RCR Wireless News back issues from January 2006:
Cell-phone taps at center of public scrutiny amid NSA wiretap news.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The Electronic Frontier Foundation blasted a federal judge's decision to give the Department of Justice access to cell-phone location information. The ruling appears to be within the scope of the digital wiretap law, but comes amid revelations ...
As calendar turns to '06, operators fail to meet E-911 compliance.(Calendar)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER At the stroke of midnight Saturday, all the wireless carriers that selected a handset solution for E-911 Phase II rules failed to meet the FCC's requirements, and as RCR Wireless News went to press it was unclear if any of the carriers would ...
Gabelli firm denies wrongdoing in spectrum auctions.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER Lynch Interactive Corp. again vehemently denied any wrongdoing in its activities with mobile-phone auctions. The company performed bidding and auction administrative services for a variety of bidders in recent years. The activities and ...
6 Engineering firm sues Cingular.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER A San Diego courtroom is expected to be the scene this week for a jury trial of a now-defunct company trying to get redress from the nation's largest wireless carrier. Sonic TSM Inc. is accusing Cingular Wireless L.L.C. of allegedly promised ...
Lucent to appeal Winstar ruling.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Byline: JONI MORSE Lucent Technologies Inc. says it plans to appeal a U.S. bankruptcy court ruling ordering the telecommunications equipment giant to pay $244 million plus interest and other costs to Winstar Communications for allegedly violating the terms of a network supply ...
Flarion touts Flash-OFDM speeds.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Byline: JONI MORSE The telecommunications industry is about to dramatically accelerate its move to OFDM-based mobile data networks, Flarion Technologies Inc. predicts in its recent white paper, "Trains, Planes and Automobiles.'' Unsurprisingly, Flarion contends its ...
Conspiracy theory 101.(Opinion)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Byline: Mike Dano While most of the country was busy with last-minute shopping trips, President Bush was retaliating against the latest attack on his presidency-reports of a secret program to spy on Americans. After a day of cloudy "no comments,'' Bush owned up to ...
Mobileplay launches ad-based service that gives free content.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Content provider Mobileplay launched an advertising-driven service that delivers free games, news, weather and other offerings to personal digital assistants and smart phones. Microsoft Office and Volvo Cars of North America are among the brands behind the service, which ...
Monstermob enters Russia with $27M Mobicon acquisition.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Monstermob Group plc said it plans to spend $27 million to acquire Mobicon, a Russian wireless content provider. U.K.-based Monstermob, which sells mobile game, images and ringtones, is looking to move into the Russian market after expanding both to the East and West in the last ...
Court sides with InterDigital in $250M patent dispute with Nokia.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... InterDigital Communications Corp. scored another court victory as a New York judge confirmed a ruling that calls for Nokia Corp. to pay InterDigital around $250 million for patent licensing and technology development. The ruling stems from a contractual disagreement between ...
Wireless set for healthy growth, says S&P.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... The wireless industry's bets are paying off, according to a new study on the industry by Standard & Poor's. The firm said the wireless industry is seeing healthy, double-digit growth in subscribers, use and revenue. The findings are detailed in S&P's "Key Credit Factors For The ...
NEC's handset unit struggling.
Jan 02, 2006 ... Byline: MIKE DANO Japanese vendor NEC Corp. may become the latest casualty in the hotly contested mobile-phone market. According to a Reuters report, the company is looking for some kind of partnership with another mobile-phone vendor in order to bolster its sluggish ...
NTIA estimates spectrum relocation to cost $1B; Good news for 3G auction bidders.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The National Telecommunications & Information Administration said that it will cost nearly $1 billion to relocate federal spectrum users from the 1710-1755 MHz band. The relocation would allow the government to auction the band for ...
Pricing digital downloads.(Opinion)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Byline: Tracy Ford I have fond memories of getting a beautiful red record player for Christmas one year when I was in elementary school. It wasn't the cool one that only played the record when you closed the lid (my Mom and Dad never were into the newest gadgets) but instead a ...
Verizon set to close MCI acquisition.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Verizon Communications Inc. said it has completed all the state, federal and international approvals needed to close on its acquisition of MCI. The company recently received its final necessary approval from the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission ....
Texas Instruments to buy ZigBee chip firm for $200M.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Texas Instruments Inc. plans to purchase ZigBee chip designer Chipcon, which creates chips used in short-range, low-power wireless radio frequency devices such as wireless keyboards. TI said it plans to pay $200 million for Chipcon, which is based in Oslo, Norway. The deal is ...
News Briefs.(Briefs)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Comptel Corp., which provides network management services and software, has announced an agreement to supply its services to Easterbrooke Cellular Corp., a mobile service provider in central West Virginia. Easterbrooke operates an 850 MHz wireless network under the Cellular One brand ....
