RCR Wireless News back issues from November 2006:
San Fran's muni Wi-Fi project in fog; City rethinks awarding EarthLink, Google bid.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: JONI MORSE If aliens were to land on our planet, the first thing they would probably notice is our addiction to Wi-Fi networks. Indeed, a new report from ABI Research indicates that in 2006, the number of commercial Wi-Fi hotspots will reach 143,700 worldwide ...
Plaxo inks synch pact with Verizon Wireless.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Digital networking company Plaxo Inc. stepped onto the wireless playground last week, inking a deal to allow Verizon Wireless subscribers to update contact information on their handsets over the air. The software developer unveiled Plaxo Mobile ...
Virgin Mobile USA invigorates messaging.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. announced two new services that incorporate audio and messaging. "Txt Tones'' will allow users to link musical tones to text messages instead of rings. The three- to five-second sound clips can be used as an alert that a text message has been received, ...
Embarq launches PTT, parental control service.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Embarq Corp. plans to offer its wireless customers push-to-talk services and parental controls on a Sanyo Corp. 2400 mobile phone. Embarq, which has a mobile virtual network operator relationship with Sprint Nextel Corp. after being spun off from the larger company earlier this ...
For a good time, call Luke Johnson's mobile.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: KELLY HILL Ordinary people like Luke Johnson sit at the intersection of social networking and the cell phone. Searching for something new that he could do involving video-sharing site YouTube.com, Johnson woke up one night with an idea: Why not post his cell-phone number ...
Boost goes a little bit country.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: KELLY HILL Boost Mobile L.L.C. is bringing its pay-as-you-go service to rural areas, after traditionally concentrating on urban strongholds. Boost, which is a division of Sprint Nextel Corp. and runs on the carrier's iDEN network, will begin to offer service ...
Verizon Wireless: No. 1 in revenue.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: KELLY HILL Verizon Wireless continued its domination of the postpaid wireless market and outpaced larger rival Cingular Wireless L.L.C. in net customer additions during the third quarter. Verizon Wireless said it brought in 1.9 million net subscribers for the ...
Rogers plans HSDPA launch.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Rogers announced it launched Canada's first HSDPA network in the greater Toronto area and laid out plans to expand the network to the country's top 20 markets throughout next year. Along with voice services, the HSDPA network offers subscribers the ability to download data and ...
A glance inside the handset: keeping it simple.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON A mobile phone runs on the chips inside it, if an over-generalization may be permitted for simplicity's sake. And the basic functions of a basic phone rely on four types of chips: the power amplifier, the RF transceiver, the analog baseband and the digital ...
What is a chip?(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: Phil Carson Silica is a chemical that, in its manufactured, crystalline form, is ideally suited for use as a semiconductor. A semiconductor, a device made of silica, partly conducts and partly insulates-thus its name-and is ideal for conveying electronic ...
New group proposes standard for wireless high-def in the home.(Focus)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: JONI MORSE The wireless industry was graced with the presence of yet another standardization initiative last week. Naturally, backers of the new movement launched their plan with all the gusto and enthusiasm of well ... every other just-launched standards development ...
Court sides with FCC on reciprocal compensation; Ruling underscores trouble assessing telecom subsidies.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA A U.S. appeals court in St. Louis last week reaffirmed federal telecom rules governing how mobile-phone and rural telephone carriers are paid for carrying each other's traffic, a favorable wireless ruling on an aspect of highly convoluted and antiquated ...
DEs: Rule changes justify throwing out auction results.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Council Tree Communications Inc. and other parties challenging changes to small-business bidding rules again hammered away at the Federal Communications Commission, telling the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that procedural irregularities in crafting new ...
6 years ago this month...(Metrics)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Cingular Wireless gained a much-needed foothold in the New York market by agreeing to swap spectrum with VoiceStream Wireless, ...
Data mining techniques not an exact science.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS In these early days of mobile data, the wireless industry is scrambling for timely, accurate data about consumer behavior. But it's finding that such information can be difficult to come by. Mobile content measurement firm Telephia last week ...
FCC postpones AT&T merger decision.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Federal Communications Commission will not act on the $79 billion merger of AT&T Inc. and BellSouth Corp. until after the Nov. 7 midterm elections, scrapping a Nov. 3 scheduled vote on the deal due to Chairman Kevin Martin's failure to strike a deal ...
In search of the mobile shopper.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON Pssst ... if you're looking for that elusive quarry-mobile handset consumers-you'll find them in abundance online. They're not only researching purchases in cyberspace, but increasingly making them over the Internet as well. Carriers take note: ...
