BROWSING: T-Mobile

Just when you thought mobile music personalization applications couldn't get any more disruptive, along come background tones. The latest-but surely not last-step in the evolution of such offerings, background tones play during entire conversations between mobile users. Subscribers can choose to assign songs for...

WASHINGTON-Wireless industry trade association CTIA is pushing Congress to overturn a federal appeals court ruling that said the Federal Communications Commission overreached when it said states could not prohibit wireless carriers from putting certain line items on their bills. "Creating a mish-mash of inconsistent...

Lindsay Lohan's BlackBerry has apparently been hacked, and some are pointing the finger at her archrival Paris Hilton. A spokesperson for Lohan said somebody stole the password to the actress' BlackBerry and then sent sordid messages to her friends and contacts. Hilton, who denies...

It was a good quarter for some regional providers of wireless service, with healthy growth and increasing average revenue per user. Alltel Corp. posted strong second-quarter results with plusses and minuses in all the right places. The industry's No. 5 carrier improved ARPU, substantially...

Bidding in the government's auction of advanced wireless services spectrum is set to start Wednesday, but the jockeying and speculation has already begun as satellite and cable consortiums set themselves up to do battle with traditional wireless carriers for airwaves.Click here for the latest...

ATLANTA-T-Mobile USA Inc. has tweaked its pricing options with a promotional "back to school" plan for families that includes 1,000 anytime minutes for $50 per month. The plan does not include free weeknight or weekend calling, but does include unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling. The plan...

Commercial telematics, in particular mobile research management, is driving location-based services today, according to ABI Research. But the next big battleground will be to add Web portals to vehicle navigation devices. Following is a roundup of trends to watch in location-based services. The technology...

DENVER-Qwest Communications International Inc. has quietly launched Sprint Nextel Corp.'s full-track music download service for Qwest wireless customers. The mobile virtual network operator is carrying the Sprint Music Store, which allows users to download songs to a mobile phone or PC for $2.50 per...

SAN DIEGO—Leap Wireless International Inc. reported increasing profits and higher revenues during the second quarter. The carrier also scored 58,000 net customers during the quarter, a huge increase from net customer additions of about 2,700 during the second quarter of last year. However, the...

DENVER—Qwest Communications International Inc. has quietly launched Sprint Nextel Corp.’s full-track music download service for Qwest wireless customers. The mobile virtual network operator is carrying the Sprint Music Store, which allows users to download songs to a mobile phone or PC for $2.50...

ATLANTA—T-Mobile USA Inc. has tweaked its pricing options with a promotional "back to school" plan for families that includes 1,000 anytime minutes for $50 per month. The plan does not include free weeknight or weekend calling, but does include unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling. The plan...

WASHINGTON—A federal appeals court ruled Monday the Federal Communications Commission overreached when it said states could not prohibit wireless carriers from putting certain line items on their bills. Only Congress can overturn the court’s decision. Wireless trade association CTIA bemoaned the ruling."Creating a mish-mash...

The Federal Communications Commission said 168 bidders have qualified to participate in the advanced wireless services auction, and that it would not use blind-bidding procedures during the auction.Click here for the latest headlines from the AWS auction. Click here for full AWS auction coverage.The...

Not all subscribers are equal.While big-spending, low-churning direct subscriber adds are often best, there are only so many of them to go around. As such, the value of indirect subscribers is evolving as some operators begin to depend more heavily on these customers and...

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.-Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA Inc. tied for the top spot in the most recent J.D. Power & Associates survey of wireless carrier customer care performance. Both carriers scored 104 points on the company's scale, while the industry average was 99. Alltel...

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission said late Friday that 168 bidders have qualified to participate in the advanced wireless services auction, and that it would not use blind bidding procedures during the auction. The auction "will be conducted using the information-disclosure procedures typically used during...

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.—Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA Inc. tied for the top spot in the most recent J.D. Power & Associates survey of wireless carrier customer care performance. Both carriers scored 104 points on the company’s scale, while the industry average was 99. Alltel...

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—Drivers in 30 cities can check traffic conditions on their handsets through a new offering from Google Inc. The developer upgraded its Google Maps offering for wireless Web surfers, allowing users to choose a desired location from their phone and select the...

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Immersion Corp. scored a substantial win, inking a deal to put its VibeTonz Mobile Player on phones from LG Electronics Co. Ltd. The developer said LG has licensed VibeTonz technology, which offers "vibro-tactile effects" that make phones vibrate and pulse. The feature...

NEW YORK—Spending on wireless equipment is in a bit of a slump, according to Bear Stearns & Co. Inc.'s U.S. telecom capex preview. The firm said Cingular Wireless L.L.C., the nation's largest carrier, is spending money on third-generation equipment, but those capital expenditures are...

WASHINGTON—Wireless carriers that plan to use traffic studies to determine their universal-service contributions must maintain all of the necessary data in case the Federal Communications Commission decides to audit the results. The text of the traffic studies rules is pretty harsh. "We take an...

WASHINGTON—A confluence of legal, technological and political forces could slow or significantly alter mega-merger mania that has raged largely unabated in the wireless and wireline telecom sectors in recent years, with AT&T Inc.'s $67 billion bid for BellSouth Corp. materializing into a grand test...

My understanding of our elected officials in Washington has dropped below that of anything mathematical and the popularity of country music, thanks to how the Federal Communications Commission is handling the upcoming advanced wireless services auction.What has sent that understanding over the top—or is...

Camella Price, a mother of two girls, is one of eight parents of New York City school children who consider wireless phones a lifeline to their youngsters—and they're suing Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the chancellor of the city schools and the city department of education...