Cell phones high on list of items people can't live without, AP poll finds.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Byline: KELLY HILL Personal computer? Check. High-speed Internet? Got it. Cell phone? Definitely. The checklist of high-tech gadgets and services that Americans can't live without keeps getting longer, a recent Associated Press poll concluded. The poll of more than ...
Turkcell to begin selling Nokia's Visual Radio.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... GSM operator Turkcell will team up with Nokia Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. to introduce Visual Radio in Turkey. The service will allow Turkcell subscribers to tune in to local FM radio stations via their cellular phones, and get detailed information on songs, download related graphics and ...
Qualcomm, KDDI form MediaFlo business venture.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Qualcomm Inc. will team with KDDI Corp. to explore broadcasting wireless video programming to subscribers of the Japanese operator. The companies will establish MediaFlo Japan Planning Inc., a joint venture to examine licensing spectrum necessary to build a MediaFlo network in ...
InterDigital warns of timetable to end royalties dispute with Nokia.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... InterDigital Communications Corp. said it will establish a timetable for discussions and possible future arbitration to resolve its 3-year-old dispute over royalties with Nokia Corp. ITC, an InterDigital subsidiary, said it hopes to enforce a July ruling from the International ...
Good News, Barna to offer faith-based content.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Good News Holdings L.L.C. and faith-based research firm The Barna Group Ltd. launched a portal offering wireless content including ringtones, Bible verses and video clips. The companies unveiled FaithMobile, a Web site featuring content from providers Promise Keepers, ...
LG licenses Honeywell patents for GPS automotive applications.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... LG Electronics Inc. licensed GPS patents from Honeywell International, the companies announced. LG said it expects to use the two GPS-related patents for certain automotive original equipment manufacturer and aftermarket applications. "This agreement with LGE ...
3G to trigger explosion in China domestic handset sales.(Wireless Metrics)
Jan 02, 2006 ... While China continues to export a growing number of cell phones, new research also shows that the country's domestic market is set to explode. According to electronics research firm iSuppli Corp., China exported 45.5 million mobile phones during the third quarter, a ...
Mobiltek sells subsidiary to Hong Kong integrator.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... One month after announcing its restructuring, value-added service provider Mobiltek Corp. said it sold its subsidiary, Mobiltek Corp. California, to SinoConnect Ltd., a Hong Kong-based telecom system integration company. Mobiltek said it sold the subsidiary-along with the business' nine ...
Motorola buys Wireless Valley, Nortel takes Tasman.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Byline: JONI MORSE Motorola Inc. purchased Texas-based Wireless Valley Communications, a privately held company that creates software for designing and managing wireless networks including cellular, RFID, Wi-Fi, WiMAX and mesh. Motorola purchased the software maker ...
GPS, Wi-Fi teaming up for location services.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Byline: JONI MORSE Growth of the wireless location-pinpointing industry is evident with a flurry of company announcements. Boston-based Skyhook Wireless said it raised $6.5 million in its first round of Series B financing. The metro Wi-Fi location systems provider ...
San Fran issues official RFP for Wi-Fi network.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Byline: JONI MORSE After collecting and reviewing 26 industry proposals and nearly 300 public comments during a round of information requests for a citywide Wi-Fi network, San Francisco issued an official Request for Proposal for the project Dec. 22. In a statement, ...
Infrastructure Awards.(Wireless Metrics)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Following are infrastructure contracts announced in December: Alcatel Pakistan With Paktel Ltd. to expand and modernize the carrier's GSM network, including base station subsystems, a new microwave system expansion and base transceiver station sites. ...
Verizon to expand Vcast with CES announcement.
Jan 02, 2006 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Verizon Wireless is expected to make headlines once again at the International Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas, unveiling a full-track mobile music download service. The carrier, which last year launched its Vcast offering at CES, ...
CPUC to consider forming telecom fraud unit.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The California Public Utilities Commission is set to vote this month on a measure that would create a first-in-the-nation Telecommunications Consumer Fraud Unit. The fraud unit proposal is part of the new version of the controversial Consumer Bill ...
Nokia, CompUSA team to show high-tech gadgets.(Late News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Nokia Corp. will showcase its wares at every CompUSA Inc. location by March, the companies said. Nokia, which already has a presence in about 200 CompUSA stores, said it plans to use the nationwide rollout to demonstrate new, high-tech devices including camera phones and smart ...
Music bundles make sense in mobile arena.(Focus)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS If Amp'd Mobile Inc.'s bargain-basement full-track download music service was designed to get attention, it's working. The recently launched mobile virtual network operator made headlines a few weeks ago when it said it would match the price of ...