New handset movie: The Replacements; Emerging markets upgrade phones.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON As a consensus of forecasts converge on the magical billion mark for handset shipments this year-although with some dissenters-attention has focused on several dynamics at play. The upshot? Watch the market for replacement handsets in emerging ...
Sizing up the semiconductor beast; It may not be the cookie monster, but it's close.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON Trying to form a sense of the sprawling chip market for mobile phones is akin to getting a tape measure around an elephant's waist. With dozens of players and product types, the chip industry that enables the fantastic functions of today's mobile ...
Hedgehogging.(Briefs)
Nov 06, 2006 ... hedge*hog*ging v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cube Good news! In hedgehogging this week, we found a lot of positive things to say about new apps and devices. And you thought we were just a bunch of disgruntled ...
Infrastructure Awards.(Metrics)
Nov 06, 2006 ... The following contracts were announced in October: Alcatel China: With China Mobile subsidiaries Shaanxi Mobile Communication Co. Ltd. and Jiangsu Mobile Communication Co. Ltd. to expand the carriers' GSM and GPRS networks. Value: $68 million ...
Etc.(Briefs)
Nov 06, 2006 ... The Palms Hotel and Casino is now accepting live wagers on mobile betting devices, according to Progressive Gaming International Corp., which developed the system. The Rapid Bet Live Wireless technology was tested during last week's Monday Night Football game between the New England ...
Leap unites markets with unlimited in-network roaming.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: KELLY HILL Leap Wireless International Inc. said it will allow its Cricket customers to roam in Cricket markets across the country without paying an additional fee. The carrier also announced a new WAP-based wireless portal and a new rate plan that includes unlimited ...
The next net neutrality debate.(Opinion)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: Jeffrey Silva There's much discussion here and overseas-especially overseas-about Internet governance, a succinctly ambiguous description apt to be at the core of controversy for years to come. The Internet governance issue has played out on a number of ...
FCC airs Cyren Call proposal; Controversial measure would take 700 MHz out of commercial play.
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The debate is officially on. And the clock is ticking. Six months after receiving Cyren Call Communications Inc.'s plan for a public-safety wireless broadband network the private sector would build and share with first responders, the Federal ...
InfoSpace kills direct-to-consumer content biz.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS InfoSpace Inc. reported a net loss for the third quarter and announced plans to halt investment in its direct-to-consumer content business, including its recently launched Moviso storefront. Instead, executives said, InfoSpace will refocus on bringing its ...
Wi-Fi scores victory at Boston airport; Continental can continue offering Wi-Fi in President's Club lounge.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Federal Communications Commission said Continental Airlines Inc. can offer free Wi-Fi access at Boston-Logan International Airport, ruling the Massachusetts Port Authority's attempt to shut down the airline's wireless Internet service is pre-empted by ...
Report: Cingular network spending slows with Carrier Access.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: JONI MORSE A report from ThinkEquity Partners L.L.C. said that AT&T Inc.'s pending acquisition of BellSouth Corp. has affected their wireless affiliate Cingular Wireless L.L.C.'s spending on its network infrastructure, and that some of the carrier's equipment vendors ...
Partisan politics.(Opinion)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: Tracy Ford In this election season, the wireless industry stands as an Independent. Indeed, CTIA has been run successfully over recent years by Steve Largent, a Republican, and Tom Wheeler, a staunch Democrat. Wireless crosses party lines. As such, regardless ...
Sprint Nextel hypes NFL content with AirPlay.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Sprint Nextel Corp. and mobile application developer AirPlay are targeting football fans with an interactive offering that allows users to predict plays during NFL games. The carrier launched an NFL-licensed, downloadable application, dubbed AirPlay Live, that asks users to ...
EA, Gameloft show mobile gaming increases.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Shares of Electronic Arts Inc. jumped after the game-making behemoth reported increased mobile sales and surprisingly good overall quarterly revenues. The company rang up $35 million in mobile game sales, up slightly from the previous quarter's $33 million. EA reported $784 ...
Cingular no Sinatra; Carrier gives users music 'their way'.
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS While Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp. lumber around the nascent mobile music playground looking to "own the customer,'' Cingular Wireless L.L.C. hopes to attract music lovers by playing nice. The nation's largest wireless operator last ...
VCs pour more money into content firms, even as established players hit bumps.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS For mobile content players, these are either the best of times or the worst of times. Or, in some cases, both. Investment money continues to flow into wireless content and marketing. Thumbplay Inc., a direct-to-consumer aggregator, hauled in $10 ...
Google pushing easier mobile access to Gmail.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Google Inc. is offering a download that is designed to make mobile access to its free Gmail service faster, and Sprint Nextel Corp. is making the download available from its mobile Web home page. The download is free, other than data charges associated with the transfer. Google ...
