s existing wireline data networks in case of an outage. BellSouth noted the solution is the first jointly developed …

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.-Alltel Corp. said it will offer MobiTV Inc.’s video service running on the Motorola Inc. Razr V3c beginning next week. The CDMA2000 1x EV-DO version of the popular handset will be available at the carrier’s retail locations beginning …