Cingular, Verizon in tight race for No. 1.(News)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Byline: KELLY HILL When Cingular Wireless L.L.C. bought AT&T Wireless Services Inc. in 2004, creating the nation's largest cellular carrier, Verizon Wireless found itself handing over its title belt as the U.S. heavyweight wireless leader. But since then, Verizon Wireless has ...
Content players coming to America.
Jan 02, 2006 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS With U.S. operators in the midst of building out 3G networks, wireless firms from around the world are heeding the words of Neil Diamond: They're coming to America. But, like George Harrison, they're finding that it don't come easy. ...
Stock Watch: December 21-December 28.(Wireless Metrics)
Jan 02, 2006 ... table: Stock Watch: December 21-December 28 * 3 ...
Fast Fact.(Wireless Metrics)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Latest report from Irish regulator ComReg indicates the country has reached mobile penetration of 100 ...
Live TV.(Wireless Metrics)
Jan 02, 2006 ... Most people who responded to a recent RCRNews.com poll were pretty optimistic about how long it would take Verizon to sign up 1 ...
Stock Watch: December 29-January 5.(Wireless Metrics)
Jan 09, 2006 ... table: Stock Watch: December 29-January 5 * 3 ...
Wireless History; 6 years ago this month...(Wireless Metrics)
Jan 09, 2006 ... Omnipoint Corp. and VoiceStream Wireless Corp. announced plans to buy Sprint PCS' GSM network in Washington D.C. Prior to ...
Ringtones: The list.(Wireless Metrics)
Jan 09, 2006 ... Moderati released its list of 2005's top ringtones, with notes on some regional flavor. Hip-hop dominated the list in '05, with 60 percent of the songs from these artists. Video-game themes such as "Super Mario Brothers" and movie themes like "Halloween" also placed in the top ...
Fast Fact.(Wireless Metrics)
Jan 09, 2006 ... In the Netherlands, 14 percent of cellular subscribers connected via MVNOs at the end of September. There are ...
Amp'd reveals TV, cable deals.(News)
Jan 09, 2006 ... Amp'd Mobile unleashed a far-reaching list of entertainment content from major television and cable networks that it plans to offer its subscribers. The content includes: * ABC's "Alias,'' "America's Funniest Home Videos,'' "Lost'' and "Desperate Housewives,'' ...
CTIA urges FCC to reform intercarrier compensation, not fix 'phantom traffic'.(News)
Jan 09, 2006 ... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER CTIA told the Federal Communications Commission that the agency should focus on reforming the intercarrier-compensation system rather than attempting to snuff out so-called "phantom traffic.'' Phantom traffic is network activity that ...
DoCoMo pushes past 20M 3G subscribers.(News)
Jan 09, 2006 ... Four years after NTT DoCoMo Inc. launched its 3G network-the world's first major W-CDMA network launch-the carrier has sailed past the 20-million-subscriber mark. DoCoMo said it reached the milestone on Dec. 29. The carrier said it expects ...
Making the sale Consumers look to Web to buy phones, service.
Jan 09, 2006 ... Byline: KELLY HILL Online sales are skyrocketing-and wireless carriers are keeping pace as consumers increasingly look to the Web as a venue to shop and buy. Online sales (excluding travel) raked in $30.1 billion during the holiday shopping season, and sales of ...
Brown blasts changes proposed to California telecom bill of rights.(News)
Jan 09, 2006 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA California Public Utilities Commission member Geoffrey Brown is seeking to delay the scheduled Jan. 26 vote on a scaled-back telecom bill-of-rights plan, while Commissioner Dian Grueneich crafts an alternative consumer protection measure. ...
Google gets CDMA patent.(News)
Jan 09, 2006 ... The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded a patent to Google Inc. for a technology that makes more data exchanges possible at faster speeds on a CDMA-based wireless network. Google did not return requests for comment on the patent, which was awarded to the company Jan. 3. The ...
RFID chipmaker files for IPO.(News)
Jan 09, 2006 ... Byline: JONI MORSE Human RFID chipmaker VeriChip Corp. said it filed for an initial public offering, but the company did not release information on the number of shares it expects to release or the share price or what it plans to do with the money it raises from its IPO. ...
Crown Castle's TV service gets new name, marketing campaign.(News)
Jan 09, 2006 ... Byline: JONI MORSE Crown Castle International Corp.'s media subsidiary debuted a new name and marketing campaign amid details about its plans to use its tower network and unencumbered spectrum rights to launch live mobile TV in the nation's top 30 markets, including a launch in ...
Theater trade group may seek permission to jam cell phones.(News)
Jan 09, 2006 ... The National Association of Theatre Owners is considering asking the Federal Communications Commission to allow theaters to install equipment that would jam mobile-phone signals, but the trade group has yet to take such action. Jamming equipment is banned today. "The petition is ...