Qwest turns profit, Rogers posts better ARPU, SunCom challenged.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: KELLY HILL Qwest Communications International Inc. reported a profitable third quarter with net income of $194 million, reversing a $144 million loss the company reported in the same quarter last year. Further, Qwest said the penetration rate of its service bundles ...
AMERICA SUPER-SIZED; Cingular leads in subs, but Verizon Wireless counts more retail users.
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: KELLY HILL Two years after Cingular Wireless L.L.C. acquired AT&T Wireless Services Inc. and drove Verizon Wireless out of its spot as the largest U.S. wireless carrier, Verizon Wireless' performance has allowed the carrier to reintroduce some superlatives. ...
Andrew to buy EMS Wireless for $50.5M.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Consolidation among communications vendors continued as Andrew Corp. announced plans to spend $50.5 million in cash to buy the wireless division of EMS Technologies Inc. Georgia-based EMS Wireless racked up revenues of $28.5 million during the first half of this year from sales ...
Late News.
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Developer Volantis aims to create content buzz with white-label app Mobile data software developer Volantis is targeting carriers with an application that delivers updated, personalized Internet information to mobile phones. The company ...
Copps slams FCC for ignoring bird-tower clashes; Agency to probe if towers are killing migratory birds.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Federal Communications Commission launched a rulemaking to determine whether rules are necessary to reduce the number of migratory bird collisions with cell-phone towers and other telecom antenna structures, setting the stage for a pitched battle ...
Motorola on offensive against counterfeit handset accessories.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON Motorola Inc. reiterated its concern over a proliferation of counterfeit accessories, particularly Bluetooth headsets, purported to be made by Motorola and reaching consumers in the United States. Motorola warned that the counterfeits are cheap fakes, won't ...
Helio plans more handsets for holidays.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Helio L.L.C., the self-proclaimed mobile virtual network operator for the young and hip, will launch additional handsets this year and next, according to Rick Heineman, the company's head of media relations. Heineman promised to give more details on the company's handsets soon ....
Stock Watch: October 26-November 2.(Metrics)
Nov 06, 2006 ... table: Stock Watch: October 26-November 2 * 3 ...
Top 10 selling phones, October:.(Metrics)
Nov 06, 2006 ... 1. (1) Sony Ericsson K790i/K800i 2. (2) Sony Ericsson K750i/D750i/W800i 3. (-) Nokia 6233/6234 4. (-) Sony Ericsson K610i/K618i/K610im/V630i 5. (10) Motorola Krzr K1 6. (7) Nokia 5500 7. (6) Nokia N73 8. (-) ...
RCRNews.com.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Need to do some research on your rivals? Visit www.RCRNews.com/search.cms to search ...
Disney Mobile holiday promo: cheaper phones, free month of service.(News)
Nov 06, 2006 ... Byline: Kelly Hill Disney Mobile is trying to lure customers to sign up for its service during the holiday season by lowering the cost of its handsets and offering a month of service for free, according to promotions on the mobile virtual network operator's Web site. ...
Ultimate Electronics drops T-Mobile USA in favor of competitor Verizon Wireless.(News)
Nov 13, 2006 ... Western U.S. consumer electronics retailer Ultimate Electronics has dropped T-Mobile USA Inc. in favor of Verizon Wireless. The retail chain said it will offer Verizon Wireless phones and services in 29 of its 32 stores in Colorado, Arizona, Kansas and several other states. The ...
The Holiday Outlook: Big carriers, big handset brands, low prices.(Focus)
Nov 13, 2006 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON The fourth quarter typically is the most robust for device sales and, as the final quarter to the calendar year, prognostication for 2006 is in its end game. Will the industry sell a billion handsets this year? "Billion'' certainly has a nice ring to it. ...
America's most reliable voting machine.(Opinion)
Nov 13, 2006 ... Byline: Mike Dano I watched some of the midterm election coverage last week on a cell phone. My wife had taken over the TV on Tuesday to watch one of her dancing or singing shows (I'm not sure which one it was, they're all pretty similar), and I wanted to catch up on where ...
Opera upgrades Mini to maximize market opportunities.(News)
Nov 13, 2006 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Opera Software ASA is looking to maximize its Mini. The Norwegian developer this month plans to launch the third version of its mobile browser for mass-market phones, promising to enhance security and increase download speeds for surfers on the ...
Late News.
Nov 13, 2006 ... MMA updates ad rules for wireless Web The Mobile Marketing Association expects to release updated guidelines this week, outlining technical requirements and establishing rules for wireless Web advertisements. The 18-page document, which is targeted at wireless ...