Minn. law restricting cell-phone use while driving focuses on teens.(News)
Jan 09, 2006 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Minnesota has become the latest state to enforce legislation restricting cell-phone use by teenage drivers, the 10th state to do so in the face of mounting research on the dangers of talking on the phone while driving. Given their inexperience ...
'Chief of staff' Kidney exits CTIA.(News)
Jan 09, 2006 ... Brian Kidney, CTIA's chief operating officer, has left the wireless trade association, CTIA confirmed to RCR Wireless News. "Brian Kidney and CTIA President Steve Largent had different management styles and have mutually agreed to part ways,'' said John Walls, CTIA vice ...
Season of giving.(Opinion)
Jan 09, 2006 ... Byline: Jeffrey Silva Official Washington is suddenly awash in jittery philanthropy. Hardly a day passes without congressional members-Republicans and Democrats alike-deciding to give a portion of their campaign contributions to some charitable cause. President Bush is on the ...
FCC in crunch to address DE rules before June auction.(News)
Jan 09, 2006 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Federal Communications Commission may lack the time to make changes to designated-entity rules before this June's third-generation wireless auction, a possibility that may upset the agency's two Democrats at a time when litigation has surfaced alleging ...
McDowell rumored for fifth FCC seat as Tate joins agency.(News)
Jan 09, 2006 ... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER Even as FCC Chairman Kevin Martin administered the oath of office to returning colleague FCC Commissioner Michael Copps and new Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate, he could be closer to finding himself in the majority. The White House is ...
Cincinnati Bell to buy Cingular's stake in JV for $83 million.(News)
Jan 09, 2006 ... Cincinnati Bell is buying out Cingular Wireless L.L.C.'s stake in a joint venture between the two companies. According to Securities and Exchange Commission filings by Cincinnati Bell, the company must pay $83 million for Cingular's stake. The sale is anticipated to close next month ....
Singing gospel of full-track downloads.
Jan 09, 2006 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS The much-hyped "year of mobile music'' started off with a bang here at last week's 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show. But whether wireless consumers will sign on-and where mobile operators will fit in the value chain-is still very much in ...
Maxis, JVC partner to buy Indian carrier.(Global Wireless)
Jan 09, 2006 ... Maxis Communications Berhad of Malaysia and its Indian Joint Venture Company, JVC, plan to acquire Indian mobile carrier Aircel Ltd. The two companies agreed to spend $1.08 billion to purchase all of Aircel. Maxis will hold a 65-percent stake in Aircel directly, and the JVC-an ...
VimpelCom gets majority stake in Tajikistan operator.(Global Wireless)
Jan 09, 2006 ... Vimpel Communications, which provides cellular service in Russia, Kazakstan and the Ukraine, has acquired a 60-percent stake in Tacom, a wireless carrier in Tajikistan. VimpelCom paid $12 million for the stake. The carrier also entered into an agreement with the ...
Financial Briefs.(Briefs)
Jan 09, 2006 ... Qualcomm Inc. announced it has acquired Berkana Wireless Inc., a wireless chip designer, for $56 million in cash. Silicon Valley-based Berkana provides metal oxide semiconductor radio frequency integrated circuits, or RF CMOS chips, to the wireless industry, and Qualcomm said it expects ...
Computer makers, carriers embrace embedded chips.(News)
Jan 09, 2006 ... Byline: JONI MORSE Just when you thought your new Wi-Fi-enabled laptop was nifty, along comes a bevy of new laptops embedded with PC cards and chips that support wireless broadband Internet access via third-generation carrier networks. Several announcements touted the latest ...
Sanyo, Razr users most likely to download content.(Wireless Metrics)
Jan 09, 2006 ... U.S. consumers with Motorola Inc. Razr or Sanyo Corp. SCP-8200 handsets are more likely to consume mobile content than owners of any other wireless phone, according to figures from M:Metrics. The firm's latest study found that half of all Sanyo SCP-8200 owners purchased ...
Sanyo, Soma team on last-mile access.(Global Wireless)
Jan 09, 2006 ... Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd. said it entered the wireless broadband arena through a partnership with last-mile wireless broadband technology provider Soma Networks Inc. The companies said they will jointly develop and manufacture consumer and infrastructure products for the wireless broadband ...
Garcia to head up Sprint Nextel venture with cable companies.(News)
Jan 09, 2006 ... John Garcia, senior vice president of strategic partners for Sprint Consumer Solutions, will head up the joint venture between Sprint Nextel Corp. and cable companies Comcast Corp., Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Advance/Newhouse Communications. The joint venture will ...