Wireless fertile ground for Yahoo in battle with Google.
Nov 13, 2006 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Yahoo Inc. is hoping wireless users can give it a much-needed boost against rival Google Inc. The Internet giant stepped further onto the white-hot mobile marketing playground, launching a "graphical advertising platform'' for its wireless ...
Sun uses GPL to open Java.(News)
Nov 13, 2006 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS That Sun Microsystems Inc. is finally taking Java open source isn't likely to surprise anyone. What's surprising is how they're doing it. The software developer this week should announce that it is releasing its implementations of the popular ...
Amp'd bundles music content.(News)(Sound recording review)
Nov 13, 2006 ... Amp'd Mobile has added two music-centric multimedia bundles to its services, offering full-length tracks and "studio sessions'' recorded at its in-house studio. According to Amp'd, the Studio Sessions packages cost $4 to $5 depending on the makeup of the bundle, and include a ...
MasterCard, Nokia again team for NFC payment tests.(News)
Nov 13, 2006 ... Another trial of near field communication for contactless payment has begun in Dallas. The trial will include up to 500 participants and will last six months, according to participants MasterCard, Nokia and 7-Eleven. This is the latest mobile payment trial for MasterCard and ...
Centennial launches unlimited local plan in Puerto Rico.(News)
Nov 13, 2006 ... Centennial Communications Corp. introduced an unlimited local calling option for its customers in Puerto Rico. For $50 per month, Puerto Rico wireless customers will get unlimited inbound and outbound local calling and have the option to add companions or family members to their ...
Motorola strips iTunes from newest Cingular Razr.(News)
Nov 13, 2006 ... A new Motorola Inc. Razr V3 "R'' phone shipping to Cingular Wireless L.L.C. stores is equipped with MP3 capabilities, but not Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes platform, a Cingular spokesman said. "This would be in line with our strategy of providing consumers with many different ...
NTP sets sights on Palm.(News)
Nov 13, 2006 ... Byline: KRISTEN BECKMAN Patent-holding company NTP Inc. said it filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Treo maker Palm Inc. that claims the company's mobile e-mail products infringe on NTP's patents. NTP filed the claim in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern ...
Tektronix acquires Minacom for $27M.(News)
Nov 13, 2006 ... Test and measurement company Tektronix Inc. said it signed a definitive agreement to acquire Minacom for $27 million. Montreal-based Minacom provides active probe test solutions used by telecom ...
Nortel posts smaller loss, moving ahead with reverse stock split.(News)
Nov 13, 2006 ... Byline: KELLY HILL Nortel Networks Ltd. narrowed its overall loss for the third quarter to $99 million and said that it would go ahead with a plan to consolidate its shares on a 1-for-10 basis. Nortel had reported a $136 million loss at this time last year, and a ...
Rural carriers record better data ARPU.(News)
Nov 13, 2006 ... Byline: KELLY HILL Rural carriers saw an increase in roaming revenues during the third quarter as minutes of use increased, despite slides in per-minute prices-and for Rural Cellular Corp., data roaming revenues exploded by 405 percent from the same period last year. ...
Syniverse moves into the black.(News)
Nov 13, 2006 ... Syniverse Holdings Inc. swung to a profit in the third quarter, but the news didn't seem to satisfy the company's investors, who sent Syniverse's stock down more than 3 percent to $14.24 per share. Syniverse reported a net income of $17.6 million, a reversal of the net loss of ...
Send in the clowns.(Opinion)
Nov 13, 2006 ... Byline: Jeffrey Silva Losing Congress and easy access to corporate political money is bad enough, but surrendering the House to the woman they fashioned as the poster child of ultra-left looneyism must be awfully hard to swallow for Republicans who've had their way on Capitol ...
Motorola finds Good in e-mail vendor assets.
Nov 13, 2006 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS The field of mobile e-mail startups is thinning faster than Lindsay Lohan. Motorola Inc. last week stepped up its efforts to deliver e-mail to wireless users, announcing plans to acquire privately held wireless e-mail provider Good Technology Inc ....
Firefly, Warner Bros. to sell Tweety, Superman, Supergirl devices.(News)
Nov 13, 2006 ... Firefly Mobile, which develops and markets mobile phones for children, announced a licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Consumer Products that will allow it to launch new line of mobile phones that feature Tweety, Superman and Supergirl. The phones are expected to be available ...
CheckFree, Firethorn team on mobile banking.(News)
Nov 13, 2006 ... CheckFree Corp. and Firethorn Holdings L.L.C. said they are teaming up to deliver mobile banking and bill payment services to financial institutions. The exclusive partnership agreement between the two companies calls for Firethorn to provide its mobile banking and payments ...